Any Tips On Fishing From A Boat Cant Seem To Have The Best Luck

[Raul]

Maybe this would work in Georgia swamps but definitely not everywhere. Shallow fishing simply does not produce on deep clear lakes up north in the summer, at any time of day. Any good size LM bass is in 20-30 fow even in lowlight dawn/dusk, and including at night. Only shallow fish are the juveniles.

 

Sorry Neil but NO, you are assumption is not right.

[scaleface]

willing to bet that it isn't very good. Maybe use to read depth and thats about it.

Its a bet . Just kidding. Every depth finder I owned showed thermoclines , brush , fish... Not in great detail but they did. Even my old flasher unit would .

[bstephenson1225]

I have a sonar unit on my kayak and i rarely use it to find actual fish. On the occasion I do it is to see what depth they are holding in the deeper water. 95% of the time I use it to find cover, humps, and the lake contours. This has changed my whole game for the better. I broke my lake into sections and have been learning that lake section by section and that has seemed to keep it from overwhelming me. I also use my sonar when I am on the drop shot. Glenn has an excellent video he recently posted on you tube on this technique. 

[joeblowwwww]

serious?  been bank fishing my whole life and take the occasional boat trip but i have no doubt in my mind I could catch bass in a boat with no prior experience.  maybe you should dock it and learn how to fish the basics from the bank first. might not hurt in your case.

[lmbfisherman]

Sorry Neil, but I have to disagree with you. I've fished a lot of lakes outside of my "Georgia swamps" and caught them in extremely clear, deep lakes way up shallow. I'm from Rhode Island and visit a couple times of year, and I almost broke the state record a few years back fishing a horny toad on a lake that you could see about 15' down and the fish was way up shallow in some reeds and buck brush.

Also, to correct your Georgia swamps comment, our lakes here are not all shallow, muddy reservoirs like you'd think. We have deep, super clear lakes like Lanier, Alatoona, and numerous mountain lakes that are as clear as the water in upstate New York. On all of these lakes, you can always find quality fish shallow. I hope you revisit some of that shallow water on a day when you are struggling out deep and see what you can find. Maybe you will run into more than just a juvenile bass! I hope this post doesn't come across at all as rude or me putting your advice down. If it did, please know that isn't my intention at all.

I live in Ontario and agree with Senko_77.  Three weeks ago I was up North at a cottage.  The lake reaches 100+ at the deepest and a majority of the deep areas are 20-30 feet.  I caught most of my bass in water below 10 feet and the biggest was a 4 1/2 lb largemouth bass that was hiding in a root system of an old tree.  The water was about 1 foot deep.

[GodfatherOfSeoul]

Oh dont mind me...Im just taking some great notes on a great topic. Great replies guys, thank you!

When I first purchased a Jon boat, I think my first 3 or 4 trips I didnt catch a fish. Bank fishing all my life and never being in a jon boat before, it was a BIG adjustment. Doing too much was one thing. But just time on the water cured it. That experience, along with slowing down, helped me to adjust. Now, I never get skunked. My first bass in my jon boat was such a dink but I was so proud of that little fish on a drop shot white fluke.

Keep your line wet, keep reading a little on BR every night and it will come. Ive come a long way from my first jon boat trip. Only fished 15% of the time on the water and fell in the dock in about 3 ft of water. No fish, search and rescue for a $175 combo and tons of embarassment in front of anglers at my fav lake. If I can figure them out, you can do so much more.

Good luck!

[MANNY04]

Thanks all for the great advice it is much needed and put in to work!!..i went out Sunday before the sun came out and i did have luck with crainkbait didn't catch any hogs but i did catch a few decent fish. I didn't have much luck with plastics but i had good luck with crainkbait. Like i said i have been fishing for a long time and have gotten big hogs but nothing in a boat!..Now i know people might just think oh well he's been fishing from the shore for a wile just swap it around and use the same tactics, i have and it has not worked out for me. But honestly i thank everyone for the comments and advice it makes me see fishing from a boat allot different helps me understand more about fishing not just cast and you'll get a hog but how allot more falls in to affect to catch good fish!...THANK YOU ALL!

[MANNY04]

So you guys get an idea of what i'll be fishing this coming week.

[Fishes in trees]

To echo prior writings, there is a learning curve to fishing from a boat.  The change in perspective takes a while to learn and get familiar with.  There isn't any substitute for the on the water.

Not much information on what kind of boat, I'm assuming some jon boat -electric trolling motor combo - correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Rule #1 = have an alternative power source.  When the wind blows you to the other side of the lake and your trolling motor battery gets weak, you will be glad you remembered the paddle (oars are better on a jon boat).  If you have forgotten them once, you're unlikely to forget them again for a long time.

 

Learn to deal with the wind.  Learn to cast/fish while you are drifting.  Learning how to run the boat, put it where you want it and fish at the same time is an acquired skill.

 

It doesn't take too long to learn this stuff - just be mindful when you're on the water.

[the reel ess]

Take a kid or a novice lady with you. It's a double-whammy if it's a female child. They'll be certain to outfish you with beginner's luck-happens every time. Then just do what they did. This worked first time I took my (current) wife and my daughter.

 

Seriously, my earliest memory of catching anything more than bluegill on a cane pole was of whipping my dad and his buddy crappie fishing. My dad handed me the rod with a white grub on it. I filled the boat that day. They didn't have enough grubs to go around and the fish didn't want minnows. The rest of that season, the white and chart. grub was the ticket.

 

Just start simple by keying on obvious structure, weeds, depth changes, points, etc. and go form there. Use the easiest thing to get bites-Texas rigged plastic worms. Try to hold the boat on the spot when you find them. It's acceptable to use an anchor. That's the best way to know you're still. Gain confidence and expand from there.

[CDobber]

So you guys get an idea of what i'll be fishing this coming week.PERRY 2.png

I'm right with you Manny....started from shore and still find myself there about as often as I am from my pontoon.....a lot of it is learning the lake and finding underlying structures (submerged timbers, boulders, weed edges, etc) as well as just time building confidence from the boat.  Electronics help (mine is also very rudimentary...fairly certain I couldn't see a thermocline on it before the transducer broke off) bt things like a jig/pig can help you "feel" what is under the water as well.  I still have skunk days, but they are getting less and less...and I hope by improving my electronics, it'll help increase the learning curve as well.

[Sam]

Always wear your PFD.

Know the rules of the water.

Pass a safe boating class.

Have a safe and dry place for cell phone, wallet and keys.

Don't fall out of the boat when going to the bathroom.

If you still fish when going to the bathroom be sure to put on a good show.

Try to have rods stored in an orderly fashion so they don't tangle and are ready to go when needed.

Don't forget sunscreen.

Have throw cushion out and ready for use.

Always use your kill switch cord hooked to your PFD.

Know the limits of the boat's range. Keep 1/3 of the tank for emergencies or to get back to the ramp.

Turn around and look at the ramp when you leave and the surrounding area as it can be difficult to return to the ramp if you don't have a map or GPS system. Everything looks the same along the bank from a distance.

Check the weather.

If you hear thunder or see lightning get off the water or hide in an empty boat house. Lightning can strike five miles out from a storm.

Take pics of what you catch and post them on the Forum.

Have fun; be safe; and go out and get a new personal best!!!

[scaleface]

The most common mistake I see people  who have limited boat fishing experience make is to stay away from the shore and make  perpendicular  cast . Parallel cast are usually more productive , especially on steep banks because it keeps the bait in the strike zone for the entire cast.  Even on flatter banks  once a productive depth is established one should position the boat at that depth and make parallel cast .  I do a lot of off shore and bank fishing and always try to keep the bait in productive water for the longest period of time .

[Mike L]

Ok

First let me say I don't own a boat, never have.

But when I do fish it's almost always in someone else's, either in tournaments or just messin around.

If there is one thing I can add to help you that hasn't been touched on yet, is when you're approaching an area you want to fish, don't arrive on plane, shut down, and start throwing.

Shut down well before you get there. Let the momentum you built up take you within stricking distance.

Also, when useing your trolling motor try to keep it on consistently when covering water, and at the lowest speed, as opposed to keep starting and stopping as you move.

Just something I've noticed with almost every successful boater I've been with.

Good Luck

Mike

[scaleface]

Ok

First let me say I don't own a boat, never have.

But when I do fish it's almost always in someone else's, either in tournaments or just messin around.

If there is one thing I can add to help you that hasn't been touched on yet, is when you're approaching an area you want to fish, don't arrive on plane, shut down, and start throwing.

Shut down well before you get there. Let the momentum you built up take you within stricking distance.

Also, when useing your trolling motor try to keep it on consistently when covering water, and at the lowest speed, as opposed to keep starting and stopping as you move.

Just something I've noticed with almost every successful boater I've been with.

Good Luck

Mike

... and to add to that excellent post never let the backwash from the electric motor push water on the spot you are trying to fish .

[ClackerBuzz]

Remember how far you cast when fishing from shore and caught fish?

Well that is where the fish are. 

I see so many boaters casting right up against the shore and the fish are either under the boat or behind them a majority of the year.

holy advice.

 

i had ur exact problem 2 seasons ago.  so much open water, where to start?!

do not just troll the shoreline and cast parallel to shore (most guys cast to shore and only fish the top 5 feet of the water column).  keep ur boat against the shore and cast out like when bank fishing and keep Wayne's advice in mind.  cast 45 deg out and work ur lure back so you attract fish from deep and shallow. jig's are your friend ie depth finder and structure identifier. if you need to move ur boat deeper only move out till ur farthest cast lands in structure less/muddy bottom. 90% of the water is useless and this is no-man's land.  bounce your jig fast thru the muddy bottom until you feel the first sign of rocks or weeds.  now slow down ur retrieve b/c you've just entered the fish zone.  work ur lure from here uphill.  maintaining bottom contact is key. the fish relate to cover/structure and lures banging into it instigates strikes. 

all the other stuff is fun and visible: weeds, docks, lay downs, stumps, lily pads, bridges, rip rap etc.  

have a blast with it.