Drift boat Lessons
Over the years many people have asked me questions about the Mckenzie River driftboats we use on our Western Oregon rivers for fishing and guiding. One single question stands out above all the others ... "how do you oar the boat?"
I tell them to point the boat toward the object you are trying not to hit. This could be the right or left bank, a rock, a log, shallow water, another boat etc... the list might be endless. You point the boat in this manner so you can pull away from the object. In oaring the driftboat you are either pulling or pushing on the oars. In "pulling" your arms and hands are drawn toward your body and when you are "pushing" your arms and hands are moving away from your body.
 Remember that the driftboat is really a rowboat with a curved bottom and if you are on a lake with this craft you would be going backwards to get to your destination. In a river the current is always (most of the time) pushing you downriver so the strokes you use most of the time will be "pulling".
If there is one statement I must make before you take your driftboat out on a river is: Put your boat on a lake and get comfortable with the "pulling" and "pushing" strokes. After you get these strokes embedded in your brain go to the next step: Learn to "push" with one oar and "pull" on the other oar. This will be the stroke you use when you need to turn quickly. There will be many times when you will need to turn quickly. It is paramount that these strokes are mastered before you put your life or someone else's life in danger. Let me stress to you that many people die in our rivers!
This next piece of advice might be more important than the last paragraph and that is: Learn to read the water! Most of the people that are going to buy that first driftboat have been fishing for a few years and most of them will have some knowledge of "reading the water". For the few people that will get a driftboat before they can read the water I suggest you find or hire someone to take you out on a river to learn some basic of river navigation.
Another point when you are driftboating that can cause you trouble is anchoring. I use pyramid lead anchors from 15 to 30 pounds. The two lighter anchors (15 and 20) are used when I fly fish and get out of the boat to fish from the bank. I put the boat on shore and the anchors are not holding the boat in the current. When I want to anchor in the current I use the 25 or 30 pound anchors. You will find out that the stronger the current - the more rope you will have to let out. This is where most of the troubles occur. If you drop the anchor in some current and the boat does not hold you have two options: pay out more rope or find a heavier anchor. There is a limit to how much current you can safely hold. You will have to find this out by experience. If you don't have this experience my suggestion is never anchor in a current that you cannot hold against. When you are stroking against the current as hard as you are able and you are still moving forward it will be dangerous to anchor in this spot ... especially if it has a jagged bottom. There is one piece of advice that might come in handy some day and this is: Be able to free yourself from that anchor quickly. Do not tie a knot at the end of your anchor rope and have a sharp knife handy to be able to cut the rope if necessary. If you misjudge the current or if the anchor gets stuck in heavy current your boat could go down.
 If you ever need drift boat lessons on the river or guided fishing trips around the Eugene-Springfield area of Oregon click on this link --- www.fishin-musician.com or www.tomwatersriverguide.com
It is interesting to note that in all my years of fishing there was not one book on the subject of handling a driftboat until recently. I came up on a driftboating title while surfing the web but I don't remember the name of it. If I happen to read it I will let you know about its content. I have Neale Streeks' book titled "Drift Boat Fly Fishing" but it is about fishing out of a driftboat and not about boating. The one book that has some good information about driftboating is Bill Luch's book "Steelhead Drift Fishing". It is probably out of print but there should be some copies of it at Amazon.com. That little book is a great book and belongs in every salmon, steelhead, and trout fisherman's library.
I just finished reading the book by Dan Alsup, "Driftboats, a Complete Guide." This book was long overdue. It is a great book and the historical pictures are worth the price of the book! (April 2, 2006) When I read about the history of the driftboat I hear different arguments as to the origin of the design. My theory is that the latest design that we use today came from Winslow Homer's paintings. Take a look at the boats in the "Fog Warning" and "The Herring Net." Those paintings contain the same look as today's driftboats. And here are the paintings to show you what I mean ...
 
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