Am I The Only One Who Hates Not Fishing Out Of My Own Boat?

[jhoffman]

I have friends who have boats which are MUCH nicer. SI, DI big fat motors that will run 80mph but I really only want to fish my own boat.

 

Its not cause I dont like fishing with them, I do. I like to be in control of the boat but besides that point which I can deal with I have so much gear that I feel naked without all of it. I bought all of it for a reason,

 

I dont even want to think about pulling all of that out of my boat for one day even if I could. Im talking 50+ bags of soft plastics, 6-8 rods, line spooling station, 10 3700 series boxes.

 

It used to not be an issue when I didnt have this much stuff. Maybe I need to buy a very small travel bag and just accept to living with 2-3 3600 boxes on a given day?

[MarkH024]

I typically am on the trolling motor in my boat but I have no problem fishing from the back or on someone else's boat.  I however don't like to go from a bass boat to john/row boat style. Once you get fishing up on a deck you become spoiled as much as I hate to admit that.  That said, I'll still take a day of fishing in ANY boat over not fishing at all. I do pretty good at taking only what I need with me when going out with someone else.  I rarely ever fish out of anyone else's boat anyway.

[Teal]

Its a control thing. I dont mind fishing in the back of a friends boat and i dont mind letting one my close friends take the bow of my boat while i fish from behind. Now wiith that said, the guys i fish with are pretty much on the same wave length as me and our styles and miind set are the same...its not like giving up my way of fishing when im in the back...

[Fishing Rhino]

I understand the "do it your way" syndrome.  While I enjoy fishing with others, and I do so regularly, there are times when I do prefer to fish alone.

 

I can do it my way, without regard for the person on the stern. 

 

I also enjoy having the "day off" and letting someone else be responsible for positioning the boat, fighting the wind or current.  On the stern, my only responsibility is to not snag my partner when I cast.

 

I also understand the desire to have your own fishing department with you.  It's like a security blanket.  But I have learned to make do with a single tackle bag, a double worm binder, and three or four rods.

 

The double binder will hold 20 packages of plastic worms, craws. or whatever.  The bag will hold five 3700 boxes stored on edge, so any one is readily accessible, and a smaller box on top of the 3700s.

 

[jhoffman]

Part of my issue too is that I am a more methodical type of fisherman. I want to stay and pick the entire point or bush apart where as many of my friends are full out runners. The trolling motor on some of their boats only stops to put the big motor in the water.

[SuskyDude]

I think Fishing Rhino has the right idea for you. Sounds like you need to learn how to downsize. Having a metric ton of tackle on the boat is fun, but not necessary to catch fish. I'd imagine that out of all that tackle you normally carry, there's about 5-10 baits you know will get the job done on your bodies of water 95% of the time. So learn to just take those without fretting about not having every color of every bait imaganible. 

 

Once you do that, you might even be able to tell the bait monkey "NO!", once in awhile!

[jhoffman]

I like the bait monkey, I embrace him. Correct though, based on time of year more often than not I can narrow it down to a few choices. Thinking about making a travel bag that can only carry a few things, which is why I said about 2-3 3600 size boxes. Regardless, I wont be able to bring all my rods and while thats not a problem fun fishing, tournament day in our club it is a problem for me. Our club has a tendency to share boats even though everyone in the club has their own boat.

[JellyMan]

For me it's the lack of control of where I want to fish and not being able to fish out front. Passenger never gets to fish out the roomy front.

[mjseverson24]

I prefer to fish out of my own boat. I like some of the others on here like the comfort zone of having all of my tackle and gear, along with the ability to be in control of the trolling motor and the boat in general. That being said I do like fishing with other guys in there boat, I always like to learn especially from other tournament anglers, it is just hard to bring all of the gear I feel necessary to maximize my time on the water.  I usually have 20-25 combos ready for the day, but when I am in other guys boats I bring 10-15 combos. While this might not seem like a big deal, I find that the more options I have available the more fish I catch. 

 

Mitch

[Tuckahoe Joe]

This guy I work with and fish with sometimes just got his own boat.  Nothing fancy.  Just a little 12 foot Jon Boat.  He asked his neighbor if he knew anyone that was selling one and the neighbor takes him around back, shows him the boat, and just says 'go ahead, take it'.  So once he gets it registered and all Ill be going on my first bass fishing trips not from the bank.  Pretty excited for that.  Its gonna open up new water for me on the lakes I regularly fish and entirely new bodies of water that I wouldn't be able to fish from the bank.  Since I don't have much gear to begin with, I don't have to worry about not taking enough or taking up too much space on his boat.  Ill just bring 1 or 2 rods and my tackle bag.  I can't wait but I still enjoy beating the banks with my wife.

[ww2farmer]

No, but it's more the guys than the boat. I have 4 friends I often hop in with. When I hop in wnybassman's boat, it's just like I am fishing out of my own. I am used to his boat, we fish and think very similar, and we get along just fine. Another buddy has a boat with a recessed TM pedal, and dual consoles, I am not used to either, but he's a good kid, and is a very capable angler, and I'll take the minor hassle of not being 100% comfortable in his boat to fish with him. The two other guys I sometimes fish with.............ughhhhhh..........one has a decent boat,  the power drive TM drives me nuts, but that could be overcome. I just can't stand fishing with him. Nice guy (unless your riding in the truck with him, he's a road raging maniac) , but on the water he's fine. He just has no boat control skills, and all he ever wants to do is pound docks with a senko, which is fine if that's what the deal for the day is, but if it's not........we just keep doing it. The other guy is the total opposite, he won't stick with any thing longer than 5mins. , and has to fish on warp speed all the time. His boat is also the most uncomfortable to fish out of for me, it's a deep V, the front deck is 3000 feet off the water, hand control TM, NO electronics, bow or console. The only time I like hopping in with him, is early in the year when he's anchored, and has his makeshift "cabin" installed on it, and we can stay out of the wind/rain and catch crappies and bluegills.

[wnybassman]

The only time I like hopping in with him, is early in the year when he's anchored, and has his makeshift "cabin" installed on it, and we can stay out of the wind/rain and catch crappies and bluegills.

 

 

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Ha!  That's awesome!

[KevO]

I like fishing out of my boat, but I don't mind fishing out of my buddies boats either.  I don't leave my gear in my boat anyway so all I have to do is get my rods together and put some boxes in my bag and go.  I do like having all my gear with me, but sometimes I think I catch more and bigger fish with less tackle out of the back of my friends boats...

[ww2farmer]

I knew you had a picture of it. What's not awesome, is when the fool puts the boat up on plane and it goes flying off nearly taking me with it.

[flyfisher]

I don't like fishing out of another person's boat at all but that may be because most if not all mof my fishing buddies fish out of kayaks and we all have our boats rigged how we wnat them.

 

I will say that after fishing out of my dad's jet boat this weekend it is so different fishing out of a boat rather than a kayak.  To much space

[BassThumb]

I prefer controlling the boat, so it feels a little odd to be in the back of another boat.

 

Both the front and the back of the boat have pros and cons.

 

The front boater often gets the first cast at prime cover, but the back boater usually makes more casts over the course of the day -- especially when it's really windy or weedy --  since he or she doesn't have to control the boat and deal with the troller.

[rangerboy]

i like my boat, dont mind others. im just happy to fish. my only issue is trying not to sound like a richard when the fishing styles dont macth.  still beats working

[The Rooster]

I love fishing from the back of my brother-in-law's boat. He's the trolling guy, and...I...just...fish! Now, what really sucks is when someone else fishes from the back of my boat. I have to troll and fight current and wind, and also deal with their errant casts into my space, and frequent snags that need getting undone. And it never fails when I'm turning the boat 180 to go the opposite way, there will be a cast go flying across right in front of me that I'm coming around into, and it'll get caught all over the prop on the motor. IDIOTS! I'll fish on other boats, but for me I'd rather fish alone on my boat.

[BuckMaxx]

Its not a control thing with me. Its the fact that I have everything and know where it is in my boat. Its an 18 foot tackle box. I am fishing two tourneys at the end of the month with a new club as a NB. I am more stressed about the NB part then being in a new club.

[Ratherbfishing]

Depends.  If it's windier than *^%$#, I'll take the back of someone else's boat any day (assuming the boater isn't a complete moron).  There are some individuals I like better than others and some fishing styles that gel better with mine but by in large it doesn't matter whose boat I'm on.  If I reallllllly don't like fishing with someone, I don't fish with them-doesn't matter how nice their boat is.

 

 

[paul25]

I have friends who have boats which are MUCH nicer. SI, DI big fat motors that will run 80mph but I really only want to fish my own boat.

 

Its not cause I dont like fishing with them, I do. I like to be in control of the boat but besides that point which I can deal with I have so much gear that I feel naked without all of it. I bought all of it for a reason,

 

I dont even want to think about pulling all of that out of my boat for one day even if I could. Im talking 50+ bags of soft plastics, 6-8 rods, line spooling station, 10 3700 series boxes.

 

It used to not be an issue when I didnt have this much stuff. Maybe I need to buy a very small travel bag and just accept to living with 2-3 3600 boxes on a given day?

i feel the same way, i bought my boat last year and have doubled my fishing tackle since i have more places to store it now. i fish out of my boat most of the time but when i do go with a buddy i just hate trying to decide what to leave at home and what to take and if it's one of those days and the bite is tough i'm always thinking if i was on my boat i would have some more things to try lol. it probably wouldn't matter anyway but i guess it's just a mental thing

[Basspastor]

I grew up fishing out of a 12' Alumacraft tiller boat with bench seats and the trolling motor off the back.  I don't think I rode in a true bass boat until I was 27 years old at the very first tournament I ever fished back in 1997.  I can fish out of anything and be comfortable doing it; doesn't matter if it's a pontoon boat or a rocket ship. It will forever be a treat to me to ride in somebody else's boat.  

[RyneB]

I like fishing out of my boat, but if im in the back of someones boat it doesn't bother me. It kind of feels good to just relax and not have to worry about the TM and controlling the boat. I just hate not having all my stuff since I store everything in my boat.

[jeb2]

I only fish with one other guy, and while we fish often, we don't fish tourney's. We're like two peas in a pod personality wise and I could not care less if we're in his boat or mine. We always have fun together. We split the duties in half as far as towing/boat taken and that works out great. I do have to make choices about what tackle to bring, but usually guess pretty well. And I know if I needed something I didn't bring, I could ask him for it. Our fishing styles are very similar and we both allow plenty of room for the other to fish the good stuff we're covering whenever possible. It's not uncommon at all for us to have the person in the back out fish the person in front.