Boated vs non boated

[813basstard]

Does having a boat (any kind) make you a better fisherman. Or does it allow you to be the same fisherman in more locations??. 

I have my own opinions but would love to hear from the guru’s

[Deleted account]

Boy is that a loaded question. I do not think there is causality, but there likely is a positive link based on the fact that acquiring a boat is most likely an indicator of motivation and participation. So no I do not believe having a boat makes one a better fisherman, but you will find that statistically as a group boat owners will be better fishermen than non- boaters. I know some folks that exclusively fish from shore that are awesome anglers.

[Troy85]

I don't think it makes you a better angler, I just think it gives your more opportunities/locations to fish.  Same as having more expensive boat, having a more expensive boat doesn't automatically make you a better angler.   The boat is just the tool.

[NYWayfarer]

A boat opens up a world that can not be accessed from shore. It will make you a better angler through the experience.

 

 

[scaleface]

For the most part a boat allows one to be more efficient.  

[mattkenzer]

From a boat ..... All the water is available.

From a boat ..... All the fish are available.

From a boat ..... All techniques come into play.

 

Your ability to handle a line and lure makes no difference if you stand on land or in a boat.

 

[Catt]

When a bank fisherman acquires a boat they have a tendency to fish what the know...the bank.

 

Having a boat allows the angler opportunities to fish offshore structure which holds more & bigger fish.

 

Offshore structure intimidates more anglers than any part of bass fishing.

 

1 hour ago, NYWayfarer said:

A boat opens up a world that can not be accessed from shore. It will make you a better angler through the experience

 

[roadwarrior]

Another HUGE advantage for boaters is lure recovery. I very rarely lose a lure.

This aspect also eliminates the fear of casting into the muck. There are a lot of

big bass that stage in the middle of a brush pile that rarely see a lure.

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Having a boat is awesome, but I can't get my boat into a lot of places so it isn't everything. 

[NHBull]

I have never been a bank fisherman. Even as a kid, I had access to a canoe or Jon boat   Fast forward a few decades......many of my friends that join me for a day are bank guys.  We have totally different views, comfort zones and techniques. 

 

Additionally, I believe the boat guy develops skills on finding fish and understanding bodies of water. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great shore anglers, but there is a clear benefit to getting on water

[scaleface]

When I fish from  shore , there are almost always over-hanging branches blocking my cast to reach  lay-downs .  ?

[boostr]

I catch more fish from the bank than I do from my boat, but then again I fish ponds and lakes from the bank that I know because I've fished them for years and they are non boating lakes and ponds. The lakes I boat are new to me, as I'm also new to boating so I'm still learning the lay of the land on these bodies of water. All said and done though a boat does give you access to spots you can't reach from the bank.

[mattkenzer]

30 years ago, shore fishermen where a big part of our club tournaments.

Our river system had many so called "Honey Holes" that fished best from shore .... silence can be deadly!

 

Needless to say, the shore fishermen where tough to beat.

[DINK WHISPERER]

Better, no.... more efficient, absolutely. 

[NH-Fishin]

Definitely not better skill wise, but certainly has more opportunities. I think this also depends on location as well - for opportunity. For example in New England trees and brush are typically very thick, so most shore fishing spots are man made, which often means they have significant pressure. In a place like some areas of Texas where there aren't as many trees and brush due to the climate, the shore fisherman have many more opportunities. Around where I live most ponds have very limited shore access, the last few I fished had maybe 20-40' of fishable public shore access on an 80 acre pond.

[Ksam1234]

I don’t think it makes you a better angler. A lot of people can’t afford a boat at the time but I think having a boat makes the lake more accessible. More opportunities than a shore fisherman. 

[BankBasser]

No, I don't think it makes for a better angler. Just better access. An analogy I'd use is this... I've played guitar almost my whole life (since I was 5) and have done tons of studio work and live gigs, it being my only source of income at one point. I have better than average gear, but I'm not a gear hoarder. I know guys that have rooms full of guitars and amps WAY more expensive than what I have, but if you ask them to play anything other than "Smoke on the Water", they can't do it. A boat does not an angler make, but it'd be nice to have.

[38 Super Fan]

Yes a boat will make you become better because it opens up so much more opportunity.

[TOXIC]

The 2 are not relevant.  Can a good angler catch fish from shore?  Yes.  Can a boat make a good angler better?  IMHO yes again.  Shore anglers are limited to, well, shore and many times only what they can carry in.  I have a 21 foot tacklebox that carries many different techniques and multiple rods/reels and can take me to where the fish are.  As a result I learn many more techniques and become more skilled in them.  That's discounting the obvious that when the fish move off the shore they are out of reach for the bank fisherman.  Doesn't make them any less of a fisherman unless you are gauging it by the numbers of fish caught in any one day.  I can go to the fish, the shore bound fisherman can't.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Troy1985s said:

I don't think it makes you a better angler, I just think it gives your more opportunities/locations to fish.  Same as having more expensive boat, having a more expensive boat doesn't automatically make you a better angler.   The boat is just the tool.

And sometimes a tool is driving the boat......

[Logan S]

3 hours ago, reason said:

Boy is that a loaded question. I do not think there is causality, but there likely is a positive link based on the fact that acquiring a boat is most likely an indicator of motivation and participation. So no I do not believe having a boat makes one a better fisherman, but you will find that statistically as a group boat owners will be better fishermen than non- boaters. I know some folks that exclusively fish from shore that are awesome anglers.

This is an excellent answer to the question...I was going to write something similar but there's no way I would have hit the nail on the head as good as this.  Well said.

[Junger]

4 hours ago, 813basstard said:

Does having a boat (any kind) make you a better fisherman.

 

Better fisherman can be interpreted so many ways...going from shore fishing all my life to owning a boat this year opened up more opportunities to fish spots where I couldn't from shore. If taking a metric, such as fish per hour between shore and boat, I would actually say I caught more fish from shore. But, I catch more quality fish from the boat.

 

One thing is certain though, since buying a boat, my rods have doubled and my wallet has gotten a lot lighter!

[813basstard]

Agree with most here. The more I’m out in a boat the more I see there’s SO much more to fishing in a boat (everything working, everything in place and clean, safety etc..) then fishing from shore. Not better or worse just different. Nothing worse than fishing in someone’s boat where it looks like a Cat 5 hurricane came thru..that ain’t fun either 

[mattkenzer]

I think an argument could be made that Shore Fishermen learn to let the bait soak and not be so quick to real in and fire at the next available target because their options are limited ..... A quality that leaves me at times and for that, my catch rate suffers.

 

 

 

 

[Gundog]

I have a friend who has a boat and it really hasn't helped him catch fish.