Troutnut.com Fly Fishing for Trout Home
User Password
or register.
Scientific name search:

> > Drift boat vs Raft preferences



Post Reply
Flyguide1August 22nd, 2018, 7:09 pm
East Tn

Posts: 15		Who favors one or the other and why?
TroutnutSeptember 2nd, 2018, 8:17 am
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737		Raft, because I have one.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
WbranchSeptember 3rd, 2018, 12:20 pm
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2733		Drift boat because I have one and the sheer comfort of being able to negotiate virtually any river or stream I fish in the East or West. I can comfortably take myself and a close friend floating for miles at a time casting to rising trout or just chatting and relaxing as we steer the craft.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
Jmd123September 3rd, 2018, 12:52 pm
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2611		Kayak - because I have one! You can get a kayak into waters you cannot get almost any other boat (except a nice light raft perhaps). But, then again, I primarily use my kayak for lake and pond fishing, as the rivers I fish are wadeable (i.e., not very big, compared to the waters Matt is plying). With a good anchor, though, no reason you can't fish a river from a kayak. It's usually a one-man proposition, but of course there are two-person kayaks if you want to give someone the "guided trip" experience.

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
PartsmanSeptember 11th, 2018, 3:18 pm
bancroft michigan

Posts: 420		My barber recently bought a raft and really likes it, he also has a drift boat, but the raft is taking the fore front. He floats the Shiawassee river for smallmouth, but im thinking some streams up north would be pretty cool.
WbranchSeptember 14th, 2018, 4:36 am
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2733		Rafts are very useful on fast rivers with many exposed rocks and boulders. Fiberglass drift boats don't do well when trying to negotiate boulder strewn very fast rivers. Good rafts with thick chamber walls tend to bounce of big rocks. Fiberglass or aluminum drift boats just impact the rock with less than pleasant results. You could actually crack the fiberglass if the water was fast enough and the rock sharp enough. At a minimum you gouge the Gel coat all along the chines and sides of the boat.
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
CaseyPSeptember 14th, 2018, 10:53 am
Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653		mine is a purely selfish opinion: drift boats have more comfortable standing space than rafts.
whoever designed the brace for the fly caster on a raft forgot that feet need to be in front of the knees for balance when casting and playing a fish. the brace is usually secured right at the edge of a wooden deck piece. it should be a little way towards the middle.
unless my feet are positioned on the canvas floor in front of the wood decking, my body is forced to lean hard on the brace with my feet behind me. this is very tiring and hard on the back.
to be perfectly honest, my favorite place when fishing from a boat or raft is in the back seat where i can do most of my casting sitting down, but Best Fishing Buddy discovered my secret and now makes me take my turn up front.
"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra

Quick Reply

You have to be logged in to post on the forum. It's this easy:
Username:          Email:

Password:    Confirm Password:

I am at least 13 years old and agree to the rules.

Related Discussions

TitleRepliesLast Reply
Re: Delaware Outing
In General Discussion by Wbranch		8Mar 30, 2014
by Wbranch
Re: Fun float down the Yakima
In Site Updates by Troutnut		3Oct 2, 2017
by Wbranch
Re: Needed: Yellowstone's Henry's Lake Fishing Advice
In General Discussion by LifeOfRiley		5Mar 30, 2015
by Wbranch
Re: Brand new member, fly fisherman, and boat coveter
In General Discussion by Stickstring		8Jul 26, 2019
by Stickstring
Re: Excelent River Trout Boat for Sale
In General Discussion by ABJoint		6Jun 5, 2009
by ABJoint
Re: old(very old) trout boat
In General Discussion by Walt01		1Aug 9, 2021
by Wbranch
Southwest Miramichi River Report - 05/09/07
In Fishing Reports by CaseyBentle		0
Re: Caddis Wading Shoes
In Gear Talk by Wbranch		2Jun 28, 2018
by Iasgair
AMERICAN RIVER LOOKING EAST
In the Photography Board by PESCATORE		0
Re: The Delaware
In Fishing Reports by Martinlf		5Jun 2, 2017
by Martinlf