Boy every time I see someone mention the word "sled" here on this forum, here comes a sucker-punch! Dang people! If i wanted that kind of action I would go down to pioneer square for one of its riots.

So what do you think? honestly!

Sleds are a good thing
or
Sleds are bad.

show us what you think.

That way we'll know who not to sit with on St Patricks day in a pub downtown...LOL

Sleds can, and usually are a great thing. It's the person who's driving it who can be the problem.

I love sleds when I'm in them, hate them when I'm in the drift boat. Like WA fisher said, it's not necessarily the sled but the driver.

Nobody runs sleds on the rivers I fish, so I have not had any bad experiences myself. I also believe it's the driver not the boat thats the problem.

I too agree the problem is only the driver of the sled,and the size of the river can make a difference too. But when your in thigh deep water and a sled flies within hitting distance of my jig rod(10½feet)that is what I really hate and it's happened to me before.


[This message has been edited by Eddie L (edited 03-07-2001).]

It's all in the driver.I own both a sled and drift boat,when I'm in my drift boat I hate sleds.When I'm in my sled I hate drift boater's.So go figure.They have there time and place.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I am not an expert, I do own a driftboat and enjoy this type of fishing. But from talking with people in the know, The sleds are supposed to be hard on the mid to small sized rivers causing bank erosion with heavy traffic and destruction of gravel and spawning beds in the river with the use of the high powered jet engines, maybe some of the jet sled users from this board can state some argument or experienced opinion on this subject.
Thank You.

As has been stated many times over, sleds are both a boon and a bane(good/bad). I fish out of them almost exclusively on big rivers like the cowlitz, chehalis and columbia. Most guys are considerate and knowledgable in my experience.

However.

The dim bulbs that run them on smaller rivers like the wynoochee is a whole other matter. It's not about bank erosion or churning up the gravel.....that is minimal. It's about the lack of common sense some guys use in that they feel it is justifiable to run a sled amongst 30-50 driftboats and dozens of bank anglers in relatively tight quarters; Like it is some kind of advantage. The reality is they probably don't catch a much higher percentage of fish using their sleds but they create a lot of tension in these tighter quarters.

What chaps my a** is the ignorance/indifferance these pilots show towards the river, people and the resource (on small rivers). "me first"

Everything has a line. In this case it's river size and common sense in my book. I truly believe some guys would sled creeks if given the opportunity. But, there are also alot of guys who know better and keep the sleds on apprpriate sized rivers.

Eric
Hey man how is the fishin in that low clear water. almost gin clear right

Most people give sleds a rap because the drivers have a lack of common sense.

O and yea I fish froma sled all the time and its a 14 ft. silver.

But we are very considerate of others if there are drift boats up about us then we stay and fish down below them and I dont mean right under them I mean we run down river.

We fish medium size rivers too and usualy have little problems with drift boats but its when the big river boats come in. Yea you guys know who I am talkin about. THe guys that fish the cowliz and otehr big rivers who think that it is alright to run over the top of some ones hole while they are fishin it. those are the type of people that give the few and fare between good guys a bad rap.

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work is for people who dont know how to fish

Don't forget that sleds are serious boondoggin/sidedriftin' machines, but I have yet to see a sledder pull plugs as accurately as a drift boat with a skilled oarsman. So I guess each has it's advantages, eh?

8 foot leader, or is that ringer? (grin)

Sleds are neither good nor bad. They are a machine to be used as a tool, wisely or not, depending on the driver. Me, I'm a sled hating sled owner. They are noisy and cause air and water pollution on their best days. And mine provides access to water I might not otherwise be able to fish. Although sleds may be annoying everywhere, I don't think they're inherently dangerous, except on small rivers where space for navigation is at a premium.

There was a thread a couple weeks ago about the angling public accessing public water through private property. If you recall, several BB members posted that they don't and won't allow access across their waterfront property.

So what's an angler to do? Given intermittent public access on most rivers, boats of one sort or another are most peoples' viable option to gain access to the public water. I have a sled among my small fleet because a motor boat is more economical than to always have someone drive a second vehicle to the river.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Im fine with driftboats, rafts, pontoon boats, and anything else without a motor. I believe sleds should be kept to our bigger rivers like the Columbia, Chehalis, Snohomish, lower Skagit, etc...... BUT for rivers like the Nooch' and the Sky i think they are more of a nusance, unless your the guy buzzing back and forth.

All in all sleds are fine with me if they are kept away from small bodies of water.

- BW

My fishin partner has driftboat I have a small sled, so we the have the best of both worlds. We end up using the sled more and more, so the thing is, when ever we go by a bankie or any other style boat, I ask my partner did we do right. I have never like't half a piece sign being waved at me. no one does, to sum it up, tillerman and oarsman just do it right. And remember ( the only water you own, is what you can drink )

I have a small sled and yes I do pull plugs miss my drift boat for pluging I could get in the tight spots But my sled is alot less work when you fish alone most of the time

I think most of the people who think sled pilots are inconsiderate would change their tune if they were holding onto the tiller. Sometimes you must run fast to make it through the water you are in, sometimes you have to run close to someone on the bank, depending on what the river conditions are. I know some bank anglers have thought me rude when I was trying to be as considerate as possible, what can I say? I am not going to go home just because some bankie feels the need to stand right in the middle of the slot to fish. He is the one being rude in my book anyways since he is standing right where anyone with any sense would want to fish.

i want one for my fleet.

There great if your in one.....but I hate them otherwise. I think they have their place in big river( bigger then the sky) and thats it. The story changes when your slayin fish in a 20footer doogin' though. Overall I would much rather have a relaxing or heart pounding day in a drift boat.

No if ands or buts about it. Don't like sleds on my home rivers. If i wanted to hear the sound of motors running I would stay in my truck and drive I-5. Keep them in the bigger rivers only. My nickels worth.

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HUMPTIME

ohhhhh i hate sleds sooooo much but they have a right to be there too :O)

In my case of the sled going by us within 10½-11 feet from us;we were only wading 7 feet from the bank and the rivers about 60 feet wide and deeper on the other side; can you figure whats wrong with that. I've even seen a guy on a sled fly upstream,turn off the motor and anchor up 35 feet in front of 2 guys drift fishing and 1 plunker;all that river and stops where the bank fisherman only had access to at that area.

I think that sleds on the sky above sultan have gotten out of hand.
one saturday last summer I counted 16 sleads going up river before 6:20 am, the river changed colour wile I stood in it.Three guide boats pounded the water that I was fishing first.I wonder if these guys should try pandering something else and leave the rivers and the fish to people not motivated by money


.

There is nothing wrong wth sleds, Its the people who operate them. Ive been in sleds before I could walk. I have no problem sharing a smaller river with sleds as long as the driver has a clue what he is doing. I would rather have a sled go by my driftboat fastand onstep then slow down and throw a huge wake. If Im in a spot where a sled needs to go in order to make it or down the river safely, I will move out of the way. Maybe some of you sled haters should hook up with someone that has one and let them show you the world from thier point of view. Then maybe you will change your tune.
As for stupid people in boats. There is a strange thing happing at boat launches all over the country. When people get in their boats their IQ's drop to about 1/2 of what it was. I know most of you have seen this. There needs to be away to stop this before someone gets killed.

Okay, I have to put in my two cents worth, I own a sled and a 22 foot Walkaround and a 14 foot olympian for the kids in the lake.....and my steelhead partner has the driftboat.
I have not and most likely will never fish the Wynoochee with my sled, but when it comes to the Chehalis or the Cowlitz or a few other larger rivers, it can't be beat. With this low water we have been experiencing, my sled has been sitting idle most of this winter.
I am sure there are people in the sound that hate guys in 22 footers too, the guys in smaller vessels, probably complain about our larger wakes.
Then I am sure when my kids are racing around on the lake with the 14 footer, there is probably a guy or gal in a canoe, or a flyfisherman in a float tube that is getting all worked up.
What I am trying to say is that you will never be able to make everyone happy. All we can do as boat owners and fisher people is to act responsibly and maybe we can all get along!
It is wrong to hate somebody because they have a different way of doing something, unless they are negligent in doing it.
BTW.....Had a great day in the driftboat on Sunday.....even had to shed all the clothes before the day was done. Only sad part was the dark filleted Native Steelie on the beach at the take out



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Steve Ng....The FishNg1
99 F-350 Powerstroke 4x4 , 18ft Alumaweld Formula Vee Sled, 115 Yamaha, and now also Campion 215 walkaround, 135 Merc.

Centerpin, the sleds on the Sky really turn my stomach too, and the same goes for just about every other river. The last thing I'm looking for when I'm out fishing is the sound of engines. Sometimes when I hit the sky I think about bringing a surfboard so I can ride the waves those sleds make. At least I'd have something to do after they spook the whole damn river. People tell me the fish don't mind; I don't buy it.

I agree with "its the driver" and with keeping sleds on the larger rivers only. Have fished from a sled, have been almost washed out by a sled, and its all comes down to who is behind the wheel. I dont fish the Cowlitz anymore because of sleds. NO fun trying to drift a river while 2 dozen sleds race up and down around you all day. And mostly to show off thier overpowered boat.

I have to take some exception to that...sure there are some guys that might walk in the only slot deep enough for a sled to navigate, but have you considered that in that case maybe the river's too small for your sled?

As my name implies I beat the bank most of the time, but ride occasionally with buddies in both sleds and drift boats. The sled's great for access, but sometimes I want to duck when we pass close to guys on the bank. In the drift boat the bankies might tip their hat. In the sled you're apt to get another type of acknowledgement.

I own a 14' hewscraft. I run within 3 feet of people fishing. I have stopped and asked people where they would like me to go. All said, as close to shore as possible. That way you don't run over the water they are fishing. I have not had one person complain about coming too close. I suppose it could be bad if I had a lot bigger boat, but at full tilt my wake is only about 6" high. I just got a drift boat and will use it where I can't use my sled and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Fishhead5

Sleds have gotten out of hand on the upper and mid Sky. THey are fine in the Snohomish. THey do spook the fish especially in clearer water. THats why the salmon stop rolling around for 10 or more minutes after a sled buzzes by.

It doesnt take more than one inconsiderate person to ruin it for others on small rivers.

BW