this rig would be good enough for carrying 2 ppl up and down the river wouldn't it? our river get's a lot of water releases from the lake, so would this go back upstream or not? I dont want to be stranded or nothing. i fish the brazos below whitney btw.

With much current I would not want to be in that boat... I had a 14' jon with a 2.5hp and it did fine on the lake, but cant see it would have done very well with alot of current.

hm. i was afraid of that. i wonder if a canoe would do alright then?

Hey Big White--
I've been there a couple of times in a canoe and i don't think i could of went upstream especially in the more narrow parts of the river---if your a young feller I guess its possible, but it would be a real fight.

Back when I lived near Whitney I had a light-weight 14' jon boat and an air-cooled 6 horse outboard, with just one person it was very difficult to get back up-river. I mean there were certain stretches where forward progress against the current was maybe a foot per 5 seconds, and just to get through these sections meant 5-10 minutes at full throttle. I had the engine die one day due to a pinched fuel line, made for a very long return trip by the time I sorted out the problem.

10' jon boat w/ 2.5 hp motor - Too Small & Too Small...

The 10' is not very stable, I used a borrowed 12' lightweight with a Trolling motor once... once... spent more time bailing than fishing

I had a 14' Narrow/Light Weight, Think it was an Applebee... Unstable, fragile. nicknamed it the SS Leaksalot with a 15hp Mariner, Great motor, bad boat, leaked so much I eventually had to install a bilge pump, which meant added weight of carrying a battery also

Look at the Jon's they sell @ Bass Pro, the 14LW (Live Well) with a solid 15hp & you'll love it for years & years, that's probably the staple "river-fisher" - Brand new Boat/Motor/Trailer your looking at ~$3400

I've had several Jon's that were "previously experienced" and have vowed to never buy a used off-brand, Lowe makes probably the most solid Jon out there now, going to pay a lil more for quality but you'll thank yourself in 10yrs when it's still a solid boat...

Mercury vs OMC etc is like the Ford vs Chevy debate, personal choices

My choice would be a 14' Lowe with a 15hp Yamaha... which I still don't own either of them

Depends on the weight rating of the boat and how much weight you plan to put in it. I borrowed a 10' jon one time to take my daughters fishing when they were real young. That was the tippiest dang boat. I was scared to move in it. We didn't fish very long, and we were in a small pond with no current. I would not get in another one.

Had a 12' jon before. Hated it. Went to a wider 14' alumacraft with a 15 hp nissan and that boat was awesome, even with 2 people with it. Did some fast flowing river fishing with it up in pennsylvania. Not sure how fast the brazos would be compared with the rivers I fished (susquehanna) tho... but I think a 14' and 9.9 or 15 hp motor would be more ideal than that tiny and tipsy 10' model... but of course, that's prob a lot more money too...

what i really want is in my signature, it'll be a long time b4 i get that tho. Im just wanting something that will be easier than my kayak. I've paddled back in my kayak b4, it was hard to say the least.

I have been river fishing in Arkansas annually for about 20 years. We rent from a local trout fishing operation there. They use 14-16 foot boats that are at least 48" wide, if not wider, with 9.9 hp engines. That setup works great if no water is being released from the lake upstream. But when they open a gate to generate electricity, that 9.9 hp motor will BARELY get you back up river to the dock. And there is NO chance of motoring through the shoal to get back up river.

Their guide boats have 15 hp motors that make the trip back up river rather quick and easy.

IMHO, I would not want to be on moving water in anything less than a 14 foot/48" wide boat with at least a 15 hp motor.

10' jon boat=scarey&unstable. Fishing the Brazos upstream from somewhere below Whitney would be tough with a prop driven outboard unless you are just talking about fishing up and down a deep long stretch. For actually traveling upstream you will encounter numerous shallow sholes that will stick you and tear up your prop. God made rivers so we could go DOWN them. Some use jons and the small outboard is to get you DOWN the slow areas. Put in at the dam with a canoe and float 8 miles DOWN to Dicks at FM 2114. Park there with a car for return, rent a canoe from them or have them take you back to your car. Great stretch of river for a canoe and great fishing. Take your time and fish it hard and spend one night on the river! Great trip!