Spinners were the ticket twenty years ago. Splashers became the hot item a dozen years back. “So what’s next?”, many of us wonder…
The rest don’t. It’s these that snarl their nose when it comes to the latest and greatest decoy gadget. Their jerk strings with Herter #72s have effectively stood the test of time. They still will in decades to follow.
If your state regulations allow the use of motorized decoys, chances are everyone and their mom is using at least one in their spread – Snarl Nose with their jerk string of Herter #72s included!
Even our media list craze of “Top 10 Ways to Do This” or the “5 Most Effective for That” generally say the same thing: scout, location, motion, calling, decoys. Decoy spreads consist of various letters in the alphabet – something like one of these shapes:
“J” “U” “S” “T”
“L” “A” “N” “D”
“H” “E” “R” “E”
“O” “K” “A” “Y”
Clearly, in an another decade, we’ll have effectively taught waterfowl their ABCs. Maybe in another half-century, they’ll be able to read and write – no bufflehead left behind!
Digressing aside, we’re all pretty much doing the same things. So, how do we outsmart our feathered pupils?
Up until a couple years ago, I could count on one hand the amount of times I’ve limited out on birds on public land. The same could be done with my other on private land waters. Doing the math, that’s a limit every other year.
So why should you continue reading?
Because in the past two years, I’ve shot more limits of birds than all 20 other years combined. How?
It wasn’t necessarily scouting, location, or motion/motorized decoys.
Two years ago I watched THIS, bit the bullet on the price (because any new fangled contraption has a premium), and crossed my fingers that it’d pay off (unlike the other shiny toys that’d fail to work past a season or two).
You seriously spent that much money for a mesh mat that I could make for $80 from various materials at Harbor Freight? Yes, I did. After looking at the Southern Flyway Outfitters’s (SFO) Decoy Raft, it’d take me no less than 250 hours to get all 15,000 stitches on the 80 connection points.
Yes, you did the math right, “That’s like a dollar an hour!”
Time = Money
Time is money. Even the fool in me that flocked my diver decoys can’t necessarily justify that. Hear me out, though.
What I can justify are the hunts where limits of mallards were killed when deploying a Decoy Raft of divers. Yes, you read that correctly – several 7 man limits of mallards were taken with diver decoys on sloughs that rarely had divers on them – all thanks to the Decoy Raft. Even on a tough day, it helped me dial a legally blind man on a stud drake. Why?
You thought I was kidding on the mallards?
They’d key into them. From above it’s as natural as you can get compared to the canned, alphabet spread the rest of the waterfowl world uses.
Quality Construction
Speaking of use, I put that Decoy Raft through the wringer in miry clay sloughs that required most of my decoys to get power washed after it’d solidify like concrete on them. What about when you pull it out of freezing waters? Is it going to freeze everything in place? Surprisingly it does freeze, but with a shake or two, it, along with the dozen and a half decoys on it are ready to rock again. In two seasons of abuse, not a single stitch frayed from the 15,000, nor any of the 32 stainless steel clips that came with the Decoy Raft used to secure the decoys broke or came off.
Safe for Dogs
What about the dog factor? We’ve all had a fair share of our pups swimming in with single dropped lines that wrap around them when they come back from a retrieve. Worse yet are long lines in current or with short drops – rigging that can pose a threat to a dog. Needless to say, I was concerned with the Decoy Raft, which sits a few inches under the water.
Will the dog freak out? Surprisingly, no – mine hasn’t. She’s completely unaffected – climbing right over it. Other dogs I’ve noticed will just swim around it.
Forewarning: don’t purposely line your dog up to swim over the top – it’s not worth a fluke accident happening to prove a point. Also, it’s not your outboard’s best friend, so keep an eye on it when you’re out in the decoys – another aspect you should have no issue with. After all, birds will be able to see it from a mile away.
Setting and Picking Efficiency
Remember when it was mentioned that time is money. You ever put out a dozen and a half decoys in less than ten seconds? Yep, with Texas Rigs it’s very possible.
Now, how about picking them all up in ten seconds from a boat? Fat chance.
That’s the beauty of the SFO Decoy Raft. Decoy spreads can take a loathingly, long time to pick up – especially with diver spreads. If you could pick up 3 dozen of them in a less than a minute you would. With the SFO Decoy Raft you can. Your time spent picking up is worth more than a dollar an hour – exponentially if you have to keep mobile (especially with changing tides). Put one through a season and you’ll have saved a fat stack of time.
Oh and if you’re wondering if the Decoy Raft is worth it on divers, the answer is yes. Like the limits of mallards mentioned earlier, the proof is in this pudding: straight cash, homey.
14 thoughts on “Gear Review: SFO’s Decoy Raft”
I hunt the Snake River in Idaho. There is always loads of grasses floating down with the current catching on my decoy strings and eventually taking my decoys down river if allowed to collect to much. How does the decoy raft work in this situation?
Great question! It really depends on the current you’re hunting over. In any current, I’d highly recommend using a boat anchor; it’s what I use for the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in early season with vegetation and large branches and late season with large ice chunks floating down and works – just be sure to put some extra line out between the Decoy Raft and the anchor so the anchor has a better angle of tension to grab the bottom. How heavy of a boat anchor? That really depends on the current. There’s a bit of drag caused from the Decoy Raft, so a good rule of thumb I’ve tried to think of is if the anchor can hold a 14′ boat in the current, it should be able to hold a Decoy Raft.
Do you have a disabled military vet code?
Hi James, that’s a great question and thank you for your service! John and Nathan would be happy to answer your inquiry on their website: https://www.southernflywayoutfitters.com/team
I am interested in ordering a raft from you, but not on the website.
Do you have a phone number?
Hi John, you’ll want to reach out to John and Nathan on SFO’s website and submit the same inquiry HERE
They’ll get you all squared away. Thanks and best of luck with the rafts!
I am really excited about this decoy raft and will be purchasing at least two for starters. My question is what type of para chord should I use?
That’s great to hear, Tony! I actually use rope from long lines that I got from Bob Metrich at Decoy Rigs – give him a call at 219-659-8371 and he’ll get you all dialed in. You’re going to want something a little more rugged than paracord – especially if you’re hunting in current/rivers, on larger lakes, etc. and have long lines running off of them (which I HIGHLY recommend). Let me know if you have any other questions and wish you the best of luck in the seasons to come!
I am about ready to buy 3- 12′ decoy rafts and read your product statement and gathered that you have no warranty at all on this product. Is this true? What if there is a defect right out of the box? Thanks. Tony
That’s great to hear, Tony! Knowing John and Nathan, they’ll make right if there is a defect right out of the box. I’d suggest submitting any warranty inquiries on their website HERE (scroll to the bottom and there is a questions/comments/feedback section that will be submitted directly to them.
what burlap wrapped foam diver decoy do you suggest ? thx
Herter’s made foam decoys back in the day that many have burlapped–63s are lifesize and 72 are oversized. You can find them on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace from time to time. If you’re having a hard time finding ones that have been burlapped, you should be able to find old 63s and 72s you can DIY. Or Homer Decoys should be readily available–they may be a touch more expensive, though. Burlapping takes time to cure, so make sure to give your project ample time if you go this route. Best of luck, Bogart!
Raft works great in lakes, but is a disaster in a racing tide like we have on the South Carolina coast. Entire raft will go under water until the tide subsides.
Interesting perspective, Steve. The guys that developed the decoy raft are from North Carolina and developed it while hunting NC’s coastal waters. Much like you’d have to do with single drop decoys and long lines, I’d recommend using longer anchor line/rope to accommodate for the rising tide depth.