Bass Boat Pedestal Seats

[Catawba Mike]

I'm new to the forum, and just bought my first bass boat. Thought I'd start a new topic - for those of you who fish alone, do you leave behind your rear pedestal seat? Do you use a bicycle seat on the front deck? Do you keep it in place while underway? If not where do you stow it? Any general comments or tips on pedestal seats are welcomed.

 

I see a lot of pictures and videos of boats with no seats mounted while underway, so I'm curious if that is for practicality, or just to make the boats look better in marketing pics and vids.

[Fishing Rhino]

Unless I'm on the water, the posts are stowed below deck and the seats are mounted in the deck holes.  Usually there are clamps to hold the posts below deck.  Some travel on the road with the seats mounted on the posts, but most stow the posts below deck with the seats mounted in the deck holes.

 

The seats are more vulnerable because of the leverage the posts create.  The only advantage to traveling down the road with the seats and posts mounted is the few seconds you save by not stowing the posts and mounting the seats in the holes in the deck.  The downside is that leaving the mounted on posts makes them more likely to damage the boat.

[Fishes in trees]

I leave the seat in the back of the boat.  From time to time some one fishes with me and they seem to prefer the seat to the extra pro pole.  I suppose I could take it out when I'm fishing by myself, but I generally don't bother.   I haven't bothered for so long I think that it is stuck in there permanently.  For the front of my boat I have an adjustable pneumatic pro pole.  Some times I like to sit on top of it and sometimes I just want to lean against it and the adjustable pole lets me do either.

 

I prefer the standing or leaning position to sitting down because I tend to pitch a lot, as opposed to making a traditional overhead or side arm cast.   I see the guys who like to stand in the front of the boat without any seat or pole.  I've tried that and I am totally uncomfortable doing that.  It is really awkward for me trying to steer the foot controlled trolling motor without having anything to lean against.

[Jig Man]

I have bad knees and have to sit.  My seats stay in the boat at all times.  I have never pulled them out except to clean the pedestals and mounts.

[wnybassman]

I leave the back seat in because I need a pipe wrench to get it out anymore.  Those nice old Ranger deck holes that like to swell over time. 

 

I leave the front on in all the time also.  I like a front pedestal, lots of guys fish without one though.

[Catawba Mike]

Thanks everyone for sharing your insight and experience. I obviously need to go out and experiment a little. I also need to take a closer at my seats - I didn't even think about the possibility that the seat and pole could be separated for stowing. I thought the only option was to leave behind what you didn't leave mounted. In either case, I will probably take both seats with me for awhile, until I figure out what works best for me. Thanks again.