Gonna stick my neck out here...yes, the boat you use matters

[Timbaux65]

I know i might get slammed for this but gonna post it anyway.

Many of you are kayakers and I have already commented on that, and to each his own, if you like kayaks, use them. They aint for me, but whatever works for you WORKS. Keep on.

That said, I have to admit that being in a 12 foot flat with a 1.75 gamefisher (EXCELLENT motor), I find myself quite limited.

The first time I saw that pro bass dude with the LOWE bass boat, big boat, fancy, etc. big motor, fancy trolling motor. He was a pro, and he handled the boat like a pro, moving in and out of coves, had his depth finder working for him... he caught 10 bass on a day most people didnt catch one.

I was in the 12 footer, I caught one bass.

Other guy in a pirogue (pee-row) went up and down and came back and caught nothing at all. Another guy in a small flat caught notbhing. Some dude came out there in this plastic row-boat looking thing..not much bigger than a bath tubb None of them caught anything.

We all gathered at the boat launch, mad that the pro guy was flying up and down the bayou without regard for us. Actually one of the guys was going to pound him if he came back.

We were talking and the guy with the flat said, "They got an advantage because they can move in and out, they can go miles and miles away and come back. we cant do that."

The trolling motor he had was really an expensive looking unit. The cop said the guy was sponsored and owned none of what we saw.

Maybe so.

Yesterday after work, I was able to go out for a short time in Manchac. Some Creole guy was out there with a nice bass boat. I seen him before and he is always really good about respecting other boats. He is a good guy and friendly, too.

He was standing up on the front of his boat, had a purple worm, weighted, and he was catching fish. Most others that we saw didnt do too well.

I personally caught a striped bass, and thought, WHAT's THIS???? I never catch them over there.

anyway, I was watching him and I think, i really THINK that the fact that he is working that worm, some 6 feet higher off the water than I am is having an effect on his ability to catch fish The worm rises up higher in the water, while mine, even with a 6'6" rod, barely comes off the bottom when I lift

Any yall ever think about this? Standing up, having more actual bait travel than sitting down in a flatboat.

Make sense?

[Derrick Bustle]

I agree..Every Boat offers a different experience . But i personally Love A Nice Bass Boat by Bass Cat.

[dick tabbert]

Timbaux I will tell you I've been fishing many years never out of a kayak and I'm sure that like any other boat it was made for a specific purpose. My first boat was a 12' john boat. First thing I did was to tear all the seats out so it was all open. In the middle of the boat I put a large live well that also served as a center seat. In the front and rear I put pedestal seat. Everything I did made that boat more comfortable and more suitable for my type of fishing. The main reason for the john boat and it was a wider john boat so most the tipsy was gone cause I like to stand when I fish.  The boat would go almost everywhere because I had to go through lots of shallow water to get to some of my spots. The plus was there were very few boat back where I went because of the shallow water. The downside was if the water was choppy it would be the wettest ride you ever had and beat you to death. Sold that boat got a bass boat. I still can get in fairly shallow not like my old john boat so I can't visit some of my old spots. Now I can fish in fairly choppy water get from point A to point B in a short and the most important thing for me is being comfortable and I can stand and fish up on the platforms. The advantage to the platform when you where the proper sunglasses  you can see so much and that's a great + for me. The big disadvantage is when you fish clear water guess what, the fish can see you because you are so high. So there are pros and cons to everything you just have to weigh it all out and see what will be the best for your circumstances. I enjoy the speed of getting from Point A to point B. I really enjoy the raised platforms and last but not least is the comfort if I want to set it's nothing like setting on padded seats. Your right it's what you want personally no one boat can do it all you will have to prioritize what will be the best for your circumstances. But there's always that option of 2 or 3 boats. Have fun.........

[wag]

          I love my custom made  14 ft. long   60in. flat bottom   all welded  1/8"  aluminum   bateau  --- with a large  8ft. rod box  ----  dry srorage under front deck  ----  Mercury 40 HP 4 stroke efi tiller outboard  and  Motor Guide 12volt 54# thrust trolling motor.   Also has sprayed in bedliner inside.   Perfect boat for all my bream (bluegill) fishing needs  and  crabbing needs in the Louisiana coastal marsh.   With 13" wheel galvanize trailer  cost  for complete fish ready rig was   $10,200   new 5 years ago.    

[Leo Nguyen]

Agreed, and no counter argument. You have to understand, most of us neither has the mean to obtain a nice bass boat, or if we do, we don't have the mean store the boat, unless we want shell out serious amount of dry/wet doc storage.

Advantage is always about covering as much ground as possible. Not only that, techno-gears to detect, and the height to spot the low ground. Every advantage you have means you land more fishes for your stringers or for show.

[bobby emory]

yes i think there is an advantage to standing up to sitting down but i think some situations mean i could have a certain advantage using a particular type of vessel

[Timbaux65]

Great answers all of you.

 

I am with the same problems as my friend Leo here....storage..where do I keep a larger boat. Mine fits into the side fence and goes in back yard. I cant have a trailered boat.

 

Water is rarely clear in the swamps and bayous. I just wish i could stand up.

 

thats custom flat..60 inches wide..now...thats gotta be a NICE boat!!

 

You can use kayaks to catch reds..and pirogues work fine too.

 

That 1.75 gamefisher weighs 18 pounds...what a perfect little motor it is. Still, i am limited to how far i can go. I got a longshaft 7.5 but with all the stumps out there..man...i cant use the thing. I love that motor but i cant use it out there. I go thru shear pins really fast.

 

Now all the motors are Four Stroke, and you can see the difference in weight.. BIG time. My two stroke 4hp weighs 29 lbs..the new 5 hp i saw over at Bass Pro was 107 pounds!!!!

 

I want to try and stand up... i got a wider boat. Its a 12 ft deep and wide commercial flat. I might try using that for next trip.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Its about versatility, even while there is no one, perfect fishing boat. But when it comes to powered boats, I'll offer an all-around compromise that fills nearly every niche the freshwater fisherman will encounter.

It is the 12-14 foot, v-hull, welded aluminum john boat.  

- It draws less water than a man in a tube.

- It is wide, with a hard chine, so it is stable.

- It can safely handle deeper, wider waters where no tube should go.

- It offers enough room to be handy, while not being a beast.

- It is light for towing and launching, yet rugged to a fault.

- It scats along on moderate power and helps the angler cover more water than a yakker can dream of.

- It can be set up as a poling boat if you like. It can be moved along with a trolling motor. It can be decked, throned and hung with a rocket motor, like a bass boat. Want to hunt from it? You got it. If you're up to it, you can even row it.   

Is it perfect? No - nothing is. It probably cant get into remote, trackless waters, for example. Small, municipal lakes, farm ponds and watershed puddles usually don't allow gasoline engines, so it won't do there.... unless you strip it and use a trolling motor.

I see the need, really, for TWO watercraft. A kayak or tube and the boat mentioned here. Set up with these two, you pretty much have everything covered. That's my 2 cents on boats.

[Leo Nguyen]

So true David..so true. Something like this?

 

One big man and a little boy pontoon

Our pontoon ready to roll

 

Too bad we don't have a 2HP motor. We can move from point to point real fast. Just a 55lbs thrust electric trolling motor. 3mph is better than rowing my butt off at 1mph at full load *LOL* We can actually roll right over tules, get into the really tight spots, and just toss our lines gently into spots that considered impossible for most boats and float to get into.

[JBplusThuy]

You mean kind of like one of these?

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Sun-Dolphin-Pro-120-Jon-Boat/737047....

Awesome mini-bass boat, fore and aft platforms with pedestal seats, storage compartments, wiring harness, cooler, running lights, with a trailer, for 2700 bucks. It's my modest dream boat, and small/light enough to probably tow and launch with my mini-van, cuz I ain'tgot a truck.

San Jose seems OK with putting boats and motorhomes on the street, there are a lot of both in my area.

In the short term, I'll probably get a canoe and stick a Motor Guide on the back :p

[Leo Nguyen]

All about storage Jonathan..all about storage. If we have storage space, we'll be going in full with a bass boat that only costs $5800..use that is, but still in great condition. Better yet, we'll just go all out with a $12,000 luxury pontoon for 6 that a few people here in Riverside are selling. Used twice, bought at $68,000, but don't know what to do with them. Just sitting around and collected dust for the past 4 years, and couldn't sell due to the dead economy.

[JBplusThuy]

Yeah, there are a lot of used bass boats that are pretty attractively priced, but if I had one of those, I really would need a truck. The towing weight limit on my Odyssey is 2500 pounds, and I bet a bass boat, trailer, motor, and all the gear might be in that weight range?

I ofter fish alone, too, so I need something small enough to launch and recover by myself. I suppose that's possible with a bass boat, but as I'm not experienced with launching boats, it might be an adventure at first.  OTOH, a bass boat would be large enough to take the wife and kids, so I might have help. On the third hand, that's a mixed blessing; it's peaceful to fish by myself :-)

[dick tabbert]

JB don't be so negative and start beating yourself up. The bass boats of today you back in drive the boat off the trailer and when finished back the trailer back up and drive the boat back on. The worst enemy when putting the boat back on the trailer is the wind but then it would have to be blowing quit hard. I have done it many time and it is easy.