SUP recommendation

[Billy Harris]

I have been thinking about getting a SUP for trout fishing and just having fun. Can I get a recommendation from anyone who has one and fishes from it. I also want to just paddle around or float for fun on some of the Rivers in Arkansas. I am have been leaning toward a Jackson Superfishal. Any info would be great. Thanks

When the going gets tough, the tough go fishing.

[Tim Angeli]

This recent article by Dave Karczynski, from Midcurrent, may interest you.

http://midcurrent.com/gear/how-to-choose-a-watercraft-sup-edition/

[Dave N.]

To preface this, I’ve tried a lot of SUPs. Earlier this spring, my wife and I realized we had seven SUPs in the stable (a glass beater board, two glass racing, two rotomolded poly whitewater, two inflatables). Excessive? They each get used in rotation, and contra the Karczynski position, there’s a LOT of differences in boards, and the board that he chose to profile/promote would not work for most of what I like to do.

[And pfft, Karczynski wants to be the first to catch a muskie on the fly off a SUP?! You’re years too late, buddy. In fact, our illustrious Travis has a 50 on the fly off a SUP to his credit…]

The Superfishal is a solid boat that in my opinion would serve you well. A friend has one and has put it through its paces. If you’re on a SUP, you’re taking a minimalist approach almost by default. I’m not sure I see the point of multiple accessory plates, attachment points, etc., etc. when the beauty of a SUP is that it provides a big, flat, uncluttered casting platform. I’ve considered a Supernatural, but it’s not sufficiently different from my old Rapidfire for me to justify the upgrade… though maybe next year. I hit too many rocks to use a glass board for most of my fishing, and rotomolded poly SUPs designed for whitewater use (wide, stable, super maneuverable) are the ticket. The difference between a 32″ wide board like the Bote HD and a 35″ or 36″ board like the Rapidfire or Superfishal is night and day for stability. No, you’re not going to want to do long flatwater slogs on the wider boards (see opening statement above). If you know you have that coming up, lash a kayak paddle to the back deck, sit down, and make time. Or even better, fire up an outboard. 😉

I picked up the two inflatable boards this winter for a Bahamian bonefish trip with my wife; a Bote Breeze and a Badfish MCIT. I’ve been impressed with both, although they need to be at full pressure (>14psi) to be stable. It was awfully nice to check a pair of boards in duffles as checked baggage, and not have to rely on a boat to get out to the nice flats.

It was even nicer to float over thick sticky marl without sinking to my crotch wading, and with the extra angle from standing up, being able to see fish coming from a good ways off. They pole surprisingly well. I’ve since used the MCIT for chasing tarpon off the beach in the Florida panhandle, scraped over oyster bars in the SC lowcountry, run whitewater in western NC, gotten a couple decent river stripers off of it, and caught a mess of smallmouth and river muskies here closer to at home. I’ve been surprised so far at how it’s handled rough handling and rough water.

In short, inflatable boards might be another good route for you to consider.

[T. Wiles]

Hey Billy,
Sorry for the almost 2 week delayed response–I didn’t have any photos off my memory card.

SUP’s are great. Like Dave said, they work great for pick-up and go. I really struggled with this early on because, unfortunately, I’m not a minimilast-type. I’m an OCD—pack everything–plus the kitchen sink type…so I tend to overload any vessel I fish.

I own two Badfisher SUP’s by Boardworks plus a SUPerFishal by Jackson.
Badfishers: Pro’s:
Portability and weight. Close to 40lbs and very easy to collapse into a smaller size and throw in a truckbed or even a backseat of a car. They paddle quite well, and the attachable larger fin really aids in tracking so your boat doesn’t zig-zag left to right with each paddle stroke. They are whitewater capable and handle Class I and II drops and ledges with a nice bouyancy that helps you bump, recover, and glide off rocks.
Cons: It’s a bit of a hassle to fold them down just right to collapse them into their “backpack” tarps. You have to inflate them, and your arms will get a bit sore reaching the 14 PSI of the middle bladder. The lighter bouyancy is a bit more susceptible to the wind–( if you tie a small drag chain on the back, it really helps to control your position, stopping the board in light current and wind). It is not quite as easy to attach and secure gear bags and rods to this board–it has a nice bungee system, and I’ve had to add some RODSAVER straps to the D rings to better secure the rods and tubes I take. Overall it’s the board I prefer.

Jackson Superfishal
PRO’s: It’s a solid TANK. This board is tough enough for any beatdown and dragout session you can give it. It’s very stable, quiet, and shallow drafting–glides off mild to moderate whitewater. The front attachment rod hoder tubes and Paddle slot is a great convenient feature. It makes it super convenient to secure your paddle while you fish. Also the included RAM mount ball/rodholders are really effective for positioning suspended rods off the back. It also has many attachment points to attach gear and accessories. The board is “fishing” ready–just drag it to some water.

CONS: It’s a beast to lug around at 70 lbs and 12 ft long, and it’s not easy to casually mount on the hood of a vehicle.. It also does not track well–even with attachable fins-it gets a bit frustrating zigging and zagging as you make your way up some calm water. The foam padding gets real slick with barefeet and sunscreen, and it can get gouged and damaged with minimal trauma from limbs or sharp abrasions.
My biggest reservation is it’s whitewater capabilities: If you hit the wrong round boulder in some heavy class rapids, the rigid board will plow, and it can possibly either duck and dive or vault upward (I’m sure any sit on top Kayak would respond similar). I crashed coming down this Class II ledge downstream from my house. My musky baitcast combo did not stay in the rod tube/bungee holder as I held on to the flipped board, getting charlie-horsed in the thigh by boulders as I settled into the swirl-pool at the end of the run (lifejacket on ofcourse).

I’m really glad I bought both boards. So far, all my friends and family have really enjoyed paddling these things around from ocean flats chasing dolphins and manatees to small mountain lakes and river rapids. I really enjoy both boards for their applications. Both the inflatable and the plastic boards don’t glide as smooth and light as the more agile lightweight fiberglass boards; however I would break a glass board in half if I banged them down the rocky shoals in our rivers.
Another great feature of the boards is that they are super stealthy.
I was able to ease in on several pods of migrating tarpon and present a fly , without spooking them; in fact, Crystal and I had two giant tarpon swim under our boards and hover underneath in the shadows for about 30 seconds without spooking. Still can’t wait to see what happens when I finally hook one of those giants and get towed for a while.

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