newbie just ordered an Outcast Cougar

[Ric]

Hi Everyone, 1st post here.
I just ordered a Outcast Cougar and am trying to determine how I should set it up.
I will mainly flyfish the Yakima river here in WA state for trout.
I have never used a toon before so am unclear of what attachments I should get before my 1st trip. Anchors for Class 1 rivers? Rod holders? Net holder? Bags? Apron? Other?
Should I order them from Outcast or are there better products out there? Recommendations please.

Maybe there are some other cougar owners out there who can tell me what they have.

I have spent hours reading thru this website and have gotten much info. Thanks!!! Rick
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[Fishhound]

[#005000]Welcome Ric,

You are going to love your new ride when you get it. There are a bazillion ways to customize it. You can check out some of them on this board in the picture section.

For your first trip, you need oars and your fly rod and a couple of flies. If this is your first pontoon, as it seems you indicate, you should concentrate on your boat handleing skills. Let fishing be incidental on your maiden voyage.

I would also suggest a trial run or two of any anchoring you want to attempt in moving water - preferably slow and shallow water. In a raft, there are a lot of things that require your attention while in any class of water - those are the things you should become familiar with prior to attempting any serious fishing or catching.

As you get some miles on the water, you'll discover the things you really need or want to outfit your toon with. After all, on your first trip ever, the very maiden voyage of your craft. it would be a shame to scuttle all of your stuff because some thing important slipped through the cracks - so to speak. It this case, less is definitly more.

BTW - I do speak from some river experience - I've had white water river rafts, and I'm on my second pontoon -I now have a 12 foot pontoon boat(it's like the Cougar's big brother(I have had it on a class 3)). Somewhere on this forum there is a thread with some photos of it. I also use it mostly for fly fishing(I can stand up on it and cast a fly) on rivers, but recently I have started using it on still waters for other types of fishing.

Anyway, Hope to read of your exploits after you've had a chance to take it out for a spin or two.
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Fishhound's 12' cousin to Cougar

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=198735;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]LINK TO PONTOON PICTURES[/url]
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[Ric]

Thanks for the advice fishhound. I'll take it.
I'm going to go out on the Yakima river this weekend and just play.
I'm looking forward to a good practice float.
I would like to practice anchoring up also. What kind of anchor and rope and rope length would you recommend for river fishing? Rocky bottom.
Have a good week. Rick
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[Fishhound]

Hey Ric,

There are several manufactures of river anchors. I can't remember the names off hand, but mine is a cylindrical one with spikes sticking out and weighs about 12 # - it's the kind used often by float boats. You don't need a long rode with an anchor chain for rivers - actually I would recommend strongly to not have a chain attached - just the opposite of an anchor rode used for either still water lakes or in the ocean. The reason should be obvious - moving river water with rocky bottoms would eat your anchor and rode every time you used it.

The best way(and cheapest) to practice anchoring without loosing your expensive anchors is this: Get yourself a brick(at first use a small brick, then, after you have the idea down, go to a larger cement/concrete block) and tie some cheapo rope(anchor line is more expensive) to it. BTW - go ahead and expect to loose some bricks, anchors and rope while you practice. Very IMPORTANT - Carry a serrated knife with you and have it readily and immediately accessible(so you can do an emergency cut off of the rope if needed). Dont bring a lot of expensive gear on your test drive ! Go down your river to an eddie that looks like you would fish it. Toss the brick and see what happens - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER toss it over the beam or quarter side of your boat - ALWAYS off the bow or stern while oriented to the current ! Also, use your PFD while doing any experimentation, practice or any time you are on moving or big(anything that could be deeper than you are tall or moves faster than you can swim upside down) waters.

Again good luck on your exploits and let us know how it goes.


P.S. Hey there TD ! Thanks for helping with the link ! I knew it was somewhere out there.
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[mdtolic]

Hey Ric, How's the Cougar working out for ya? I got mine a few months ago and love the thing! So far, I've only added the swivel seat; but I'm fishing lakes, not rivers. My one word of advise: be careful not to drop things. It's pretty easy to do so. I already lost my eye glasses. They were even in their case in a buttoned pocket on my shorts. Now I keep a tupperware box, in the one storage pocket I use, and throw in my cel phone, keys, wallet & glasses. My pliers almost took a dive one time too. I also got the storage bag that fits over the seat back. Don't know about others, and I'm only out on day trips, but I haven't really used it for anything.
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