Getting a 21' Pontoon, good for bassin?

[singerloo]

Hey,

I'm probably getting a 21' Pontoon Boat with a good condition 1975 Evinrude 50hp ;D

I will only have the pontoons and the marine plywood,
and will build up from there to rig it up exceptionally for fishing.

Do you guys think that a pontoon boat will make a good fishing boat, or is it too 'bulky' for bass fishing?

thanks,


seaphantom

[faztbullet]

Its better than the boat I have, which is none :'(

[catfishtonyd]

First off, you can bass fish from any boat. Now the next question is will it be effecient for the job? In the case of a 21 foot pontoon boat, probably not. Doesn't mean you can't use it, you just have to understand the limitations you're going to have.

You hit on one. It will be bulkey, slow, and probably hard to maneuver in some circumstances. You're going to need a big trolling motor, and some strong batteries. Not only is this a big boat, but it has a lot of "sail area" for the wind to catch and blow you around. The boat won't draw a lot of water to help slow the sideways drift.

On the other hand you can carry a ton of tackle.

Have fun.

[ryan7261]

You might want to make it a silent runner!

What I mean is that a pontoon boat can be a bit loud. You might want to take it out and see what I mean then make the adjustments. For example carpet the top to stop the tumping on the deck. Also the hand rails can be noisey as well. But if it don't bother you it don't bother me!. happy fishing. glad to hear you got your self a boat!.

Robby.

[danrw84]

If it floats, it's a good bass boat! I would straddle a log and float on a lake if it got me closer to the fish 8)

[catfishtonyd]

I probably should have added that if you're buying this boat, for bass fishing, you'd be better off to put your money into something else. A jon-boat or something like that. I think it would serve you better as a fishing boat.

If on the other hand, you want a "family boat" that you can fish from the pontoon will do the job.

[singerloo]

Yeah, I agree that a bass boat or jon will do better, but I'm going to use this boat for bass fishing, catfishing, bream, or whatever.... (mostly catfishing)

actually, I dont think that this one will make a big influence on wind, its not that huge.

thanks,


seaphantom

[macgyver]

Of course there are better bass fishing rigs, but as already stated, it's a boat, and if it floats, it's better than shore fishing. Make sure you get 2 semi heavy/good anchors. It will get hit by any wind pretty well, so the 2 anchors will allow you to stay in a straight line, and they need to be heavy enough to hold you. Make sure you get a big enough trolling motor, but if you're going to be catfishing, you probably need to be worrying about the anchors first, then the trolling motor. Congrats, enjoy it, till you get the next one. Boats are a lot like cars. They are always a blast at first, then you start WANTING the BIGGER and BETTER, and FASTER model. But you can catch fish in all of them Nice part is you sound like you are building this thing from the pontoons up, so you can add a lot of things a normal pontoon doesn't have, such as rod storage lockers, livewell, hammock, whatever. Make sure you have PFD's for everyone, and have fun.

Lizards

[fredhatch]

Look at it in a good way. How many people can go bass fishin and grill up hotdogs and hamburgers at the same time. Heck you can have people sunbathing at the same time if you want.

[Makitcnt4u]

I know this one guy that uses his pontoon for bass and bream fishing. Â*He has a livewell to put the bream in until he eats them. Â*He also uses the pontoon for one or two bass tournaments every year. Â*He is really old and remembers when they flooded the lake 50 years ago so he know the good fishing spots. Â*He comes in 3rd or 4th place when he competes against the guys with high dollar rigs. He loves that pontoon.

[singerloo]

Thanks, I'll build it up, and see how it performs. I'll let yall know.

Haha, I'll yank a bass out of the water straight into the grill, I won't miss ;D


seaphantom

I have a 16' pontoon with 25hp motor and Minnekota trolling motor with 55 lb thrust. It is good for me to fish from. The trolling motor is able to control the boat. Pontoons are lighter that most people think. Since you are building it on your own you can design seating, etc for fishing. I can fish 4 people with no problem, and 5 sometimes. With your's being as large, I would get a trolling motor with 70-75lbs thrust. I bought it specifically to fish from and it exceeds my expectations. That is just my opinion.

[catfishtonyd]

Most tournaments ban "pontoons or other cumbersome craft". Some local events may not, but most recognized "trails" , BASS, BFL, FLW, etc do.

[zman]

Pontoon boats arent that bad for bass fishing. The main problem is you need a big trolling motor to be able to cover a lot of water. They are great for bream fishing though.

I would recommend designing the deck like that of a bass boat - no "fence" or whatever to get in you way casting. Also don't bother with a canopy. You may also consider spacing the pontoons apart not quite as far as usual to make the thing a little faster. I'm not sure how much leeway you have in designing this thing, but in theory you can make this into a bass boat that just happens to be floated by a couple pontoons.

I wonder if a keel would be feasible to prevent the boat from blowing around?

[BassNva]

don't be talkin that keel stuff....this isn't the BOTE* forum ;D


BOTE as in sailBOTE