The Perfect River Boat

Doesn't exist.  Everything is a compromise.  I'm sure the cool kids in the skiffs will argue, but skiffs are made for flat, windy tailwaters, and they excel in that environment, but now lets take your skiff to the Washington coast and see how that go's.  You would never do that, you would take your raft.  And that's my point, with so many different environmental combinations in the western U.S. alone, no one river boat can be perfect for all conditions. 


I think most people know me as a raft guy, I think for me it has more to do with where I fish.  One of many benefits of fishing a raft in the often dewatered upper stretches of the Yakima is silence.  After irrigation season ends, the upper Yakima can be insanely low.  If you fish the upper Yakima in the Fall in a driftboat, expect to get out and push every third run and definitely expect a few more dings in your chine.  A raft is really the best often for those conditions.  You banging your drift boat through every run isn't going to help the fish count.  During Summer, when the river is high, I take my hardboat down side-channels that are dry in the spring.  Again, different conditions.  No matter what boat you choose, always be safe out there! Tight lines