A Question for Ft. St. John Area guys

[Angus]

I'm planning on escaping the Lower Mainland in the Spring, and moving to Ft. St. John. My question revolves around the boat I currently have, and whether I should keep it, or sell and it get a more river-friendly boat.

My current boat is a 14" Lund SSV with a 25hp Honda. It's a deep, beamy boat and is okay in the bigger rivers, and I've used it for fishing the West Vancouver shorelines, the Fraser River, and hunting in the Pitt and Ladner marshes.

I know of a couple of lakes in the FSJ area (Charlie and Cecil), and and know there are many others not too far away. My plan is to use a boat for both hunting and fishing when I move up there. I'd like to get some opinions from the guys in that area of the best way to go: keep my current boat, or sell and get more of a flat bottom with an outboard jet.

Unfortunately, the option to keep my current boat and also get a river boat is not on the table.

Thanks,
Terry

[BRvalley]

I recently moved up here this past year....if you want to hunt on the river you need a jet boat

not sure what year/condition, but just a guess your current boat is around the 5-6K mark? even if you sell it you won't have a generous budget to buy a jet sled, I've been looking for a while, they hold their resale value very well...if you do want a jet boat, sell your current boat and buy in the lower mainland, every now and then on craigslist/kijiji something pops for around or a bit under 5k, but condition reflects the price

I've been looking in seattle as well for a used jet but the good deals you need to act on fast

IMO i'd keep your current boat...fish charlie, cecil, gwillim, moose, moberly...and your boat is small enough for some other back lakes (which I won't cough up lol)

wait until you can save up and then sell and have a few more bucks

[KodiakHntr]

Does Cecil even have fish in it?

A deep "beamy" boat up here likely will get you stranded running an outboard. River water visibility isn't the greatest on the big rivers, which would be the only ones you could run (ie, the Peace), and even that would be right sketchy (although you do hear of the occasional guy trying it.)

You'd probably get away with that small of a boat on Dinosaur and Williston on calm days.

[Angus]

Thanks for the input guys.

I'm gonna keep an eye out on Craigslist south of the border for the next couple of months for a jet sled.

[bridger]

Cecil lake is a water fowl lake. Shallow no fish in it. Your boat will do fine on Charlie lake, maybe good on dinosaur on calm days. Stay off Williston with it tho. Running the rivers up here with it is not going to work either. River running requires an inboard jet or a larger outboard with a jet leg. 25 hp is not enough power for the rivers to be really safe. Inboards are pricey tho. $25 grand and up for one in good safe condition. You will love fort St. John. Welcome to the centre of the universe!!

[Angus]

Thanks Bridger. I'm really looking forward to the move.

I guess I'll keep my dekes, mojo and the rest of my waterfowling gear and haul it up there with me. The dog will be happy.

A couple questions about Cecil Lake: can you build blinds on the shore? Do you hunt from the boat? Do you need to belong to a club or anything?

[Bear Chaser]

Thanks Bridger. I'm really looking forward to the move.

I guess I'll keep my dekes, mojo and the rest of my waterfowling gear and haul it up there with me. The dog will be happy.

A couple questions about Cecil Lake: can you build blinds on the shore? Do you hunt from the boat? Do you need to belong to a club or anything?

Pretty sure no power boats allowed on Cecil Lake and there are no fish in it.
Most access is across private land to get to the lake. Most guys up here ask farmers for permission to set up decoys out in harvested fields near the lake although there is little grain grown in that area compared to twenty years ago.

This isn't the Lower Mainland; special duck hunting clubs don't fly here pun intended. When you move up you should join the North Peace Rod & Gun Club anyway as it will give you a chance to meet other hunters in the area.

[BRvalley]

yep, no fish in cecil, my bad there, only mentioned it as part of the hunting bit...I hadn't heard of the no outboard restriction, only heard guys at work talk about duck hunting

[thunderheart]

greetings ... We are also moving in the spring .. not so much for work but to semi retire on a low budget... lol
you guys were talking about jet boats .. one of the members at AO has a sweetheart for sale...

very excited to be moving to the center of the universe!!!!!:-D

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=31439&highlight=boat



(http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=31439&highlight=boats)

[canishunter22-250]

If you aren't in a position to buy a jet boat but still want to access all the rivers and lakes of the north, my advise would be to sell your current boat while your're down there, keep your 25 honda, and buy a good-quality Zodiac. Build a pitchfork for your Honda for running the peace.

I'm living on a student's income so I had to figure out how to get out there cheaply. I have a 20 hp Honda that I built a pitchfork for. I swtich the motor back and forth between my 20' freighter canoe and my 14' Zodiac. I can safely run any river or lake in this country, but my travels are just a little slower-paced than with a jet boat (although not necessarily and less enjoyable).

[jtred]

My stepfather and mom take a zodiac with a 20hp Honda out on the Peace and haven't run into any trouble yet.

[Angus]

This isn't the Lower Mainland; special duck hunting clubs don't fly here pun intended. When you move up you should join the North Peace Rod & Gun Club anyway as it will give you a chance to meet other hunters in the area.

Thanks BC, I do plan on joining the rod and gun club when I get up there to meet some other local waterfowl and big game hunters. And no, I'm just a plebe hunting public lands down here; no special clubs for me. What I found last Fall while hunting private lands near Montney is that a bottle of good rum for the landowner goes a long way. So, I'll be knocking on doors around Cecil Lake with rum in hand this summer.


As for the rest of the responses, thanks very much for the opinions and info guys. Keep the info coming, and I hope to meet some of you when I get up there in the Spring.

Cheers,
Terry

[moose2]

Hey Terry
We had a good fishing boat when we moved up here, ( 17.5' alum with a 70hp prop ) and found it hard to find lakes to use it on. The couple options in Hudson's Hope were a hour drive on steep winding roads. Charlie lake offers great walleye and jack fishing and is a lot of fun. There are a few good boat launches on it as well. The only problem I found was in late summer or early fall the thick algae would stain the painted hull. It would take $15 worth of hull cleaner and a hour of time after every couple of uses. Having a boat for river use is probably the best way to go up here. We sold our boat and did not want to spend the extra to upgrade to a river boat. So we got a 12" alum car topper that allowed us to use more of the areas smaller lakes that had motor restictions. ( Inga, Stewart, Olie's, Chinaman, Trapping, Sundance, Cameron ) there are more out Tumbler ridge way as well. We also used it on Charlie on calm days. Another fun option was using two vehicles and dropping it on the peace river at Hudson's Hope and floating it down to the other vehicle. If a river boat is not a option a small boat will get you out having fun I like it. PM me when you get up this way if you like we can have a coffee and a bs.
Mike