I’d never given it much thought until recently, a thought drifted up from my subconscious. This epiphany revealed to my satisfaction a reason for my deep peace and joy I experienced floating rivers on my pontoon. “Huckleberry Finn”. The childhood memory engulfed me, and I realized, all these years later, what a profound influence Mark Twain had on my life, all from a book I read many years ago in my childhood.
I would be lying if I told you I remembered any specific details that I read, rather, it was a realization that the journey of Huck Fin and Tom Sawyer, floating down the Mississippi, had etched into my spirit a longing for adventures, pondering what lies around the next bend, floating effortlessly on a liquid highway, seeing new sights and connecting with nature, and my essence, in a way that gave me a level of serenity essential to my very being. Now, so many years later, I see that it was natural for me to combine fishing with adventures. Indeed, from childhood on, I’ve found my true moments of peace outdoors. Adding fishing to the equation gave me a purpose, an excuse, and as I travelled through the decades of my life, I instinctively gravitated to the combination of fishing with outdoor adventures.
Canoes and overnight trips were the stuff of my early travels, whether a five-day float down Wisconsin’s Kickapoo River, or paddling and portaging the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, I saw the beauty of the outdoors, catching fish along the way. Casting a small Mepps up against a sandstone wall and feeling a beautiful brown trout bend my budget friendly spinning rod, pulling line off the reel, or tossing a topwater spinner into a weedy shoreline, the bubbling chatter of the blade drawing the attention of a green-stripped pike knifing toward it with a V-shaped wake, the anticipation and final smash of the grab – I was literally hooked for life!
I was fortunate to have moved to Washington during a time when hatcheries put out large numbers of smolts, and returns of hatchery fish made for many memorable days of steelhead limits. My go-to rivers were the Cowlitz, Skykomish, and Satsop. I ran up and down these rivers in an eight-foot sport raft with an eight-horsepower prop (with my own modified, raised transom to avoid rocks). It was a fun time, but there was something missing. I can only thank the subconscious imprint Mark Twain had on me. At a winter Sportsman’s Show, I happened upon a booth where Dave Scadden rafts and pontoons were displayed. I stopped in mid-step and took a closer look at what would soon become my new passion. Dave had a variety of pontoon boats on display, but what really caught my eye was a cherry red two-person twelve-foot pontoon boat. My mind immediately began contemplating the adventures I could have with friends, and two boys who would soon be old enough to join in on trips with me. I remember the boat had features that caught my attention, such as being able to easily convert it from a two-person to a one-person pontoon, and a nifty storage system for coolers or overnight trips. Fighting the impulse to buy on the spot, I went home that night and did my research. Satisfied that it was a good quality product at a fair price, I came back the next day and made my purchase.
The rest, as they say, is history. My cherry red pontoon took me on multiple adventures, including floating the Wilson River with each of my sons for fall chinook. Many a water was explored and many fish netted in my fire-red pontoon. The years added on, and the boat served me well. Twenty or so years later, my retirement years are coming ever closer. Last year, my wife and I moved to Great Falls, Montana, to be closer to our grandchildren, and farther away from the ever-growing Puget Sound region with its claustrophobia-inducing congestion. My backyard river is now the Missouri. My son Matt and I have floated the river several times, and the pontoon performed fine, but I found myself gazing enviously as drift boats and larger rafts floated by. I observed they offered a more stable platform for tossing flies and anchoring up on this big river. The seed had been planted, and it took full root when my wife JoAnn casually mentioned there was some spare cash in a savings account, which I knew nothing of. Husbands know that spare cash and a wife’s “OK” are the final straw. My research kicked into high gear!
I looked at the variety of drift boats and rafts out there and narrowed my choice down to a raft. I prefer the flexibility and lighter weight of a raft. After looking at several companies and designs, I found myself on the Dave Scadden website. I was instantly impressed by the selection of framed rafts, with sizes and features aimed at whatever budget and needs a boater was looking for. I had determined that in addition to a stable platform, I also wanted a big enough raft to handle three anglers, and space to store overnight camping gear for those Huck Finn adventures. Each year, Montana opens the Smith River to a lottery, allowing a limited number of anglers to float this secluded and scenic 57-mile canyon-lined river. I’ve decided this four-day float is going to be on my Bucket List.
After a call to Dave to discuss my goals, I selected his new 14-foot Dragonfly. With a 6-foot beam, three seats, a casting brace, an inline anchor system, and the rigid dry floor insert feature, the raft was just what I was looking for. Throw in an excellent warranty and my positive experience with my pontoon boat, and I feel confident I’d found a winner.
Pairing my new raft with a flat bed 5x8 trailer (to which I added a couple of rollers made with PVC piping), my sons Matt and James, and I headed to the Missouri River for a maiden voyage. Launching below the Holter Lake dam, we floated 5 miles down to the takeout at Craig. Around us were every style of floating vessels – drift boats, pontoons, rafts – we felt right at home. The Dragonfly had plenty of room for the rower and two anglers. While the front angler had a casting brace, the rear angler did not. This would be a feature I will try to add as a DIY project. The anchoring system is also not as robust as a higher-end (and twice as expensive) raft. I can live with it. Again, if you go on YouTube, there are some DIY setups to improve the anchor system.
Anchored up and casting nymphs with indicators, James let out a “fish on”, his first ever fish caught on a fly, and his first ever Montana fish. A nice native whitefish came to the net after a bulldog fight. The smile on James’ face was my big catch for the day. Introducing Matt and James to my inner Huck Finn was more satisfying than catching a 20” trout – well, maybe.
