Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond mgrs. with bass boats

How many of you pond managers have a bass boat that you use on public lakes? Do you find that you get enough use out of the bass boat to legitimately rationlize owning it? Please explain your lifestyle if responding (ie: married, working, retired, kids, etc.)

The reason I ask is because I'd love to have a bass boat to take out on larger waters, but I don't know how often I'd use it. Assuming my pond was currently stocked with catchable sized fish, is it logical to think I'd be fishing both my pond and local lakes? I don't live at the property with the pond. It's 80 miles from home.

If I go out on the boat 10 times a year it would be worth it to me. Any of you pond managers have some words of wisdom here? I don't want to make such a larger purchase ($8,000-$10,000) and then find out it's going to sit unused year-round.

I have a 2 year old daughter and a second child is in our plans for the near future. I could take the 2 year old out on the boat, but I doubt I'd be able to do any serious bass fishing with a 2 year old. It would be great fun though!

I finally sold my bass boat after a year of non-use. I got tired of kids on jet-skis interrupting my fishing on public waters. I find the time on my private pond much more relaxing and quiet. And my catch rates are better...

My 2 cents worth.....

Frank

jimmy w, I have owned 3 boats, bass and center consoles, and worn out five outboard motors the last 25 years.

I also sold my boat this year because of non-use, due to having at my disposal, well stocked and managed ponds.

I wouldn’t trade anything for the experiences of fishing from our boats with my sons, and watching my grandkids catch their first fish on major reservoirs in my area, but public lakes have become more crowded and boating equipment more expensive.

If at the time, I had the well-stocked and well managed ponds that we now have, I seriously doubt that I would have been runnin' and gunnin’ lakes in high powered bass boats.

George Glazener
N.E. Texas ¼ acre and 2 acre ponds

jimmy wheels,

I've had center console boats and an offshore boat over the years, but the progression of overcrowding, overly aggressive fishing, and growing non-fishing users of public waters has led me to private ponds and using guides for fishing trips in remote locations.

I'm sure you've heard it before..."the happiest day of my life was the day I bought a boat and the happiest day of my life was when I sold it."

Same problems here in Indiana as some of you may have noticed I've griped about on this site from time to time.

I had a great solution for the problem back when I was an outdoor writer. Idle speed in morning and evening so an average guy fish could have a level playing field. Went over like a lead ballon. No one in postion that could have made this happen wanted to touch it with a ten foot pole. Job security I guess.

I have a 20 ft. Ranger with a 200 HP motor. It hasn't been cranked in 4 years. It's not just the pond. Other things on the land keep me tied up. Every year I say it's gonna be different but never has.

j.w., my daughter is about 16 months old. I've wondered about when I would take her out on my pondmaster boat at my pond.

If I did take her out, I don't think I could pay attention to much else besides her at this young age for fear of her falling out (life preserver assumed). I'm curious as to what other fathers (or mothers) have done as far as the age at which they've taken their youngsters out on the water.

Having said that, now that my daughter is here, I don't get to go to my pond nearly as much; I live about 55 miles from my pond. My wife and I are working on a second child also.

So a question is: how much free time do you have in total to split between your daughter, pond, fishing other bodies of water, and whatever other things you like to do? For me, I might get one day a weekend at best, and on those days I want to get to the pond/property.

I used to fish other public waters on a regular basis, mostly from the shore and sometimes on friend's boats.

After I got my pond, I mostly lost interest in fishing other waters save a yearly trip or two to Erie, PA for steelhead.

I should add that I never owned a boat prior to owning my pond, and the pond boat is only good for a small body of water.

I have been taking both of my kids in my boat since they were infants. they are 7 and 10 now and love going fishing in the boat, much more than any of my ponds. They know more about boating safety and have more respect for the dangers of boating than most adults.

My wife and I put in 6 heavy duty years of hard-core boating in the late'80 - early '90's in the midwest with trailer-able overniter models. We went thru 3 diff boat upgrades (foot-itus) ultimately winding up on Illinois' best kept secret...Lake Shelbyville (ooops) permanently stabled on a small houseboat. We have no kids, but I can attest to alot of other families who did and the boating experience for kids is huge...let alone the adults. I cannot offer advice regarding the bass boat experience, altho I saw a gazillion of 'em out there. I got out of boating with about 1/2 my shirt and still don't regret one moment; it is a special bond with nature. What advice I can offer is to consider the value of a craft that is friendly to family entertainment beyond fishing. For me, if my wallet has anymore room at the end of the day, I see a smaller pontoon with a roof and cushy seats in a pond.

6 words for kids and ponds/boats:

Swimming lessons, swimming lessons, swimming lessons!

There is no better combination than kids and boats. I don't know if a bass boat is the best type of boat for small kids, but it sure beats no boat at all.

Swimming lessons? My kids learned by the sink-or-swim method, and neither they nor I can really remember a time when they couldn't keep their heads above water. I used to get a big kick out of the reaction of people at public pools. The kids could hardly walk up to the pool and jump in. I'd just sit back and laugh.

I have an older 16ft ft bass boat with a 60 hp motor that I primarily use out at our pond. It works great for putting chemicals down to treat the weeds, the livewells work great for as a holding tank for when the LMB need to be thinned down. We also have a family tradition of using my boat for tubing or water skiing on the 4th of July. We try not to do too much of that as the wave action is somewhat hard on the shoreline and the water clarity. My bass boat does get way more use out at our pond than it does on public bodies of water though.

I bought a bass boat back in the early 70's. My son was about 12 at the time and I let him help pick out the color,etc. We had some great times as I let him run the boat most of the time and use the troll motor. We still have it although it has been in the barn, unused, for several years. Think about getting it out every now and again but some how never do. We have the pond and the flat bottom boat with a troll motor that we use there. My son and grand son and I love to go there and enjoy the whole experience of being there. Wouldn't trade for those memories though of those days with my son out on the lake. I know times are some different now. We can hire a guide to take us fishing on the public lakes or in the gulf now when we can get away to do that for less than I could buy a new boat and have the storage and other maintenance.

Excellent input from everyone! I'm glad I posted the thread here on Pond Boss. You ALL are very helpuful indeed.

My logical voice was telling me that buying a boat right now with a 2 year old daughter, a second child in the plans and a piece of property that needs continuous care wouldn't be the smartest decision I ever made. However, there was that part of me (the fun side) that thought even a little time on the boat would be worth it. It was a tough choice because I know how much fun I had on a boat when I was a kid. But, I also know how much fun I had at my grandparents farm. We always had a blast there and the pond wasn't even stocked. I can't begin to imagine how adding some fish to the scenario would have boosted our experience.

I think I'll hold off on a large boat for now. I may consider getting something very small with a trolling motor to use at my property.

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Jimmy, I too have had dreams of owning a bass boat but other things have taken priority. This summer I noticed Gander Mountain has boats for rent here in Ohio. I decided just to rent one as needed and then decide whether it was worth it to buy. The rental was less than a monthly payment if I only used it once or twice a month and I wouldn't have to store and maintain it. Not as convienient as having one sitting in the driveway loaded with gear but better than having it setting in the driveway not being used and easier to convince the wife of a $200 rental than a $20,000 purchase.

I live next to my pond & have 2 canoes, 2 V-bottoms,and a pedal boat. My family/friends have used them all on the pond.Great fun. But my thrill is catching smallmouth bass,so my deep V walk thru alum boat leaves tonight for the smallie home of lunkers,Dale Hollow,Tn.tonight. Couldn't safely use any of the other boats,so I guess I have to keep the biggest just for my few trips a year. Anyone interested in a good alum. boat? BTW,a flat bottom is very stable in a pond and can hold more kids safely than my other boats.I take up to 8 kids out{in life jackets} and we use the trolling mtr. to glide into alligator cove ,snake creek,etc.

I have two boats. One is a large ski boat and the other is a fifteen year old bass tracker aluminum boat that I can launch into my pond. I use the bass tracker ten times more than the expensive boat because it fits on my pond. Buy a used boat not a new one.