Small Boat Fishing

[Rseas]

I've been lurking here in the Outdoorline forums for some time now and decided to join. I enjoy the open sharing of information and mostly friendly banter.

I've been thinking that a "Small Boat" thread would provide a valuable resource for those of us that for whatever reason operate smaller boats. To date much of the information offered through the Outdoorline forums seems to be from the big boys.

A "Small Boat" thread could target fishing technique/locations, boat rigging/set-up, safety, camping, maintance and trailering related information for folks running smaller boats.

I run a well equiped 16' Lund and weather permitting will take it just about anywhere. But here on the Outdoorline forums I sometimes feel left out. I know that as a small boat operator here in the PNW there are many adventures available, just not discussed here on the site.

[Nelly]

Welcome aboard R!
You'll have to forgive my big boat slant. I've been bitten pretty hard by two-foot itis but I believe my new Weldcraft is my "cure".
Your point is extremely well taken as there is a tremendous amount of small boat opportunity year-round! In fact, some of my earliest, fondest memories of fishing & hunting with my dad involved a couple of car-topper boats that we used to run around in.

Car-toppers... remember those??? Before boat trailers were widely available? Wow. that officially makes me an "old fart" doesn't it...

[Robbo]

Thanks for joining RSeas

You're actually not alone here on the Outdoor Line forums. Nascarrich catches his share of the salmon quota out of a small boat and Brandon just upgraded to a larger boat from his 18' Olympic last year.

Where do you spend most of your time fishing RSeas?

[Dan Carney]

RSeas,
Welcome to the board. I also fish out of a smaller boat. I have a 16' Tracker Pro-Guide V16. It is their multi-species boat made for big water. I haven't posted much here lately, but have found all the discussions relevant and informative. I learned why my boat handles big water as well as it does, due to a 20 degree dead rise at the transom, and a reverse chine hull. When I got my new Lowrance, Nelly and Robbo were both very helpful answering my questions and got me up to speed quickly. I've also picked up a lot on crabbing and shrimping here.
I fish many different venues in my boat: the Snake River for Chinook, Steelhead, and Smallmouth Bass; the lower Columbia for Springers; the lower Skagit River for Humpies, Coho, and hopefully this summer Sockeye; Baker Lake Sockeye and Kokanee; Lake Cavanaugh for Cuts and Kokanee; plus I fish marine areas 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2, and 9 for Salmon, Lingcod, Halibut, crab and shrimp. (did I miss anything).

Here are a couple of pictures...

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this is coming in the north entrance to the Swinnomish Channel, sometimes this is the roughest part of my day.

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this is trolling for Blackmouth at Lopez Flats

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and Baker Lake Sockeye

[Rseas]

Robbo thank you, living in Skagit County we have many local options, both fresh and salt to put a bend in our rods. We are fortunate in that we also get to explore many of the other fishing opportunities available throughout the PNW. My thought was more to help the small boater with information specifically targeted at the unique needs of the small boater. Things like DR mounting, FF installation, small boat seamanship, big boat fishing locations safe for the small boat crowd and just a general inclusion of the small boater in the happenings on both the website and on the show.

Don't get me wrong, I love the show and the sharing of information here in the Outdoor Line forum. Both keep me fired up and ready to fish, I just thought that the small boat boater may benefit from a little extra attention.

Nelly, I love Great White and your sharing of the build process. It is a beautiful boat and your set up is well thought out. You and guests will enjoy the hunt in comfort. I fully understand the 2-footites thing. Although I grew up here in the PNW and am back here now, I spent 20+ years in SoCal where I was out fishing 3 or 4 days a week. Over the years I graduated from a 17' center-console to a 27' FB fully rigged for offshore fishing. I also had kayaks and a lake boat so nothing was off limits and we were able to enjoy the multi-species fishery available in California and Baja. Again, love the show and I look forward to participating in the forum.

[Eddy C]

I've managed to catch a couple out of a small boat

[Robbo]

When we have saltwater guests on the show I'll generally ask a question specific to the small boater. For instance, we had Gary Krein from All Star Charters on the show last weekend to talk about the Area 9 opener and I specifically asked him about places where someone with a small boat could get in on the action...i.e. Point No Point.

Sometimes it gets lost in the blur of the show, but we'll generally make an honest effort to get some info into each show for the small boat crowd or the bank angler. After all, the majority of the boats in Washington are under 18' long

Talk to Kevin John at Holiday Sports about catching kokanee at Lake Samish in the spring. That's a sleeper in your neck of the woods

[Rseas]

Thanks guys, I will admit that when I do have an opportunity listen to the show I'm usually doing other things as well or fishing somewhere so I may miss some of the show content. Lake Samish is an excellent option for a year round kokanee fishery and also offers consistent cutthroat and warm water species action. When fishing Lake Samish be sure to bone up on the latest AIS regulations and assure that your boat is compliant before launching. As an FYI; the recently renovated WDFW access area/ramp are beautiful!

[msk206]

Looking for some guidance. I have been in the market for a "small boat" 18-20 foot. I will be using the boat for fishing in both the sound and lakes. I would also like to do some water skiing with the kids. I am looking at the Weldcraft, Thunder Jet, Hewscraft, Duckworth type of boat. Questions I am having. Is the 10 degree deadrise that most of these boats lower end fishing models going to be sufficient for decent weather days in the sound? Does the off shore bracket make a big difference in handing for this size of boat? Is reverse chine a big deal with this size boat as most do not have it? It does not seem that there are too many major differences between the boat brands, but there are many small differences to consider. I have been to the boat show and talked to all the players and have their opinions. Now I am looking for some help from people that own these size of boats especially someone that made the decision between the the models with and without the off shore brackets
Thank you for your feedback.
Matt

[Nelly]

Hey '6,
Yes reverse chime is that important and it could be argued that with smaller, lighter boats, it may make a bigger difference in the ride.
A 10-degree deadrise is for all intents and purposes a flat bottom that would accommodate a jet pump.
If you have any time over the next three days of the Seattle Boat Show, just PM me and I will leave a complimentary ticket for you at Will Call.
I'll be in the Master Marine Booth when I'm not giving seminars and would enjoy the opportunity to walk you around the floor and address your boat needs.
Good luck, T