Fly Fishing watercraft

In my quest to get the most out of my time on the water fly fishing for trout when I’m not wading I try different kinds of watercrafts. As most of us I started with a round Caddis float tube that gives me plenty of freedom to carry it everywhere, I use to hike to lakes and ponds in my quest for trout.

They are reliable and easy to transport, very lite and safe. The only drawback is when you are kicking your fins all day long and when the wind blows makes the kicking more difficult and even dangerous.

Later, about 10 years or more later, I make up my mind and pull the plunge on a pontoon boat, I went with a Creek Company Classic ODC. It serves me well, has a great cargo capacity to bring stuff for an all day fishing, you can see a lot more around you and spot trout better. From a pure fly fishing perspective it was a dream come true, I was able to fish more water, handle heavy winds and fish more confortable. Two outings later, I was struggling to pack it at my car, having trouble when the shore is far away from your car, mounting the frames and things like that.

I wasn’t able to bring it to places where you have to hike for an hour to get there, so to shortcut this shortcoming I go for a Creek Company ODC 420 which is very similar to the FishCat 4 and has shoulder straps to carry it on…

On one of this 1 hour hikes to remote lakes I was wondering if someone come up with the same problems and make a watercraft that bring both worlds together, the packability of a float tube for 1 hour hikes and the maneuverability and safety of float tubes.

Then some time later I came by a fly fishing video that despite its amazingness shows a watercraft that was my dream come true, the film is Trout Bum Diaries Vol.1 (Patagonia) and the watercraft is the Water Master, by Big Sky Inflatables so it started to bang my head the idea of getting one. Down here, in Chile nobody sells the Water Master kickboat… At the same time I was surfing the net to make my self a better idea on this watercraft,  and suddenly the stars aligned:

1. I have some money saved
2. I sell my Pontoon
3. My bro was heading to USA to a Denver show

And last but not least, the guys at Big Sky Inflatables make the magic for this to happen in less than a week!. The very owner work with me on weekends to make this dream come true and delivered the kickboat to my bro hotel at Denver in a hurry

Now I’m the happy owner of the Water Master Kodiak watercraft, I’m planning to use it in the very same places the trout bums of AEG media try it cause I live in Chile and I can make it to the Argentinean Patagonia, so stay tuned to some pictures in the near future. In the mean time I set up the kickboat at my backyard and take it some pictures

I want to thank Rich Stuber cause he and his team at Big Sky Inflatables make this possible, and also to my bro that bring me this from Denver to Chile.