Float Fishing Advantages (Guest Review)
River Ridge Custom Canoes
by Tim Holschlag

Frankly, a lot of fly fishers are working too hard. They need to get off their feet and spend more time on their butts. Don't worry, I'm not advocating more time in front of the TV, but I am recommending you try another way of fishing. Hundreds of thousands of folks have recently taken up warmwater fly fishing, but most of it is still done on foot. Sure wading is great for a little trout creek, but on larger waters if you don't use a watercraft you're fishing with one hand tied behind your back.

On a lake the benefits of a boat or float tube are probably obvious. But the advantages of canoeing a stream may not be so transparent to the on-foot-oriented angler. After all, sturdy legs, felt soles and a big dose of determination will allow you to make a few casts into even the deepest, widest river. But that's the problem. While a wader struggles to fish a few hundred yards of river, the float fisher can easily cover 7 or 8 miles of water in a day. Plus, by floating you can fish remote stretches of water, areas that likely see far less angling pressure than the popular spots near bridges and road accesses.

Fishing smallmouth, trout or other species from a watercraft also makes casting much easier. Brushy, tree-lined banks can't snare your backcast as easily when you're floating out in mid-stream. And of course, by floating you can quickly bypass shallow, sandy, or silty stretches of stream.

Traveling a river by canoe is not only more efficient, it's more enjoyable. Sitting back and letting the current do much of the work as you quietly pass new sights with the rounding of every bend is far more that just chasing fish. From a quiet craft you fully experience a river. Though I've spent nearly four decades floating, the allure of a winsome winding waterway hasn't diminished. Sure, the potential mother lode of smallmouths around the next bend is a draw, but seeing a whitetail doe and fawn mincing along the stream bank or a young woodchuck sunning in the spring grass is just as important and enjoyable to me. On a well executed float trip you can catch lots of fish and experience nature the way few other people do.

Okay, if float fishing is even half as great as I say, how come more fly rodders don't do it? Alas, the challenges faced by the river float fisher become apparent as soon as one tries to paddle and catch fish at the same time. Rocky riffles, current and wind make craft control tough on most rivers. Adding to the challenge is the fact that it can be pretty tough to fish from a canoe. Even when its positioned properly, the average canoe is difficult to cast from because you're sitting low in the water and you can't stand up. And in most canoes, quarters are cramped and the uncomfortable seats can cause backaches and fatigue.

An All-New Fishing Craft
Fortunately, there's one canoe that eliminates or minimizes most of these problems. Minnesota-built River Ridge Custom Canoes are new to the small craft market, but seem to be far ahead of other models available. Built by hardcore anglers, River Ridge Canoes are designed to be the sport utility vehicles of river fishing. They're stable, yet very maneuverable. In fact, the River Ridge is so stable a fly fisher can safely stand up to cast. But when I fish from this canoe, I seldom need to stand, because the craft has padded swivel seats where I can sit and cast all day in comfort. These cushy, comfy seats (the kind you see on expensive bass boats) let you sit high enough to get good casting distance. To me they're one of the best features of the canoe.

While the River Ridge Canoe handles well with a paddle, it really excels with an electric motor. Its unique design features a pointed stern similar to a conventional canoe, but above the waterline the stern is square for mounting an electric motor. This feature is true genius. The typical square-stern craft has the maneuverability of a garbage scow, but the River Ridge with its unique stern handles and turns superbly. Meanwhile, a quiet electric motor gives you near effortless craft control while you fish (wouldn't you rather be holding your flyrod than a paddle?) Hidden electric wiring is also built right into the canoe, so a battery can be placed in the stern, the middle or the bow, whichever is best for weight distribution. This means fishing alone in a canoe is now not only possible, but practical and easy.

Only 13 feet long and 85 pounds, this durable fiberglass fishing machine is small and light enough to be easily car-topped, stored in tight spaces and carried down the roughest river accesses. The seats are instantly removable, and several other nifty features of this craft-- on-board rodholders, fly boxes, cup-holders, etc.-- are all removable and re-positionable to suit your needs.

While no fishing craft will do everything perfectly, I'm convinced the River Ridge is the closest thing yet to a perfect canoe. I've used one for a season, really putting it through its paces. I floated many miles of river with it, fished numerous lakes and ponds, and used it for guided river trips. Most importantly, I caught plenty of smallmouth, pike, largemouth bass, bluegill and white bass from it. My friends and clients who have fished in it agree that it's an excellent fly fishing craft, for either two anglers or the solo fisher, for both rivers and lakes.

Float Fishing Techniques
The River Ridge, or another fishing-rigged canoe, can be used three different ways for fly fishing a river. In a shallow rocky fast flowing river, the best technique is for the stern person to steer and slow the craft by paddling, while the bow angler fishes. The person with the rod should make quick accurate casts to likely targets (such as bank, boulder or wood cover) as the canoe is guided slowly downstream.

On longer deeper pools and runs in a river, both anglers can fish simultaneously while the craft is controlled by the motor. In these situations, the canoe should be pointed back upstream and the motor run just fast enough so you're pulled slowly downstream. "River slipping," as this method is called, is a superb way to thoroughly fish longer pools. When you come to the downstream end of the pool you can easily turn the craft around and exit the pool bow first or you can increase the motor's speed and go back up to the head of the pool for another drift through productive water.

A River Ridge Canoe also works well for fishing lake shorelines for bass and bluegills, using a similar technique. The canoe's keel keeps you in position even in a moderate wind. A 36-pound-thrust electric will push a River Ridge even in river current, and a 50-pound-thrust motor will allow you to really cruise.

The third way to productively fish out of a canoe is to anchor at likely spots. Anchoring is effective in deep pools, current breaks and at the head of a pool-- wherever you suspect fish are concentrated. A six-pound anchor tied off at the bow of the craft is best for most situations. Anchor quietly and don't get too close to the target, and if you suspect you spooked the fish while getting into position, wait ten minutes before starting to fish.

Fully rigged and accessorized River Ridge Canoes, (507-288-2750) or on the web at www.riverridgecustomcanoes.com, sell for about $1,500. This is a little more than some standard bare-bones models, but it's dirt cheap if you consider its design and features and how much it will improve your fishing. Hey, maybe it's time to get off your feet and start floating your way to some fantastic fly fishing.

RRCC Web Site

[Staff note: River Ridge Custom Canoes only sell their canoes direct to the customer. The canoes are hand laid and custom made...one at a time, 4 per week.]