The perfect boat for fly fishing.

The perfect boat for fly fishing? Not that one. The perfect boat for fly fishing is the AuSable River Long Boat (video runs 34 secs.). No motor. Sits low to the water. And allows two fly fishers, and a guide, or three fly fishers, each taking turns poling while the other work the water enticing trout.

Yeah, It took me watching it the whole way through. I thought to myself, “Self, Girard doesn’t know anything about fly fishing…” Then I saw it. All titles suddenly became quite punny.

Possibly the ugliest watercraft I have ever seen.
Is fly-fishing really a thing in Japan?

Do not send to ask for whom the boat floats; it floats for thee:

http://americandigest.org/under-the-boat/

Looks like a giant bottle opener with a motor.

Is fly-fishing really a thing in Japan?

Kevin in PA, fly fishing is definitely a thing in Japan. During the height of the season, up in northern Michigan, wading portions of the AuSable or the South Branch of the AuSable, you’ll often see them being floated in those AuSable River Long Boats I mentioned up above. I’ve never found this surprising, as with many art forms the Japanese excel it, they embrace it.

Punning is the lowest form of humor and I love it.

Perhaps it’s time for a content warning for Auntie’s posts. I would be content with that, if the alternative is to lock them inside a safe space.

Here’s a rough translation of the Japanese regarding the video; “Zipper ship” was inspired by artist Yasuhiro Suzuki, who looked down on Tokyo Bay from the window of an airplane and saw that the ships and wakes traveling in the sea seemed to open the sea like zippers. A “zipper ship” sails along the Sumida River, which has long played a role as a boundary line of the city, and connects the opposite banks while opening the water surface. .. The “Zipper Ship” will make a round trip from Azumabashi on the Sumida River to Sakurabashi from Saturday, October 31st to Sunday, November 8th, from 12:00 to 14:00 . “Zip-Fastener Ship” Cruise: ‘

Curiously clever people, those Japanese.
N’ed too much or not enough, Gerard? 😉

“Arguing” about boats is about as sensible as doing the same about female figures or even more dear to me at this age, the superiority of one whitetail rifle caliber over another. And in the case of the latter, I’ll take a properly stoked .257 Roberts with 115 grain Partitions over anything out there. That said….

Fly fishing. The Japanese have only in recent years begun to show an interest in it and in typical Jap fashion they have stuffed the internet with enough hype to make a newcomer think they invented it, refined it and now dominate it. But they didn’t and they don’t.

Anyway, since this is a discussion about the best boat for the fly fisherman, and since I fish with standard length fly rods and with longer ‘switch’ and ‘spey rods’, I’ll chip in and say that it depends upon where you’re fishing and what you’re chasing.

You can literally fish out of anything but….if you are blind casting, an oar manned drift boat that will hold in current works great on northern and western rivers, a 12-14′ aluminum flat bottom with a trolling motor works great for fresh water ponds and lakes and if you are more interested in sight casting, a shallow drift 16′-18′ Hell’s Bay skiff, or any shallow draft poling skiff with a large forward casting deck, equipped with a 25-40 outboard and a poling platform works best of all in coastal marshes and inland bays…anywhere.

I have discovered though that when I’m using switch and spey rods, they have been a little more difficult for me to cast when I’m in a boat. Ostensibly because they load due to water pressure against the near entire length of their required shooting heads, it is a little tricky to maintain that connection if you’re standing on a deck that is 1-2′ above the water.

Owned several drifters, always work my way back to white water Cat Boats,can draft shallow sections,3/4 inchs deep. Puts you into logical places, not casting over duff, rocks and sandbars. Drifters are very good platforms,I’ve just come to recognize the utility of a 12/14 ft pontoon boat with a tramp floor.

Can traverse much bigger water to access generally UN fish able eddies, etcetc. We’ve been a white water family for thirty plus years, our selection of rafts, tube lengths, and frames is key.

So,e folks might find the whitewater boat difficult. Self bailers work ok, but it comes down to what you like.

Interesting boat in the pic, frankly I don’t see much utility in it.

Dirk