Bass hunter,pelican etc. who fishes from one

[Ctjoe]

Thinking about getting something for the ponds. For all who use one give us your model, how you use it and your comments. Not including kayaks. Ty 

[airshot]

Son in law had one a few years back, It was the bass hunter model I believe, it had two small plastic pontoon like floats with an aluminum frame work and two seats.  It was tippy...more than we expected.  It was heavier than my 12' aluminum jon boat and not as stable. We only used it one summer then he sold it.   All in all....prefered my jon boat.

[padlin]

I have a 10’ Bass Raider, along with a canoe. I use the Raider when I’m out with one of the grandkids.

 

My opinion….

Pros, good size for 2, very stable. No trouble standing to fish if you wish. Comfortable seats.

weight not bad at 145 lbs, not including the battery and motor. Kind of a hassle to move around by myself as I near 70. Using 2 2x4 ramps I can push it up into the truck bed, which is very difficult without the ramps. I moved it around the yard on 2 wheels. Not needed with 2.

quite a bit of room. 600 lb capacity.

 

Cons… the weight and bulk when by myself, but I manage.

being used to the canoe, using a trolling motor is a hassle. Need to watch for rocks and stumps, pretty easy to get hung up. Have to stop and clean off the weeds from the motor if you are fishing such.

Have to register it.

gets blown around in the wind, not at all streamlined, I’d hate to run out of juice and have to paddle it.

A lot of folks use their Raiders as solo boats, if I were going to use it solo I’d look at the 8’, if they still make it.

 

some use trailers, if you can fish where you want with one it’s an option.

 

I’ve never fished from a john boat so can’t speak to which would be better, I see there are 10’ers out there so it should be similar, same price, more or less. Less capacity though if it matters.

 

I fish from the canoe when I’m by myself, 40 lbs is much easier to deal with then 145.

 

 

 

[LonnieP]

I fished out of a 10 foot pond prowler for several years before I bought my 1448 Jon boat. It was very stable and could easily stand and fish. It was a lot more stable than a narrow Jon boat. I kept the motors, batteries and fish finders on it so I hauled it with a trailer.

[WIGuide]

My first boat I ever purchased was a Bass Hound 10.2. Scouring the interwebs it looks like the same hull is made by Sun Dolphin although it's only rated for a 6 horse now instead of a 7.  I ended up putting a trolling motor and an 8 horse Johnson on mine and because of it I also had a trailer. It was a great little boat for small lakes and I'd take it out on bigger lakes too since it'd handle water just fine. The manual stated it wasn't built to be a plaining hull, but with the 8 horse it would plain out despite the hull flexing a little and by the time I sold it I'd have to lean forward a bit to help it out. It was a stable little platform that you could stand and fish from and was more stable than most jon boats. There are times I wish I still had it to bomb around in. The only reason I sold it was that I got a steal of a deal on an older Ranger and selling the Bass Hound paid for all but $400 of the upgrade. If you aren't planning on getting a trailer for it the one drawback would be handling it solo. They aren't super light and pulling them in and out of a truck bed although possible, isn't the easiest. 

https://sundolphin.com/pro-102/

[Jason413]

I've used a 10' Pond Prowler for 20 years on small lakes/ponds.  Love it.  I'm on my second one as I left mine out in a snow storm by accident one year and water got into the hull and the wood in the floor became too heavy to lug around (water froze above the thru hull cable location and seeped in when it thawed). Still floated as I used it a couple of times before deciding to just buy a new one.  Stability is amazing, the seats in the Prowler are very comfortable, plenty of room for 2 people.  I have a 50lb trolling motor on it (overkill) but it's what I had so I just use it.  The old one I had a 30 lb and that worked fine, probably would go with 36 or 40 if had to buy again.  

 

I fish out of a kayak a lot now for tournaments, but if it was just for fun I'd take the Prowler out 100% of the time, for the money it really is a great little fishing machine.  

 

They redesigned them a few years ago, I do not know anything about the new design compared to the old though.  I'd take a chance on it if I was looking just based of my exp with the older model.

[Tatulatard]

I will incude a kayak comparison because these types of boats are the next step up.  I have an 8 foot pond prowler. Its super stable and easy to stand up in compared to even the most stable "stand up" kayak.  It is much heavier than my kayak and is annoying to drag off the truck bed and even more difficult to heave into the water once fitted with trolling motor and battery but manageable.  It also has less endurance than a kayak because I am limited by the battery life and paddling that barge is only viable for an emergency situation. 

 

Compared to my kayak it is far less transportable.  It requires a truck bed or trailer and you want to dump it off near the water.  There is no car topping and wheeling it down a foot trail for hundreds of feet.  It is however, a vastly superior fishing platform.  You can easily pitch while seated, standing and hookseting is similar to standing on a bass boat deck and done with ease.  I have one of the most stand up friendly kayaks and it's a no go for me.  It's like trying to stand up on a surf board.  I can stand easily but casting and hooksetting or even trying to sit back down make it a no go where as the pond prowler is well suited to this.  Range is limited compared to the kayak.  I am only limited by human endurance in my kayak and that far exceeds a battery especially given the differences between the two vessels in water and wind drag.   The pond prowler is like you mounted a chair and trolling motor to a chunk of floating dock.  It has a lot of drag.

[Ctjoe]

Thanks all very helpful info 

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

I got an 8’ Bass Raider. I bought it with no title so I caint put a motor on it. Paddling that thing gives me diarrhea. 

[Bird]

I have a 10ft Bass Raider and a Bass boat.

Use the Bass Raider in rivers and any place that doesn't have a ramp.

It's equipped with a 55lb bow mounted Minnkota, Garmin Striker 4 FF.

And this is a must with these boats...... installed a drain plug in the rear.

[Alex from GA]

My buddy has one we fish ponds with.  Throw it in his truck with a trolling motor and battery and catch fish.  He worm fishes while I throw a flyrod popper.

[dman]

You can also check out this thread at 135 pages long, lol 

 

 

[John Wilson]

I have an older model Bass Hunter that I'm refurbishing/restoring.. I only paid $150.⁰⁰ for it (no trailer), and the only thing that came with it was the 2 seats... 

  I've repaired a couple of holes in the bottom rear section, where it wore thin from the previous owner having to drag it.. I refiberglassed it, then after 4 or 5 uses it wore thru and had a hole again. So then I bondo'd the holes, built up the thickness, and ended up making a permanent "dolly" with 2 wheels and a tie down strap that prevents me from having to drag it at all.

  I added a trolling motor and a Garmin Striker 4 fish finder, and repainted it. AND, I installed LED lights all around the outside,  and a little on the inside.. I even fab'd up a platform on the front half to stand and fish from... 

  I got most of everything (cept the platform, and fish finder, and paint) from Facebook marketplace.. Sooo, I have about $400 invested in it, and could sell it easily for around $700. But then I'd have to start all over again, so I won't be doing that.. All I have left to do now, is figure out what lures actually work so I can catch some fish.. 

  It's funny tho, cause I really don't care if I don't catch any, the fun has been in my journey,  not in its destination.. lol

 

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[John Wilson]