With few exceptions, the most overlooked fishing hot spots in Minnesota are rivers. This is not news.

What do you expect in a state whose license plate boasts of the nation’s father of waters?

Needless to say, we weren’t fighting any angling crowds on the Zumbro the other day. Just us and a whole bunch of smallmouth bass, a few walleye, muskie and northern pike and a ton of golden battlers, those bugle-mouthed carp.

Smallmouth of various sizes, really nice to really small, were willing takers of top-waters or floating lures, among them the clown-colored Rapala.

"I think I just changed my mind about the clown Rapala," said Bill Plantan, referring to the lure’s zany coloration, a chartreuse back, silver belly and red-orange head. What a smallmouth sees in that, God only knows, but the Zumbro smallies seemed willing to play the game of catch and release with us.

None of this surprised my two river-zany companions, Plantan and Carp King Dave Frink. They are boyhood friends and longtime 1970s rock band members. Frink sang; Plantan played guitar and keyboard.

Then, the band split and so did they 16 years ago.

The two river enthusiasts came up with another unusual idea. They would quit their jobs, console their wives and launch into uncharted water—as canoe makers. But not just any canoe. A canoe designed to serve specifically as a fishing machine.

Frink and Plantan figured there must be a better way to float a river if the goal was catching fish and not paddling. Thus, the other day, we were drifting and catching in a canoe made-for-fishing. In other words, we were dang comfortable in a practical fishing canoe. It was stable and maneuverable, thanks to a square-stern configuration that held a powerful trolling motor.

Now convinced their invention would appeal to other river anglers, the two began River Ridge Custom Canoe Co. in Rochester, Minn. (1-507-288-2750). They sold 89 custom models the first year.

"I wasn’t sure we would sell that many direct," Frink said.

Said Plantan: "But we believed in what we were doing."

Indeed, the river business began rising this year.

" We just started making them in our own plant on May 4 this year," Plantan boasted. "As of today, we’ve pumped out 24 canoes, and we have more to make."

Would you believe 32 fishing canoes are going next month—pre-sold—to a Japan distributor.

They are in business but they still want to fish rivers. Each canoe features handmade amenities, such as rod racks, tackle box holders, swivel seats and the like. There’s a built-in wiring harness for a 12-volt battery, which has its own location to balance the canoe.

The canoes slipped and twirled and functioned very nicely as a river-fishing craft. It would hold in a current or hang on an eddy. And it didn’t rock and roll much.