River Boats

[ttabaleulb]

Ok, one of my main goals for 2010 is to spend some quality time on the rivers near me. My rig is a Lowe 1448M Jon with 15hp prop and 40# trolling motor. I fish solo A LOT. My questions to you guys are the following:

1) What things would you NOT leave the launch without when headin onto a river?

2) Do you believe that those motors are enough to deal with the currents involved on most rivers?

3) I currently don't have any extra prop guard. Do you have any particular style or brand that you can recommend?

Any other advice/recommendations are greatly appreciated!


Jay

[McDunnoftheAllegheny]

my boat is a 15ft smokercraft 15hp prop and 46thrust trollingmotor and i run up and down the allegheny without a problem, prop guards are definetly a good idea and common sense, don't leave it on shore, thats peoples biggest downfall.

[ttabaleulb]

Thats good to hear, sounds pretty close to the setup that I have. I guess at this point its just a matter of scouting the rivers to see where I can and can't get my boat. I have a lot of exploring to do on the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers. :D

[lowbidder]

Wow... we could go on for a long time about #1, but here are a few essentials (other than fishing gear / food / water) that I always take...

1 lifevest for each person (even if you don't wear it, you'll have to throw it on if you want to send that picture of your trophy to be posted on the Fish commission website)

Canoe paddle

Anchor - It's nice to be able to stop in the current without draining your battery.

First aid kit - no brainer

Sunblock / Sunglasses

Leatherman / Gerber - because Les Stroud said so! :)

Emergency cranking battery (if you can spare the weight / space)

Extra spark plug

And last but not least a TOOL KIT with at least the following-
#1 - Emory cloth
#2 - Continuity Tester
#3 - Assortment of connectors & terminals w/ crimper
#4 - Electrical tape
#5 - Socket Set w/ spark plug socket to fit your plug

It may seem like overkill, but I've had to use all items listed but the spark plug at least once while on the water. The emory cloth is huge and is so simple to overlook. Most all electrical failures I've encountered while on the water were due to corroded connectors that just needed scratched up with the emory cloth.

Mike

[SportJet120]

We have a Lowe 14' jon with a 9.9 Evinrude and a Minn Kota with some where around 30lb of thrust. It does pretty well until the river drops during the dry months. We bolted on a Macs River Runner, it bolts on to the lower skag. I have bounced the motor off of many rocks and never damaged the prop. The abuse it took was amazing. Top speed against the current was around 8 mph in the Tidioute area. We now own a 120 jet just for the river and use the Lowe for smaller lakes. I think your setup would work but would definitely put on a prop guard, Things I would put in boat before going out...lifevests,paddle,anchor and line that doubles as a tow line. small tool kit with plugs, safety wire and wire ties will hold anything broken together,cell phone, and last the most important thing to have in boat, THE PLUG ! Hope everything works out for you and good luck, Gary

[ttabaleulb]

Cool, thanks for all the advice guys. I have most of those things for the lake fishing. I was just curious to see if there were any "special" items recommended for the rivers. I definitely have to get a prop guard and I think I should be ready to go. Now I'll just have to find some fish!!

[Red Childress]

I did not go back and re-read the other posts but an extra Shear Pin will be crucial to have if running a prop on shallow rivers.

Sorry if this a repeat item.