Why I use Lavro Drift Boats
Tom Travis of Montana towed the first Lavro drift boat I ever saw in 1980. I had never seen a drift boat and therefore had never rowed one, but I could see the advantages. It wasn’t until the following summer when I went to the conclave at West Yellowstone, Montana put on by the FFF, that I actually got to cast from one.
I was so excited to be in Montana that I stopped at Three Forks, where I met and fished with Doug Paxton. The boat was a Lavro. I fell in love with the boat. It is 16 foot 6 inches long through the centerline, 17 feet 10 inches around the gunwale and 26 inches high at the gunwale. Doug guided and rowed for the afternoon on the Jefferson River. I didn’t catch any trout but that was of no concern. I was interested in the boat. It was large, spacious, comfortable, and maneuverable and I felt great just being in it.
To contact Lavro
call Ron & Scott at
(360) 794-5525
When I returned to Calgary I called Ron at Lavro and ordered one. It was a great drive to Washington where I picked up the boat and took it for its first spin on a local river and by October I was using my own Lavro on the Bow River. It was the first to be use by any local guide on the Bow River. The Bow River has little to no white water and it is not real fast. The boat was comfortable with high back seats or you can stand up in the built in leg braces, plus the boat had an anchor system that could be used from the rowing chair. That summer there was a mad scramble for chairs to be added to the assortment of johnboats already used. Several years later and now most of the other guides have followed my leadership and are using some sort of drift boat.