Boat Thoughts

[catchinon]

They take it home and start drilling holes in it [laugh].

That made me laugh because it is so true. And about that BOAT acronym: I bought a boat that I thought had everything I needed or wanted on it, but I was wrong. Guess how much it would cost to do/add the other things. Does 1k ring a bell?
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[gmwahl]

Jeff, the most important things to worry about when fishing Bear Lake or really ANY big water is three things in my opinion....

#1- skills and knowhow for the type of water you fish.
#2- a reliable engine (and hopefully a kicker motor).
#3- decent freeboard on the boat.

I go out on a lot of boats in distress here at Bear Lake and numbers 1 and 2 are the biggest contributors to people having a bad day. The boat length and beam have been irrelevant so far in my experience (and I go out on a lot of rescues).
I've seen you boating up here during various spawns and have watched how you handle your boat and I can safely say that you have the system down pretty good. You know your limits and that is the most important thing. Your understanding of when it is safe and when it is not is spot on. You seem to keep close to shore and close to put in/take out points and THAT is what matters.

Bear Lake can be unforgiving, but it is also pretty easy to boat on it safely. I hear all the time from guys that "if I just had a bigger boat" or "with a boat like that I could be out in any weather".....nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to fishing this lake.

While it is true that certain boats handle the waves and wind better, we need to remember that FISHING is meant to be a pleasant past time and when it's windy and the waves are rolling in here, that there is NO BOAT MADE that is going to lessen the effect of the waves on our fishing. Dryer and somewhat safer...yes, but trust me, when the waves are up and Bear Lake is it sucks in every sized boat and every configuration I've fished out of so far. The biggest advantage of certain sized and configured boats such as our fire boat or the state park boats is that when we are miles out into the lake then we can somewhat safely get back to port during a squall, but no matter the boat, I would never be that far from shore when fishing....the best fishing is just a mile or less from any launch on the lake and usually within a half mile. The bigger boats generally have an advantage to be able to launch at the marina and go anywhere from there instead of towing to a closer ramp, but that is about it and when it's rough it totally sucks to have to run back to the marina from Cisco beach! Much better to launch at Cisco.

I think you've seen me fishing in a 16' smokercraft aluminum boat during the whitefish spawn and I feel completely comfortable in it on Bear Lake, but rarely would I venture more than a two or three minute ride from the shore in it on this lake and if it is too rough for the 16' aluminum boat then it's also too rough for the 28' Boston Whaler that we also fish out of because it is just not fun anymore when conditions are like that.

I guess the bottom line with my long winded post is if you aren't in a position to buy a new to you boat right now so that you can enjoy more time on big blue, then don't sweat it because the boat you have will work just fine here until you are ready and able to get your dream boat and in the mean time, you have about the perfect rig for your home water!

Looking forward to seeing you over here enjoying some fishing and right now it has been pretty good!

Mike
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[dubob]

[#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]EXCELLENT post Mike. And oh so true. I fished my last boat (Tracker Targa DeepV16) for 11 years in all kinds of weather, good and bad. I ALWAYS watched the weather conditions and got the heck off the water at the first hint of less than ideal conditions. My new boat is a 20.5 ft ThunderJet and it is way more sea worthy than my last boat.[/size][/font][/#800000]
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[#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]However, comma, I still ALWAYS [/size][/font][/#800000][#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]watch the weather conditions and get the heck off the water at the first hint of less than ideal conditions. When the wave caps turn white, I stop fishing and head for the marina. To do otherwise is both foolish and very possibly dangerous depending on your boat AND your boating skills.[/size][/font][/#800000][/size][/font][/#800000]
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[#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][#000000]Kent,[/#000000] (Should have said Jeff - my bad) I do have a bigger and better boat than before with better electronics and equipment. But I can't say positively that it has made me a better fisherman overall or that I catch more fish. But I do have more room and I'm more comfortable in the new ride. So I would say you don't need to be in any hurry to upgrade, but when the time and money are aligned perfectly - GO FOR IT WITH GUSTO![/size][/font][/#800000][/size][/font][/#800000]
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[RonPaulFan]

[quote SkunkedAgain]... wonder why he didn't mark it sold...[/quote]

That happened to me when I was looking to buy a car. The seller is not selling a very good deal and when I presented the money to buy he said it was already sold yet kept the advertisement going and continued to take calls on it.

How is that a scam? He wasn't really selling a car. He was selling lists of contact information of people in the market to buy a car and didn't care how much time he wasted of hopeful car buyers with some even going to their banks to get loan approvals only to find it "sold" before they could buy it yet continuing to be advertised.
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[Bduck]

I agree with gmwahl, as a former Calif resident I use to set crab pots about 3-4mi out launching out of Bodega Bay on the Pacific Blue. Between ground swells & wind will give an eye opening moment and my boat was a 19' Glaspar with I/O. These are truly learning experiences on how to handle such situations and doesn't make it any less dangerous. I've seen the Coast Guard on many rescue missions where some folks were lucky to be alive and others were statistics. Most of whom swamped their small boats getting caught in ground swell breakers, small 12' aluminum boats don't belong in this situation. I treat all bodies of water large & small the same. Each has its own unique "stormy waters", dangers persist anywhere at anytime. Bear Lake has a way to show you rolling swells with or without the wind. My luck has it I always get caught across the lake at Cisco area launching from Garden City having to maneuver my way back across. Its up to us how we can take a dangerous situation maintain thought to make it safe. I also know of an individual who has a low profile bass boat. He was trying to get his boat trailered when it got swamped from windy breakers coming in the rear of the boat. He had a fight on his hands but managed to get it trailered. Having a larger boat has its advantage.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Mike I know you have seen the results of what you’re talking about more than probably anyone else on the forum. It’s dang serious stuff when the wind gets blowing on a big body of water. I learned about wind and waves in a 14’ aluminum boat with a 20 hp merc and it was the best teaching machine ever, it was quick and nimble so you could keep the nose into the wind easy. My current boat is not so easy and responsive I sometimes wish it was, but I do like the extra freeboard it has and I need it at times when other boats through you a rogue wave at the backend of the boat. I think I’m losing confidence in my motor and that’s probably the reason why I’m looking a little. Maybe I should be looking for a motor instead of a boat. There would be a lot less changes needed that way.

Nice to hear the lake is picking up. I was up in Island Park for a couple days and we had a blast on Henry’s. We got 15 fish from 18-22” and I lost the big one again. I had a really big one on and didn’t have the drag loose enough and it snapped my line. Getting too used to horsing cats and these high octane trout don’t give you time to catch up to them they just leave fast. Those fish are so pretty out of Henry’s I just love the fall fishing up there. Had fun on Island Park with the bows too, but they are 14-18” and seem a lot smaller than the Henry fish. But it was fun too.

Anyway I really appreciate your comments Mike and I do agree with you the fishing in waves isn’t much fun so why take the risk. Thinking now I don’t think I want a bigger and harder boat to handle for loading at Cisco in the waves, maybe I’ll work on a better motor. Thanks Jeff
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[SkunkedAgain]

Guess someone may always have an angle or just forget like I sometimes do. It did get deleted shortly after our comments and it’s probably a good thing I didn’t buy it, I think Mike and everyone has sort of helped me think deeper into what I actually need more than what I think I want. However I seen some really nice Lund’s at the marina at Henry’s and I’ve got to admit as I was getting soaked I was a little jealous of those nice cabins on those boats. (But we did catch more fish than they did). Anyway thanks. Later Jeff
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Bob there’s no doubt your boat would have been a ton more comfortable on this last trip. I’m just glad I have nice rain gear. It was a soaker all day Friday and most of Saturday. Except for when it was snowing. Those Tetons looked like winter when the clouds raised on the way home today. Thanks for the thoughts. Jeff
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[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Mike I was just rereading the boat post and I can’t see my reply to your comment, don’t know what happened to it, but in case it never got posted I wanted to thank you for your insight it is muchly appreciated. I’ve since been trying to figure out a more reliable motor or how to get mine back to a point where I’d have confidence in it again. I took it into the shop a couple years ago and spent a lot of money and I don’t think it runs any better so I’m hesitant to take it in to be worked on, but I know it needs something. Maybe a fuel pump or something so it doesn’t cutout at high speeds. Then if it would fire up easier, seems like I have to crank like crazy to start it the first time each trip. After it will run fine but that first start is rough. Anyway I just wanted to say thanks. Jeff
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