Terry Dodge Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Just wondering how many people have one? I got one and I love it! I was kind of thinking it would be cool (if there are enough) to try and have a 'toon outing later this year. I just always seem to get the feeling that the yak-heads don't like us all that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I have 2 of them. Because one of the few drawbacks to pontoons is that they are strictly one way transportation on a river, you usually need someone with you so you can shuttle vehicles, I bought 2 so a second person could go too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Kral Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 I had one for a short time. I had posted last summer the issues I had. Dupage County FP would not allow it on the FP lakes, because it did not have a hardened bottom, and because a pontoon is a pontoon, and they dont allow pontoons on the lakes. I tried my best, even using ties I had within the DCFP. I wish I could have had the opportunity to use it, but I'm very happy with the Coosa I got in place of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dodge Posted January 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I have 2 of them. Because one of the few drawbacks to pontoons is that they are strictly one way transportation on a river, you usually need someone with you so you can shuttle vehicles, I bought 2 so a second person could go too. Having 2 is a good idea. I like the pontoons. I'm not real sure I'd like a yak. Seems like I see a lot of people tipping-over in yaks. I don't think I can tip my 'toon if I tried. Scott - Do you keep you 'toons inflated? I keep mine inflated all year hanging in my garage. Never had a problem with it. Going on 6 years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I have a high ceiling in my garage and mounted a hanging storage system where I keep the pontoons partially inflated along with all the accessories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dodge Posted January 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 Sweet. I guess we're the only two pontoon guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I stopped by Paddle and Trail in Aurora where Jim J and Eric gave the talk about kayak fishing. They sell and promote human powered boats but were barely aware that personal pontoons even existed. There are 4 things that for me, make pontoons my choice for personal watercraft. 1, The stability. You'd have to try REAL hard to flip one over. 2, The ease of getting in and out. You get to shallow water, put your feet down, stand up, and walk out. 3, The maneuverability. You can turn and spin in place allowing you to point the craft in any direction with just a push or tug on the oars. You never have to twist your body and fish over your shoulder to hit a spot you just floated by. 4, The comfort. I use one of the padded seats from by big boat and I can put my feet up on the pegs or dangle them in the water. For me, with minor back and knee problems that limit my wading and makes regular canoeing and kayaking uncomfortable, I can fish all day without discomfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted January 21, 2012 Report Share Posted January 21, 2012 I run the DuPage with mine. I don't need more than 4 to 6 inches of water. I love the shallow water. To stop myself, I just put my feet down and hold myself in place. When I want to move, I just pick my feet up. The heavy weeds that the DuPage is known for are no problem, I just float right through them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william.m Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I also have one hanging in my garage also, they are a great way to get on the water. The only drawback is where you can use them. The rules and regs for the Cook County Forest Preserve district specificaly prohibits them--Illegal Floatation Devices: It is illegal to use or bring into or upon any of the waters under the exclusive control of the Board of Commissioners; any watercraft or floatation devices other than those listed under the General Regulations above. Prohibited floatation devices include but are not limited to inner-tubes, fly-fishing float-tubes or pontoons, sail-surf boards, towables or inflatable pool toys, lounges or rafts. I guess they think if its an inflatable its a pool toy. The Hollows in Crystal Lake allows them as well as Lilly Lake by Lakemoor. Also Shabbona allows them, so far. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dodge Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I stopped by Paddle and Trail in Aurora where Jim J and Eric gave the talk about kayak fishing. They sell and promote human powered boats but were barely aware that personal pontoons even existed. There are 4 things that for me, make pontoons my choice for personal watercraft. 1, The stability. You'd have to try REAL hard to flip one over. 2, The ease of getting in and out. You get to shallow water, put your feet down, stand up, and walk out. 3, The maneuverability. You can turn and spin in place allowing you to point the craft in any direction with just a push or tug on the oars. You never have to twist your body and fish over your shoulder to hit a spot you just floated by. 4, The comfort. I use one of the padded seats from by big boat and I can put my feet up on the pegs or dangle them in the water. For me, with minor back and knee problems that limit my wading and makes regular canoeing and kayaking uncomfortable, I can fish all day without discomfort. Exactly! Plus with a little thought you can load them up with all kinds of gear. I need 3" of water to float.. I think the 'toon is great for the Kish. If I do hit a shallow spot all I need to do is stand and walk it. I mainly use the 'toon to reach areas to wade. I keep a rope with a clamp tied on one end that I just clamp to a tree or something to make sure the 'toon don't float away while I wade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Pontoons are not for me, BUT they make far less noise going through riffles. Less spooked fish=good. A kayak and canoe can send off a hell of a lot of noise bouncing off rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Reeves Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 Pontoons are not for me, BUT they make far less noise going through riffles. Less spooked fish=good. A kayak and canoe can send off a hell of a lot of noise bouncing off rocks. I fish from kayaks, canoes, float tubes and my inflatable pontoon boat. Never owned a motorboat. The float tube is the most efficient becuae of the manouevreing that can be done with fins. However you can't quickly move from place to place in a tube. The pontoon is excellent on river floats but requires shuttling as you can't effectively row against current.One of the pluses for the pontoon is it's ability to be controlled by fihs as well as oars. I absolutely love my kayaks with their ability to go upstream and float back to your vehicle but the pontoon is much more efficient to fish from. You can even stand if you want. Each of my chosen craft has unique advantages but I must say I truly enjoy floating a river with a shuttle partner. God Bless, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dodge Posted January 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 When I first got my 'toom I was not sure how it would handle going upstream I took it to Kilbuck Creek Bluff F.P. and stuck it in the water heading upstream and paddled my little arms off for about ten minutes. Then I stood up and put it back in my van. I don't think I went any where on this day. I had not started shooting videos until about a year later. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Reeves Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 I never realized there are foot braces that you can rest your legs on, completely above the water. I thought they were more like float-tubes, where your legs are always dangling beneath you. Yeah, if you don't use fins you can just wear shorts in warm weather. With your feet on the footbraces you are completely out of the water. However with a bungee across the front as a retainer, you can slip right out of the seat to "Wade-fish" a good looking area. So I often wear waders. God Bless, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Reeves Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 Creek Company has just come out with an affordable frameless pontoon. God Bless, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom L Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Can a yak guy do this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa8WjVnfCQc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronk Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Can a yak guy do this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa8WjVnfCQc Tom Great video!It illustrates why there's nothing like a floatube for stillwater fishing (although I wouldn't feel comfortable in one where sharks or gators are found.)You also don't need a gas guzzler to haul it around given that the air can be removed/replaced in only a minute or two making a car's trunk sufficient Anyone considering one should know that those with an inflatable seat & backrest will be as comfortable as any LazyBoy & are worth the small price premium.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest airbornemike Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I used to run a cataraft back when I chased Steelhead alot, I never liked casting from the seated position, it was always a park and wade outing on that raft. It had its advantages on faster stuff up in Michigan, but for around here on my home waters the Kayak is a more versitile craft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronk Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I used to run a cataraft back when I chased Steelhead alot, I never liked casting from the seated position, it was always a park and wade outing on that raft. It had its advantages on faster stuff up in Michigan, but for around here on my home waters the Kayak is a more versitile craft. While flycasting just like throwing is more difficult sitting down it's easily done with a good dubl haul.On stillwater where you don't have to cover large areas of water(ponds,quarries,strip pits,targeting small areas on lakes) a floatube beats a yak every time for a # of reasons ie portability, ease of setup/takedown,maneuverability,comfort,as well as the big advantage of 100 percent hands free fishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom L Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I would love to take a float tube like that to our local lakes in the FP around here to cast weedless popper into lilly pads for largemouth. The float tube frees up both of your hands for fly casting. You can hold your position and move around with your feet. I have a single person yak and had tried fly casting from it. It did not work to well. The best I could do was paddled to an area and waded it. Too bad the FP around here would not allow float tube like that. Here is another video that is really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Guys ocean fish from kayaks all the time. That was the basis for the kayak fishing craze. It all started on the coasts and worked inland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonn Graham Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 For me, the whole idea of floating a river is to cover more ground than I normally do while wading. I have seen and understand the "pontoon thing". The big problem with the pontoons is the speed factor. You would work your ass off to cover the normal five miles or more that I cover in my canoe or kayak on a normal float trip. I have watched anglers in pontoons and, when they want to move downstream, they move at least 50 percent slower than I do in a canoe or kayak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Reeves Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 For me, the whole idea of floating a river is to cover more ground than I normally do while wading. I have seen and understand the "pontoon thing". The big problem with the pontoons is the speed factor. You would work your ass off to cover the normal five miles or more that I cover in my canoe or kayak on a normal float trip. I have watched anglers in pontoons and, when they want to move downstream, they move at least 50 percent slower than I do in a canoe or kayak. Don't understand that John. On a float trip I let the river take me downstream and I fish as I go. I only use my kayak paddle (yak) or oars (pontoon)while negotiating rapids or riffles.If river depth permits I will slow my drift with the use of fins while in my pontoon. I can't do that and fish at the same time with my yak. In the kayak I often blow right past nice looking eddies and fish holding structure. I will often fish upstream with my kayak. I like to wade and flyfish with my Tarpon tethered to my waist. When I want to make time I sit down and paddle upstream to the next interesting area. When it's time to think about returning to my vehicle I let the current take me back and I attempt to fish the whole way back. However this is much less efficient than drifting downstream in a pontoon because I have to constantly use the paddle to control my drift. It's pretty tough to paddle and fish at the same time. In the pontoon you can control your drift with your fins and should you want to stop and fish you just slide out of the seat and the current holds the boat against you. For river fishing in a river with good current, the pontoon beats out the kayak in terms of comfort and efficiency. It's actually a good thing that I can't row upstream in my pontoon. If I could, my kayaks would only get used on lakes. In my opinion the pontoon excels on rivers if you have a buddy or a shuttle service. The kayak excels in lakes and is a great trolling machine. My pontoon partner and I meet at the takeout. My boat is ready to go on the top of my vehicle. My buddy has his disassembled in the trunk of his car. We transfer his pontoon to my Forester and drive to the put in together leaving his vehicle at the take out. At the put in I load up my pontoon and tether it to the shoreline and drive my Subaru to the take out and park and lock it. There I meet up with the shuttle driver we hired who drives me back to the put in. Now, when we finish the float, we can both pack our vehicles and take off for home. Usually, my friend has his boat pretty much assembled by the time the shuttle brings me to the starting point. The two of us used to kayak the river. At my suggestion we used the toons one time instead and now that's the way he prefers to floatfish. God bless, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dodge Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 This is getting more attention than I thought it would. I have never fished from or even been in a yak. I'm not saying that I would never use a yak. When I began shopping around for a water craft, the yak was the first thing I looked at. I think it depends on how a person prefers to fish. I prefer to wade over anything. This is why I went with the pontoon. I think the size of water being fished plays into which is the better. If I were to fish lakes, I would have to get a yak because the 'toons just don't paddle all that great. I have yet to try fins with my 'toon. I've thought about but have just never done it yet. Don - how's that work out for you? It looks like you have about a 9' 'toon. Fins will control a 9' 'toon? If I were to get a yak, it would have to be a sit on top. I do like the comfort of the 'toon. Maybe we do have enough 'toon folks to have a get together later this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rich mc Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 i havent fished froma pontoon but have paddled a sit on top. i dont think i would enjoy for long the low position in the waterthe yak offers and would prefer the higher angle in a pontoon. now i see the new seating on the sit on tops . with the kish in mind in dekalb i would prefer a yak to move between pools fasterand get back to the out in spot easier. also beinga muddier stream tube float would kick up a silt line for sure rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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