Is the Hog Island SW 16 the best River Skiff?

Is the Hog Island SW 16 the best River Skiff?
In this video I talk a little about why we chose the Hog Island SW 16 skiffs to fly fish out of in central Texas Lakes an rivers. We use the Hog Island skiffs on the Colorado River downstream of Austin, Texas.
Check out the Hog Island skiff here: www.hogislandb...
FOLLOW ME:
My Amazon Page: www.amazon.com...
Instagram: / alvin_dedeaux_fly_fishing
Twitter: / alvindedeaux
Facebook: / alvin.dedeaux
My websites: www.alvindedea... allwaterguides...

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I have fished out of a lot of different boats, but the Hog Island skiff is the best for what I do most of the time in fresh water.

[@jackkelly1022]

Hey Alvin - what length tiller extension are you using?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

@@jackkelly1022 I think it's 30". At the coast right now so I can't check it for a couple of weeks.

[@conleycovert]

Could you run this boat on the Llano? When do you make call on raft vs. hog? How many rock hits will the hog take before serious problems?

[@msturmfelz]

Good timing on my last comment about Hog Island! Phenomenal boats and a fantastic owner with Johnny

[@jimcomeaux4400]

i have had mine for 5 years, started with a 25 hp merc prop,,,,it didnt last long on the LOCO...switched to a Tohatsu 50/35 jets....what a great boat.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

hoñda 50 hp jet best yamaha 50 hp jet putbard veßt

[@no_regerts5176]

The Alumaweld Free Drifter is an awesome boat for running skinny waters.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I need to check that one out.

[@mikekuczynski1552]

Have to say not much of a skiff guy only because of the water I fish , but in the past 3 years I have spent more time on the Missouri in Montana and see the usefulness of a stiff . If I fished the Missouri more I would definitely consider one . One thing you did not show is how you have the boat set up as far as storage , lean bars , rod holders etc. would be very interested to see your set up . I have fished a lot out of skiffs up in Alaska and they have all been aluminum 16 to 18 ft . I have had the opportunity on many occasions to row them and it’s way different having a 65hp motor hanging off it compared to my Clakacraft Eddie witch I occasionally put a 5hp Honda on for lake fishing . Like your videos keep them coming

[@TheChrisfleury1]

Was looking at those till i got on pre-order for the Rotomolded SKANU. But still would like one for longer trips with more gear.

[@kodygrant2896]

Nice! Thanks for sharing. Ready to see a video on your salt flats boat!!

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Working on it now!

[@Rockamoto]

I think it's the best river skiff. I take mine out in 2 to 3 inches water (I feel like it goes faster in shallow water) on the Yuba River, here in CA. My set up is super similar to yours: grab bar, Carbon Marine tiller extension, home made rear deck, and oars. I use a Mercury 60/40 on mine. It's the best boat to get up river fast, and float down. I haven't rowed any drift boats, but I do feel like getting the weight distributed helps a lot when I'm rowing. Thanks for the video!

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I'm thinking about trading up to the Tohatsu 60/40 4 stroke to get up river l little faster.

[@Rockamoto]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing The 60/40 works great. I'm able to get upriver a little faster, especially when hauling extra weight. With the extra weight of the motor, I had some porpoising issues. So, I got a whale tail, and it has cured the issue.

[@decolonizedmeateater]

@@Rockamoto I live here in Sac and am likely going to get the hog island skiff within the year . You ever run the skiff up the Sacramento or American rivers?

[@Rockamoto]

@@decolonizedmeateater I haven't taken it on the sac or american. Only the feather and yuba. Works great to motor upsteam and drift down. Also, it does great getting to the hard to reach places with the low water levels.

[@decolonizedmeateater]

@@Rockamoto Thank you! Well if you ever consider selling please let me know! Otherwise I’m saving for a brand new one ;) thanks again

[@evanbayer1947]

Currently have a hog on order! Hoping it’ll be here within the next month or so👍🏻

[@billkoch9256]

Recently subscribed, and didn’t think about tying bass flies. You have me convinced to try and Ty bass flys. As well, I’m kind of want to fish in Texas now. As long as you have fun with what you’re doing keep doing it. Thanks for the videos.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@garrettnorris7541]

Oh man, a trout boat, coastal inland boat, lake boat, and duck boat, all in one? Hope the wife doesn’t check the bank account for a bit.

[@omieyouknowme]

Almost bought one if these, it was a scratch dent special. Made locally about 2 hours away but I need a more multi species more than shallow waters. But this hull is pretty hard to beat for stability and easy on maintenance.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

So true, one boat can't do it all.

[@brandonpharis1480]

Good info . I’ve seen a lot of them in the central Texas area , and have ridden on one with a Tohatsu 60/40 4stroke . I run a blazer ss aluminum boat and the hog island seemed like it needed more hp very slow boat . But everyone likes what they like . Cool video .

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Yeah, like most boats there is always a trade off. The hogs row so much better and are a lot quieter than an aluminum boat. Since most of our days are spent on the oars fishing that works for us.

[@jeffdodd2879]

Nice video Alvin. I am not finding a dealer in WA, but love the design and the ability to row. The oar locks and blade cradles - I want a set!

[@melrichardson2392]

Love the boat great informative video thankyou you have got a new follower.

[@brianscribner713]

Steamboat Springs, CO represent!

[@KillerFuzzOutdoors]

Thanks for the video

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

You bet

[@colinsutherland9307]

Love my hog island. Musky and smallie rig out here in western North Carolina and East Tennessee. I bought it after my brother and I fished with you a few years ago and I got to try them out. Great content as always Alvin!

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Right on

[@5.7heaven]

We’re fishin around the same parts brother! Madison Co here.

[@erikpeterson7358]

Great video as always.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Thanks for watching!

[@richardcastelo7701]

Sweet rigs. I run a Towee down here on the hooch

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

That's a great boat as well. If I could get another boat I would get one!

[@richardcastelo7701]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing Thanks and keep up with the content. Really enjoy and learn from the stuff you are putting out there. All the best and take care.

[@dylancurry5215]

Metro Hooch or upper hooch?

[@richardcastelo7701]

@@dylancurry5215 both

[@dylancurry5215]

Richard Castelo how far up the upper hooch can you make it? I’m thinking about getting one myself.

[@davidmccarty6445]

What's the tow weight

[@lcsguthrie]

@Alvin Dedeaux have you been in the new Sabine Versatile River skiff yet? Seems like it might bridge the gap between the Hog and a traditional flats skiff. Not sure how it rows though ...

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

One of my friends has one. It's a really nice boat. If the Hog was an F150 the Sabine would be an Escalade. It's a little harder to row than the Hog, but it should pole better, haven't tried it in the salt. The Sanine is about 15k more money so that will be a factor for some people.

[@mudjerry]

Have ya looked at the woolridge alaska LT models? The 16 ft looks super sweet

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Just checked them out on the website. They look nice, but I can't imagine they would row as well as the Hog.

[@mudjerry]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing ya for sure man, i looked at the clack power drifter but like ya said i dont wanna be good at fiberglass repair lol

[@rickrudd]

I'd do anything for one of those, but the budget is tight in the Rudd household these days!

[@chrisgodfrey7329]

Alvin, Have you poked that skiff in POC or on the L. Madre? Thanks, Chris

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I used it a bit in POC before I got the Hell's Bay.

[@mattp7027]

Used to see a lot of hog island drift boats in Montana. I remember the shot gun video. Haven’t seen many recently. I heard they were really really heavy. That was the knock on them then.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Yeah I think the skiff is pretty close in weight to an aluminum boat with the same set up. Maybe lighter. The fiberglass drift boats are lighter for sure, but the Hog is way tougher.

[@mattp7027]

Alvin Dedeaux a 16’ aluminum Willy’s drift boat weights about 240 lbs. A 16’ Hog island drift boat weighs 450 lbs. That’s close to 2x. I’ve owned both fiberglass and aluminum jet boats. Aluminum is much lighter. HDPE is super heavy. That’s why you can shoot it with a shotgun. Very dense.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

@UCW618RimEbc-W9_5zv0rT_w Yeah If you are talking about a jet sled then I mentioned the advantages of the lightweight aluminum hull in the video. Once you move up to a thicker more durable aluminum hull and add in a floor, sponsons, etc, the weight is getting pretty close, maybe heavier. I have several buddies with aluminum boats so I have spent a lot of time in them. Everyone agrees that the Hog rows better and that's what I am doing most of the day.

[@mattp7027]

Alvin Dedeaux my buddy’s decked out 21’ Duckworth weighs 2,100 lbs. you don’t get fancier than a Duckworth in aluminum fishing boats. They’re built for running whitewater so they’re a beefy solid welded boat. A comparable glass boat weights 2,800 or so. Not trying to argue, but in drift boats and beefy river boats that are designed to hit rocks in class 4 whitewater and keep going, aluminum is the lightest and welded aluminum is the most reliable. You won’t find one person running the Snake or Hells Canyon for steelhead/salmon in a glass or HDPE boat.

[@mattp7027]

Alvin Dedeaux my big knock on aluminum is how hot it gets and how loud the boats are. Fishing small dry’s to big spooky fish in tail waters, you need to be quiet. Aluminum boats are way too loud. Where I’m at, I prefer a 14’ welded seam raft. A hard boat really limits what you can do. We have a lot of class 4 water that’s really bony. People just don’t take hard boats down it. I’ve owned willy’s clackacraft and Hyde drift boats, my favorite is my aire 14’ sdp. Just depends on the application. For me in the NW, that allows me to access more water.

[@SawyerProducts]

You know we've got stuff for those mosquitoes!!

[@mikekuczynski1552]

Ben’s 100% Deet :-)

[@thepanterdog99]

Do you know the total weight with say 40 horse jet for towing??? Could you tow it with a Subaru Forester

[@mcenerygarrett2161]

Alvin thanks for the video and all you do for fly fishing! I'm in the process of getting one through Action Marine in ATX. I live in Arkansas and plan on using this 85% for trout on the White and 15% poling around in saltwater and maybe hunting. Two questions. 1. On your current rig, do you fish one or two people at once on the Colorado? 2. Can you please speak a little more to it's performance poling and fishing in the salt/what're your thoughts on running/poling it in the salt? I plan to get mine rigged with a poling platform and oars so I can take it anywhere. Thanks in advance. Cheers!

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Plenty of room for a guide and 2 fishermen. It has been a while since I poled mine, but it was not bad. Much better on the oars though. It runs great in the salt inshore as long as it's not too choppy. Like most flat bottomed boats you can take a beating in the chop. It will run super shallow with the jet, but you need a little more water to get on plane vs a prop. Weeds are an issue if they are thick. Not a problem getting them out, but you may have to do it a lot in some areas.

[@Ryanc236]

Where can you buy the plastic repair kits for these boats? I saw it on another video somewhere they came in different sized cylinder shapes. Great video!

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Hog Island will send them to you.

[@Ryanc236]

Thank you

[@mudjerry]

love the vids man! you ever pull plugs with that bad boy?? also hows that driving position? i saw in another vid u had a pillow for your knee? looks kinda rough

[@outdoortradesman142]

Alvin. I am new to austin and was thinking of buying a sea eagle fish skiff 16. Not sure if youve heard of it. But you are making it sound like the river is really shallow and rough - I thought I had read its an average of 14 foot deep but haven’t been on it. The fishskiff has a super shallow draft and is moderately durable but i wouldnt want to run it over sharp rocks if possible. I guess Im asking your general thoughts on my rambling, with your experience here. Im trying to stay around 5-10k and be able to run the coast and the local rivers and lakes. A bit of a hard task with that budget. I was also toying with the idea of a stryker 500 pro with the protective bottom. Let me know - thanks!

[@deanbork3415]

Pretty good critique for the kind of water we have around here in SW Virginia. Would like to know more about its perfomance, or lack thereof, as a crossover flats boat. Would it work for a solo fly angler if you added a trolling motor and micro powerpole?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I think Blane Chocklett runs one in Virginia. A couple of our guides use them with trolling motors and they work great. I used to have a poling platform on mine for the flats and it worked OK. My skiff works a lot better, but at 3x the price it should.

[@alanpdag]

Have you fished out of a towee and compared it to that?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I haven't fished out of a Towee but I have seen a few. It's a great boat, but kind of small for a guide, 2 clients and gear.

[@daisycamo]

Do you fish the Guadalupe? Like south of seguin gonzales etc..

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Not a lot. I have been down there a few times.

[@daisycamo]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing I'm just wandering if it would offer the same fly fishing opportunities

[@king0dasouf]

@Alvin Dedeaux Why not use this on the Texas coast? Texas native here, I fish East Texas lakes and the entire Texas coast. I’m really interested in the hog island, I’m just curious why you choose something else in salt water.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I did use it in the salt for a bit. Still use it on the lakes. My flats skiff works better in the chop, goes faster, gets better gas mileage and poles a lot better, but it was 3 times the cost of the Hog so there's that. The Hog runs stuff in the river that I wouldn't think about doing in the skiff though, and I can row it.

[@seanriley3931]

What makes it challenging to pole? Just the size and how much it sits out of the water? Thanks!

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

I have used it in the salt and it works well. Since I am a guide I need something a little more specific when I'm in the salt. Besides I can write all these boats off on my taxes 😂

[@EXP4X4]

How do these boats do in open water? What about running outboards greater than 40 hp?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

It is OK in open water. It's flat bottomed so if there is chop you will feel it, but no worse than a flat bottomed aluminum boat. Maybe a little better, the plastic does absorb some of the shock. Hull is coast guard rated for 40 hp max. I am going to put a 60/40 Tohatsu on my next set up. With the 50/35 I get 22-25 mph 3 people and gear. With everything in perfect condition just me in the boat 29-31 mph downstream.

[@Scrub_Zero]

After watching a bunch of these in a row I wanna hear some of these "good jokes" Alvin tells.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Might have to put out a comedy video 😂

[@nickatkins9692]

Did those oar mounts come with the boat or are they custom made?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

They cam with the boat.

[@caseyjonas86]

Do you have any hard opinions on 2 stroke vs 4 stroke outboard jet motor?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Hot much reason now to go with a 2 stroke these days. The 4 strokes have pretty much caught up as far as power to weight ratio. We actually own three 2 strokes, one older one and two fairly new ones and all three will be replaced with new 4 strokers in the next year.

[@Joonyboi123]

What would you recommend for somebody that fishes tx rivers but occasionally hits the coast? Would this boat be OK down there ?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

It does OK in the salt. Great in the shallow stuff, not so great in the chop.

[@paullsmith1867]

Besides oar locks, how do you have this rigged?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXanmH9thNubo6M

[@paullsmith1867]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing I enjoyed watching both videos. Thank you!

[@jackkelly1022]

I have a 40hp mud motor on mine now...works fine but thinking about going to the 60/40 Tohatsu. Know anyone with HI Skiff that is running a 40? Know they are a little heavier...

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Reach out to John St John. He knows some owners who run that engine. I am thinking about that one myself. Heard good stuff about it.

[@sharonbraselton4302]

merrcy 60 hp jet beßt

[@travisbateman2460]

I'm loving these boats and really considering pulling the trigger on one. I live in Central Texas and would love to have the ability to run the Colorado. I do however go to the coast quite a bit. How do you flush the motor with the jetdrive on it after you have been in the salt?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Outboard Jets make a hose fitting for freshwater flushing.

[@travisbateman2460]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing perfect! One more question...I'm pretty limited on space in my garage...with a swing tongue will she squeeze in a 19ft 6in garage?

[@lukewolfgang5002]

Did you ever consider a Sabine Skiff set up with a jet?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

They weren't around when I got the hog island. They are awesome boats but they are almost twice the price. If the hog island is an F150 the sabine would be an escalade.😀

[@roryhusky2834]

I noticed you're running a splash plate on your SW. Did you notice any benefits other than reducing back spray while running? Trying to decide if it is worth the time to fabricate one for my Hog Island.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Rory, sorry for the slow response. Been on the water every day. I do like the splash plate on the Hog. I would sometimes get water spraying over the transom if I trimmed the engine way up.

[@Daniel_Loveland]

How does an aluminum boat row compared to the hog?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

So far the Hog rows better than anything else I have tried.

[@erice.1636]

Does this boat have a tunnel to raise the foot of the jet?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

No tunnel.

[@erice.1636]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing How does your engine handle hitting rocks? Just curious since I have a wide 17' JetCraft Aluminum without a tunnel.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

@@erice.1636 The jet is designed to bounce off rocks. Not the best thing to do and you can certainly damage it if you really hit something hard but it's hard to miss every rock out there.

[@freddewfishing7611]

Alvin would you prefer this in the marsh over a towee ?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

The Towee might be easier to pole because it is narrower. I haven't ever poled one myself though.

[@kevinyoung947]

Why oars and not a trolling motor

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Trolling motors are great especially if you fish solo. Oars work better in really shallow water, strong current and I have better control in tight situations. No batteries to charge either.

[@kevinyoung947]

@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing ah okay cool I kayak fish so I paddle but I was curious

[@mmeyerDesigns]

What length are the oars you are using?

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

10 foot.

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

10 foot

[@OPFlyFisher304]

comment

[@riverskippermike1239]

I have mine up for sale. Check it out. Stick steer smallmouth / musky slayer without that tiller bs. Plus the reliability of an old school merc 40/30 jet. Located in bridgewater / harrisonburg, VA The original stick steer hog. Master the New, James, Doah, mac, or Susky

[@MTp8ntballer]

thumbs down button twice i see what you did there subscrided :)

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Ha ha, thank you!

[@no_regerts5176]

The Alumaweld Free Drifter is an awesome boat for running skinny waters.