A
AFISHN
Member
I posted on the this forum because I am a rank beginner on floating a pontoon.Despite practicing 4 times fro 2 hours each on a 20 acre lake the past three months,I finally had the opportunity to float a river(Susquehanna).thanks to Krayfish's kind offer and generousity:
Lesson learned:
1)practicing on a lake is a very good idea ,but absolutely does not prepare you in any way for moving water(even slow moving water).the analogy that comes to mind:knowing how to water ski does not make you ready to snow ski!
2)Never drift alone.
Although I read this several times on this forum,I now really understand why,even though we never had even one dangerous or close to dangerous situation on the river.There's jsut too many nasty variables in a driftunctured tube,broken oar,getting caught in a tree,cramps,etc,etc to name a few
3)It is almost impossible to drift and fish!!(at least for me that true)
4)physical conditioning:although,I'm an active senor and work out hard(cardio and weights) 3-4 times a week,it really pays to be in decent shape.For example:don't depend on the flow to get you to your take out:if the wind is blowing against the current you might have to row.There are many rivers that have sections of slow moving water.So be physically prepared to row.
5)Bring and drink plenty of water.My distinct impression was that being in/on the water "masks" your need for hydration.I had 4 medium sized bottle of Gatoraid and had to bum a bottle of water from Kray at the end of the trip
5)Get reliable and honest intel about the river and the sections you should float for your skill level.e.g after our float Saturday, I was thinking"I don't think I'm not ready to try to float the LR,without some serious"easy" floats under my belt. Krayfish must have been reading my mnd,because about 10 minutes later he confirmed my thinking by remarking that he didn't think I should float the LR.I really appreciated his honesty.
6)Take notes during your learning phase.one example: I didn't bring a rod when I was practicing on the lake,but when I drifted ,I realized that I couldn't find a reliable place on the toon to keep the rod when I needed to row(still need to figure that out).
7)Try out several toons before you buy.I did not and bought a "cheapie" toon. Kray let me try his toon and i realized that I was working 2-3 times as hard rowing in my toon vs his.I'm probably going to upgrade significantly in the future(once I figure out the transportation and weight issues for me).
These are just my first impressions that I'd like to pass along to those contemplating a toon purchase.I would appreciate if forum members add to this list of considerations/safety issues
Lesson learned:
1)practicing on a lake is a very good idea ,but absolutely does not prepare you in any way for moving water(even slow moving water).the analogy that comes to mind:knowing how to water ski does not make you ready to snow ski!
2)Never drift alone.
Although I read this several times on this forum,I now really understand why,even though we never had even one dangerous or close to dangerous situation on the river.There's jsut too many nasty variables in a driftunctured tube,broken oar,getting caught in a tree,cramps,etc,etc to name a few
3)It is almost impossible to drift and fish!!(at least for me that true)
4)physical conditioning:although,I'm an active senor and work out hard(cardio and weights) 3-4 times a week,it really pays to be in decent shape.For example:don't depend on the flow to get you to your take out:if the wind is blowing against the current you might have to row.There are many rivers that have sections of slow moving water.So be physically prepared to row.
5)Bring and drink plenty of water.My distinct impression was that being in/on the water "masks" your need for hydration.I had 4 medium sized bottle of Gatoraid and had to bum a bottle of water from Kray at the end of the trip
5)Get reliable and honest intel about the river and the sections you should float for your skill level.e.g after our float Saturday, I was thinking"I don't think I'm not ready to try to float the LR,without some serious"easy" floats under my belt. Krayfish must have been reading my mnd,because about 10 minutes later he confirmed my thinking by remarking that he didn't think I should float the LR.I really appreciated his honesty.
6)Take notes during your learning phase.one example: I didn't bring a rod when I was practicing on the lake,but when I drifted ,I realized that I couldn't find a reliable place on the toon to keep the rod when I needed to row(still need to figure that out).
7)Try out several toons before you buy.I did not and bought a "cheapie" toon. Kray let me try his toon and i realized that I was working 2-3 times as hard rowing in my toon vs his.I'm probably going to upgrade significantly in the future(once I figure out the transportation and weight issues for me).
These are just my first impressions that I'd like to pass along to those contemplating a toon purchase.I would appreciate if forum members add to this list of considerations/safety issues