Fly fishing from my WaterMaster - caught a beautiful trout!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 24 фев 2021
- Fly fishing in my WaterMaster Kodiak - I float down the Yakima River in a beautiful wintery scene. Luckily I caught a large trout that made the journey that much more fun! If you are new to fly fishing like I am, the WaterMaster raft is pretty awesome. There are lots of rivers that don't allow fishing from a boat (especially during steelhead season) and these are great because you just stand up where you want to fish - your feet are on the ground and you aren't fishing from a boat. Tight lines!
great video
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it - tight lines!
Nice video! is the seat high enough to make casting from the boat comfortable?
Yes - it's works well for that! I encourage you to check them out if you are looking for something like that. Good luck and tight lines!
Nice video Kevin. Good to see you land your big trout this time. 👍
Thanks! It was a fun one to catch - thanks for watching and commenting. I appreciate it! Tight lines 😀👍
No problem, I heard you say it was a tough morning of fishing. Winter mornings can be tough but I have better luck in the afternoon and evening.
I just bought outcast Clearwater very similar to the water master ,which was my first choice until I saw the Clearwater . My question is do the fins help or hinder your trip I don’t have fins yet thanks
Congrats on the Clearwater - great raft!
I do use the fins on lakes for sure - depending on the river… about 95% of time I don’t use them. I find it hard to oar/steer, fish, and kick to slow down and fish at the same time as if you are in a guide’s boat. Also, it’s hard to stand in the river with them on.
Hope that helps?
Thanks I feel they would hinder on the river standing on rocks thanks again and tight lines
@@edwfd356 For sure - tight lines!!
I've have floated and fished from a WaterMaster Kodiak for nearly a decade, floating almost every major blue ribbon trout river in Wyoming and Idaho and Montana.
Here are some lessons I've learned along the way...
1. Do not use those rod holders this guy has in the video. They keep you from being able to cast and fish from the boat. Instead, lay the rods on the right side of the boat, with the reels in the attached gear pocket. I will float rivers like the Madison with three rods ... nymph, dry, and streamer, each accessible on my right side.
2. Carry as little gear as possible. Especially fly boxes. If you somehow overturn all that gear will be lost. Wear a jacket or shirt with big front pockets to hold fly boxes with your essential flies.
3. Carry a long handled net, not a shorty, so you can reach out in front of the boat to net fish. Store the net on the left side of the boat using one of the tie down straps to hold it in place.
4. When you fish from the boat you want your system as simple as possible. You will be using your fins to control your speed and how you face down the river. Takes practice but it can be a deadly way to catch fish.
5. When fishing a dry or nymph rig or streamers, avoid casting a long line. Instead, keep a straight line, no excess slack, with your finger on the line against the cork handle. Cast simple straight casts that target where you want the fly to be. No false casts. Only short casts, almost like Euro nymphing. Deadly.
5. Again, keep your system simple. Store anything that you need dry in the dry bag.
6. Always carry the dry bag on the boat, held down with the boat netting. If you rip a hole in the boat that can't be repaired, you will need to hike out. You will want that dry bag backpack to do that.
Happy fishing.
What are your thoughts on the water master raft after a year of use? Super interested in buying one for the Yak and some of the lakes around here.
Great question! I almost bought their 3 man raft as well this Christmas. I love my WaterMaster Kodiak. Use it all the time in rivers and lakes. I ended up buying myself one of those segway electric scooters to shuttle myself back to the car when I don't have a shuttle service or another "buddy car" along for the trip, Honestly, you won't be disappointed - If you have the budget- I'd buy it! :). Thanks for asking and watching the video - tight lines! Cheers - WCC, Kevin
@@westcoastcast6479 Thanks for the info!
I use the very similar fishcat scout and drift that section quite often. QUESTION. Noticed you used your fins for part of the float. Wondering if if is safe to do so when stopping to stand up and cast. Been hesitant to try as I'm older. Thoughts appreciated.
Thx for commenting and watching! When I stand up I'm inside the raft and found the fins to not be a problem at all. However, when I pull over to the side - I take them off to wade and fish. Personally, it would be to hard to use outside of the raft (for safety). I used the fins to slow the presentation of my nymphs down as I floated them while going down river to the next spot. It's hard to do that and oar at the same time... so the fins help in that situation. Overall though, for me I think I would spend more time fishing if I didn't use the fins and just went point to point - meaning that I just use the boat to transport me to the next spot to fish rather than try to nymph off the side like you see a lot of drift boats. That said, I've had people tell me the fins work great for this and this was my first float so I may just need more practice ;) Thx again - tight lines!
what brand life vest is that?
NRS Raku. It's a great life vest - I bought it for use in my pedal kayak fishing for salmon in Puget Sound. Allows a lot of movement and has good breathability. It's not inexpensive but this is an area I definitely wanted a highly usable and safe vest. Cheers!