Advice re: navigable rivers for a deeper draft boat

[Surreal Deal]

Hello,

I have an older v-hulled Lund (A basic S-16 w/ a 25 hp tiller). I have been considering getting out onto a river, but the thing is I don't know any of them well enough to know which parts of them would be suited for my boat.

I don't have a lot of $$$ to spend on replacing lower units and props so what I am looking for is a safe stretch of water with a decent population of fish in it.

I'm not asking for locations to top secret honey holes, just a point in the right direction.

I'd love to hear some suggestions from you guys!

[bigd250]

youd be fine anywhere on the miss below st anthony falls. stay in the channel when going wide open and watch your depth finder when your moving near shore. i was pretty surprised how deep most of the miss was.

[JimBuck]

Upstream from Black Dog on the Minnesota is where I started....fairly easy to navigate and gain confidence. There is barge traffic so the river is dredged in that area. Wherever you go, just take it easy on the throttle and make mental notes of drastic changes in structure/depth. I haven't been on the Miss. yet but I've heard below St. Anthony is a good bet. It's also nice to head upstream in case anything happens you can float down to the launch. Just take your time and be prepared.

[ec30_06]

I ran a 16' smoker craft with a 25hp merc for many years on the MN river from Shakopee to St. Peter. Just go slow until you learn a stretch of river and find all the hidden logs and rocks. There are no barges once you get up towards Shakopee either.

[Surreal Deal]

Thanks guys, I'm looking forward to giving it a try this summer!

[DTro]

What ec30_06 said. You will be able to go just about anywhere with that boat, but take time to learn the tricky spots by taking it slow.

There are things you might never know about just lurking under the water. A good example is the old bridge piling upstream from the Belle Plaine landing. Right smack dab in the middle of the channel, just waiting to eat a lower unit.

[Surreal Deal]

1) What kind of anchors are you guys using out there on the river?

2) How are you anchoring? One off the bow, into the current, or do you use both a bow and stern and go across the current, giving more access when you have more than one fisherman in the boat?

[ec30_06]

Richtor,digger,river style and navy anchors will all work. Just be sure to go on the heavy side. I usually put one 25lb richtor straight out the bow, and then one out the transom if wind or current are swinging the boat side to side.

[SteveD]

For those of you anchoring in heavy winds or strong current you might want to look at a Drop-N-Stay. I bought the Drop-N-Stay Deuce for my boat and it works pretty slick. It is a large bungee cord that hooks on your boat cleat then you attach your anchor line to the Drop-N-Stay. It provides give in the rope in heavy current or high winds so you don't get pulled loose from the bottom. Just google Drop-N-Stay and you will see it in action. It works!!

[Surreal Deal]

For those of you anchoring in heavy winds or strong current you might want to look at a Drop-N-Stay. I bought the Drop-N-Stay Deuce for my boat and it works pretty slick. It is a large bungee cord that hooks on your boat cleat then you attach your anchor line to the Drop-N-Stay. It provides give in the rope in heavy current or high winds so you don't get pulled loose from the bottom. Just google Drop-N-Stay and you will see it in action. It works!!

Steve, I see how this works in waves where you bounce back and forth but how does the elasticity work in current? It seems to me that the bungee would just stretch all the way out and stay fully extended.

[SteveD]

The bungee does not stretch all the way out or fully extend. It is a very strong bungee cord designed to match the size of your boat. It only stretches to match the amount of stress. When more tension is applied (current or wind) it just stretches a little more to match the additional tension.

The one I use is designed for a large boat and I use it on my 17' Alumacraft and it works good on that boat. I've used it on the pontoon but that really stretched it out but even then it still worked.