In Montana, it’s hard to drive around without seeing many drift boats. We live in a world where everyone owns a drift boat, no matter how much one fishes. This is for good reason, as drift boats provide an epic fishing experience floating the West’s most famous trout streams.
But I’m here to advocate for the small boats in this article. I have been fishing the Yellowstone Region out of a one-person pontoon boat for over eight years now. From the biggest lakes to the hard-to-access streams, the pontoon gets me anywhere I want to go. Despite the many benefits, I don’t see many others taking advantage of small boats nowadays.
So, here are a few of the benefits and why I love fly fishing out of a small boat. Whether it’s a float tube, pontoon boat, kayak, or other inflatable watercraft, I hope this inspires you to get creative on the water and realize that not all fly fishing has to occur from a drift boat.
Budget Friendly
One of the major benefits of the smaller boat options is the price difference compared to drift boats. For less than a thousand dollars, one can buy a great pontoon or other inflatable boat. This is much more affordable than many drift boats, which run $5k-$15k depending on whether you buy used or new. Not to mention the yearly maintenance required with a drift boat.
This is a considerable price difference, especially when the smaller inflatables let you access many of the same fisheries a drift boat does. For those looking to access more water without the insane price tag, the inflatable boat options are perfect for the job.
Learn To Row
Never rowed a boat before? I wouldn’t recommend your first time being in a drift boat down a big western river when you are responsible for other people and expensive gear. Getting in a small boat and doing circles around a lake is a much easier, more pleasant way to learn how to row. This progression will make the transitions to bigger rivers and boats much easier.
I learned how to row in the one-person pontoon, and was thrown to the wolves on the Upper Madison River between Raynolds and Three Dollar Bridge. While I went down backward, the pontoon boat was much more forgiving than a drift boat would have been.
Access More Water
It goes without saying that the smaller, inflatable watercraft are much easier to navigate and access streams and lakes. Since many are easy to carry, you don’t need a paved boat ramp to launch. You can put in at any bridge, fishing access, picnic area, or public land. This gives you great flexibility on the rivers you fish and the floats you do.
Once you’re on the water, you have more options in the channels you take and the water you fish. No need to worry about skinny water, obstructions in the river, or tight side channels. Just pick the boat up and move it through shallow water or carry it around sketchy sections of river.
While it can be difficult to impossible to fish from a small boat while floating a river, they give you access to wade water that you otherwise couldn’t access. Using the boat to find less pressured trout and get away from other wade traffic is a major advantage.
Fishing The Lakes
Another option a small inflatable opens up is the many lakes throughout the Yellowstone Region. Especially when compared to having no boat at all. So many anglers I talk to shy away from lakes because they think they need a motorboat to fish them efficiently. This is far from the truth. I have spent years learning the lakes on my small pontoon boat and have been able to access so much more water than I could on foot. These boats will get you out on the lakes to access weed beds, deeper water, and chase the gulpers that always seem out of reach. The option to fish lakes is worth having a small boat in itself, and a purchase I highly recommend for anyone looking to get into stillwater fishing.
Why I Love My Pontoon Boat
For me personally, a one-man pontoon boat fits my style of fishing very well. For one, I prefer to wade rather than fish from a boat. A pontoon boat lets me access water that is difficult to wade to, while still fishing with my feet in the water.
Second, I spend many days a year fishing solo. This is easy with the pontoon, as I don’t have to rely on other anglers to row the boat while still accessing all the same streams and lakes.
I also prefer to fish in solitude and access hard-to-reach water. The pontoon allows me to do that. I have carried my pontoon boat 100+ yards through the woods to access fisheries, and I use it to row to less pressured areas of lakes and streams. With many anglers preferring drift boats nowadays, it’s easy to put in a little extra effort with a small boat to find less pressured fish.
Lastly, I love fishing lakes, and the pontoon is a fantastic way to get out on many lakes in the region. I bring a pair of flippers to help me stay in one spot when the wind picks up. I can also use the oars to row around the lake to find fish.
At the end of the day, every fishing boat has its advantages and disadvantages. Obviously, some things about a small boat aren’t ideal. Many only fit one angler, have limited gear storage, are hard to fish out of in moving water, require time to inflate and set up, and cannot be rowed long distances. The cost of these boats has also gone up substantially over the past few years.
But for the right angler, they are the perfect fishing vessel. I highly encourage you to consider a small inflatable boat for your fishing. If you have any questions about these boats, I’m happy to chat about the pros and cons. Just send me a message!
As always, thanks for reading The Curious Angler,
Nick
