Transporting/Traveling with pontoon boat

I mainly want something to fish the Lehigh and the Upper D. I truly love wade fishing but the flows on these rivers are not often friendly for wade guys. I have missed a lot of opportunities to fish the D in peticular because i dont have a boat. Trips with nice fellows from this board who offered to help me learn the ropes.

Wbranch, you fish the upper D frequently right? Do you fish from a boat there or do you just use a float tune to get from wade spot to wade spot. At a flow of say 4K on the main at lordville right now traditional park and wade fishing would probably be tough to find many spots. Would a toon or kayak or a boat that isnt necessarily made to fish FROM really open up that many more wading spots for you in the current conditions?

Thanks for info everyone!
 
I have a guide buddy who has a 2016 NRS Otter 130 (13 ft) for sale with lots of extras.

No trailer. Used only 30 days.

PM if interested.

Details in the SWAP FORUM.

He will be in the general area on the weekend of Nov. 8-9. After that he won't be around for several months.
 
Way out of my price range CLS but that thing is cool. Why is your buddy selling it so soon?
 
Not too sure. I guess because he travels to many different locations around the world to guide and he bought that for one season to use at a specific location and now is ready to sell it since he is moving to a new location this winter.
 
timmyt,
I have a Scadden Assult XX, which I use on the D and elsewhere. I like it a lot. I like the frame which enables standing up to cast. that's an important feature on rivers like the D where the fish can be challenging just to reach with a cast some times.
I trailer mine, which is a two man. It has let me fish with a bunch of forum members over the years. And since you generally need a buddy to shuttle, it works out. Of course I take it out solo too, and even took my pooch with me back in the day too.

My boat, minus the cooler, anchor, and other incidentals (net, PFDs, etc) is just under 100 lbs. Its not hard to carry a short ways but would be a handful to load on top of a car without some help.


Good luck and maybe I'll see ya out there.
 
Quote: Bruno wrote: Harbor freight trailer will do ya I worked with a guy that bought a trailer kit from Harbor Freight. After he got it assembled he had to get it registered with the state. I forget all the details, but I remember it wasn't nearly as simple as mailing a check to PennDot and getting a license plate sent back.
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I built one of their kit trailers. I bought it because at the time a flat trailer (no side rails) was hard to find and I had the itch to start a project. I spent a week or two, off and on, assembling it. Building it wasn't hard. I did everything by the directions but I ran a wired ground to the lights rather than grounding to the frame.

As far as registering it and getting plates, it was a bit of a learning experience. You're going to have to drive it unregistered to two locations. I was a bit nervous about doing this but the only way to get it legal is to drive it illegal (I suppose I could have put it on top of another legal trailer but I took my chances). First a place to get it weighed. I took mine to a local trash station. They weighted on their scale, for a fee, and they give you a weight ticket. Then you take that to a local garage that does Tags and Titles. Fill out the paper work, pay the fees and then go home, wait for the plate to come in the mail. Not that big of a deal. I could dig up the paper work but I'm thinking the whole process costs about $100 so if you're looking for a trailer and weighing your options between building new or buying used, the fees are something to consider.
 
I've had a Creek Company frame style toon for maybe 13 years. When I'm staying in a location to fish for several days or going short distances over consecutive days I strap it to my roof rack on my van. All other single day outings I have it deflated and stored inside the van, set up and take down time isn't that big of a deal, it's an 8-footer, no trolling motor. I do think at times that if I had room to keep it assembled and inflated I would use it more often.
 
Timmy,

You have to decide what you want and what you'll accept from the toon.

Frameless are much lighter, no f'n around with the frame. If you use it to get from one pool to the next, there ya go. If you want to anchor on risers and fish to them, not so much.

Framed are heavier, typically offer a little more storage and the most important part to me.... stable stand up fishing.

IMO, Creek Company is the bottom / entry level. Scadden boats are dramatically better and Bucks Bags, Jack's Plastics, etc are premium. Outcast makes 2 tiers. Entry and premium. Tell them apart by frame material (steel vs aluminum) and by warranty. Bucks used to be stainless steel frame which is heavier to transport / move. The generic metal / steel frame will rust in short order. And.....they don't handle flying off the trailer at 70mph very well.

I have 2 scadden boats and have been happy. As Matt mentioned, they are not speed demons AND you will hate them in the wind. If it's really blowing, it will push you backwards a half mile up a gentle riff. They've helped me get to many fish that we're unaccessible by foot.

I'd say be prepared to drop $899 - $1400. You will also need pfd, launch permit, emergency repair kit, etc, etc. They also let you get in and out away from the major ramps so you can work around the heavier boat traffic if you are crafty.

A trailer or pick up will work. More fun if you do it with a fishing buddy.
 
timmyt wrote;

Wbranch, you fish the upper D frequently right? Do you fish from a boat there or do you just use a float tune to get from wade spot to wade spot. At a flow of say 4K on the main at lordville right now traditional park and wade fishing would probably be tough to find many spots. Would a toon or kayak or a boat that isnt necessarily made to fish FROM really open up that many more wading spots for you in the current conditions?
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At a flow of 4000 cfs you aren't going to be able to get out of most any craft and wade fish the main stem. 4000 cfs is a heck of a lot of water. I wouldn't want to drop the anchor in a pontoon boat at that flow - you might not be able to pull it back up due to the volume and speed of the water.

While I have a Bucks Bag Bronco (for sale by the way) I have not floated the system in years in the pontoon or the kayaks. I have a 14' 6" Hyde low profile drift boat and that is my craft of choice to float the main or lower WB.

My pontoon is stored at my cabin on the WB. It is a first generation pontoon boat with a steel frame. It has very durable pontoons. There is an inner air bladder and a very heavy duty outer bladder cover. It is a high denier vinyl type cover. There is a storage bag on top of each pontoon. I would sell it for $150. I bought longer 6' Carlisle oars for it. Problem is I won't be going back to the cabin until April of 2019.
 

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I floated the main last Saturday and it was 3095 cfs at Lordville. There weren't many places to get out and not be swept away. I did it in a hard boat and was able to anchor in many places. DaveS and I floated the WB a few springs ago when it was ripping at over 5000 cfs on the Hale Eddy gauge. Frightening at some points? Yes. Could you get out? Only to swim. Able to anchor on fish? Yes in very limited places and only if you were smart.

The Lehigh could be dangerous if you aren't careful and don't completely understand the flows.
 
mcwillja wrote:
Fredrick what do you suggest for Kayaks?
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I really like the new Bonafide Kayaks since they have a very high seat position that is great for casting . But really any kayak with a clear deck and a high seat will work . Jackson Kayaks coosa or fiska's ,nucanoes, oldtowns
 
For some reason, Frederick's post keep showing up on this pontoon boat thread. I think they are supposed to be in the 'anyone have suggestions for a kayak?' thread
:-D :lol: :pint:
 
The Bonafide yaks look cool. Is there an option for a snakehead decal? ;)
 
Fly-Swatter wrote:
The Bonafide yaks look cool. Is there an option for a snakehead decal? ;)
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I can hook you up of you make it to my presentation Tuesday



Andy because a kayak is a much better platform to fish out of the pontoon boats are a one trick pony.
 
Fred,

If you aren't rowing up river or on a windy lake, that one trick pony reaches the pay window every time. LoL. I accept shuttles are part of the deal and always go with the flow so to speak. If I were fishing still water or rowing back to the launch, kayak might be the ticket....but I don't.
 
krayfish2 wrote:
Fred,

If you aren't rowing up river or on a windy lake, that one trick pony reaches the pay window every time. LoL. I accept shuttles are part of the deal and always go with the flow so to speak. If I were fishing still water or rowing back to the launch, kayak might be the ticket....but I don't.
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Like I said one trick pony why limit yourself if you don’t have to . Even on a calm day they are horrible in slow water . Me personally I want to do it all if I’m spending that kind of money on a watercraft. With the advancements in fishing kayaks these days a one man pontoon is obsolete . I’m going to float the D in my kayak next year and run circles around all the drift boats .
 
Watch this video can you do any of this with a pontoon
https://youtu.be/1c6DYuo3nDA
 
Those are guys making a living. Zig zagging through them won't be received well and it's poor etiquette. You'll come back to a car with 4 flats. I hope you are kidding. Also, it's not a race to get down the river.
 
I wouldn't have either. Here's me and April's choice
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hVD-sytAjhc
 
I'd like to take that thing for a spin and the boat's pretty nice too :-o :-o

Should be able to get that thing up pens during the green drake hatch
 
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