Jon/ Fishing boats... Teach me.

Remember the plug!!

 

Pic of boat

 

Awesome. As others have said ... get out there and start making memories.

 

Damit still didnt work,file to large.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. Im excited to have some time with the boy out fishing.

Now im not a big fisherman my self. But he once to do, well do it. So what are some things i should grab first. We have poles and some tackle but not alot, so i know i will need some of that stuff. Any must haves for fishing i should keep on the boat?

 

I needs to be less than 1mb. Just select whatever size is below that.

 

It doesnt give that opition.

 

While this may sound like overkill, be responsible about it. You'll set a good example.

Anchor with line, oars (if the boat has oarlocks) or at least a paddle, throwable buoyancy cushions (make for decent seat pads), panic whistle or other sound signaling device, bailer (cut the bottom off a 1gal milk jug), first aid kit, sunblock, bug spray, flashlight, floating hi-vis waterproof container (with a lanyard) for your valuables, water, hard-mounted fire extinguisher (batteries burn), an international orange signal flag, space blankets, rain gear (disposable ponchos) and maybe something to hold over your heads in case of hail (serious umbrella?). Keep the emergency stuff in a secure, waterproof container - tie it to the boat with a secure but quick release (carabiner?).

I didn't think I needed to mention life jackets/vests, but as it has to do with those, they need to fit properly.

Going out on the water in a small boat, any boat for that matter, can end badly. Plan for when things go wrong. Teach your son how to use all the equipment, you may be the one needing to be saved...or you and your son may be saving someone else.

 

It’s always funny / not that funny when people forget the plug. Launch their boat, come back and it’s taken on a ton of water.

 

What kind of fishing? Bass?

 

A few weeks ago there was a kid that looked like he was just trying to take his GF out for a romantic evening in the boat as I was coming in. Had her all in as he was backing it down, looked smooth, smiling , drops her in the water, the GF is holding the boat to the dock. He pulls to park and she starts freaking out. It’s a small boat, 12’ so it’s pulling water quick. He’s sprinting back to see what’s going on. I felt so bad for the guy. I helped him get it pulled up on the ramp. That’s the not funny.


About 12 years ago, me and my buddy decided we needed a boat. So we went down to Academy and boat a 10’, no trailer, just threw it in the truck. About the third time out, we get it out, put it in the water and push it back so we can get in from the dock so we didn’t scratch the bottom. This worked, until we forgot the plug and it sank to the bottom at the dock. That was the last time we smoked before getting on the boat.

The new one has a remote plug.

 

Good fitting life jackets for everybody. I used to never wear one at all, or would sit on it as a seat cushion. I'd like to think I'd be able to swim/tread water/have time to put one on if I went overboard, but the reality of the situation is that if you do go overboard, it's most likely in a situation where you're not in control. Stories on the news every year about some guy drowning because he wasn't wearing a jacket. Only went out fishing in front of the cottage with the kids, etc. I spent about $100 and got a kayak/fishing jacket, has pockets for gear/snacks, lanyard for pliers, and line nippers. And most importantly, actually holds me up in the water.

The neoprene ones for kids are great. fit nice, and are comfortable to wear so they're not constantly whining about them. A bit slimmer too, so they can actually move/fish with them on.

Freddie was spot on with the other boat safety stuff.

If you can, stop by the boat launch on a busy Saturday and just watch for 30min to an hour. Don't mean to sound like a dick, but the rest of us have been doing this for years. There's a protocol to follow, and there's always some jackass gomer who shows up unprepared, has no clue what they're doing, hasn't started the boat in years, and blocks the ramp for 30 minutes, while he's still loading the boat with his gear, untying it, trying to get the motor to start, and generally needs to remove his head from his ass. Don't be that guy. Ask for help if you're not sure. It's pretty rare you'll find somebody who will brush you off and not offer a helping hand. It's not that hard, but you can make it a lot harder than it needs to be.

If you've got a lake nearby that host's bass tournaments, go there and watch those guys launch/pullout. It's like watching an endurance team pit stop. Same procedures apply to a bassboat as they do to a jonboat.

Broome length post, sorry about that.

 

Since we're on boat plugs, here's my tl/dr story...

I'm one of the 3 coxswains at our station, and we were more or less the rockstars of the place. I mean without us, the rescue boat isn't going out. So to put it mildly, I'm a cocky fucker.

Our station was a designated Coast Guard Recreation Station. We had 3 cottages on the grounds and each cottage came with a 19' boat, which were damn nice Boston Whalers. Well, they were damn nice 5 years before I got there. Between the constant use of the residents and our abuse when we were allowed to take them out, the damn things were falling apart. We would take them out in the ocean and try to sink them. So they were on their last legs.

As a shocker to us, the high command orders three brand new 20' Grady White walkaround cabin boats to replace the old Whalers. It was a shocker because all of our rescue boats were falling apart but damn if they didn't find money to get 3 rec boats.

Back on track...the three boats are trailed down from Miami and dropped off at our station. We do the minor prep on them and since we didn't have a ramp at our station, I had to use the public ramp down the road. Keep in mind that these are sweet offshore fishing boats. So me and another guy head to the ramp, we unload the boat and he heads back to the station with the trailer. All I've got is a walkie-talkie. From the public ramp to our station is about a mile. I'm cruising along acting all Billy Bad Ass in this sweet Grady White, and I'm thinking to myself, this is supposed to be some nice offshore boat with a brand new engine but it really doesn't seem to be moving along like it should. I mean I should be cruising about 30 knots in this bitch. On top of that, the handling is really sluggish. What a piece of shit this thing is...

then I look back at the transom and it looks dangerously close to the water. What the fuck is going on! And then it hits me...I forgot to put the boat plug in! So here I am, one of the Coast Guards rock star captains and I'm about to sink a brand new $20K (1982 money) boat in one of the busiest channels in Marathon. I discretely called my buddy on the walkie-talkie and told him to get in our small boat NOW and run me out a big ass pump pronto, or I'm going to be standing in front of the man. I dove overboard and jammed the plug in to keep it from getting worse and sat there for 30 minutes praying that the water didn't come up 2 more inches or this boat was going down. In a pure miracle, he got there in time, we pumped her out and the word never got out that I almost sunk a brand new boat.

Ever since that day I've tied the plug to the transom and draped it over the engine on every boat I've owned

 

I fished Guntersville last week and there was a guy that needed this advice. Him and his wife had the whole damn ramp blocked trying to unload their small pontoon. They basically jackknifed into the water. I’m sitting back there like WTF is going on. It reminded me of the Peter Griffin boat ramp episode of Family Guy.

Yea, don’t be that guy.

 

Reminds me of the time I was a cocky young teenager who was too cool to bail the water out of the boat (14ft alum with a 9.9). Got up on plane, yanked the plug and nonchalantly threw it to my buddy in the bow while running down river away from the cottage..... The water got sucked out, and when he tossed the plug back to me it bounced off my hands and right out the back lol. We made it back, but took on a lot of water by the time we got to the dock. Had a spare plug, so we were back on the water in a few minutes, but only after "I" bailed the water out while he fished from the dock.

Plugs were tied to the transoms after that......

 

There's something to be said for those old Whalers...

pictures upload


We did way worse than this to them and could not sink the bastards...

 

O damn, i may have got it to work.


Heres the ol poop deck...

 

Perfect

 

Uh o. Im on a roll here. Lol

 

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to have a good day on the water.

I’d stick with spinning tackle and go with swimbaits and worms.

Crankbaits are easy to throw but you can throw them all day and get nothing if you don’t know how to use them. Especially now that’s it’s summer. There is never at time of year that a bass will not eat a worm. Never.

Get some ZMan Zinkers and some Diesel Minnows. These are great baits and they can be used over and over again. For the Zinkers, I wacky and Neko rig them. I use VMC weedless Neko hooks for both as I’m not a fan of the small round wacky hooks. For the neko you’ll need some nail weights, just got to hardware store and buy some brass coated finishing nails to save a few bucks and have plenty. Cut the nail heads off and you have your weight. Different sizes will change you rate of fall. You just have to see what they like that particular day or hour in some cases. The brass coating will keep them from rusting while in the tackle box.

This setup catches fish and because it pretty weedless you’re not going to be worried as much about him getting hung up and constantly having to re-tie. Be ready as the bait falls. This is when you’ll get a majority of your bites. Toss it, let it fall. If you get nothing, pick it up and give it a couple jiggles and let it fall again. If nothing again. Reel in and move on to the next spot. Don’t spend a lot of time in one spot. If they don’t bite, sitting there for an extra 30 mins isn’t going to make them bite.

I use a 7’3” Cashion Elite Med/Heavy(I’d have to look at the model number, I can’t remember it, 9047 I think) with a Daiwa Tatula 2500 reel. This isn’t really expensive but it’s not cheap but it should give you an idea of what you’re looking for in a rod/reel and make a selection based on your budget. I use 10lb yellow braid with 6-10 lb fluorocarbon leader line depending on the water and where I’m fishing. Tie an Alberto knot to join the two lines and what ever knot you’re comfortable with to tie the hook. I use a Palomar. Check your knot after each catch, nothing worse then breaking off because you didn’t re tie.

Where are you fishing at? It’s hot down here and every lake is different.