Wooden Boat People

By McKenzieDriftBoat.com

Drift boating in New England

Who out there is from New England or upstate New York? What are the options for drifting and fishing? For the last 30 years I’ve been in Utah, Montana and Idaho. We are now planning a move to Vermont in the next few years. So what are my options?

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Permalink Reply by JC Smith on May 26, 2020 at 4:09am

I'm in the Finger Lakes in New York. Lots and lots of drift boats on the Salmon River at the east end of Lake Ontario, and on the Delaware River on the south side of the Catskills. Both rivers see too much traffic for my tastes. there's a stretch of the West Canada Creek North of Utica that suitable for a drift boat, and some rivers on the north side of the Adirondacks that I think are being drifted for muskies. Couldn't tell you which ones. large parts of the Susquehanna River which flows out of New York down through Pennsylvania to the Chesapeake Bay, would be suitable for a drift boat and would feature muskie, tiger muskie, and smallmouth bass.

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Permalink Reply by Ants Uiga on May 26, 2020 at 7:47pm

In general many Vt (and surrounding rivers) are suitable for drift boats. The caution is that many of this rivers were dammed for water power for mills. The craft of choice is probably a canoe since it is easier to portage at a dam. Lakes are abundant and canoes are widely used there also.

As a visual reminder, canoes are abundant on the roofs of vehicles.

Two rivers that come to mind for drifting (check dam locations) are the Winooski River that flows westward through VT toward Burlington, and the Connecticut River that forms boundary between VT and NH.

Guideboats are a specialized craft that originated in the Adirondack region that combines lightness of canoe (for portaging between lakes) and load capacity of a rowboat.

Ants

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Permalink Reply by Peter Honsberger on May 29, 2020 at 2:26pm

Interesting stuff!!!! I've had the same question!

Wife and I are moving to upstate NY in the next year or so. Grandkids...what can I say.

I grew up in VT and still visit frequently so this is great info. I

had heard the Winooski was decent depending on the water level.

Thanks Ants!

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Permalink Reply by Ants Uiga on May 29, 2020 at 5:19pm

I moved to CA in 1977, so my local experience is far from current. To update myself, I googled VT drift boat fly fishing. Quite a few guides are offering the services.

A good idea from the West is spreading over the decades. The traditional boats have a strong hold, however.

Ants

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Permalink Reply by Peter Honsberger on May 29, 2020 at 6:37pm

One of my high school buddies, who I still hang out with in VT, his father-in law owns a fly shop in Burlington. I'll touch base with him and pass along any info. Never occurred to me until just now...geez. Sometimes... Hahaha!