Toon Problems

[racfish]

This week in the early AM I started out on my bass fishing expedition.I got the toon in the water ok.I got my gear stowed away and ice chest.I put rocks in the anchor bag.I position myself in the chair and I'm off rowing away.I got my gear set up and started throwing some plugs.I caught my first bass on the new boat.It wasnt big I'd guestimate about 1-2 lbs.Fiesty critter.I got him (or her) to the side of the toon but couldnt reach it.So I scooted to the edge of the seat and reached a lil bit more.My rib popped. OUCH..I slipped off the seat in to the water.Im in about Id guess 6-10' of water.Now I cant get back in the seat.Everytime I tried I just could not do it.I kicked the toon to shore and had to remount from shore.Thank G-d I always wear the PFD.By the way I did release the bass unharmed.My question is How do you get back on the toon when you fall out of the seat? HELP PLEASE?????????????Is there a ladder or something to get a foot hold to get up with?I stopped fishing and just rowed around trying to get a feel for the toon.

[Rich McVey]

Thank G-d I always wear the PFD.

Wow, hope the rib is ok. Another great case for wearing a PFD.

What about an emergency ladder they sell for home use... but shorter. Rope with 2 or 3 aluminum steps mounted to the appropriate location. Keep it rolled up with velcro straps unless needed.

[dilbert]

I vote for prevention. Strap yourself in. You could even get fancy and use an actual seatbelt buckle. My fishing partner has a seatbelt on the rear deck seat. He said that it came with the boat, but I think it's really there because I tend to get excited when I'm fighting a fish and would probably fall in the water without it.

[racfish]

Both great ideas and will do both.That way if I need to get off ship for a spell I could.Im gonna go to a auto junkyard and find one too.thanks guys.I wear a PFD no matter what.Im a firm believer in wearing one.I know how to swim but if I were to hit my head its hard to swim unconcious.

[Rich McVey]

I know how to swim but if I were to hit my head its hard to swim unconcious.

Yup, Thats why I prefer a normal one with boyant material instead of the new expensive ones that you have to inflate if needed. Mine looks like a reguar vest, grey/blue with 8 pockets for the Cell, camera, glasses.....

[racfish]

Im with ya there bro.Im a large guy .Im not gonna have time to read instructions on one of them fancy ones.I like boyant stuff.I carry 2 on board just in case.I like taking chances in Reno and Vegas not in cold water.

[mallard83]

The way that I get back into mine is by grabbing onto the seat and the side, pull up hard, kick and twist at the same time and I end up in the seat every time. Not the easiest thing to in the world but not to hard to do. I jump off of mine and swim around in the Skykomish River all the time when fishing for summerrun steelhead to try and ward off the hot temps and have never had a problem getting back in. But if getting back in after an accidental spill into the water is an issue than the PFD is the best thing that you can have along with a little, mabey one step ladder that you could easily rig yourself like was already posted.

[racfish]

Hey Mallard I have a question.Is it easy to use a toon in the river.Dosent the current carry you off?It just seems so lite and would drift down the river to quick to row out of it?

[mallard83]

Hey Mallard I have a question.Is it easy to use a toon in the river.Dosent the current carry you off?It just seems so lite and would drift down the river to quick to row out of it?

As long as you have a "river rated" toon it is very easy to use in flowing water. A river rated toon has more curve to the pontoons than an average toon does. The reason the pontoons are more swept up for a river rated toon is because it will catch less water making it far easier to row.

The current doesn't carry you off at all really. I can hold in the same exact spot in some pretty swift moving current.

And being lite is the beauty of the toon in the river. I have an easier time manuvering and staying in position than when I am out in the jet sled. Because it is so lite it drafts way less water than a bigger boat thus making it very easy to control. For the times that I do want to stop and fish a single hole out of the toon I have a 10# lead pyramid anchor that will hold me in basically anything but white water.

I don't know if you are familiar with the Sauk River at all, but the stretch from the Whitechuck River to Darrington is popular with whitewater rafters because of it's class 3 to class 4 rapids. My brother and I floated this stretch a few years back and let me tell you it was insane. We were fishing for trout at the time and wanted to see how well the toons would hold up to the abuse. It was a fun trip and the only damage to both of our toons was a couple minor dents in the rear cross bar from big boulders. All I can say is that WaterSkeeter makes one heck of a pontoon boat. I have a couple of pics from the trip but can't figure out the scanner on the printer.

BTW, if you are ever out at the Wallace river and notice Game Wardens floating down it in pontoons handing out tickets to poachers and snaggers, it is because they got the idea from my brother and I. We were taking out at the Sultan launch one day and an older Warden asked how we did and where we had come from and we told him that we had lauched at the highway 2 bridge over the Wallace. He then asked if that was our blue Toyota PU parked up there and when we said yes he started laughing and said "I stomped around the woods up and down the river looking for you guys for the last 2.5 hours". He had thought we may have been poachers that were trying to hide. He said he had never seen anyone do that float before and obviously thought it was such a good idea that the very next weekend we saw him and a female Game Warden in toons floating the same stretch and busting mindless poachers.

Here is a pic of my toon on the Cle Elum River above Lake Cle Elum at the end of July. On this trip my girlfriend sat accross the back while I rowed and at one point in some fast rapids rather than portaging I told her to duck and I rowed hard to the opposite side of the river and we went right under a tree that was all the way accross the river. It was about 2.5-3' off the water and went all the way into the water about 10' from shore. Sorry about the bad pic, but it is the only one that would download correctly. I still don't know how to get my better pics up. Mabey I will ask how in the bugs forum. And also a link to the pontoon that I have. I also upgraded to a set of 7' Carlisle oars from Joes after I lost one of the 6'6" two piece oars to Lake Langloise (Whoops!)#-o
http://www.oregonfishing.com/detail.aspx?ID=391

[racfish]

Thanks Mallard. My toon is shaped differently with non curved pontoons.I like the Cle Elum river,its a peacefull river with not many on it.Does it have loads of trout? I ve not fished it only chilled by it and in it.That is some cold water!!!

[Mike Carey]

Mallard,

Great story. I didn't read all the posts on this topic but if not mentioned, I would include this about anchoring in rivers (no matter what kind of boat). Have a knife on board that if you need to you can quickly cut your anchor rope and release yourself if the anchor hangs up and your boat gets into trouble. Written from personal experience!

[racfish]

Its cool because my toon came with a anchor bag on a rope thats threaded through a ingenius pulley system.They say to put rocks in the bag off the shore area.I thought rocks? why not cans of a good brew thus killing two birds with one stone.By the way I bought a small emergency ladder to hook on my frame.Asking you guys is great cuz you get answers from people that actually have them better then a salesperson who dosent know anything.

[mallard83]

Thanks Mallard. My toon is shaped differently with non curved pontoons.I like the Cle Elum river,its a peacefull river with not many on it.Does it have loads of trout? I ve not fished it only chilled by it and in it.That is some cold water!!!

There were tons of trout last year and all years prior, but I don't know where they all went this year.

[mallard83]

Mallard,

Great story. I didn't read all the posts on this topic but if not mentioned, I would include this about anchoring in rivers (no matter what kind of boat). Have a knife on board that if you need to you can quickly cut your anchor rope and release yourself if the anchor hangs up and your boat gets into trouble. Written from personal experience!

No, I don't think that keeping a knife handy was mentioned yet, good looking out Mike. My friend and I ran into a not so much scary but more frustrating situation on the Kalama River. His anchor (actually my new anchor on loan) got hung and we tried everything to free it but long story short we cut it loose with a knife.