Inflatable Pontoon? Clearwater to Monticello float

[BillyJack]

I’m considering buying a Colorado pontoon boat to float the Mississippi river from Clearwater to Becker or Monticello.

I started off looking at canoes but then I came across these inflatable pontoons and they seem like the perfect rig for floating that section of the river. It’s basically two inflatable pontoons with a single seat in the middle. It has oars but there is also a mount for a small electric motor. Easier to transport and store than a canoe and cheaper, too.

Has anyone used one of these to float that section of the river? Is there anything I should be aware in terms of safety or navigation? It seems pretty simple, just launch in Clearwater and float down the river. I never boated on a river before.

How long should it take to float that section of river? I plan to fish for smallies but is there any big pike or muskies in that section of river? Where should I fish?

[TruthWalleyes]

With no experience on the river, i would suggest you go with someone whom has experience. my .02

[mrklean]

i agree go with someone who knows the river or know the river good yourself. Lots of rocks and rough spots out there last thing you wanna do is sink yourself on the river

[BillyJack]

I'm a little surprised. I thought that was a pretty benign stretch of river especially in mid summer when the water levels drop.

I considered these inflatable pontoons as glorified float tubes, not much can go wrong. I can’t see how one would sink (unless both pontoons completely deflated) and they would just bounce off any rocks. It seems safer and would require less skill than a canoe but maybe I’m wrong. And I don't want to buy one and find that it doesn't work well on the river. Would a canoe be a better choice?

So from a safety standpoint, I’m asking for trouble? Maybe I should start with short trips and see how they go. I don’t want to get in over my head (no pun intended).

[Ralph Wiggum]

So from a safety standpoint, I’m asking for trouble?

I don't think you'd have any problems safety-wise, especially with low water. I have never run that stretch, but I have run St. Cloud to Clearwater and Monticello to Otsego. A lot of those stretches are walkable in low water.

[BillyJack]

Does anyone know of anybody who has used one of these inflatable pontoons?

As I said before, from all indications they would seem to be almost perfect for floating the Mississippi anywhere between Clearwater and Ostego.

I actually never even heard of them until I did some searching online. They seemed to have gained much popularity in just the last couple of years. I’m not sure how they compare to a canoe in terms of maneuverability.

Of course, I would much rather have something I could run upstream. This may sound silly but with a 50lb thrust electric motor would be possible to power an inflatable pontoon or canoe upstream?

Sorry but I am dumb when it comes to river fishing. I grew up in Alexandria and am a very experienced lake fisherman. The river and smallmouth fishing sounds very intriguing especially if there is a chance to catch a trophy pike or muskie.

[mrklean]

i would say it depends on the current, rigth now there is no way that would work, but when the river drops another 5 feet and you can see all the rocks and island and the current slows it might but i still think it would be tough

[Cads]

I have an inflatable pontoon, and I love it. I always float Becker to Monti, or Monti to Kadler Ave. in Otsego. Either one will take 6-10 hours depending how often you stop. I am always launching in Clearwater with the Alumicraft as well. No worries at all, just wear your life jacket of course. They are all easy floats.

[Rick G]

Imo the inflatiable pontoons are much better option for the river than a canoe if one is a novis on the river.

[tsande00]

I plan on making this trek with Kayaks in the very near future. I was going to try to make it from St. Cloud to Monti in one long day, but after hearing Cads say it took him 6-10 hours from Becker I'm having second thoughts, lol.

I did 27 miles down the Crow river a couple weekends ago and it took about 10 hours, but most of that we didn't even paddle...just floated along leisurely. If my memory is correct it is about that same distance from the St. Cloud canoe access to Ellison in Monticello. Obviously current plays a huge part in speed, and likely the river is beginning to slow.

Also if you google "MN DNR canoe route" you can get awesome maps that detail ever mile of the trip.

[BillyJack]

Glad to hear I won't be risking my life. I didn't think it would be all that difficult but wanted to hear from some fisherman who have made that float.

I went ahead and ordered the Colorado pontoon from Walmart.com, $340 with free delivery.

I will keep my first float as short as possible, maybe from Snuffies in Becker to Monticello or the landing in Ostego.

Should I use an electric trolling motor? I’m not sure I could do much with it considering the current.

I hadn’t fished the river before this year but I made a couple of trips to the park in Ostego and the landing at Kandler Ave. and caught a couple of smallies and I’m hooked (another pun not intended). The beauty of the river is simply exhilarating. I can’t wait to get out there on the water and not be bound to the shoreline.

Most of all, I want to get to all those islands, I just know there’s plenty of fish on the down river side of those islands but maybe I’m wrong. Any advice on where to fish would be welcomed.

One thing I like about the river so far is the complete lack of boating traffic and the undeveloped riverbanks (no houses). I grew up in the Alexandria area and we always fished walleyes among dozens of other boats. And we had to dodge all the ski boats. The river in that stretch reminds me of Canada in the late seventies, early eighties. A rare resource in these days.

I like smallies and walleyes but my passion has always been lunker pike or muskies, is there a chance of catching one in that stretch?

[river rat316]

Every time you are on the river you risk your life, just cause its low water does not mean its not dangerous, the river at any flow has more power than you would believe, especially in fast neck down areas with drop. I have been swept off my feet in water no deeper than my knees in low water, and couldn't get back up for about 20 yards.

I am not trying to scare you off the river, its an awesome resource right in our backyards, but a certain level of respect needs to be given, especially for newb's. The one word of advice I can give you, especially in a man powered craft, is always have an out, by this I mean know exactly what you are going to do if/ and when something bad happens. Never anchor in current, or tie off to something in current with small crafts, the current can drag you under in a hurry, I know from experience, one of my yak anchors is still in Otsego somewhere. I had to cut it when I threw in what looked like still water but wasn't, it took about 3 seconds for me to figure out I was in trouble and the knife on the lanyard around my neck really came in handy. I was pizzed I lost the anchor, but would have been more pizzed if I lost all the rods and gear on the yak.

As far as the toons go, I feel a Yak is a better option, they are more manuevarable, can be paddled up stream with little effort, and are easier to transport. But I have never tried a toon, just watched people on them and thought they were kinda slow and lumbering, and looked hard to paddle. That is just mho though

[BillyJack]

The DNR website describes that section of the river as follows:

Rolling, forested bluffs and numerous accesses and rest areas make the Mississippi River from St. Cloud to Anoka a popular route for day-long canoe trips. The river flows through riffles and across many sandbars, where you can relax and enjoy flat-water paddling. No major rapids.

That description makes it sound about as difficult as floating down the Apple River in an inner tube. Canoeing from St. Cloud to Anoka in a day? That doesn’t sound very realistic. And, of course, the manufacturers of the pontoons make their products seem indestructible and [PoorWordUsage]-proof.

I will admit that in the short time I’ve spent fishing the river from shore, I have been amazed by the strength of the current in some areas.

I’m glad for the feedback I received in this forum, based on what I read on the DNR website I was ready to take my new pontoon, drop it in at Clearwater and leisurely float down to Monticello in four or five hours.

Now I realize I should take the time to learn to handle my pontoon on a lake although lake boating and river boating are very different. Maybe I should try a easier and smaller river first. Any suggestions on a river I can try first?

[Surreal Deal]

Canoeing from St. Cloud to Anoka in a day? That doesn’t sound very realistic.

The DNR doesn't know if you're a hardcore paddler or if you intend to spend a lot of time lolly gagging or fishing. Floats almost always take longer than you expect them to. Actual time and your expectations become closer together as you take some trips and gain experience. Start with shorter trips and work your way up as you learn what your river speed is. Plan for early starts and early finishes so that you don't wind up dodging rocks in the dark.

You have been given some good advice in this thread: Wear a LIFE JACKET, Respect the river, Have a way out, Keep a knife on a lanyard within reach at all times.

Good Luck and have fun!

[Shack]

In Elk River yesterday the Mississippi looked just like the Apple river. Personally I have never seen that many people/groups floating down the river at one time. I talked with a group who landed at a car they had parked earlier and they just had floated down from Monti. Down side is they were young(er) and had no life vests, but they said it was a pleasurable and cool ride. If you drive through Elk River this weekend, look at the river up towards the new apartments. I am sure you will notice many people floating.

[tsande00]

Last night I dropped my yak in at Montissippi and floated down to Ellison. Surprisingly (to me) the Mississippi appeared to be flowing slower than the Crow river was 2 weeks ago. Took us about an hour and a half to go that three mile stretch but we made a few stops and didn't do much paddling. This might be a good stretch for you to try out and see how your pontoon handles the current. If you decide to go alone you could leave a bike at Ellison and pedal back to your truck at Montissippi (probably a 20 or 30 minute bike trip)

[Friar_Tuck]

i would consider getting some oar locks, their only like 15.00 bucks. if you lose an oar, your in trouble.

theres a few vids on youtube that show people floating rivers. it will give you a basic idea on maneuvering. since you oar/guide yoruself forwards down a river vs traditional backwards in lakes etc.

[deadeye]

I would also concur that you would want to maybe cut the trip length in half if you plan on fishing. Cut it down by 3/4 if you want to fish a lot.

Having done a lot of float trips, nothing is less fun than trying to make up time at the end of the day. Especially when you find good fishing and want to stay on it. Its a real bummer to find great fishing and have to leave because your pinched for time.

Another option that might be good is too just run it without fishing gear the first time to see what you are up against. Take a GPS with and mark spots you find then you can narrow down good spots to fish and possibly eliminate undesirable stretches of water from a fishing trip.

Besides that stuff everyone has given pretty good advice. wear a lifejacket, bring plenty of water to drink and let someone know what your plans are.

[BillyJack]

Thanks for all the feedback. The hard part is waiting for my pontoon to arrive via UPS, the scheduled delivery is next Tuesday.

Of course, I am already planning to pimp-out my pontoon. It’s rated for a 30lb. trolling motor which means a 50lb. should work just fine. Add a hand-held GPS along with a depth-finder and I’m all set.

I know I sound a little childish, but this has triggered a sense of adventure for me and an element of danger makes all that much more appealing.

I gave up fishing about 15 years ago. I grew up on Lake Miltona in Alexandria but once I got close to cities the crowded boat ramps and the constant ski boat traffic really got to me. Don’t get me wrong, I think the lakes should be shared by everyone but it seemed like the lakes down here are more for pleasure boating than fishing. So I sold my old trusty Slyvan for a song.

That old boat was so beat up, the hull was covered with scars from running into rocks in Canada (I went through shear pins by the dozen on my Canada trips). It outlasted three outboards, three trolling motors and two trailers. I swamped it on Mille Lacs when I tried to get to shore with seven foot waves and a 45mph tailwind and once spent an entire night and most of the next morning lost on Leech when the fog rolled in during night fishing. Oh, the memories.

Not to brag, but I have an impressive list of lunkers. A 27lb pike (it was on a stringer for over 6 hours and was well over 30 when I caught it on one of those old spring-loaded Zebco tackle box scales), a 11.5lb walleye, and a 52 inch muskie. I also caught a crappie in 1982 that might have been state record if I had known enough to weigh it, it was about as wide as a Frisbee. I’m a legend in my own mind, Babe Winkleman step aside.

I’m like an old gunslinger coming out of retirement. Let’s just see what I can pull out of that river this summer. The trophies are there, I can smell them, now I just need to catch them. I’ll keep you guys posted.

[Brad B]

if it is rated for a 30 lbs motor don't go over that. it is like outboards on regular boats (if rated for up to 50hp then don't put a 75 hp on it). The dnr has said that the flow rate is about 3 miles per hour if you don't stop to fish. clearwater to monticello is 15 miles via the river and if you don't stop to fish you could in theory float it in about 5 hours now if you stop along the way to fish then times this by 2 to 2.5 times as long.

[Brad B]

at montissippi park last august I was able to walk half way across the river in my chest waders. this section gets shallow in late summer.

[Cads]

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?site_no=05270700

I attached a link for the water discharge rate at St. Cloud dam. This information comes in useful when planning. At the bottom of the page you will see the current rate at 5800. Where the Min. flow back in '92 was 4160 & Max was 20700 in '01. The data obviously indicates that the water speed is slow and the depth is shallower than normal. Also note that the river current will be faster under your feet than on top of the water, but you probably already knew that.

FYI, In my option the SMB fishing is best from Becker to Otsego, but for some reason I always find more walleye, northern, & crappies from Clearwater north.

One other suggestion for you is a to buy an anchor for those deep pools right after the ripples.

[Surreal Deal]

In Elk River yesterday the Mississippi looked just like the Apple river. Personally I have never seen that many people/groups floating down the river at one time. I talked with a group who landed at a car they had parked earlier and they just had floated down from Monti. Down side is they were young(er) and had no life vests, but they said it was a pleasurable and cool ride. If you drive through Elk River this weekend, look at the river up towards the new apartments. I am sure you will notice many people floating.

I took my family to Otsego park for our Memorial day picnic and I concur. Lotsa tubers floating around there! I also saw one guy in a Jon with a Mercury jet drive. Cool stuff!

[tsande00]

This weekend I floated from Becker to Monticello (10 miles) and it took 4.5 hours. We were heading straight into the wind so were forced to paddle about half the time. It was kind of funny - at points when the wind was hitting us straight on we would just sit still in once place, the current fighting the wind with nobody winning without the assistance of a paddle.

I also trolled and casted a rap periodically with no SMB success.

Also found a woman's purse filled with wallets, IDs, credit cards, baseball cards, etc. floating down the river near Becker. I contacted the sheriff yesterday and turned it all in. Turns out these people had recently reported vehicle break ins. Creepy part was when we opened the bag there was still a cup with ice from Taco Bell...crooks must have just dumped it right before we found it. Probably thought the purse would sink.

[Shack]

OK, Yesterday once again in downtown Elk River (at the oldies concert behind Sunshine Depot) we counted around 15 different rafts floating down while waiting and during the concert. Used to be once and a "great" while you would see a group on an air mattress, but I have to think this is starting to get big. I assume just High School kids, but I did see a family the other week.

[tsande00]

OK, Yesterday once again in downtown Elk River (at the oldies concert behind Sunshine Depot) we counted around 15 different rafts floating down while waiting and during the concert. Used to be once and a "great" while you would see a group on an air mattress, but I have to think this is starting to get big. I assume just High School kids, but I did see a family the other week.

They must be dumping in in Otsego or something eh? I never see anybody accessing the river via raft from Monti. I've spent about 15 hours on the river between Becker and Monticello over the past couple of weeks and have yet to see anybody floating on tubes.

[river rat316]

Sometimes the added scenery can be very nice

[tsande00]

Thanks for all the feedback. The hard part is waiting for my pontoon to arrive via UPS, the scheduled delivery is next Tuesday.

*snip*

Have you had a chance to try this out yet? I am curious how it has been working for you.

[BillyJack]

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to even assemble the pontoon yet, it’s been sitting in my garage still in the box.

I got a large kitchen remodel job at the last minute with a tight deadline (customer wants it done for a graduation party) so my work schedule hasn’t left time to do much of anything. I can’t wait to get out and give my pontoon a try but it will be at least another week or two.

Once I get out a couple of times, I’ll post about my experiences with the pontoon. As some other posters have stated, I have seen many people floating the river in all kinds of crafts from canoes to inner tubes. I have never seen this many people floating the river in the past but, then again, I never really looked for it before.

[deadeye]

Ya it has been the poor man's apple river lately.

I look forward to hearing about your trip when you do get out there. It has been kind of odd with the water levels doing what they have but so far it has been pretty good fishing.