Fly Fishing

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

So, my car is pushing 175,00 miles. I am going to drive it into the ground, but at some point in the future .. I'm gonna need to buy another vehicle. So, I am wondering what everyone out there might recommend .. and what are some critical features to have? Currently, I have a honda CRV and its been an awesome vehicle for fly fishing and my needs .. here's why

1. Great on gas
2. Kind of a "truck", but not really
3. Not 4 wheel drive, but overdrive .. which is pretty good
4. Can pull a 17 foot skiff on trailer, with ease
5. Lots of space in the back for all my gear and a 9 ft. fly rod FITS in the car (without having to break it down)
6. Can sleep in car (across back seats) .. but, it is a little cramped and not ideal
7. 3 coffee cup holders (would be nice to have 4)
8. 4 cylinder very basic engine .. so, other than brake changes .. no maintenance or "issues" to speak of.
9. Super easy to get dirty, and equally easy to clean

So, I have really liked the Honda CRV .. but, don't know that I'd get the same car because I bet there is something even better out there .. and, I'd like a change of pace anyway. What do others out there have for car/truck .. what features do you like/not like .. and what might your recommend .. or what do you have your eyes on for a next fly fishing friendly car/truck. Thanks.

rustayy · Location: Islamorada,FL

I would look at Subarus....in particular Forrester. It has plenty of space, great on gas, all wheel drive, and plenty of room for passengers. If you don't need ground clearance than I would go that route. The Forrester has some ground clearance but it is nothing like a truck. I am thinking about adding an old Subaru to my fleet for fishing purposes only. They are great cars and do great in the snow.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Nice. I will check them out. I'm sure it would be able to tow a 17 foot skiff too. Also, I can totally see why (for you) a car/truck would absolutely have to be "good in snow" .. I've been out to Lake Tahoe, California several times to ski and fish .. and some of those mountain passes that I had to take from South Lake Tahoe to Nevada were absolutely hair raising. Tons of snow, flashing boards warning of "roads closed" and "tire chains mandatory" and the realization that it would be very easy to make one bad turn or hit one bad patch of ice .. and tumble down an entire mountain side. Honestly, those roads where you live (in winter time) are some of the most awe inspiring and treacherous roads i have ever been on ... they make pacific coast highway roads in san francisco seem like a cake walk (even during mud slide season) .... so, i can see why a car or trucks ability to perform in snow conditions is critical for you ....

PS. very much looking forward to visiting your neck of the woods again someday, I love the tahoe area ... ski/snowboard kirkwood, heavenly and squaw a couple days and chase trout and steelhead for a couple days ... doesn't get any better than that.

rustayy · Location: Islamorada,FL

You are right Jeremy.....the roads here can be scary when you are not use to them. But they are absolutely gorgeous!! The Forrester is way more than capable to tow a skiff. Maybe look into the turbo Forrester for some extra horse power. And if you are going to get out here look me up. The ski season is under way and the steel are running!!! Tight lines to you and good luck with the car purchase.

MarshallD · Location: Naples, Fl

1988 Chrysler Dodge Aries K-Car 42 K mi.
Works for me! Rolling Eyes

Good luck on your car hunt Jer

rustayy · Location: Islamorada,FL

That is the cleanest Aries K-Car I have ever seen! Absolutely mint! I totally dig the snook sticker on the back as well.

Boz · Location: Portland

Ah...the K-car.

She looks good Marshall, new paint?

Good topic here.

I've got an 02 Toyota 4 Runner and for the most part it is ideal for what I do...

Pros:
1. Decent Fuel Economy
2. Rods stay rigged in there from April-January (what's a rod tube?)
3. Killer 4wd and fairly short wheel base can get you deep into the Maine woods.
4. Very comfortable for 4 anglers.
5. I turn the key...and it fires up everytime.

Cons:
1. Limited gear space when going deep in the woods, for days when loaded with 4 passengers.
2. Hard for me to get a good night sleep in the back, even with the seats folded down. I can't stretch out completely and it drives me nuts.
3. After fishing and guiding out of it this past June and July (it rained every day) it got REALLY funky as the whole back storage is carpeted... Whew.

Funny our other vehicle is a Subaru Legacy wagon...bought it because:

1. You can shove rigged rods in and go.
2. Killer fuel economy
3. All wheel drive.

I miss having a truck (with a cap) sometimes, but would need a solution to keeps the rods fully rigged...thinking Thule snowboard rack...

twocan · Posted: Wed 12/09/09 9:24 pm Post subject:

Gotta respect the K car..my neighbor had one without muffler that was my alarm clock for several years.

My fishing rig is a full size 4wd pickup. It's been my ride and does everything i need. Tons of room for gear in bed. No road no problem....only downside for me is poor mileage. If this is a big concern then go diesel and convert it to run on cooking oil.

rhodyflyguy · Posted: Thu 12/10/09 11:31 am Post subject:

I also have a 4runner, a 97 with 170,000 miles on it. It stil runs great nd is good on gas. Ihave a plastic liner in the back over the carpet t cut down on funk, and it works pretty well.

chromefinder · Location: Southeast PA

Interesting thread...

My ride for the last 13 years has been the Isuzu Trooper V6 4WD. I love the design and space. Too bad they don't sell this model anymore as I'd buy another new one if they did just because I like the layout and space so much.

Pros:
tremendous amount of interior and cargo space. Holds multiple rigged 9 foot rods with ease. 4WD TOD is good, huge ventilated disc brakes with ABS on all 4 wheels. Tows what I need it too.

Cons:
Fuel Economy is horrible
my 3.5L V6 model burns oil
Transmission is starting to slip at 155K miles
A/C condenser went at 90K
4WD vacuum switch failed
intake gaskets have failed

bilgepump · Posted: Sat 12/12/09 7:27 pm Post subject:

Jeep cherokee sport is how I roll 4x4 roomy good on gas (could be better) plenty of room to stretch out with the rear seats gone. Hold 2 rigged rods as long as I'm flying solo but thats not a big deal as I end up changing the bugs as soon as I get river side. Only thing complaint is ground clearance, although I'm going fishing not 4wheeling.

greg · Posted: Sat 12/19/09 9:09 am Post subject: Fishing Vehicle

I bought a 2000 4 runner with 113,000 miles. Has a air compressor in the back for float tubes or tires. Front and back air, 4 wheel drive, high and low. Plenty of power sockets front and rear and a rack on top for gear, canoe,etc and a towing package for a small boat. Great on gas. Will accomadate 4 people plus gear and rear seats fold down and I can sleep fairely comfotable in the back. Best 3,000 I ever spent.

kory_k · Location: New York, NY

Have owned 3 subarus one older gl, a 97 outback and an 02 forrester. All were great fishing cars and I alwas liked them, positives and negatives:
pros:
• good mileage although the outback and forester weren't as good as the old gl
• good offroad and I definitely pushed the envelope on this one in all 3 of them.
• Great winter vehicles even better than trucks (used to pass them with a foot of snow on the interstate heading up a canyon in Utah) because of the low center of gravity
• could tow a drift boat
• enough room for gear

cons:
• not quite enough power for bigger boats
• reliable but had overheating issues with the first two
• forester had a small wheel base so you really felt every bump especially offroad

That said I have had several friends and my brother who have all owned toyotas including 4 runners, land cruisers, tacomas and rav4s and they are the premium fishing vehicles in my opinion. The bigger the model the worse the gas mileage but they excel in all other categories so we recently bought a new rav4 and it kicks ass and actually gets pretty good mileage. After seeing what 25 miles of washboard with a 13% grade dirt pulling a drift boat did to the spectrum of vehicles the toyotas always held out the best so for me, toyotas all the way from here on out!

flyfishmich · Posted: Mon 12/21/09 8:36 pm Post subject:

Jeremy,
I would look at the Subaru Forester or the 2010 Outbacks. No problem fitting a fully rigged 9' rod in it either. If you towed with the CRV, the Forester should do just as well. If you don't get stuck in traffic a lot, look at a manual transmission. I currently have an '08 Impreza Outback Sport, but have had about every model over the last 10 years.
Rick

striper69 · Location: woonsocket RI

it will be sad to see the woolybugger go . r.i.p. Crying or Very sad

72Twenty · Location: Wyoming

I own a 2010 Subaru Forester and I LOVE it. This is the 7th Subaru I have owned in my life, but I traded in my 2003 Ford Explorer for the Forester (my Explorer was the only non-Subaru I have ever owned).

The Forester is the perfect vehicle for where I live and what I like to do: skiing, fishing and general exploring around the state/camping.

I have the non-turbo 2.5L with a stick shift. It has slightly more ground clearance than Outback (and my old Explorer, for that matter) and it is also a little shorter than Outback. This means it has a better entry/exit angle for offroad situations too. It is not oozing with excessive horsepower, but it has plenty to get up the hill at high altitudes. It also has traction control in addition to the Subaru AWD system that can be turned off with the touch of a dash button.

I am installing a hitch on it in a few months so that I can "borrow" my dad's Clacka (he has an Outback with the same engine). I am also looking into buying a pop-up trailer for weekend family camping trips and fishing.

I installed a Yakima roof rack system on it for bikes and skis, but also got a Yakima Basketcase for it and use a big waterproof duffle on it for extra cargo space. My ski attachment also works as a great fly rod holder for short shuttles around the lake and along the river, so it stays on it all year.

This car does really well in the snow, and it goes everywhere offroad that my Explorer ever could. Having the stick shift is a plus too.

Forester is my vote; I can't imagine anything better for that size/class.

KodiakCommando · Location: Kodiak, Alaska

not the best guy as i've only owned one vehicle!

Still i love my 79 chev k-10 shortbed. Especially since i put the new engine in, 400 plus in torque and hp, no ones beating me to the river Twisted Evil

goin2themountains · Posted: Sat 03/06/10 11:47 pm Post subject:

I'm really sorry guys, but I have to keep something that will haul my fishing shack, a 37 foot fifthwheel. Crew cab Chevy diesel HD2500 does nicely. Rods up to 8 foot and the pontoon boat store in the basement of the 5er till needed, and any longer rods usually stay cased in the back seat of the pickup. Wink

valleythunder · Posted: Sun 03/07/10 11:32 am Post subject:

ifsteve · Location: Idaho

Think you need to define more what you mean by a 17' skiff. If you are talking about a runabout type boat with an outboard motor no way I would pull that with a 4 cylinder engine.

I would like to get there sometime in the same day I left. Laughing

juice5 · Location: apple valley minnesota

My fly fishin rig is a 1997 chev diesel 3/4 ton suburban lt. on top Ive got 4 ten foot felt lined 2 inch pvc pipes that terminate into a inverted plastic tool box . The felt liners kinda tumble out into carpet partitions so I can put four 9foot 8 wts with reels n steel head flys in the rig. Works very well when my wife loses a rig and backing, I just open it up extract another rod ready rigged hand it to her and put the exhausted rig back. Seems like the minute the truck stops at the river, she's in her waders and gone fishin before ive made my way to the tailgat. The rigs got 305,000 miles on it, very clean, gets from 22 to 25 mpg at 66 mph and goes back n forth to Idaho, oregon, B.C. and the white river in arkansas from minnesota a couple times a year. Next week we head back to Sportsmans resort @ Flippin Ark. in our pursuit of the whites big browns. Just got my 15 ft orvis 9 wt spey rods so im now building a longer rod carrier........tight lines juice