Boating fear has ruined fishing

[Biglittle8]

Man, don't give up! Everyone starts with no experience! Work on getting confident with operating your boat before worrying about fish in the boat. Weeds are your friend as a bass fisherman... Embrace the weeds! You'll be fine! 

[gim]

I can’t tell from the photo, but it appears you have electronics mounted to the side of the console. Does the unit have mapping/gps? Shallow areas should be marked on it. If not, surely it has basic sonar so just avoid going in anything less than a couple feet of water. You should also be able to see a weed bed with emergent or surface vegetation before you get to it.

[Fishin Dad]

I think everyone with their first boat has fears and growing pains.  The best way to learn is try to find someone with more experience, get some good advice, then dive in head first.  Take it safe the first couple times out, then continue to get more adventurous.  I agree with the other thoughts.  Honor your brother by going out and enjoying your memory of him.  The experience is what counts!!  Fish or no fish.

[padon]

calm down. think about losing your brother. life is short dont let fear take the joy out of it. its a boat a material possesion. anything you do to it can be fixed. get a push pole or similar you will get out of weeds. use a gps with maps. most shallow water will be marked. just go slow take your time and RELAX. the boat id gonna get scratches dings etc. that doesnt make it unusable etc. if im afraid to use something i bought i may as well just not buy it, remember theres a huge difference between used and abused. use your boat , try not to beat it up. stay on top of your maintenance take care of your outboard , trolling motor etc but dont be afraid to use and enjoy it.

[Denny]

Find a quieter lake with less traffic no just go out and use it.  It takes years for people to become one with their boat.  I doubt you could parallel park perfectly the day you got your driving license, well perfectly controlling your boat and fishing a bank/structure area is the same thing. It all takes practice, but you can’t let your anxiety take control of you. Most lakes are going to have any extreme hazards marked well, anything else that you come across like weed beds etc will not be detrimental to your boat and you will make it out just fine, maybe just a few curse words later. Keep it on the slow side and before you know it you and that boat will be a finely tuned fish catching machine 

[Daniel Blakeman]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.  I would not be nearly so worried if it were just me out there but when I have my wife & son with me, my protective instincts just go into overdrive and I become hyper cautious.  I don't know anyone around me that would be able to provide any experienced guidance other than maybe hiring a guided fishing trip for a day.  The Facebook video of the guy buzzing around in thick weeds with his tm helped.  The lake I am near (Orange lake) is loaded with hydrilla so thick in some places its all you see.

 

I think I will plan a morning by myself on the water and just burn through some hydrilla and see how it goes.

[Kyle S]

Newer boat owner/operator here my friend. Purchased a 1648 Tracker grizzly all weld almost exactly a year ago. I'm on the water literally every weekend....all weekend. 

 

I fish the tidal Pamunkey river almost exclusively which almost always has some considerable current not to mention wind trying to push you into something. Like some have mentioned, use the wind to our advantage and position your boat with the bow facing the wind. The boat will be far more controllable like this.

 

Also, while I don't carry an anchor on my boat I do carry a paddle as @TnRiver46 mentioned. Sometimes you just need it to push yourself out of a super shallow situation, not to mention get even closer to the fish that in those narrow backwaters.

 

I'll actually push myself onto a weed bank/lily pad field/against a logjam or whatever I can find to fish the current or a specific spot.

 

You've got this my man, get out there and honor your brothers memory, Just be sure to come back here and post the fish you catch so we can all see it.

[FishinBuck07]

7 hours ago, Daniel Blakeman said:

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.  I would not be nearly so worried if it were just me out there but when I have my wife & son with me, my protective instincts just go into overdrive and I become hyper cautious.  I don't know anyone around me that would be able to provide any experienced guidance other than maybe hiring a guided fishing trip for a day.  The Facebook video of the guy buzzing around in thick weeds with his tm helped.  The lake I am near (Orange lake) is loaded with hydrilla so thick in some places its all you see.

 

I think I will plan a morning by myself on the water and just burn through some hydrilla and see how it goes.

Take the boat out and just drive it, get used to it.  Jump up on the front deck and drop the trolling motor and just drive around with it.  It will take a while to get used to all of it, I have had a boat for 3 years now and still getting used to it.  You don't have to learn it all right away, it is a learn as you go type thing.  Get a push pole and have a couple paddles in the boat for pushing out of stuff.  That aluminum boat is a tank, I have one and have had it in a few places that it most likely shouldn't have been and it did just fine.  It is going to get scratched and dinged, just adds character.  I was the same way when I got my boat, and mine was already dinged up so don't feel bad, but as others have said just get out there and fish.  It will get frustrating, but just remember to calm down and enjoy the experience.  You will get better each time out with the boat control and the nerves will go away little by little.  It is a tool so use it as a tool, don't be afraid to use it!!!  Oh and most of all, GO HAVE FUN!!!!!

[Jaderose]

" I would not be nearly so worried if it were just me out there but when I have my wife & son with me, my protective instincts just go into overdrive and I become hyper cautious."

 

and this is my point in my earlier posts.  Ditch the wife and kids for a while.  Not because you don't want to spend time with them, but because you DO.  I bet if you asked THEM how they feel out there on the water, I bet you would find they hate it even more than you right now.  They can feel your anxiety, too.  As far as fishing with a kid, I discovered years ago that taking a kid fishing meant I would be doing NO fishing as they take up all your time.  And that's ok as they usually only wanna fish for an hour or so before they get bored and are done with it

[Krux5506]

I've been on boats since before I could walk, taken numerous not-so-fun trips across the lake to Canada as a kid, stuff I wouldn't even do now as an adult with better judgement so I could understand someone's fear about these things if they've never owned a boat or had much experience on the water. If anything that's a good sign - the fact that you are cautious and aware about these things. Plenty of people are the opposite. 

 

Like others have said, get the boat out on the water and cruise around. Tilt the motor up and get it into weedy areas. The trolling motor will cut through a lot of that stuff surprisingly well if you have good thrust. As far as getting dings and dents on the boat, well that's just a sign of normal wear. I paid a lot for my boat and it was mint when I got it. Now it's got it's share of battle wounds from getting it into my boat hoist on those super windy days. I'd rather have a few dents in the thing than keep it as a "hoist queen" though and never fish out of it. 

[billmac]

I can relate to this.  I've wanted a bass boat for 40 years, and a couple years ago I bought an old 88 Cajun Maverick.   I had never driven a motor boat before other than a 10hp tiller model on a rowboat.  Throttling up and getting on plane the first time scared me to death.  I thought any wave or ripple would surely flip the boat.  It goes about 45mph at top speed and I can't imagine wanting to go any faster than that.  I had my wife and grandkids in the boat with me on the St. Lawrence when we ran into thick weeds that choked the motor out, and kind of panicked a little.  I still have a hard time steering with the trolling motor and fishing at the same time.   Take it easy at first and just explore its capabilities.  You will get used to it and you'll gain confidence.  You don't have to handle it like a pro.  I still don't always back it into the water very well or get it back on the trailer very well. I've also forgotten to put the plug in a few times.  You'll get the hang of it.

[Bankc]

The more you use it, the more familiar you will become with it.  Just keep taking it out and get to know it better.  One day, you will get stuck, and that's the day you'll learn how to free yourself.  Worst case scenario, you can flag down another boater for help.  If you spend enough time on the water, you'll either be the helper or the helpee.  So no one minds being asked for help on the water, because we've all been there before.  

[volzfan59]

First, My condolences on the loss if your brother. I'm sure that you guys had many good times together.

 

Not going to beat a dead horse, plenty of great advice has already been given. Just go out, gave fun and learn. Like other's have said, the rigs going to get dinged. You won't get stuck in the weeds. Short of grounding the boat on a sand bar, etc your not going to get stuck at all. The main things that I look for are rocks or tree's (stumps, trunks floating just under the water). Get you a push pole, and like someone has already recommend, get an experienced boater to go out with you. When I got my first real bass boat, that's what I did. My neighbor went out with me to show me the ins and outs.

[Darth-Baiter]

Put a life jacket on everyone and have fun.  I’ve lost paper/scissor/rock and had to jump overboard to push a boat run aground in weeds and mud.  (Next time ROCK!)

 

as far as people laughing. Nobody cares. What’s really funny is what I’m wearing. 
 

Sometimes my buddy gets tired if the front position and lets me drive.  I’m not entirely sure where the boat will end up sometimes.  

[Troy85]

I've run my aluminum bass boat thru some crazy thick hydrilla and water hyacinth, and still made it out.  Sandbars, thats a different story, I ran up on one a couple months ago.  Broke my pushpole trying to get free.  Flagged down another boat who was able to get within casting distance, I threw a jig into his boat, and he attached a rope to it.  I reeled the rope in and attached it to my front cleat, he pulled me off with no problem.  It was annoying and a little stressful at the time, but now it makes for a good story. 

[Shimano_1]

I would take a few solo trips or take a buddy and get comfortable with the rig and I think a lot of ur anxiety with protecting ur family will ease some. Being aware of the danger is actually quite intelligent. Yes there are dangers with being on the water period. Having said that, being aware and using common sense tend to over ride most of the dangers.  Just like driving a vehicle, there's dangers everywhere.  Probably much more likely to be in an accident in a vehicle than one you can't handle on the water. I think a few trips will help a lot. Just getting comfortable with it and how to control it etc will be a huge help.  Good luck and stay positive about it and I think it will be a wonderful experience once you get more relaxed with it!

[Darth-Baiter]

On 4/30/2021 at 5:48 PM, Daniel Blakeman said:

 

 

 

nice boat!!!  wow.