In Praise of the Homely Jon Boat
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By Tim Romano & Flylab:
A few days ago, after a ridiculous day of smallmouth fishing on a remote Adirondack lake, I found myself rowing a 14-foot jon boat back toward its resting place along the bank. The boat moved with all the grace of a loaded cafeteria tray.
That long, awkward row gave me plenty of time to consider the jon boat and the strange combination of admiration and resentment it inspires.
Jon boats are not elegant. They are not especially comfortable. They row terribly. They slap against waves, announce every dropped pair of pliers to the entire lake and possess roughly the same visual appeal as a livestock trough.
They are also one of the most useful boats ever made.
A flat-bottomed aluminum jon boat is built for places where beauty and refinement do not matter much. Muddy ponds. Shallow lakes. Timber-choked rivers. Farm reservoirs. Backwater sloughs. Boat ramps that barely qualify as boat ramps.
Put a trolling motor on one and it becomes a decent fishing platform. Add a small outboard and it will hustle across a lake. Hang a jet on the back and it can claw its way up shallow rivers littered with rocks and wood.
Of course, that flat bottom comes with consequences. Jon boats do not ...continue reading over at flylab.