Is bigger always better?

[Gizmo]

One thing the Pro's always say is to do what the locals do to catch fish. I'm a "local". I love to catch fish and don't have any sponsorships. The locals usually run 16-17' boats with a 50-75 HP main engine, no kicker motor and often times not even an electric trolling motor. It's heresy, I know, to suggest that a fish can be caught in such a rig but these people do catch fish! I know the Pros their reasons, but I haven't seen a Pro in a "locals" type of boat in many years. My question is- Should I give in to hype and buy a $35,000 pro boat with mega horses and all the gizmos or should I buy a "locals" type of fishing boat?

[Pops]

In my opinion, do whatever makes YOU happy. Just because the guy down the street buys a "PROs" type setup does not make it the best. Many many fish have been caught in 14-16 boats with 15-25 hp motors.
Besides, with the price of gas you will not be able to fish as much after putting out $$$$$$$$$$ for payments on a $20,000+ boat.
Nothing against the guy that buys a big fancy boat( some of which I like ). I personaly can not justify the cost. Besides, my Wife says "NO YOU CAN NOT!". hehehe :-)
Again, look at the type of fishing you do and the lakes you fish. Then do what you think is "Right for you".
Keep your rod bent!!
Pops

[mlc]

Your question reminds me of the great debate over home sound systems. Do I buy the $75.00 boom box( a real status system in some groups) or do I buy the $3500 system with all of the acoustically oriented latest and greatest? I would never be content with the boom box, but I would find the top end system to be far to extravagant. At what dollar point does the system start bringing diminishing returns for the dollar invested? A $1000 dollar system (by my listening standards) is going to sound alot better than a boom box, but does a $3500 system sound $2500 better that a $1000 system? On the other hand, even a $3500 system will be inadequate for the sanctuary of a church or small convention room. I would not be willing to go 20 miles off shore in a 16 or 17' boat. If I made my living in the music business (like the pro's do) then even the $3500 system might not meet my needs. For now, until I win the lottery, the $1000 system sounds great.

Have a good one,
mlc

[jim]

The pro's have there boats because of sponsors.They also need the big boats for the water they fish, and can't afford to give up time driving around.Let's face it there is alot more profit for everyone if they sell a 20ft.boat with a 225hp. on it.I think any good rigged boat will do the job for fishing.I also would put all my money into tackle and electronics.

[REW]

Gizmo -
Do what feels right - what you can afford ---
What is right for your situation.
If you want to fish big water -- and can afford it - be safe and go with a big rig.

If you want to fish big water -- keep an eye on the weather - and don't venture too far off shore - use a smaller rig and you will be fine.

You are right -- there are thousands of fish caught every year - from shore, a canoe, a belly tube, a jon boat -- none of which cost over $500.

Many folks enjoy boating and fishing for other reasons than just catching fish.

Some folks buy a big boat so that they can go in big water - way off shore - and feel relative safe.

Other folks buy big fast boats - for the feeling of freedom and speed and the rush that they get when flying wide open, with the wind in their hair, and the sun on their face.

In many cases -- catching fish is a bonus. For the case of the pros - catching a fish - is their livelihood. They need the right tool to catch the fish that will be their next paycheck.

It is comparable to an excellent auto mechanic - working on your $30 car with a pipe wrench and a pair of pliars -- it just won't cut it.

For the pros -- the electronics, the three motors, the three or 4 batteries, the ability to move from spot to spot in a heartbeat -- that is all the difference between getting a paycheck or not.

If you want to catch fish -- obtain KNOWLEDGE - some sort of transportation to travel over water - enough electronics to find fish - at least one good rod and reel with good line on it -- a reasonable assortment of jigs, hooks, sinkers, a few crank baits -- and I suspect that you can catch lots of fish.

As Al Linder says in his In-Fisherman show --
fishing is all about Location - Location - Location. Find the fish -- and almost anyone catch them. Fish aren't rocket scientests -- they are just creatures that need to live and feed - and they feed whenever the conditions are right for them to do so. Learn those conditions, learn those locations for the particular body of water that you are fishing, and you will have no trouble putting fish in the boat.

Take care

REW

[reel fisher]

well you always have to remember the more gizmos and electronics the more could go wrong and if you have all of that stuff it could get to be a super expensive sport so if i were you i would buy a nice 17 to 20 footdeep v and a good lowrance depth/fishfindr w/ gps so you can remember the good spots and i was on lake michigan once and i had a charter ask me what i was doing to catch all the fish and basically your boat doesnt catch fish its your tackle and the way you present your lures and jigs exc. so i would say no you dont need a super expensive boat to catch fish
sincerely
reel fisher

[Eyez]

I'm going through the exact same decision right now. I currently have a 16 foot lund with a 30 hp tiller, and I get around the smaller (up to 15000 acres) lakes here just fine, and catch plenty of fish. I've got the boat set up just the way I want it, good graph, bowmount, rod holders, etc. If all I wanted to do was get on the water and catch some fish, this is the perfect machine, all set up for under 3K. This summer is my first year of tournament fishing, and I've decided that if I'm going to continue it, I need to quit relying on my partner for a boat (you know who you are :) ). For me, it's a matter of the boat doing what I need it to. Write down all the things that you want your boat to do, and that should help you pick out the best boat for you. I'm betting that you can get one heck of a nice early 90's or newer boat for around 10K, no point in spending 30K on a new glass boat if you don't really need it.


Eyez

PS, the Lund Rebel w/ 40hp tiller is one of the best small pure fishing boats around, and they're pretty inexpensive, even brand new.

[Hans]

Ultimately a boat is nothing more than a means of transportation to take you safely to a fishin' hole, and a platform to comfortably fish from when you get there.

Now, what was your question again?

Hans

--
"There is nothing; absolutely nothing; half so much worth doing,
as simply messing about in boats." :-)

[Stu Pedaso]

What kind of car do you drive? Do you drive an old Yugo, or do you drive a fully loaded 2000 Suburban? Two people will drive the same vehicles the same distance to the same job and bring home the same paycheck. People's priorities are different. Buy whatever you want to. It's your boat, and as long as it does what you want it to and you're happy with it, more power to you. Nobody "needs" a $30k pro boat, just like nobody "needs" a fancy car. I'm not knocking the people who do, and I'm not knocking the people who don't.

[ETT]

Get the rig that you would most often use if you had the luxury of owning any style boat you wanted. Don't make it one bit more complicated than you want it to be. Noone can answer that question for you.

[Fritz]

Gizmo,

Every once in awhile I see some guy going down the road with a couple of rods bent over in an old car and no boat. It always seems like these guys are looking happier than anybody else I meet on the road. And it doesn't matter if I am heading in to work or on my way to Canada with the boat in tow.

Then I wonder if I did the right thing spending the dollars I did to get the boat I bought. I just have a locals type of boat (16 ft and a 75 hp). Every month I'm making payments. I know these guys are enjoying fishing as much as I am.

But when I am out in my boat it is nice to know I don't have crawl over the bench seat to help my son. Also, when the fish don't bite, it is nice to plane off and be moving at a fair rate of speed.

My big regret is not buying a boat like I did a few years earlier. I know I would enjoy fishing from shore if I did not have a boat (I still enjoy fishing from shore). But it is fun using my new rig and I get satisfaction every time out.

You can catch fish from shore and be happy, but you can also catch them out of more expensive rigs than you are considering. If you can afford the pro type setup and you really want it, buy it.

You need to make the decision yourself. I know you already knew that, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again.

Good luck,

Fritz

[Don]

Quite honestly, I caught just as many fish in my 16 footer with a 30 as I do in my 21 with a 175. The only difference is the price and the fact that I can cover more water and go when it is rough. I can live with that. But, if I had to go back to the 16 with a 30, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. I know some guys who would over the status "loss".

[Nofish]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-04-00 AT 02:43PM (CST)[p]

Hey Gizmo,

And then there are guys like me! :P
I run a big "Pro's Boat" and probably would run the same boat if I did not fish tournaments. What can I say, I like big boats.

I just prefer to have a boat that lets me fish where ever I want, for whatever I want. Bass, walleye, salmon, pike, you name it. I also never have to worry about fishing in 6 foot waves or small streams or backwaters. I have several spots where I literally have to back out as I cannot turn around.:o

But, this was my choice, I bought and am paying for my boat, and I, unlike many "Pro's" will run this boat for several years.

You must decide where you want to fish, and for what. You need to decide what you are looking for in a boat and also what you plan to do in the future. Make sure the boat can grow with you, or you will be buying another one in a few short years.:-(

Believe me, if you choose to buy a 17 foot boat, powered by a 70hp motor, no one (at least no one that is worth it) will look at you and think you were stupid.

If you, however, feel intimidated when speaking with someone with a larger boat or are ashamed of the boat you eventually buy, then maybe you needed to think more about your purchase.

You should be proud of your boat and will have as much to add to any boat discussion as you have to add to a fishing discussion.

Time to go play........R

[Craig]

A short answer to your question, "No! Bigger is not always better." A more involved and honest answer follows:

My first boat was a Scanoe with a 2 1/2 HP Johnson. I fixed it up pretty nicely and got a lot of compliments on it. It would go into a lot of places other boats could not. It would not go to places almost any other boat could. It was severely limited by lack of speed. I doubt it was much faster than a quick walk. But I got a fishing season per tank of gas, and it floated. You were real close to the water, and any sort of chop was going to get you wet. I hated all other power boats as their wake was enough to bounce me around pretty good. Almopst zilch for maintenance. No storage but a tackle box. It was a lot better than fishing from shore.

My next boat was a 16' Sea Nymph with a 40HP Johnson with power trim and tilt, electric start, and oil injection. It had a fishing deck with a real comfortable seat up front. Great little fishing boat, but it would not go into some of the backwaters I fished easily with the Scanoe. It opened up a lot of water to me that I simply couldn't reach with the Scanoe because I could go 30 mph and handled rough water infinitely better. Maintenance was easy, I took it to the car wash and washed it with soap, rinsed it, then sprayed with the wax. I hand waxed it at the start of the season and at the end. It got me home in the roughest waters I faced, easily. I still hated windy days and other boats as I almost needed a seat belt to fish from the front deck and if somebody breathed hard at 50 yards you got blown around pretty good. I got a lot of compliments on it. Little storage to speak of. Wouldn't even think about going back to the Scanoe.

I moved up to a 1997 Ranger 681VS with an Evinrude 115 Intruder. It requires a lot more TLC and draws more water than the tin Nymph. So far it hasn't shut me out of any waters that I could fish with the Nymph but it gets close on one lake where I have to go up a stream. It hasn't opened up any water that I wasn't able to fish with the Nymph, but hey, it gets me there in a hurry and I can fish more comfortably. Maintenance is much more time consuming if I want to keep it looking nice and I do. I'll admit I'm proud of it. And I suppose I could fish Mille Lacs a lot easier and safer than in the Nymph, but haven't done it yet. Wouldn't go back to the Nymph for anything.

Don't think I'll ever buy another boat as the Ranger suits my needs superbly. But if I do buy again it will be aluminum as maintenance is much easier. Never, ever get a poliflake boat. They are pretty, but hard to keep looking nice.

[Eyeman]

That's a great question! In my opinion, the answer is not just no but ##### NO. Big boats are nice for big water and certian types of fishing and offer lots of room and storage, but do suffer when in tight spots with current and wind. I have a 17' glass with a 150 (won't mention names so we don't get a bashing going) that I wouldn't trade even up for a 20' with a 225 for fishing on the Mississippi. It will also take Mille Lac on any day any sane person would care to go fishing.
Best advise probably is to to buy what YOU like that will do best for how and where YOU fish.

Good luck and tight lines.