River Rat……..your definition

We hear the term river rat quite a bit. What does the term mean? What qualifies a person to be termed a river rat? Is it a good term, something you would want to be labeled as?

Proud to be a Wolf River Rat!

My interpretation is from a comparison to a Muskrat. They know every little nook and cranny in the river.

I take it as someone who only fishes up the river… & when they want to go somewhere else, they go down the river the other way.

Term of endearment IMO. It means you hang down on the river long enough to know the river like the back of your hand. You know the currents, rocks, old sunkin barge cables, every snag, every honey hole. What’s bitin when the rivers high or low after a rain. When its safe when its not.
Overall its a good label.

The first rule of river rat, is there is no river rat.

No fish in rivers, stick to lakes, leave the rivers alone.

To me a river rat is someone who has spent decades on the river knowing it’s strengths and weakness throughout the year. I got into fishing in 08 and have spent a ton of time on rivers around the state since. Another 20 yrs I will proudly wear the label River Rat.

dbright wrote:

To me a river rat is someone who has spent decades on the river knowing it’s strengths and weakness throughout the year.

I agree, but to me a real River Rat has to have a sort of well-worn “patina” about him. With apologies to the Bling-Bling Sparkly Boat Boys, it is almost impossible to have a metal fleck paint job and a trailer that’s color matched to the pickup pulling it, to ever qualify.

Spotting River Rat Patina in the wild. A field guide:

– The outboard’s lower unit will almost never be of the same color as the rest of the outboard. Or if it does match the color, it will be obviously newer.
– A jon boat that has most of the paint worn off. On the bottom of the boat.
– The boat smells as if it has been sprayed with a mixture of equal parts of wet dog, beaver sh!t, crushed minnows, stinkbait, bourbon, Dijon mustard, and strangely, just a hint of Channel No. 5 perfume. The perfume is a long story. Alcohol was a factor.
– The boat came on a trailer with exactly no tires that are brand matched or technically road legal. It has been welded in places where it broke using scrap metal from some sort of military vehicle.
– There will be a thermos in the boat that is dented, squared off on one side, and generally will also feature a tire track or a dent from a bullet or both.
– The occupant will wear some type of camo at all times.

Grouse

NOW that’s funny!!!!!!!!!!!!

No matter who you come across, introduce yourself as Randy.

FGrouse…..good humor!!!

Missed one Grouse…

Skag is broken mostly off.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Missed one Grouse…

Skag is broken mostly off.

Or you never had one to start with. Those glittery boats don’t float where I fish most of the time. Jets suck no one should own one.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

– and strangely, just a hint of Channel No. 5 perfume. The perfume is a long story. Alcohol was a factor.

Rookie mistake – that sweet aroma is beaver castor; not purfume Don’t believe me, come smell my boat and my skinning apron

Beaver has balls…..that doesn’t even make sense!

Back in the late 50’s – 60’s riverrat meant a guy who lived on,and made his living off the river…usually a grizzled,old man who fit Grouse’s description and more….
Knew a few
As time went on I found being old was not the only thing that made a guy a rat…the knowing the river,the knowing how and when to catch just about anything counted big etc. counted big time but the BIG thing that made a rat a rat,to me, was your absolute love of Ma river itself…..
The kind of love that means you cannot live without her…
THAT is why after 50 years of learning from and having her in my life, I feel I am one of many..

Just three letters needed “RRR” – River rat Randy.
nuff said.