Front or back of boat. Who has better fishing?

[Darth-Baiter]

Front; because you get first crack at the

 fish?

 

or back: because you fo not have to drive at all. ?
 

I like  the back except the casting obstacles of the motor and power-poles.  But it’s forced me to cast creative like 

[Team9nine]

Front about 95% of the time, no doubt. With the advent of Power Poles, Spot Lock and forward looking sonar, that will probably move closer toward 99% here soon  

[Jig Man]

Depends on the bait,  spinnerbait and crankbait, give me the front, Ned and shaky I’ll take the back.

[Michigander]

The back has a lot more real estate, and you don't have to drive while fishing, or worry about stepping on rods

But I love the front because I am turbo obsessed with boat position. And if I can put the trolling motor deep enough to be out of the way, killer.

[A-Jay]

I'm with @Team9nine 

But the back seater might have a slight edge on this rig . . .

A-Jay

[Log Catcher]

I don't know if it makes a difference. There have many times the front had the best day and many times the back had the best. It would depend on the baits being used and the presentations being made. It doesn't bother me to fish from the front or the back.

[Shimano_1]

I think it's all dependent on what kind of fishing and what kind of boater is on the front. If I'm flippin timber down the bank I try my best to leave the guy on the back as much good stuff as I fish. If my cousin is with me he has his bait in there before me half the time. If its windy and you don't have spot lock the guy on the back has the advantage.  Ive smoked guys fishing from the back of their boats many times. 

[GaryH]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

I'm with @Team9nine 

But the back seater might have a slight edge on this rig . . .

A-Jay

OOPS

[Logan S]

Front/Boater will always have the advantage - If for no other reason than it's their plan and they can control what they want to do.  Then the obvious stuff like having the first opportunity at targets and all the other fishing related things.  Whether they execute or not is another story, but the raw advantage is still there.  

 

The trade-off is that the front/boater has more of a burden since he/she is operating the boat, making the decisions, etc...

[TcRoc]

I don’t mind the back.. gives me ample opportunity to mess with my buddy which I thoroughly get a kick out of 

[GreenPig]

6 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I'm with @Team9nine 

But the back seater might have a slight edge on this rig . . .

A-Jay

If this was an attempt at dock skipping, they're doing it wrong.

[Tennessee Boy]

In my 30 years as a boat owner I have never wished the guy in the back of the boat would take the front for a while.

[Johnbt]

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen the guy in front throw a spinnerbait or frog, or something else 4 or 5 times at an opening in the pads, timber or brush and then the guy in back catches a 4-, 5- or 8-pounder by casting 2 or 3 times into the same hole.

 

I've been on both ends of that.

 

Either the fish came to the noise, or it was asleep and had to be hit in the head a couple of times, or maybe it yawned and just got hooked.

 

I think too many people want to drive so they can run and gun, make a cast and move on.

[gim]

I think there is a distinct advantage to being the in the front at times because you will almost always get the first crack to cast at a specific target.  However, as others have mentioned, the burden of controlling the bow mount, watching electronics, etc also comes with that and it can be a distraction.  I am almost always in the front of a boat when I'm fishing and sometimes the person in the back (whether it be my Father or a friend) will make a comment that I'm catching more fish because I'm in the front.  I offer to switch, indicating that control of the bow mount is part of it and they always back off and say "no thanks."

[moguy1973]

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I think there is a distinct advantage to being the in the front at times because you will almost always get the first crack to cast at a specific target.  However, as others have mentioned, the burden of controlling the bow mount, watching electronics, etc also comes with that and it can be a distraction.  I am almost always in the front of a boat when I'm fishing and sometimes the person in the back (whether it be my Father or a friend) will make a comment that I'm catching more fish because I'm in the front.  I offer to switch, indicating that control of the bow mount is part of it and they always back off and say "no thanks."

My wife almost always out fishes me from the back of the boat because of all the other stuff I'm having to do.  Usually it's because I'm putting stuff away after I have to retie her after she gets hung up and she's fishing when I'm not able to.

[Catt]

If all ya got to beat me is you're in the front, ya better frontend me hard!

 

[MGF]

I sit in the back and I drive. No power poles, no spot-lock and foot control. My wife sits in the front and has nothing to do but fish while I fight the wind and current and try to get in a decent cast between the many interruptions to get on the tiller control motor. 

 

I remember once while fishing a shallow weedy section on the backwaters of the Mississippi with spinner baits my partner was really pleased with himself because he was out-fishing me (that was rare). It was a windy day. It was almost impossible to retrieve the lure very far without having to take a hand off the rod to drive the boat. Cast, start the retrieve, let go to drive the boat and then haul in a bunch of weeds clean off the bait and try again. One wasted cast after another was the landscape for the day. Many times I tried to get him to take a turn at the tiller and he always declined.

 

How wonderful it would be to do nothing but fish while somebody else does the driving...once in a while.

 

The world just isn't designed for bass fishermen who don't have a bass boat. LOL I don't know how many times I puzzled over the advice to practice this cast or that cast while standing on a bucket. It finally dawned on me that it was assumed one would be casting from a casting deck. When I stand in my boat my feet are below the surface of the water...unless I stand on the seat. LOL

[detroit1]

That was Ajay's last glass boat. Bought a Lund and moved to michigan. (he can't be seen on that lake again!) Thanks for sharing!    ?

[MGF]

2 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

My wife almost always out fishes me from the back of the boat because of all the other stuff I'm having to do.  Usually it's because I'm putting stuff away after I have to retie her after she gets hung up and she's fishing when I'm not able to.

My boat isn't fancy but I've got you there...my wife ties her own knots. LOL

[Bankbeater]

There use to be days when I would get so mad in the back of the boat because my partner would cast 4 or 5 times with a crankbait to my 2 or 3 cast with a jig then move us to a new spot.  Then there were those days where he would be fighting the wind all day, and I would be catching like crazy. I guess in the end it all worked out. 

[Vilas15]

I fish from the back and still control the boat so my Dads up in the front. He ends up casting back towards the stern half the time anyways especially when musky fishing. I love the electric steer trolling motor because the foot pedal has a 20' cord, but I use the remote most of the time anyways. Up until a few weeks ago we only had one graph with GPS which was at the wheel. So i had to be in the back to see it to control the boat. I still catch more fish but could probably do better in the front.

[WRB]

The front seat is usually the boat owner and controls where you are gonna fish, location, depth and pace. If you are familiar with your partner and share water and use the same or similar presentations it not an issue. If you are going along for the ride using presentations you may not be skilled using it's a long day.

I am now in that situation of being a back seater and don’t like it. I choose who I am fishing with and enjoy getting out but....my style of boat control always kept my back seater in mind and find that isn’t normal. I prefer the front seat!

Tom

 

[Way2slow]

Used to be a lot of club tourneys had the share a boat deal were a non boat owner could fish with a boat owner.  Been many, many moons since I've fished any kind of tournament so don't know about now. 

One thing for sure, if they do and you are ever invited to pair up with one, make dang sure you know  those unwritten rules.  You never cast to the front of the boat or any obstacle beyond half way toward the front unless the front seat guy has fished it first and given up on it.  You start trying to beat him to a spot or cutting him off, you might end up swimming back.  Also it cost big bucks to put that boat in the water for a day, so be sure to offer fair compensation for your being able to go with him.

Get the right front seat guy and I've seen some back seat guys place pretty high on the score board.

[OCdockskipper]

As a teenager, I would be in the front of our 14 ft Sears Gamefisher while my sister would be in the back.  I controlled the boat with the electric & made the decisions and any time I outfished her, she would say it was because I was in the front.  I offered her the front, she wouldn't take it, she just wanted to stay in the back firing off buzzbaits, Jitterbugs and Wee-R's.

 

Fast forward to 2016, we met up in Missouri for a few days as we both were nearby for business.  We went to the Busch Memorial Conservation preserve to fish a few of those small lakes and could only mount the electric on the back of the rental boat.  So now did I not only have to control the boat, I had to do it from the back, all the while sitting down instead of standing up while she got first shot from the front.  It was satisfying to outfish her both days with nary an excuse popping out of her mouth  .

 

[Catt]

If y'all are talking tournament fishing with a boat owner & co-angler, then yes the guy in the front has the advantage.

 

I fished mostly team tournaments where both anglers were required to weigh fish, with a 5 fish limit one angler could only weigh 3 fish. 

 

In non-tournaments my friends & I position the boat allowing everyone an opportunity to fish the same areas. I quite often fish 3-4 people out of one boat & it's a coin toss as to who will be the most productive.