I've got a 13' Smokercraft Alaskan with a 15 HP Yamaha 4-stroke that I use to fish the sound and the local lakes. I'd love to be able to use the boat to fish for coho and winter/summer stealhead but because I'm not intimately familiar with the rivers around me I'm afraid that I'll whack my prop on the bottom and get stranded.

Are any of you fishing the snohomish, skykomish, or any of the other rivers in the area using a propped engine? If so, can you let me know what sections of what rivers you run? For example, where you launch and where you run to?

I'm guessing that I'm going to find out that I can't run much of the rivers and someday will have to get a drift boat or a pump.

Here's a picture of the boat, me and a coho that I caught yesterday in Edmonds off the oil docks.

I have not yet fished the rivers in a prop boat, but I know that there are alot that do. Like at the lower Duwamish. Fisherman troll plugs as far up river as to where the post office warehouse is. I also have a friend that hunts duck on the tide flats of a couple of river north of Seattle. So the answer, I believe would be Yes. Just be aware of your surroundings.

I've used a prop pn some of the larger rivers like the Snohomish, Chehalis, Lower Stilly, Lower Skagit and Cowlitz (although that river is kinda iffy). The lower parts of large rivers a fine aslong as you keep you eyes open.

I wouldn't do the Sky.

Aaron,

I've got pretty much that exact same boat. ('cept mine's a 14') I've been fishing the 522 area onf the Snohomish lately no problem. I launch at high bridge and run down. Just keep you motor in tilt mode and slow down where you see the stumps sticking out of the right channel just above the Sno / Sky confluence, and youll be fine.

Aaron-
You're probably okay running around where 4salt was talking about, if you do what he said. You could also fish down around the town of Snohomish by launching at Maple Street (bad ramp, another topic!) or Lowell Park. I would not take a prop into the Skykomish, although someone probably has before and lived to tell the tale. The Sky has a typical riffle/pool structure that is not friendly to props. My .02

sometimes not friendly to jets either!!

No doubt...

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll give the sections of river a try that you've mentioned!