Pontoon Boat Basics
I normally use two types of fin strokes when traveling in a straight line. For the deep stroke, pull your fins back under you as far as you can, point the tip of your foot down, then push one leg and fin forward in a full stroke out in front of you. As you bring that leg back, push out with the other leg, alternating with each fin. This will cause you to travel in a straight line.
For the shallow stroke, extend your fins in front of you just below the water’s surface and kick back and forth in a two-foot sweep. This stroke is not powerful, but it moves you through the water efficiently and reduces leg fatigue over distances.
The forward stroke can be useful on a lake to inch your way closer to a target in front of you instead of spinning your boat around, kicking backward, and then spinning back to make the cast. Put a foot directly out in front of you and then pull it back underneath you.
The downward stroke of your fin pulling back moves you ahead, but you must lift your fin carefully for the next stroke so you don’t lose forward momentum. You won’t go very fast because you don’t have much power with this stroke, but this maneuver allows you to pick up 10 feet while keeping your eye on the intended target.
The rotational stroke produces an effect similar to a scissors kick, but it is done with only one fin and is most effective when you want to spin your boat in a certain direction. I use the rotational stroke on rivers when I want to change the position of my boat quickly with little effort.
For this stroke, I generally use my strongest leg. Point your fin straight down below you and rotate your leg in a tight circle to the right or left to move the back of the boat. When floating rivers, I’ll drop my fin down, rotate in one direction or the other, to change the boat angle to the right or the left, and then kick with both fins to move in that direction. When I get in tight, rocky sections of a river, this stroke is valuable for turning the boat quickly.
After you learn the basic kicking strokes, work on combining them. When floating a river, you need to use your fins to constantly adjust for current speed and to avoid hazards downstream. It’s necessary to keep one eye on your fly and the other downstream to adjust your course as you float. As you learn how to use your fins to maneuver on a river, this will become second nature.
When floating a river, the rule that drift-boat guides adhere to also holds true for pontoon boats: To avoid an obstacle, point the nose of your boat directly at it and row away. On a pontoon boat, you need to do two things to set up for this maneuver. First, scissors kick with your primary leg. Point the fin directly below you and give it a left or a right rotation. Use this kick as you approach the obstacle to move the back of the boat away from the obstacle.
Using a side kick can accomplish the same thing. Stick both fins out to one side of the boat and kick to the left to move the back of your boat to the right and vice versa. Use this kick to change the direction of the back of your boat so you can fin away from the obstacle.
Fishing Techniques
Lake techniques. In the past few years, several companies have manufactured portable fish finders that open up a new world to pontoon boat users. With a portable fish finder strapped on your pontoon boat frame, you can locate the fish, determine the type of underwater structure, and know the water temperature and depth.
With the side-finder feature found on some models, you can track fish out to 120 feet, following them as they move across the screen. This allows you to cast in front of cruising fish and get your fly to the proper depth at the proper time. Slowly spinning your pontoon boat with a scissors kick as the fish finder searches for your quarry is a good way to improve your success.
Another less exacting but effective technique is trolling your fly. Cast your sinking line, then start kicking slowly. As you move through the water, let line out until your fly trails far behind you. I often use a double-fly rig with a large, flashy fly, followed 18 to 24 inches by a more imitative one. Once I catch fish in an area, I’ll carefully work the area by fan casting. To fan cast, I make one cast, then another cast 10 feet to the right, working around in a circle and pivoting my boat with scissors kicks as I cover the water.
The trolling technique works well on windy days when you can let the wind push you along without having to use your fins. Keep at a right angle to the wind so it hits the side of your boat, providing more push. You can slow your drift, if necessary, with your fins.
River techniques. I often drag my fins on the bottom as I float down the river to maintain my position and control my boat speed so that I can get long, drag-free drifts with my fly. As I float downstream, I try to line up the fly with the fish’s feeding lane, which is often the seam between the slower and faster currents. Most of the time, I line up my pontoon boat on the seam and float down, working this lane. The downstream drift is probably the most deadly technique on a pontoon boat after you have the skills to keep your boat in position.
These long downstream drifts also work for nymph presentations, but I generally get out of my boat to fish nymphs. I lay out a few casts as I float through a good-looking run. If nothing moves for the fly, float to shore just below the run and slip off the boat. I stand in the water, holding the boat with my legs while I cast back upstream to the water I just passed through. I wedge my legs out against the pontoon to hold the boat so it doesn’t float away, or I anchor the boat.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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