Do I need a boat?

[Marty]

why is it that everytime i am watching a fishing show and they are on a boat but they always fish from the bank back the middle where the boat is and they have success. but you cant have much success fishing from the bank.

1) You are watching a show that has been edited. Perhaps a day or more of fishing has been condensed into a half-hour of highlights

2) Many bodies of water have limited access for bank fishermen due to private property, dense vegetation and other reasons, whereas that whole bank is likely accessible to boaters

3) At the risk of insulting you and incurring your wrath, the fishermen you see on TV might be more accomplished anglers than you

[M_A_C_K]

Yeah theres only one non-tournament bass fishing club in Michigan... and they fish countys that are closest 5 hours away... that sucks

[BBD]

Originally Posted by Lvitch

I would find a club and fish with them for a year or so. That will let you see what goes along with being a boater and also let's you fish out of a bunch of different boats and see what you like. Nothing worse than buying a boat and then finding out its not what works for you.

This is exactly what I plan to do before I upgrade from the Jon boat. I'll just sit on my bass boat money until I can get experience like this.

[cassidyta]

Not to hijack this, but in response to Mack's statement about clubs and tourneys

While most clubs do in fact fish tourneys, there are many flavors of tounament. A lot of clubs can be very laid back even if they are in tournaments. I think it is important to talk to several clubs before picking one. Get an understanding of their bylaws, fees, and also how seriously they take it. For me, I was a guest for 3 different clubs before I found one that suited me.

[sikwitit]

Originally Posted by Marty

1) You are watching a show that has been edited. Perhaps a day or more of fishing has been condensed into a half-hour of highlights

2) Many bodies of water have limited access for bank fishermen due to private property, dense vegetation and other reasons, whereas that whole bank is likely accessible to boaters

3) At the risk of insulting you and incurring your wrath, the fishermen you see on TV might be more accomplished anglers than you

dont worry u didnt insult me.lol. i already know that im not KVD and i never will be.lol. im just willing to learn all i can. and i have heard that before about the editing of shows to make them look good. thanks for your help .

[M_A_C_K]

All shows are edited on tv except maybee the history channel... like southern fried stings or lost tapes... the producers have to make it interesting so they stay on the air

[Raul]

In theory ( probabilistically speaking ) you have more opportunities to score from a boat than from the shore, but one thing is the theory and another thing is the reality, fishing from a boat doesn´t gurantee any success.

[M_A_C_K]

You're right it doesn't guarantee success, but you increase your odds by being able to fish the whole lake. Apposed to fishing the only accessible shoreline hoping the fish come to you through there temperature migrational instincts.

[WTL]

Kayak or waders will be one of the most cost effective additions you can make. It wont garantee success, but the access it will give you will make it a whole lot easier to learn. I notice that you are in griffin georgia, one thing I have always heard about georgia is that the private property/tresspassing laws are pretty strict, so a kayak might be able to afford you some access that walking wont. I also think griffin is above the fall line, meaning if you hit some of the fastwater streams you might be able to catch what are called shoal bass, which are a lot of fun. There is a site called georgiariverfishing which you might out to glance at as it could tip you off to local habits. Waders too, can improve fishing. Either way, dont spend much, money is not the key, hours are the key. Experience. And yes, a small kayak or waders can make it easier to get hours in, even more so than a boat cause a boat requires preparation whereas kayaks and waders require putting them on or throwing it in the water.

[fishfool]

The trouble with boats is that they are like potato chips - you can't have just one. They're also a lot more expensive.

[gottafish]

Originally Posted by sikwitit

i actually saw a place where you can rent boats for a day. i m gonna try that before i make any big moves. i know im not gonna get a jon boat this year unless someone gives it to me. just kinda wanted to know some people's opinons. thanks for the help gents.

This is a great way to get out on the water. What I used to do was bring a trolling motor and battery for the rental boats if the place your going does not rent them as well.

Also look into a float tube. You can be on the water for about a 100$. Can you go far no but it still can get you off the bank. Also float tube can be launched anywhere on a lake which has it's advantages.

Now do you need a boat? NO!!!! You really don't. Are you going to catch as many fish as a person with a boat? probably not!! but you can still catch some decent numbers and fish with proper attitude, confidence and experience. Look at the lake your fishing on a map. Cross out all those spots you need to have a boat to fish. Then concentrate on the areas that you can fish from the bank. I have a boat but still fish from the bank as much as possible. For me bank fishing, especially big lakes is all about visible cover. Boat docks, ramps and reeds that are accessible from the bank are were I concentrate my efforts. I don't worry about places i can not fish because I have found after many years of bank fishing it is a waste of time. I can use that time to thoroughly pic apart the places i can fish. Also find out what ramps the bass tournaments are held and fish those because some fish released just stay there.

It's a matter of finding the places that hold fish whether your on a boat or bank. Confidence is key no matter where you are fishing.

[IowaBasser]

Originally Posted by sikwitit

that was my goal from the start, just to get a simple jon boat. i know i wont be the next KVD,lol, so i dont think i will need a nitro. but i was wondering( correct me if i am wrong). why is it that everytime i am watching a fishing show and they are on a boat but they always fish from the bank back the middle where the boat is and they have success. but you cant have much success fishing from the bank. hopefuly my qustion makes sense.

What they don't show you on the fishing shows is that the guys spend hours on their boats searching for good fishing spots. Let's say the TV guys are fishing the back of coves that could be fished from shore. For every good cove they find, they might have fished 5 coves without fish. On a boat you can spend 10 minutes per cove and fish 6 coves in an hour. On foot, including walking time between coves this might take you an entire day.

In addition, any of those 6 coves might or might not hold fish on a given day depending on changing temperature, wind, water color, cloud cover, time of day, etc. So every different day you go fishing you might have to check all 6 coves to find where the fish are. Not too difficult with a boat - not easy on foot.

Further, on a boat it is easier to find the right angle to present your bait. Say you are in the back of one of these coves fishing a tree that has fallen into the water. From shore you might have to walk through weeds, mud, and who-knows-what-else just to get in position to make a couple of casts at one side of the fallen tree. That's assuming you don't spook any fish while trying to get in position. On a boat it's easy to get into position to cast where you think the fish might be. Occasionally you might spook fish in a boat just as you might on foot; however in a boat it's only a couple minutes to a different spot.

I grew-up fishing a river from shore. The river I fished had specific deeper holes that usually held fish but I had to walk an hour upstream or downstream to get to some of them. I would fish along the way and occasionally catch a random fish here or there. It was a great time. Twenty-five years later I fish the same river 3 or 4 times a year, but do it from a canoe and it's much easier.

Now my Dad has a house on a private lake where I do most of my fishing. I have access to his boat just about anytime, but I still fish from shore at times. If I just want to wet my line for 30 or 40 minutes I'll walk along shore a couple hundred yards in either direction from his house. I fish a lot of the same spots that I would fish from a boat. If I plan on spending an hour or more fishing, I load up the gear and motor around to cover more water.