Gear » Watercraft

If you've ever wanted a crash course on inflatable fishing watercraft, then the most recent episode of the Orvis podcast is for you. Tom Rosenbauer chats with Mike Dolmage from NRS, educating anglers on which inflatable watercraft might be best for their fishing. You can listen to the podcast here.

While drift boats are usually held up as the gold standard for fly fishing and floating rivers, lately rafts have made a name for themselves. A two-person raft is small enough that it doesn't need a boat trailer, eliminating much of the headache that arises from hauling drift boats. Ross Purnell goes into greater detail about the place fishing rafts have in...

If you've ever thought about fly fishing from a kayak, then you'll want to check out this review of the Old Town Sportsman PDL 106 from Zach Burton at Gear Junkie. According to Burton, this kayak is stable enough that you can comfortably stand up and cast from it. To read the whole review, click here.

As someone who's been spoiled by a drift boat for much of my fishing career - and with a bad back - I've come to dislike float tubes. Sure, they're convenient, but they're not comfortable or all that enjoyable. Enter kayaks. They keep you out of the water, but still on it, and they're more maneuverable than a float tube. The folks over at Fly Fisherman...

Tim Romano, over at Angling Trade, recently put this list together that highlights some new products that boat anglers need. If you chase your trout from a drift boat, a skiff, or a canoe, these are some great products. Read the list here.

It always makes me chuckle when mainstream publications with little connection to fly fishing publish gear guides. Enter the latest iteration from Popular Mechanics.  Their gear guide for 2021 features no real surprises, but writer J.R. Sullivan does a good job of delivering puns and making the guide worth reading. Give it a look in full here.

The fishing community in general isn't short on ingenuity, and I think our collective creativity is on full display when it comes to new watercraft. This review of the BOTE Rackham Aero Inflatable Paddleboard is, to say the least, intriguing. I'd never really considered fly fishing from a paddleboard before - let alone an inflatable one. Read the review...

SmithFly Designs has announced the release of their newest product, the Shoal Tent, “a first of it’s kind inflatable raft with a tent on top, allowing users to camp right on their favorite piece of water.”

Gilman Oar Grips are an ergonomic rowing grip designed for serious fishing guides and anglers. They have started a kickstarter campaign to help bring their product to market.

The owner of AIRBORN Inflatale Boats, Dick Swan, has announced his retirement and the sale of all company assets. Read more in the press release below. Small Water Sports Company Announces Asset Sale that Includes Game Changing Patent The owner of AIRBORN™ Inflatable Boats is retiring and all company assets arefor sale. The assets include important...