Controlling Your Guide Boat by John Berry

[Kevin]

BY JOHN BERRY

The other day I received an email from a former client, Greg O’Neal. He has recently built a home in the Norfork area. Like every fly fisher that spends any time in the area, he realized that in order to effectively fish on high water he would have to acquire a river boat and learn how to use it. Greg did the sensible thing. He rented a boat at Cotter Trout Dock and tried his luck boating in the Cotter area before buying a boat. He took his nephew, his regular fishing buddy, with him to see if he could get the hang of drift fishing. Unfortunately, he couldn’t consistently achieve the drifts necessary to catch fish.

 

He sent me an email and explained his experiences and asked my opinion. I asked a few questions. Was the motor running at all times? If so, was the gear engaged or was the motor idling? I was trying to determine if he had the motor engaged at all times. If he was doing this, the boat would move downstream at a slower pace than the river and it would be difficult to achieve a perfect drag free drift.

 

Most guides and serious anglers run their motor at all times. Their thinking is if they get in trouble all they have to do to avoid an obstruction is to immediately run the boat forward. They generally let the engine idle and engage it from time to time, when needed to steer the boat. My main problem is that, I don’t want to listen to my engine run at all times.

 

I explained that the way I control my drifts is to turn the motor off and control my boat using a paddle. There are several benefits. The first is the engine noise. I took up fly fishing because I enjoy the solitude. I yearn for a quiet day with low water and few other anglers. With the engine running, you cannot carry on a decent conversation with your fishing companions. I believe that the sound of the motor spooks big fish. I feel that I can get much closer to trophy trout by not running my engine while drifting. Finally I find that the paddling is great upper body exercise. I participate in a lot of paddle sports (canoeing and kayaking) and I enjoy it. I must add that this technique requires that you must have a reliable motor that is properly maintained and capable of starting immediately.

 

Greg asked what it would cost for some instruction on how I control my drifts. I told him that I would do it fairly inexpensively. We agreed on a price, time and place. We met at the Rim Shoals ramp at 1:00 PM on a Saturday. There were few cars in the parking lot. The Corps of Engineers were running the river at around 16,500 cubic feet per second or the approximate equivalent of five full generators (Greg had specifically asked that we do this on high water). The forecast was for rain so we both loaded our rain jackets into the boat.

 

I motored downstream to the White Shoals area. This is a wide section of the river with few obstacles and it fishes well on this level of generation. I set up a drift and showed Greg how I controlled it. I then motored back up stream and handed the tiller over to him. I moved up to the front of the boat and pulled out my fly rod. The best way to see if the drift was right was for me to fish and see if I could land some trout.

 

This was a dream job. I seldom get to fish high water. If I am on the water, I am usually guiding and I do not fish when I guide. My job is to get my clients to catch fish. If I am fishing, I am not giving all of my attention to my clients. If I am fishing with my wife, Lori, I am operating the boat and do not get to fish. The same thing happens when fishing with friends. I generally end up running the motor and controlling the drifts. I occasionally get to fish with other anglers like my brother and we take turns handling the boat.

 

Greg was an eager student and quickly picked up the process. I knew that the best way for him to learn was to get some tiller time. With a good drift, I was into fish almost immediately. The fishing was good and I caught several. I gave Greg pointers from time to time. It began raining. We stopped long enough to put on our rain jackets and continued fishing. The overcast sky was perfect for going after brown trout. They seem to not like the sunny days and are more active when the light level is low. I started picking up some nice browns. The biggest was nineteen inches and fought well. I congratulated Greg on his guiding skills, for putting me on such a nice fish.

 

The highlight of the day wasn’t the fishing but the camaraderie. Greg and I had an ongoing conversation that covered everything from politics to literature (we both enjoy reading John Gierach). Time flew by. I checked my watch and noted that it was 7:00 PM. We had been fishing nonstop for six hours and it was getting late. I had Greg motor back to the ramp. We loaded the boat and said our good byes.

 

A couple of days later, I went to the mailbox and found a package from Greg. It was a copy of Gierach’s latest book, No Shortage of Good Days. It reminded me of the great day and proved that teaching can be rewarding.