What Kind of Boat
Choosing the right kind of boat for your fishing can be tough, especially if you do a lot of different kinds. If you fish both salt water and fresh water it's almost impossible to find a boat that will be suitable for both. If you compromise and get a boat that's good for a lot of different kinds of fishing you may not be happy with it for any of them.
Freshwater Boats
You must match the size of your boat with the size of the water you fish, for both safety and convenience. Since freshwater fishing ranges from tiny creeks and ponds to the Great Lakes, no one boat will be suitable for every water you might want to fish. You'd be surprised how many fishermen have at least two boats. A big bass boat will allow you to fish bigger bodies of water like rivers and lakes, and can even be used in the bays of the Great Lakes if you watch the weather. They're good for bass, crappie, walleye, pike, muskie, and other kinds of fishing. Because they're not suitable for ponds, small creeks, and shallow rivers, many bass boat owners also own a small jon boat (a small flat-bottomed boat) for fishing small waters.
If you live near a big body of water like one of the Great Lakes you need a boat suitable for fishing open water. Boats for the Great Lakes often are the same as saltwater boats and are similar in size since the same kinds of conditions are met on them. If you fish open water regularly, buying a big boat will be a good choice. If you go out only a few times a year it would be better to go on commercial boats or find other people with boats and offer to share expenses.
When trying to choose a boat, think about what you'll use it for most. It's often better to get a boat designed for most of your fishing and adapt it to fishing you do occasionally, rather than get a boat that is a compromise of several types of fishing and does nothing well.
Kinds of Freshwater Boats
Boats have been designed for many different kinds of fishing. Some are used for specific applications and aren't much good for anything else; others are very adaptable and can be used in a wide variety of types of fishing. Here are some kinds of boats used for fresh water, along with their good and bad points:
Bass boats: Small one-man bass boats less than ten feet long are good for small waters, and they're stable but are hard to carry very far. Bigger two-man bass boats must be trailered to fishing holes, but they're stable and take rough water fairly well. They're very comfortable to fish from and are easy to maneuver with an electric motor. They'll also get you where you're going in a hurry, but aren't suitable for the conditions you sometimes encounter in the Great Lakes.
Canoes: Canoes are good for getting into tight places and can be used for fishing in smaller rivers with rocks. They can be carried to waters inaccessible by road. But they're not very stable so it's very difficult to stand and fish from them.
Jon boats: Jon boats are stable and work well in smaller bodies of water that don't get very rough, because they don't handle big waves very well. They can be carried, but not as easily as a canoe.
Open-water cruisers: Big open-water cruisers are suitable for big lakes like the Great Lakes but are expensive to buy and maintain. Many are big enough to sleep on and can be used for more than fishing.
River drift boats: River drift boats are big and heavy and must be carried in by vehicle, but they handle big rivers well. They're also very stable fishing platforms.
V-hull fishing boats: V-hull fishing boats take waves better than flat-bottomed boats like bass and jon boats, but aren't as stable. They're good for fishing in waves and work well in rivers.
Saltwater Boats
Small freshwater boats can be used for inshore fishing where bays and rivers are protected from the ocean, but they can be dangerous. Bigger boats are usually needed for saltwater fishing and some have been developed for specific applications. Center-console boats are made for standing and steering and many are big enough to go well offshore.
If you want a boat to use mostly in salt water, make sure all fittings are stainless steel and it's designed for saltwater use. Salt water is tough on boats and you need one that has been designed to withstand the corrosive effects of it.
Cuddy-cabin boats give you the added benefit of a protected area to get out of the weather. Many in the twenty-five-to thirty-five-foot range are used for fishing near the coast, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. For offshore fishing on the Atlantic or Pacific you'll need a large boat designed for handling high seas and rough weather. These are a major investment and few novice fishermen start with them.
Saltwater boats are big enough that they usually are stored near the water, either in docks or boat houses on land. It's expensive to keep them even if you don't use them because docking and storing fees are not cheap. Unless you plan on doing a lot of saltwater fishing it is better to go on charters and party boats. You can go once a month on a party boat (a boat that takes out fishing parties) for less than the monthly storage fee in most cases.
