One-man Pontoon Recommendations for Olympic Peninsula Dec-March

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Just Hatched
I was curious if anyone had a recommendation for a one-man pontoon or kickboat that could handle the rivers near Forks, Washington or best suited for those Steelhead rivers there? I'll be there in December through March 1 and thought a one-man rig for me and my dog to transport to locations down the river (to Spey cast for winter Steelhead) might be ok for certain stretches. Any tips appreciated, this is my first time coming to the PNW coming from Austin, Texas. Experienced rower, coast guard vet, all of that.
 
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Great, ok. I was planning on snagging a Scadden Detonator Low Pro X and didn't want it to not be suitable for the Peninsula rivers. Do you think I'm alright with that?
 
Ross said:
Great, ok. I was planning on snagging a Scadden Detonator Low Pro X and didn't want it to not be suitable for the Peninsula rivers. Do you think I'm alright with that?
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It all depends on experience, skill, and conditions. That would not be my first choice for what you're talking about. How big is your dog?
 
Probably depends on which stretch of which river you are going to float, and how skilled you are on the sticks. There's relatively easy stretches on most rivers out there, and more difficult stretches too. Knowing the path down certain drops at different water levels is helpful on the trickier stretches.
Getting someone to show you the ropes on a few stretches of river out there would be helpful for you.
 
Not sure if these are on your radar or not, but I've had a very good experience using the NRS GigBob frameless inflatable pontoon boat for one man trips on WA rivers. I've used mine for multi-day self support trips, taken it through rapids up to class III with no issues, and the cataract paddles that it comes with are outstanding. Best of all, because there's no frame, you can pack it up small enough to put in the trunk of an ordinary passenger car with no problem. Ditto for the two piece oars. Best of all - it's currently for sale as a closeout item on the NRS website.

NRS GigBob 2.0 Personal Fishing Watercraft

The frameless, ingenious Gigbob is compact, easy to store, fits in the back of the pickup or the trunk of your car and assembles in minutes giving you the freedom to stalk the far bank, anytime, anywhere.
www.nrs.com www.nrs.com
 
downriver79 said:
Whatever you get, do yourself a favor when you get back to TX and use it to float the Devil's River for smallmouth. World class fishing totally off the radar.
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I've been meaning to check that out for a while. I'll hit that up when I get back to Austin.
 
Mossback said:
Probably depends on which stretch of which river you are going to float, and how skilled you are on the sticks. There's relatively easy stretches on most rivers out there, and more difficult stretches too. Knowing the path down certain drops at different water levels is helpful on the trickier stretches.
Getting someone to show you the ropes on a few stretches of river out there would be helpful for you.
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Thanks, do you think it is worth trying to get a guide near Forks in December or January to learn a little?
 
Ross said:
Thanks, do you think it is worth trying to get a guide near Forks in December or January to learn a little?
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Yes. Absolutely. Best money you'll spend - the only reason I say that with such conviction is that I've done things the hard way and looking back it's obvious that investing in a day of swining flies with a guide - with a special emphasis on reading water - would have dramatically increased my learning curve.

I'm sure you'll get lots of recommendations here if you ask. From what I've heard you could do a lot worse than Jim Kerr.
 
I hope I’m not stepping out of bounds here but I suspect you’re over your head if I’m interpreting your questions correctly. Just winter before last an experienced rower lost his life on the SolDuc on a stretch I don’t consider overly difficult. S**t happens. There are a few runs on the OP that would be ok if you know the channels and flows. To go out and figure which one of the many, many runs are those few ok kickboat runs will take some experience to learn.
To answer a question like the one you pose totally depends on your experience level. An very experience rower could get down any run on the OP in virtually any vessel. From my own experience a less experienced rower could get in real trouble on any run.
Before getting a boat get some white water experience. Go out with folks who know the runs to be sure you understand the challenges.
I apologize if I have misinterpreted your experience level.

Shit I just reread one of your posts. Seeing some dumbass going over a waterfall in an advertisement for their fishing boat is just irresponsible.
Hell people have gone over waterfalls in barrels and survived but I don’t believe it’s smart.
I don’t think the dumbass just randomly came across that falls while fishing a stretch of new river. Me thinks it may have been staged to sell boats.
 
@Ross how much experience do you have rowing swift rivers? Be friggin careful going out there alone. Those rivers are pretty crowded which might be a good thing for you.
 
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