Fishing from a boat is better than fishing from the shore

Surface lures are best when the waters are calm and especially when fish are seen feeding near the surface. The usual pattern of surface fishing is to let the lure lie motionless for a second or two after it strikes the water, then move it toward the boat in a series of short twitches. Shallow-traveling lures should be retrieved at the speed which gives them the greatest amount of action. Deep-traveling divers must be reeled swiftly to get maximum depth, but sinking lures should be given a pause after they land to let them get down to the desired level and then should be retrieved slowly enough to maintain it.

Preferred Baitcasting Methods

The preferred casting method is the overhead cast but if you like to use a side swing and your partner (if you have one) doesn’t object, you may be sure it will make no difference to the fish. Distance is not essential in casting unless the fisherman is noisy. Short casts from a boat that moves quietly without splash of water or thump of oarlock are effective. Except under low and very clear water conditions, long casts are essential only for the noisy angler.

Accuracy in casting is important where there are submerged logs, lily pads, rocky ledges, overhanging trees and similar good fish-resting places. In the open waters, accuracy is unimportant and in many lakes where fishing is done over a bottom of more or less uniform depth and character, success is simply a matter of covering as much water as possible with a lure the fish will take. For this reason a lake with wide areas of water under twelve feet deep where plugs will be effective is a good one for a beginner to choose. For more bass fishing lures refer to BestBaitBass.com.

The choice of the lure is a major decision. It may be made by picking the one you like best to start with, then whenever fifteen minutes elapses without a strike, change to one of the remaining eleven until they’ve all been tried. If the strike comes on deep traveling lures, stick to that type; and if they come to lures near or on the surface, keep working that level. It’s a good idea to set up a particular speed or manner of retrieve for each lure so that as they are changed the speed and action of the retrieve is changed as well. This is a much better system than that of changing lures but maintaining the same speed and style of retrieve for all of them. Later on, when new lures are added to the list they can be retrieved according to the category in which they fall, whether slow and deep, fast and deep, slow on top, etc.

Fishing from a boat

Fishing from a boat is better than fishing from the shore, except on the smaller rivers. Fishing from a boat is easier when there is one to row and one to fish. Three in a boat is dangerous and not as productive of fish for each individual angler. A companion who will row quietly, slowly and endlessly without complaining or asking for a chance to fish is a bait caster’s dream. Fishing half the time and rowing the other half, the usual procedure, will still give each of two casters more fish and more fun than if they fished alone from either a boat or shore.

If using a rowboat, canoe or kayak, plan carefully when and where you will fish to avoid getting caught in open water during bad weather and to stay out of lake areas heavily trafficked by powerboats.

Under certain conditions, a lone fisherman in a boat can catch more fish than if he shared the oars and fishing time with a partner. When fishing the open water and there is a light wind blowing, a solitary angler can row or let an outboard take him upwind and then cast continually as he drifts across the likely water. In this way he can fish about ninety percent of the time instead of fifty. If he has a wide and stable boat and an outboard or trolling motor which will move it very slowly, he can cruise along at the right speed and maintain the proper casting distance from shore with only an occasional touch of the controls. A flick of the finger stops the motor or throws it into neutral when a fish is hooked.

Other options for the solitary angler are kayak fishing or use of inflatable boats.

Inflatable boats can be an inexpensive and practical fishing boat solution for the solo angler. Check out the information at the Inflatable Dinghy Center to stir some ideas for using this type of water craft.