|
River Ridge Custom
Canoe Review The Canoe... Wow! I must say I am extremely impressed with this little vessel. At first, I must admit there was some skepticism as far as the stability goes. But after an hour or so on famous Lake Crowley, my "perma-grin" had "morphed" into a gigantic smile, which I believe stayed with me for the remainder of the fishing trip. Lake Crowley (located in the Eastern Sierra Mountains of California) is a somewhat large body of water. The wind here can make any paddler weary, especially considering the water temperature was just above a chilling fifty degrees. I decided after I started feeling comfortable with handling the canoe, to take the ultimate test, and take it up to the northwest side of the lake, where it is known to become extremely windy and choppy without notice. Of course, it is also the known "hot-spot" for the lake’s famous brown, cutthroat, and rainbow trout.
We made it to our destination without any noticeable sign of battery power loss, and I would say it took about 30 minutes to get there in the highest speed of my 55-pound thrust Minn Kota trolling motor. It was a tough day of fishing due to the storm from the previous day, but honestly I didn’t mind– I was mostly occupied with absorbing the feel of the canoe. This kept me content, so I made fishing second on my priority list that day. I was actually more interested in guiding my friend and experiencing the ride in my new canoe, than I was fishing. After all, I have been anxiously staring at this canoe for six months on your website, and another four months of it sitting in my shop, and quite frankly I was shocked to finally be in it-- let alone in such an awe-inspiring place. Of course, the wind had begun to make its presence, and naturally the water chop immediately followed. After a few hours of fishing the northwest side, we decided to head back toward the marina. The water was now extremely choppy, which made a significant difference in our speed on the water. There were a few instances where my partner and I had caught each other looking at the shoreline with a "stale" face. I knew what he was thinking, since I was looking at him with the same uneasy expression-- we simultaneously raised our brows as we noticed the shore was about a mile away. In the back of our minds we were both gauging how far of a swim to shore it would be, incase of a mishap. The wind seemed to be getting worse, and a few boat wakes had jolted us up from our seats a few times. I must admit, I had visualized us capsizing in a good wake, but I always expect the worst, and hope for the best. The power of the motor was slowly starting to fade as my g.p.s. unit was displaying about 3.5 MPH now, but note that we were heading into heavy wind and trolling against the current, so I was expecting some depletion by now. Needless to say, we made it back, the wind died down, and we finished a good day of fishing. To our surprise, through that whole episode of wind and waves, only a few drops of water ever made it into the canoe. At that point, my confidence in this canoe had exceeded my expectations. I no longer questioned its capabilities! It was so quiet on the southern side of the lake that we could hear other anglers on shore making comments about this little custom canoe. "What the hell, now that is something I have never seen before, look at that Bob," echoed over the calm crystalline lake, as we silently zoomed passed. Other inquiries were made as we pulled into the marina, like: "What do you call that thing?" Said one angler, as he walked by it with a confused and inquisitive look on his face. He stepped in for a closer look, and was extremely impressed after I showed him a few features. Everyone is "taken" by the Solar Panel. They just think it’s the ''cat's meow." It tends to add an impressive futuristic quality to the canoe that is not found on other types of small vessels. Now-- relieving yourself while floating in the middle of the lake on this canoe was like an Olympic event, especially with waders on! Good balance, a Pepsi can, and a straight face is required. But by the second day out on this canoe, I had it down to a science. Of course– the alternative is to beach it, and "go" on land, but who has time for that when you are on a good "trout hole"! We spent the second day on the famed "Intake II" in Bishop, California. This is a small body of slack-water that Bishop Creek flows into. We launched the canoe at 8:30 a.m. and we had both "limited out" by noon-thirty! My fishing partner Adam Jarrett was on fire, with a catch rate of about one trout to every three casts. Since we were anchored in front of a plethora of shore anglers that were barely catching anything, it made for an extra sweet day out. Without the canoe, it was obvious that we would have never been able to make the proper presentations to the trout. I hold the canoe, solely responsible for our great day of fishing! We did have to paddle back, since the battery finally gave way, but I enjoyed it, and was impressed by how easy it was to maneuver and how swiftly she cut through the water! Overall, The River Ridge Custom Canoe exceeded all of my expectations, in handling and stability. It is reliable and simple to navigate, as well as safe and affordable. I would highly recommend it to any angler interested in fishing from a canoe, as it has many advantages that will apply to almost every type of fresh water angling. Casting my fly rod from the canoe was surprisingly easy. The stability of the canoe while casting a fly rod, was originally one of my biggest concerns, but it proved to be extremely stable, even when standing up. I will say with complete confidence that there is nothing out there in the entire boat market that is even slightly comparable to the River Ridge Custom Canoe; not in price, nor in design or performance. As a "hard-core" angler, outdoor writer, and fishing guide, I am very up-to-date with all types of fishing gear and the latest gear trends– and I would like to consider myself an expert in the field. With that being said– I would highly recommend this canoe to anyone (period). I truly believe by owning a River Ridge Custom Canoe, I have enriched my angling experience ten fold. There is something unexplainable about the simplicity of the River Ridge Custom Canoe, combined with just the right amount of technology, that allows you to experience "the Great Outdoors" in a whole new light, and appreciate nature and angling from a completely different perspective. All you have to do is see it, and you will know what a great canoe this really is. To experience it– well, that is something else. I would like to commend you Bill Plantan, and the River Ridge Custom Canoe team, for the most innovative design, and out-right brilliantly engineered canoe. I wish you great success, as it should come with ease, since "the proof is in the pudding"! -Richard Lee Merritt
|
As
we headed to the windy side of the lake, the water was pure glass, and
there was no sign of wind as we sliced a small wake through the water in
my "virgin" River Ridge Custom Canoe. To make it more exciting I
departed the shoreline and decided to make the journey in the middle of
the lake, which put myself and my guest (13 year fishing partner and
expert angler) Adam Jarrett almost one mile offshore. I did this because
I was still unsure of the capabilities of my trolling motor and deep
cycle marine battery. Since our destination was at least a good two
miles from our current position, I figured it would save battery juice
to navigate in a straight line versus taking the lake’s jagged
shoreline. With the water still flat as glass, and no wind present, my
g.p.s. unit displayed that we were traveling at an impressive 4.5 MPH,
but I could see we had quite a ways to go.