I am thing about getting a a fish cat poontoon boat and just curious if anybody here has ever used one for fishing or even run it down a class III rapid ?
http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboats/fishcatpontoons.shtml

I like the cougar model the best so far. saw it at cabellas for $580

one of my secrect fishing holes by my house that I want to use said pontoon boat on :flipoff2:

.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/camo_p4x4/fishing/DSC00347.jpg

also be cool to get around this high elevation res that I fish near markleville on off the carson river


.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/camo_p4x4/fishing/DSC00336.jpg

i have one that sportsmans sells and it is kick ass i think the best thing about it is the spot on the back for the cooler awesome for throwing in your rig and going to little lakes that you dont want to try getting a fishing boat into and much more comfy than a float tube

i have one that sportsmans sells and it is kick ass i think the best thing about it is the spot on the back for the cooler awesome for throwing in your rig and going to little lakes that you dont want to try getting a fishing boat into and much more comfy than a float tube


would you run a class lll rapid in it ?

from the outcast website

7. What class of water can I use my Outcast Sporting Gear or Fish Cat pontoon boat in?
Answer: Your pontoon boat is durable enough for any class of water, but each person’s skill level varies, so only float water that you are comfortable with.


one of the local rivers I fish is also a great whitewater river and has this class lll rapid. of course I have swam the rapid with just a life vest but don't really want to ruin a boat and loose all my fishing gear so curious how you think the boat will handle it.

.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/camo_p4x4/IMG_13611Medium.jpg

same rapid different day

I dont know about those rapids, with every one man inflatable pontoon I have seen, your legs are under water.

oh, BTW: coinstar does cabela's gift certificates with no fees!

The Outcast boats are nice - made by Aire and they know what they are doing. That's the first time I've seen that they were capable of whitewater which is nice to know. Another company you might check out is North Fork Outdoors. A little more money and the quality is top notch. What ever you do make sure you get a urethane bladder if you are going in the rapids.

yeah mine has the urethane bladder i thin you could probably manage some white water if you strapped down the oars and used like a kyak (how ever you spell that) paddle you would be alright i think it seems pretty sturdy it has kept my buddy's 350# ass afloat

would you run a class lll rapid in it ?



one of the local rivers I fish is also a great whitewater river and has this class lll rapid. of course I have swam the rapid with just a life vest but don't really want to ruin a boat and loose all my fishing gear so curious how you think the boat will handle it.


All of the Outcast boats are rated for class III rapids.

They actually test them on some local river in Georgia or Alabama, or wherever the company is based.

From what the factory rep told me, they have a "company day" where each person draws a number from a hat and is assigned a boat to run down the river.

If I remember correctly, they make a boat that is more white-water friendly, with a greater keel to it.

That cougar will draft in 3" of water too... don't know if you saw that or not.

If you do any trolling, then you might also want to look into the Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks. Although they are a bit pricey. My dad sold his boat because the pedal drive kayak was easier to deal with (no boat ramps, trailer, and so on).

would you run a class lll rapid in it ?

from the outcast website

7. What class of water can I use my Outcast Sporting Gear or Fish Cat pontoon boat in?
Answer: Your pontoon boat is durable enough for any class of water, but each person’s skill level varies, so only float water that you are comfortable with.


one of the local rivers I fish is also a great whitewater river and has this class lll rapid. of course I have swam the rapid with just a life vest but don't really want to ruin a boat and loose all my fishing gear so curious how you think the boat will handle it.

.
http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/camo_p4x4/IMG_13611Medium.jpg

As a whitewater rafting guide, if you can run that "class 3" without a paddle in the water, and with those morons in the boat ( :flipoff2: ) most anything can run it. Keep in mind, most rapids have sneaks in them. On the Eagle River, we have a designated sneak on a class 5, it's always there even at high water. The big issue with a CATA-style raft like that is length...they tend to get surfed a lot in class 3+ because there is none of the raft that is downstream of the rapid enough to allow paddles to dig into non-recirculating water.

i is a thousand times more entertaining to watch people fish from round float tubes. they cant keep the fish from running them in circles!!!

You can always portage around a short set of rapids like that. There are pontoons rated for class IV and V water but I'd bet most people still portage around the hard stuff.

Think of all the good fish holding water around a set of rapids. Would you really want to blow through it with a pontoon, beach the pontoon below the rapids and hike back, just to do it over and over at each set of rapids?

I used to flyfish the Timbucktoo area of the Yuba above the hwy20 bridge near Smartville. My partner and I used a cheap rubber raft that we could bail in and out of quickly. We took it through some pretty rough water (pics here (http://cacreeks.com/yuba-low.htm)) and it almost cost us our lives. We eventually got smart and just portaged the tough spots. The raft was perfect for what we used it for after that little learning curve.

On the flip side we saw people using pontoons on the lower sections (well below the pics in the link above) that took way too much time to get in and out to fish. It was not realistic/possible to fish while trying to hold the pontoon stationary in the water. Bottom line is they hated us though part of it was probably since we weren't exactly flyfishing purists:D

Getting around bigger water like the lower Sac, the Feather below Thermolito and high alpine lakes they are gold. Some of the bigger boats are used on rivers like the Trinity with success but they are major coin. Spend a little bit of time on the flyfishing boards or give a shop like Kienes or The Fly Shop in Redding a call and pick their brains. Lots of options out there.

btw lmao at "secret fishing hole" in California

i is a thousand times more entertaining to watch people fish from round float tubes. they cant keep the fish from running them in circles!!!


Ahhh but drag said round float tube up to the North side of the lake around Easter.:smokin:

They actually test them on some local river in Georgia or Alabama, or wherever the company is based.


Outcast/Aire is located in Meridian, Idaho just down the road a piece from me. There is no shortage of white water to test on around here. Some of the best in the world. My suspicion is they probably test on the Payette and Salmon Rivers, but they could also go on the Lochsa, Selway, Snake, Owyhee, or Bruneau Rivers as well. Those would give them the range from tubing water to Class V+.

The North Fork Outdoors boats I mentioned are made in Brigham City, Utah north of Salt Lake. They are more of a local company, but I know Cabela's carries some of their boats. Nice equipment as well.

RD

You can always portage around a short set of rapids like that.

btw lmao at "secret fishing hole" in California

1. what fun would that be ? :flipoff2:

2. laugh all you want :flipoff2: I will be fishing that hole solo while you wait in line for a spot on the bank of the delta :laughing: ok so it isn't super secret... just a local hideout so it doesn't see much traffic due to the fact you get to wheel to get there.

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa153/camo_p4x4/fishing/DSC00347.jpg

Outcast/Aire is located in Meridian, Idaho

I guess that shows how well I used to listen when they weren't giving me something :laughing:

2. laugh all you want :flipoff2: I will be fishing that hole solo while you wait in line for a spot on the bank of the delta :laughing: ok so it isn't super secret... just a local hideout so it doesn't see much traffic due to the fact you get to wheel to get there.


I know what you mean: no boat ramp means no assholes creating wake. Thats why I like my canoe, I can fish places that lazy fawkers wont.