Fly fishing a beautiful spring creek in mid-summer with a dog, some river shoes, quick dry pants, a light rod and a big hatch is a wonderful day dream. I also appreciate big rivers and the masses of big fish they shelter. Unfortunately, for hitting the big water, we need more equipment. Boats are an essential part of that equipment.
Sure, a fisherman can hire a guide and pay $6-700 a day to float down the river, or they can find a more economical solution.
As much as I love a guide who will row and put me onto the fish, I’ve looked for the alternative. My first ride was Jenny, a Colorado XTS 9′ pontoon. The freedom she gave me was something else. I was quickly hooked, and wanted to share it with friends and family. The problem is that Jenny only has eyes for me, and my friends and family don’t know how to row, even if I found Jenny a sister.
Colorado XTS
I have been eyeing the Flycraft rafts. www.flycraftusa.com Their product seems solid and their marketing is pretty good with videos, testimonials, etc.. Some of the biggest things that caught my eye are the fact that it folds down very small (can fit in RV storage area), has an optional motor, and it can float smaller rivers.
One day in May I got lucky. I was cruising Facebook and came across a for sale post on one of my groups, Renegades On The Fly. Kyle Lore was selling his Flycraft with motor package for a really good deal. After a quick phone convo, this sucker sent Kyle his asking price via Paypal, and hoped to pick it up after the house closed and we got up to Utah where Kyle lives. Sure enough, I was about 6 hours from Kyle, contacted him, and he agreed to meet me halfway. What a great guy, he didn’t have to do that. Heck, I even tried to give him some gas $, and he refused. I gotta tell you, that in my travels, I have only found good people. This motivates me. Back to the boat..
I got the boat and headed back to the RV on Panguitch lake. I spent some time getting familiar with it, and had it on the lake that afternoon, motoring around like I was king of the world.
However, this story is not about the flycraft, or my royal highness, or Kyle. Nope, its about the company, Flycraft. And before the haters start to hate, I should detail that I am in no way affiliated with this company. No #BroStaff. I am simply a “2nd hand” customer.
My experience with the company started after I had an incident on Utah’s Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam. I was on a 3 day, 2 night float. 2nd day I was in a rapid with a rock wall on one side. I got close to the wall (its hard to fish and row at same time, LOL) and was paddling away from it when one of my oars found its way into a little crack in the wall. I had a nanosecond to give it a yank out, but the rapid was working against me, and instead of yanking out, it just wedged in further, then the SNAP. Thankfully, the paddle broke horizontally instead of the shaft breaking. The bottom of the paddle was gone, but I still had the top. If any of you have ever driven a car through a corner at 65 mph and the steering wheel came off, you know what it’s like to be rowing a boat down a rapid with one oar. Thankfully, the top of the paddle was enough to get me through the rest of the trip.
The cool part starts with me contacting flycraft via email about the mishap. I needed a new oar. How much was this gonna set me back?
Brandon from Flycraft responded, and eventually we started chatting over the phone. He explained that they would replace the oar under warranty, and just needed an address to send it to. I further explained that I was not the original owner, and Brandon said it didn’t make a difference. On top of all of that, Brandon took interest in my journey, and gave me advice for the next few stops. Locations, patterns, techniques, etc.. It seems he gets out quite a bit. What a great experience that was.
A few weeks later, and just recently, I broke a few welds on the frame, and contacted Brandon again, with very similar results. The problem and fix are covered under warranty, and they are shipping me parts, tools and instructions on how to fix. They would fix if I could bring to Salt Lake, but they know I am in constant travel and boat use, so that’s not an option. As well, I got fishing advice again after I explained my next destination of Thermopolis. Pretty cool.
I’m a happy buck knowing this company is behind my adventures. If you are debating Flycraft, or not, or another brand, you have my word that you prolly won’t be upset you chose Flycraft. Also, remember that if you ever want to fish in one, you are always welcome in my boat, just bring some good borbon and a great attitude.
Last thing to note, is that most people that see the boat on top of my truck, or see me on the river, have to stop and talk to me about it. Its kinda funny. No matter how nice their drift boat is, they have a jealous curiosity about the Flycraft.
Tight lines. TJ
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