Fishing car

or however that dang word is written! : ) Use this forum to discuss those things that are related to, directly, or indirectly, fly fishing, i.e., tackle, catalogs, single malt scotch, cigar preferences, pipes, camera gear, etc. This is sort of an off topic area but one related to bamboo and fly fishing.

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driftless angler
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Re: Fishing car

#21

Post by driftless angler »

We have an 2005 Volvo XC70 and a 2018 Crosstrek in AWD. Both had issues with the AWD going out that cost over a grand to fix, but they have been going strong since. Almost to 250K in the XC70. I do like that the Crosstrek is a manual. I believe it is the only Subaru you can get in a manual.

I think that 4WD systems are more reliable and our 2011 4Runner and 2015 Tacoma are amazing - 170K on the 4Runner and 120K on the Taco and all I do is change oil every 10K (tires and brakes occasionally too of course). Like that my Taco is manual and that you can still get it that way.

WiFlyFisher
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Re: Fishing car

#22

Post by WiFlyFisher »

GerardH wrote:
11/07/22 19:58
So, I'm seriously considering a crossover type vehicle since grouse hunting and hauling bird dogs are becoming less of a priority in my life.
What? You are too young; you have years left trekking in the grouse woods.

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GerardH
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Location: Wyoming, MN

Re: Fishing car

#23

Post by GerardH »

WiFlyFisher wrote:
11/09/22 20:32
GerardH wrote:
11/07/22 19:58
So, I'm seriously considering a crossover type vehicle since grouse hunting and hauling bird dogs are becoming less of a priority in my life.
What? You are too young; you have years left trekking in the grouse woods.
The dogs are old and the bride wants to free up for retirement...I'm using that to justify as much bamboo as I can collect in the next 3-4 years.

Bill Terry
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Re: Fishing car

#24

Post by Bill Terry »

I have had a lot of fishing cars, or trucks, during this and the previous centuries.

My first, in 1969 I think, was a Jeep Wagoneer. It was very capable off-road, but not so great on highways. Next came a succession of pickup trucks, from a Ford Ranger to an F-250 Diesel, which was primarily a horse-trailer hauler.

Since about 99.9% of my driving on fishing trips is on the highway, and I hated driving the F-250 except for hauling, I bought a 2004 Audi Allroad with about 100K miles on it as my primary and fishing car. That fit the bill very well. But when I no longer had horses and sold the F-250, I still needed something with towing capability, which the Audi lacked. So I sold it and replaced it with a 2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, also with 100K miles. That has been my fishing car for the last few years, and I love it. It has sports-car performance and handling, and it has very good off-road capability for the occasional time when I need that. I don’t take it on Jeep trails, although I could, but it’s everything i need as both a daily driver and a fishing car.
Ad piscatoribus sunt omnes res secundi.

redband02
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Re: Fishing car

#25

Post by redband02 »

Honda CRV, 2005 model, 260,000 fishing miles on it and still going

bassman
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Re: Fishing car

#26

Post by bassman »

Many years back in northern MN we had different thoughts on fishing cars. The idea was to take an old running beater and convert to our woods car. One of my favorites was an old Nash Rambler. I bolted a steel plate in front of the oil pan and ran it back to the rear bumper. The exhaust run out a hole in the hood so there nothing to catch on down below. 2x4s were bolted to the roof to carry my 12' boat or wide enough for two canoes. A 2x6 bolted to trunk let me mount an outboard motor on there. The great thing about the skid plate was I never worried about bounders in the road. Just hit them hard enough to skid over them.

The car was an old uni-body Rambler rusting out and I had to put eye bolts to front and back of skid plate with steel cables and a turnbuckle and when shifter would not go into gears properly I had to go down there and crank eye bolt to bring body back up to level. When I jacked it up in back to change a tire with door open the door's closing missed by about 8". One day I stomped on the high beam button on floor and foot went right through and hit the linkage. Had to patch that up with sheet metal and moved the high beam button to be one of the first mounted on dash.

When it reached a point I could not crank the turnbuckle enough to get it shift right I gave it to a guy to use the still good engine on his sawmill. He came in the next day at work and said the car tried to pin him underneath. When he reached underneath to cut one of the cables to salvage the skid plate the car broke in the middle and fell to ground, almost pinning his arm underneath. Now when you talk getting your use out of a woods car that's a northern MN legend. It was replaced with a Chev Station Wagon that never had the charm of the Rambler and finally burned up out in the woods when partridge hunting. Those were the real "fishing/hunting cars".

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Eric Peper
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Re: Fishing car

#27

Post by Eric Peper »

There are two Outbacks in my garage right now: an '88 and an '01, Another (an '80) was traded in when we got the '88. We have been extremely satisfied with all three. They haven't been tested off road very much (unless you count Wood Road 16 on the Railroad Ranch), but they've never been a problem anywhere we decided to take them. Mileage is good, maintenance means washing regularly and comfort is superb, and best of all, they aren't expensive. I've made a couple of adapters that enable simple stowing of a fully rigged nine footer. Obviously an unabashed "fan."

Eric
A mountain is a fact -- a trout is a moment of beauty known only to men who seek them
Al McClane in his Introduction to The Practical Fly Fisherman . . . often erroneously attributed to Arnold Gingrich

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GerardH
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Re: Fishing car

#28

Post by GerardH »

bassman wrote:
11/11/22 12:31
Those were the real "fishing/hunting cars".
Had a 2-door '66 Buick Special that I beat the heck out of grouse hunting and trout fishing. Threw a buck in the trunk and its head broke through the rust and its antlers impaled and flattened the tire when it got wedged in there. How the frame never broke being as rusted as it was while rattling down washboard gravel roads and getting high-centered by rutted logging roads is a mystery to me.

But that '71 Bronco...302 V-8, posi-traction rear differential and limited-slip front end...that bad boy would climb a tree if I asked it to and could do a u-turn in a handicap parking spot. That was my favorite fishing vehicle if space wasn't a consideration.

bluesjay
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Re: Fishing car

#29

Post by bluesjay »

Hi Guys, Bassman, it sounds like your Rambler could have won some kind of 'concours d'elegance' at some show somewhere.

Jay Edwards

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Brooks
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Re: Fishing car

#30

Post by Brooks »

“They haven't been tested off road very much (unless you count Wood Road 16 on the Railroad Ranch), ”

Eric, this year you could put a quart of cream in a jar and drive Wood Road 16, and you’d have butter by the time you hit the river.

We love our Outback too. My wife hogs ours for her work car.

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Hellmtflies
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Re: Fishing car

#31

Post by Hellmtflies »

ibookje wrote:
11/08/22 11:43
My old US friends always say the Japanese cars are the most reliable and low running cost
I'm one of those folks here in the US. I have a 2004 Toyota Tundra. "ibookje" has fished out of it. I purchased it new in 2004. I currently have 200,000 miles on it. It's has never not started and never lost a drop of oil. I'd buy another in a heartbeat. But that may be a while as the folks the service my truck tell me that the way I keep it it's good to 300,000. :) The only other way I'd move this truck is to go to an EV.

GRASSNGLASS
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Re: Fishing car

#32

Post by GRASSNGLASS »

Bought it new in 2004. Made it to 295,000 miles.

When I first retired I sold my house and bought the van. I put a bike on one side and a kayak on the other and slept inbetween. Lived out of it and a tent, most of the time, for about a year while hiking, biking and fishing between Tennessee and Lake Erie.

Then I got together with my wife and believe it or not she wouldn't live in my van. So back to living in a house.

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jvh
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Re: Fishing car

#33

Post by jvh »

My fishing vehicle is a 1968 Chevy pickup. Stock as from the factory. Easy to work on. I can fix anything in my driveway. Put on a shell, added beds, ready to go anywhere.
If you need a 10 mm wrench your working in the wrong truck. (This has nothing to do with foreign or domestic)
Vern

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Skeet1969
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Re: Fishing car

#34

Post by Skeet1969 »

Agree with the other Subaru posts above. My F150 was good in the snow, but the Subarus are a next level. I had a 2012 Forester, and it went through so many snowstorms, some of which I never should have been out in. (Joys of being an "essential" civil servant, I guess!) I replaced it at 265k miles with my wife's hand-me-down 2014 Crosstrek, which was also great in the snow. I bagged a 6-pointer with its front end one morning at 68MPH, and that was that at 160k. Now driving a 2016 Impreza sedan, just past 200k on the ODO Friday. All were/are great fishing cars.
Mike B

billems
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Re: Fishing car

#35

Post by billems »

One thing: The Outbacks are made in Indiana. I was at the Subaru dealership last week. You can get a new Outback in two months. Foresters are made in Japan, and take much longer for taking delivery. One thing about owning an Outback...if you don't pay attention, you may mistakenly try to get inside some other guy's identical Outback at the pull in! I have the standard 4 cylinder engine and it's not lacking in performance. But the turbo would be a great option for pulling anything. But there is, after all, that great cowboy feeling you get from a truck. No question.

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Brian K. Shaffer
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Re: Fishing car

#36

Post by Brian K. Shaffer »

This thing gets around good - 2012 automatic.

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" There's no such thing as a fly fisherman wholly satisfied with his casting performance. " ~ Jim Green (1971)
" Just once I wish a trout would wink at me. " ~ Brian Shaffer

Use the SEARCH for justification and reasoning.

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baughb
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Re: Fishing car

#37

Post by baughb »

One of my fishing friends gave me a great deal on his 1999 4runner when he found a Land Cruiser that he wanted. I had fished in this truck with him for many years, so I knew the truck well. He took care of the car as a second owner but, it needed some lovin'. At the price he gave me, I had plenty of lovin' for this 4Runner to make it a smooth running, safe handling off-road capable fishing vehicle that easily gets 20+ mpg on the hwy (70-75 cruise control). Since I have been a two wheel driver most of my life, fishing for decades with only sedans, this thing keeps me out of trouble and if I do get in trouble, it's usually very manageable. My next vehicle will be a newer 4Runner.

BUT, I see Subarus in the most surprising places and it seems to be an excellent choice and with the available mods, they are very capable and comfortable vehicles. And like someone said earlier....95% (or more) of our driving is on highways and improved dirt roads.



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flyrod
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Re: Fishing car

#38

Post by flyrod »

For me any Honda SUV is my hands down favorite fishing car. Photo is of my 2017 Honda CR-V on a fishing trip high up in the mountains of Wyoming. I just upgraded to a Honda Passport, but no fishing photos of it yet.

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And when I win the lottery, I'll be upgrading to this fishing car :D


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Squaw Bend
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Re: Fishing car

#39

Post by Squaw Bend »

We’ve mainly had Honda’s and Toyota’s since the late 1980’s. We did buy a new 2005 Subaru Forester. I drove it 225k. Had to replace head gasket, clutch, brakes and tires so, not too bad. It was a good car in snow.

I prefer the Toyota’s. Currently fish and grouse hunt out of a 2wd, 4cyl, RAV4 with 185,000 miles and I don’t find it lacking. I plan to drive it until at least 250,000-300,000 miles.

I’m hoping to get one of the less expensive EV sedans or small EUV’s for my next vehicle. I seldom travel more than 200 miles round trip to fish and hunt and 99% of that driving is on improved roads.

I don’t need a heavy duty vehicle for that.

Bloodhound
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Re: Fishing car

#40

Post by Bloodhound »

I am solidly in the Toyota $Runner group. The first one was a 2008 at 175,000 miles I got 63% back on trade in. I have a 2017 now and it has 149,000 miles. It is big enough to be comfortable and small enough to go where I need and it is reliable. What more can I say.

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