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Advice Needed For Gear Buying


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As far as waders go, it is my opinion, that you get what you pay for (as far as fit, quality and warrantee). that being said, go with the best that you can afford! Two of the top are Simms & Patagonia both with lifetime warrantees...

 

P

 

I am getting back into flyfishing and would like some advice on buying waders and a pontoon boat. Looking for some opinions on both

 

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As far as waders go, it is my opinion, that you get what you pay for (as far as fit, quality and warrantee). that being said, go with the best that you can afford! Two of the top are Simms & Patagonia both with lifetime warrantees...

 

P

I love my fishcat cougar due to it 4 chambers low profile (good in wind) and overall quality. Used it hundreds of times on the Bow and lakes. Unfortunately, they have stopped making the model. My next pontoon will be the Fishcat Panther for similar reasons. If you are going to use it a reasonable amount I wouldn't go cheap.

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Ive got an Outcast Fishcat 10-IR. It has a standing platform, lean bar, stripping net, motor mount, oars etc. Paid around 1200.00 for it two years ago. Ive used maybe 5/6 times all on still water. It is rated for big water and bought just in case I wanted to use it on the Bow, never did. I just checked the Outcast website and see that it now sells for 850.00 US which now a days is about 841.00 Can. I will sell it to you for 700.00/650.00 and will also throw in my Cloudveil waders, they're used but have never leaked. Business is hurtin, I dont flyfish anymore and am trying to sell off a bunch of stuff so PM me and we can try to work something out.

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I agree with the Simms. Gore tex is great, and the warranty makes it a no brainer. Don't skimp.

 

As for the pontoon, If you want to stand up, the fishcat 10IR is great. I tried one. Kind of neat to stand up and cast. I used to own a Fishcat 9IR. I had all the bells, whistles, and the roller wheel. I noticed two things. One is that most pontoons with steel frames are HEAVY! Unless you only have a short way to haul it, think about this point. If you need to carry it ANY distance, get the lightest pontoon you can!!! The second thing is blowing it up. Get an electric inflator or keep it blown up and put it in the back of your truck or on a trailer.

 

I ended up taking a loss selling mine as I had to haul it a ways to my favorite fishing spots, and I couldn't keep it blown up. Taking the whole thing down to put in the trunk or hatch is a big pain in 30 degree wheather!!!

 

These are just my thoughts. I'm sure there are many people who would rave. I ended up with a Fatcat float tube as it is much much lighter. Obviously not for river use though. Pontoons you can.

 

LIGHT, not the bird, is the word.

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It's like everything else, when looking at a pontoon boat, you have to decide what you want to use it for.

The 10-IR is a great boat but if you're using it mostly on the river the stand up platform is redundant. On lakes they're great. If you want it mostly for the river, I would stay with a 9 footer. They're easier to control on the water and are lighter and take up less room in/on your vehicle.

 

BK

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Just checked the Outcast website, the differance in weight between the 9'-IR and the 10'-IR is 3 lbs. It really is a good boat and to have the option of the standup is good. The weight differance is minimal and regardless of 9' or 10' they are still big on your vehicle. I drove a Ram with a short box and with the tailgate down this thing fit great in the back of it, little rope your good to go. True dat, if you are having to walk any kind of distance to get to water you will need to two people or the wheel attachment but I found were I fished the access was great, if your on the Bow there are plenty of spots to put in. I loaded and unloaded this boat by myself everytime I used it, no problem.

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On the topic of Pontoons, Please do not setup your boat IN the launch. Every day on the river there is nothing more annoying then a pontooner taking up the launch as they are blowing up and strapping everything in. Really bad at city launches. Almost as annoying is thr guys unpacking their vehicle into their driftboat when at the launch vs the parking lot.

 

Just a simple tip to keep the river a lot friendlier

 

 

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Anyone I had ever spoken to about Pontoons said to keep them assembled and with some air in the pontoons. Thats how I have kept mine. Word, I wouldnt want to be putting it together beside the river and or having people trippin over it. I assembled mine once and have just adjusted the air pressure in the parking lot since.

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Thanks to everyone who responded...Great advice on the boat... I have looked at a couple of the websites and wondered which boat would fit on top of my Subaru...I think a light nine footer is in the cards.As far as waders are concerned, I totally agree with " you get what you pay for", but whats the differene in technology in waders above $200? Are you paying for the Simms name or are they a superior product?

Thanks again for the information

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Thanks to everyone who responded...Great advice on the boat... I have looked at a couple of the websites and wondered which boat would fit on top of my Subaru...I think a light nine footer is in the cards.As far as waders are concerned, I totally agree with " you get what you pay for", but whats the differene in technology in waders above $200? Are you paying for the Simms name or are they a superior product?

Thanks again for the information

 

 

I have the 9' fish cat and handles great on the bow. my only complaint is that is too heavy when fully loaded to carry it. when I float the bow I usually end up making 2 or 3 trips with my gear from my jeep to the waters edge. The 8' version might be a little easier for carrying. Something to think about. Cheers.

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I have the Fish Cat Cougar, the reason you should look at this style of boat is because it has smaller double pontoons on both sides. This makes the boat lay alot flatter on the water with much less wind resistance. Also works great on lakes.

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Thanks to everyone who responded...Great advice on the boat... I have looked at a couple of the websites and wondered which boat would fit on top of my Subaru...I think a light nine footer is in the cards.As far as waders are concerned, I totally agree with " you get what you pay for", but whats the differene in technology in waders above $200? Are you paying for the Simms name or are they a superior product?

Thanks again for the information

I picked up a pair of the Simms Freestone waders over at The Fishin Hole for $229 last summer.

 

Beats the crap outta the last pair of waders I had. I'll likely never buy a different manufacturer. If their "low end" waders are this good and durable, I can only imagine what their other lines are like.

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Anyone I had ever spoken to about Pontoons said to keep them assembled and with some air in the pontoons. Thats how I have kept mine. Word, I wouldnt want to be putting it together beside the river and or having people trippin over it. I assembled mine once and have just adjusted the air pressure in the parking lot since.

One problem people may have is that they don't have a trailer and can't have it pre-assembled...Not an uncommon issue.

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