By Jason Mitchell
For many of our hunting and fishing ventures, we need the boat or equipment to get us to the locations. Big and expansive water might require a twenty-foot-deep hull boat with a full windshield for example. In today’s world, some of the most special opportunities are simply difficult to reach or access.
In the upper Midwest, there are many small rivers, shallow rivers or difficult to reach locations that many hunters and anglers simply overlook. Because so many of these gems exist for both hunting and fishing, I decided to try out the flat bottom Retriever Series from Crestliner for simply getting through and over extremely shallow water.
To get to even cooler locations, I decided to rig the boat with a jet drive outboard. I need about seven inches to get up on plane. I need about three inches when on plane. I have ran over shallow rocks and roadbeds that were barely covered with water. Needless to say, this boat has been an extreme amount of fun because of the areas I get to explore and reach.
I use my jon boat for both hunting and fishing. I run a lot of rivers with the boat and also use it to access areas for duck hunting. Better hunting is often as simple as reaching areas that other hunters can’t reach. I love the utility of this boat. I can get the boat covered in mud or blood and simply pressure wash the boat off. There is plenty of deck space for fishing. I find that the boat is easy to hide by simply pulling the boat into dense cattails or reeds. I can comfortably hunt three hunters with the 1860 Retriever SC. There is ample room for guns, dogs and decoys and the boat is stable.
Something I appreciate about a boat that can skip through shallow locations and reach difficult spots is the simple fact that I can always hunt. Hunting requires access. You need to be able to hunt where the birds want to be. Finding permission to hunt on private land is only getting more difficult each year. Easy to reach locations are often overhunted. The jet drive simply gets to the fun spots. If you have a flat bottom boat with a shallow draft and jet drive, you are always in the game. You can always get to some primo locations for both hunting and fishing.
Surprisingly, there are not a lot of hunters and anglers that have jet drives in the Midwest. There are some regions where jets are common and popular but for whatever reason, you don’t see as many jet drives, which I find this surprising because you can access some phenomenal opportunities. I was able to reach some premium locations this spring on the Rainy River when the river was low. The upper reaches of the Mississippi River and St. Croix River for smallmouth bass and walleye come to mind. The back bays and connected lakes in the Devils Lake Region come to mind for duck hunting. There are some incredible musky fishing opportunities on shallow, rocky rivers that need a jet drive.
I have wanted this particular boat for years and finally pulled the trigger this past year and have thoroughly enjoyed all the exploring I have been able to do. Some really special locations and memories are now possible.
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