Bass boat importance?

[Fishin Dad]

Hey guys,

 

i have fished all my life from all boats, except a bass boat.   I consider myself a multi species fisherman, but have gotten waaay more serious about bass and am fishing some tournaments.   Equipment (graphs, talons, etc.) aside, how important is a true bass boat?   What advantages does it offer or how does it fish different?

 

Thanks!

[A-Jay]

If you're asking regarding a 'true bass boat hull' vs a 'true multi-species hull' 

I'll say the Advantage - bass boat is faster in conditions they are designed for.

Disadvantage - Expect a much wetter ride in conditions that would almost always be drier in a multi-species hull design.

 

 After that, it usually comes down to personal preference and a few inches of draft.

 

A-Jay

[Russ E]

To me the most important part of a bass boat is an elevated deck.

without it  pitching, flipping, and skipping are more difficult.

if your multi species boat has that you should be set.

like @A-Jay mentioned,a multi species boat is a little drier in rough water.

I have a fiberglass bass boat that sits relatively low in the water. the advantage of that configuration is the boat does not get blown around as much as a high free board boat. most multi species boats sit higher in the water and are a little harder to control in the wind.

the disadvantage of a low free board boat is if you are in big waves, once in a while water will splash over the deck, while fishing.

My boat has a very dry ride when you are up on  plane, but sitting still in 3 foot plus waves, you get sprayed occasionally.

[Glaucus]

16 minutes ago, Russ E said:

To me the most important part of a bass boat is an elevated deck.

without it  pitching, flipping, and skipping are more difficult.

 

One of the exact reasons I hate a rod over 6'10". I wade, bank, and yak fish. Those longer rods are an uncomfortable pain in the butt. 

[Catt]

@A-Jay & @Russ E pretty much hit both sides of the coin ?

[TnRiver46]

Fiberglass = go fast!!!! 

[Fishin Dad]

I hear you.  I get my butt kicked going 45 mph at take off.  I do lose spots that way.  Is it a lot easier to cast from the deck of a bass boat being low to the water like that?   It seems like it would be easier without the height of my gunwales.   I also hate my windshield for casting, But like to stay dry and/or keep bugs out of my teeth.?  I am just contemplating trading for a glass bass boat and just need to hear these opinions.  It’s obviously an advantage or the tourneys around the country would not be full of them.  Thanks fellas.   

[A-Jay]

8 minutes ago, Fishin Dad said:

I hear you.  I get my butt kicked going 45 mph at take off.  I do lose spots that way.  Is it a lot easier to cast from the deck of a bass boat being low to the water like that?   It seems like it would be easier without the height of my gunwales.   I also hate my windshield for casting, But like to stay dry and/or keep bugs out of my teeth.?  I am just contemplating trading for a glass bass boat and just need to hear these opinions.  It’s obviously an advantage or the tourneys around the country would not be full of them.  Thanks fellas.   

You Know - there IS another Option . . . . . 

  And clearly, I am bias - but the Lund Pro-V Bass boat does offer quite a few of the benefits and little in the way of negatives.   A tournament ready 2075 with a 250 V-8 four stroke will most certainly exceed your current top speed of 45 mph. 

Just say'in.

A-Jay

 

https://www.lundboats.com/boat-models/2075-pro-v-bass/

[Glaucus]

16 minutes ago, Fishin Dad said:

I hear you.  I get my butt kicked going 45 mph at take off.  I do lose spots that way.  Is it a lot easier to cast from the deck of a bass boat being low to the water like that?   It seems like it would be easier without the height of my gunwales.   I also hate my windshield for casting, But like to stay dry and/or keep bugs out of my teeth.?  I am just contemplating trading for a glass bass boat and just need to hear these opinions.  It’s obviously an advantage or the tourneys around the country would not be full of them.  Thanks fellas.   

I was a co-angler last year. Absolutely yes, there is nothing like casting from a bass boat. Very easy, very worthwhile. 

[Russ E]

11 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

You Know - there IS another Option . . . . . 

  And clearly, I am bias - but the Lund Pro-V Bass boat does offer quite a few of the benefits and little in the way of negatives.   A tournament ready 2075 with a 250 V-8 four stroke will most certainly exceed your current top speed of 45 mph. 

Just say'in.

A-Jay

 

https://www.lundboats.com/boat-models/2075-pro-v-bass/

You don't see many Lunds around here.  most aluminum boats around here are Tracker, Lowe or Alumacraft.

I did see a Lund 2075 on one of the power plant lakes this winter. it was a pretty sweet looking boat.

[Bluebasser86]

It's nice to have one if you're mainly bass fishing. If not, there's better options for sure. I fished for several years out of a utility jon (16' Lowe Roughneck), with a 60hp 4 stroke Mercury. I mainly fished for bass with it, but I also bowfished, ran limblines, fished the Kansas and Missouri rivers for catfish, duck hunted, and fished for about everything that swims in our waters. 

 

Now I have a nice bass boat, but I also have a johnboat because I still like to do all those other things. Actually, my best tournament of the year was out of my johnboat when I caught 15.69lbs with a 5.80lb big bass of the night in just 2.5 hours, and I didn't even have a gas motor on it then. 

 

If I had the money, I would be looking really hard at one of the Lund Pro-V Bass boats. The amount of storage and how friendly of a ride and amount of room they would offer for my family while still being very well equipped for bass fishing would be great. Plus, when I want to take my dad walleye fishing, or go offshore for big blue cats or wipers, I'd have a boat much better built for it than my bass boat. 

[WRB]

Bass boats differ from recreational boats designed for the comfort of the passenger, they are designed for boat control so the angler can present lures effectively.

The invention to seperate a run about from a bass boat was the bow mounted electric motor to optimize boat control and positioning while fishing. The second invention was sonar units to show what depth youvarecfishing in and if any fish are under or near the boat. No other fresh water fishing boats had bow mounted electric motors or sonar units for fresh water fishing prior to bass boats. The third item was livewells so tournament bass anglers could transport healthy bass to the weigh in. Low freeboard with flat casting decks and pedistal chairs came next, to optimize casting lures targets to and landing bass. 

Faster bosts evolved to reduce travel time during limited time tournaments, not necessarily specific to bass boats but bass anglers are always looking for an advantage so speed became part of bass fishing.

Tom

[NHBull]

A bass boat will troll better in wind since it is lower to the water.

Sometimes I feel like am trolling a kite with my Lund Impact........

[TOXIC]

If I had to choose between a straight Bass Boat hull and a Multi-Species hull (both are made in glass or tin), it would totally depend on where I was going to spend the majority of my time fishing.  While I do love my glitter sled, if I was going to be spending the majority of my time on big water then I would lean to a multi-species hull just because of the safety factor.  I have spent a lot of time in 20-21ft bass boats in nasty water and although they will handle it, you need to be on your game and a good driver to be safe.  With that I will also say the most beat up I EVER got was on Lake Michigan riding with a Professional Walleye Tour fisherman in a Ranger 621 multi-species hull.  That was due to his driving though and I think if he drove a bassboat the way he drove that Ranger, he would have sunk it.  I literally had blisters on my back from the seats.  Likewise I have been on St Clair in true 5 footers (and I know how to measure wave height) in a 20 foot bass boat and stayed dry while we crossed the lake.  It was slow going and the guy behind the wheel grew up on the lake and could really drive a boat.  Was it scary....yes!  Would I have done it in my boat.....NO WAY!!  I know my limitations.  

[Jig Man]

For me it is all about the deck space that is where I spend my time and want all I can get.  Even with dual consoles I can lay 7' and longer rods on the deck.  They lay flat and are not in my way.  There may be a multispecies boat with that kind of deck but I haven't seen it.

[Catt]

When handling rough water I think it's first driver and then a combination of all three in the proper proportion; length, width, & horse power.

 

I think it comes down to what you're comfortable fishing out of. For me the boat's job is to get me there & back safely, after that I don't care.

[FryDog62]

14 hours ago, A-Jay said:

You Know - there IS another Option . . . . . 

  And clearly, I am bias - but the Lund Pro-V Bass boat does offer quite a few of the benefits and little in the way of negatives.   A tournament ready 2075 with a 250 V-8 four stroke will most certainly exceed your current top speed of 45 mph. 

Just say'in.

A-Jay

 

https://www.lundboats.com/boat-models/2075-pro-v-bass/

I could very easily be wrong, but I think I remember FishinDad is from Minnesota??  If I’m right and you’d ever like to take a spin in my Lund PVB 1875 let me know.  

 

The 2075 with a 250 might be a better tournament option, but you could at least see what it’s like in terms of flipping, skipping and jerk baits in a bass type boat versus high freeboard, windshield multi-species boat.

 

And since 80% of Minnesotans troll for walleyes, I get asked all of the time how well the PVB trolls... actually fairly well with the deeper V, IPS, chine, etc... it tracks reasonably well (especially with my “Follow the Contour” Lakemaster chip and MinnKota).  With the lower sides than a multi-species - would I want to troll in waves bigger than 2 feet - no. You can do it but will get wet.  I have trolled on Rainy and other large bodies of water in 1-2 foot waves and it did fine... and much better than any bass boat. 

 

The bow on the PVB does sit up a little higher than your typical glass bass boat, but then again that’s due to a deeper V and therefore takes the bigger waves better and has more storage room.  No issue with spearing a wave at high speeds with the PVB either - which I’ve done in a glass boat before and prefer not to do again any time soon

[redmeansdistortion]

14 hours ago, Glaucus said:

One of the exact reasons I hate a rod over 6'10". I wade, bank, and yak fish. Those longer rods are an uncomfortable pain in the butt. 

I fish steelhead 8 months out of the year and that involves a lot of crawling through the undergrowth carrying a 9' to 11' rod depending if I'm floating or drifting.  It can be a pain sometimes, but you get used to it.  I usually carry my rod from the middle so it's easier to navigate through the brush.  If carrying from the reel seat, you tend to get hung up much more often.

[gim]

I used to almost exclusively fish out of a Crestliner Fish Hawk, which is a multi-species deep V aluminum tiller boat.  I had to because that was my family's boat growing up.  My Father still owns this boat.  I bought my own boat in 2015, a Ranger RT178 which is an aluminum bass boat.  Growing up I did a lot more walleye fishing than I do now.  I almost exclusively bass and muskie fish now and the boat I have is designed for it better than the Crestliner is.

 

The size of the bodies of water you will mainly fish should be a big factor.  And trolling does not work very well in a bass boat either (I've tried).  Having more than 2 people in a bass boat can cause problems too so if you plan to have 3+ people aboard regularly, that may not work.

 

There's a reason you exclusively see true bass boats on professional tour.  Its because they work the best for that situation.

[Glaucus]

1 hour ago, redmeansdistortion said:

I fish steelhead 8 months out of the year and that involves a lot of crawling through the undergrowth carrying a 9' to 11' rod depending if I'm floating or drifting.  It can be a pain sometimes, but you get used to it.  I usually carry my rod from the middle so it's easier to navigate through the brush.  If carrying from the reel seat, you tend to get hung up much more often.

That's not the issue. It's harder to work a longer rod on foot or from a yak for things like jerkbaits, frogs, flipping, etc. For me anyways. I'm 6' but still find it to be a pain. 

[Fishin Dad]

Wow! A lot of great points and a lot to think about.  I appreciate it guys.  Many things I didnt think of!  

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

I could very easily be wrong, but I think I remember FishinDad is from Minnesota??  If I’m right and you’d ever like to take a spin in my Lund PVB 1875 let me know.  

 

The 2075 with a 250 might be a better tournament option, but you could at least see what it’s like in terms of flipping, skipping and jerk baits in a bass type boat versus high freeboard, windshield multi-species boat.

 

The bow on the PVB does sit up a little higher than your typical glass bass boat, but then again that’s due to a deeper V and therefore takes the bigger waves better and has more storage room.  No issue with spearing a wave at high speeds with the PVB either - which I’ve done in a glass boat before and prefer not to do again any time soon

Hey Frydog, you are correct.  I hope your baitcast skipping is going well.  That was our last correspondence.  A guy that fishes our leagues around here purchased a Lund Bass.  Sweet boat.  The more I read and hear in this thread, the more I may have to look that way.  I remember now that I had seen you and AJay running those.  That sheds some light on the "Why" now.  Thanks!!  

[WRB]

Every year someone flips or sinks a bass boat during a lake Mead tournament. Just because a boat is 21’ long and runs 70+Mph doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Tom

[Ktho]

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

Every year someone flips or sinks a bass boat during a lake Mead tournament. Just because.a boat is 21’ long and runs 70+Mph doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Tom

 

The most unsafe I've ever felt in freshwater was going 70mph in a 21' lol. 

[TnRiver46]

10 hours ago, NHBull said:

A bass boat will troll better in wind since it is lower to the water.

Sometimes I feel like am trolling a kite with my Lund Impact........

I don't know, most of them won't idle any slower than 3.5 mph. 

[WRB]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

I don't know, most of them won't idle any slower than 3.5 mph. 

That is why walleye anglers have a small kicker outboard engine and use drift socks to slow troll. You will lose your bass fishing membership if caught trolling in a bass boat.

Tom