Any one use a pontoon boat for whites/stripers? Pros and cons please, capt david

PROS: Much more comfortable! CONS: Takes a little longer to get to different spots. Actually that is a PRO as you have time for a cool one!

I think they are great when they have a TM!
would probably be pretty comfortable to fish out of.

They do seem pretty slow.

We have 2 folks on Cedar Creek that successfully fish with a barge, the rest of them just screw things up for the rest of us.

I don't think Tawakoni has any good ones.

We fish for whites out of our pontoon on Lake Lewisville. It's diffcult to chase after them without a trolling motor (I don't have one). But if you're a patient fisherman, then they usually will circle an area for a while and there's no need to chase. I try to keep an eye on the direction they are moving and try to move ahead of where they are going, so that I can fish a school for a longer time. Catch them coming in, while they are around the boat, and going out. This theory goes out the window if you get caught in the boat show. With all the room on the boat, it's easy to fish in all direction with multiple people on the boat. Hope this helps.

Well Fast said what I wanted to say.

I have been fishing out of a 20 ft Beachcomber pontoon with a 90 hs Mercury 2 stroke for about 6 years now. There are like you ask Pros/Cons on it.When your in a pontoon fishing everyone around you thinks your an idiot and you dont know what your doing,cause your in pontoon. If I could tell you the looks that I have had on the water... Reason is most in pontoons have no cooth with how they fish around others. If your gonna get a pontoon for this type of fishing, how are you gonna fish, lures, live bait. If live bait, plenty of room for rod holders all around, you just have to watch how your seating is gonna work out to position folks to fish. Lures, are you gonna troll, if so rod holders, get an outboard that is gonna allow you to slow troll the way you want effectively. I have trolled a couple times out of my boat, and I have fished with live bait a couple times. Usually I fish with slabs,topwaters, plastics. The setup of your boat really dictates how you can fish with folks with lures, plus depending on the quality of their skills plays a roll. I say this just cause it depends on the numbers of folks your trying to fish. I have a 20 ft and I have fished with up to 5 slabbing, but 4 works well. If your doing lures, get a trolling motor. I think mine is around 74 thrust with the foot pedal that I can control from the back of the boat while other fish from the front. It works well for me with the folks I fish with. I see many pontoons with smaller out boards that are priced good, I would dodge them. You want at least 90hs, redoing it now I would get a 4 stroke. When you fish several folks and cover some water fuel is pretty costly with the 2 stroke. If you lure fish and if the wind is up and you are throwing plastics the boat can drift a little funky, it catches so much wind. It will push you in way that you think I shouldnt drift that way. So working banks can be a challenge at times. Drifting flats slabbing when the fish are on and you have 4 folks fishing and all is going well. But when the water is cooler and the fish slow down when you lure fish out of a pontoon, if the wind is pushing you fast because of the way it sits high in the water, you almost certainly will need a drift sock, get a big one. I will be honest, I dont think there is a better boat in walking around, you can walk around it easily, my balance is a little off, I love center consoles but just manuevering around I have to watch myself. Rough water, I fish lakes locally up to almost 30 mph but there are some wind breaks that allow this to work. Texoma if it gets over 20 watch where your at. You cant fly over those rollers there, you will have a wall of water if you hit one head on. I have had some great memories on my pontoon with my family, it allowed us to play out there,but if your wanting to be hardcore fishing, you might look elsewhere or you will regret having chosen one. Its the perfect boat to have as a backup fishing boat for the times when the conditions are ideal. Another Con, pulling them lots of drag when you go on trips, that pontoon is like a parachute. I really like to use my grandfathers 3/4ton diesel when pulling it on a trip that is a few hours away. Call or email me if you want better answers to specifics, bryonnolan@yahoo.com 580-318-1391. I have fished many lakes and many different conditions, I will say though that I never really felt unsafe in it, Last Con, loading one in a 20mph cross wind can be hairy till you have done it a few times. Good luck with your choice. Sorry I jumped around a lot I type like I talk, all over the place.

A man in a canoe could scare fish if he doesn't know what he is doing. But just such, any man can fish friendly from anything if he is respectful to others.
Bottomline, our world lacks respect for others these days. On every aspect.
We just need to all smile, give way, and catch fish.
Soooooo tired of everyday lee matches.
Good luck guys and good fishing.

I meant pee matches....darn phone.

You spoke it true. I personally just think there's a lot of people that we fish with just don't have a clue. I don't think they mean any harm, but it comes across as idiocy!

I've fished my whole life but I do have to say, once I got a boat there is a super fast learning curve that has to be achieved. Alot of it was learned right here on TFF!

Pontoon or not, we all just need to help and give helpful info.

I read your post in Boats and Motors, for the type of fishing you are talking about a pontoon would be ok, and you will probably get along fine with it. I see too many inexperienced folks fishing from a barge, they frequently manage to screw it up for others. Since you have been fishing from a center console I would suspect that you are courteous like the rest of us.

I've really enjoyed mine so far. Hard to get in the water right now, but hey, part of it with most boats right now.
I have a 22', 125 mercury that pushes about 31-34 gps. it's gets around just fine and the 125 isn't bad on fuel either. Fishing with the family has never been easier. Wife, 2 yr old son, grandparents all aboard.
Comfortable seating, plenty of dry storage, live well, bait well, pedastal fishing seats front/rear, bimimi top (lots of shade), rod storage/holders back/side/front, sonar/gps...only thing I'm missing at this point is the TM and I'm working to get it, just need the right one.

The respect you have for others fishing on the water goes along way.

FAST--I'm not in the Xpress CC any longer, but I can't get on Cedar Creek either, haha.

I had one for three years and it fished well. The problem is, you need a buddy to go with you to help pull in the fish and get the boat in and out. You need a extended handle on your net to get to the water. Make sure you plan ahead on which area of the lake you will fish because it takes forever to get there. Towing is not fun. Get the largest TM you can afford and then borrow money to get a larger one. Get two drift socks and spend the time to learn how to use them effectively. Pontoons are great for catfishing in the winter! The cold ones taste better in a pontoon and the spillage is minimal. Do not, I repeat, buy one because your wife likes them....spoken from experience.

I had one for about a year. I got rid of it as soon as i could. It was great for the family but the one or two times a year they all went it didnt pay off for me. I could not stay up with schooling fish with the 90lb tm i had and by the time it took to get to a school i was usly late. Hard to control in big waves. As you can tell i didnt like it for fishing for sandbass but drifting for cats it would have been ok on a calm day. I still can take the family out in my center console.

I agree with everyone that posted here. You can't beat the comfort zone but you can't do much fishing by yourself. It normally takes two to handle it in 15+mph winds and loading back on a trailer can often get you wet when you have to get out in the water and line it up. Had a 32'Kayot for ten years but you can't count a houseboat (never trailered it...slip parking)but wind ALWAYS MOVED that sucker but I loved keeping coolers in the refrig. 22" Bass Tracker was still a two man trip. Traded mine in for a 22' Aluminum Flatbottom Lowes 2220(holds 8 and fishes 5 easy), but I prefer fishing alone with my dog. She never helps trailer it but I never have problems doing that now; I just wish she could back the trailer up to the ramp.

Great for family outings but a poor choice for serious striper fishing. Too slow, poor maneuverability, and way too noisy for shy stripers.

Had one for about 6 months in between center consoles...never felt so relived as to sell that pontoon.

Theres a 22ft lowes on craigslist Dallas Thurs a steal at $4000

Trust me, I hate idiots! You think its bad on the lakes, imagine what's it like to have someone drive over a school of redfish in two feet of water. Why do they all wave and give you a ___eating grin? capt david

I am a hardcore fisherman lived in 6 different states fished for everything from muskie to trout.Fish hubbard alot 15 minutes away.Iloved my ranger but comfort can not be beat i fish anywhere a bass boat can just not as fast.Fished today15mph winds no problem launch load no problem rode like a caddy

I HAVE 2 PONTOON BOTH FROM BPS I PREFER TO ALONE NO PROBLEM AT ALL

I would definitely try to fish out of one before I bought it and that goes for any type of boat. I fished out of a bass boat my entire life and when I started fishing open water for Hybrids and Sandbass and primarily quit bass fishing I realized a different boat made it easier, mostly because of the Texas weather. I loved my bass boat and still wish she was in the driveway because different conditions she was a lot of fun to fish out of.
In open water the wind predicts where you can fish and that limits you or at least makes it a lot harder to fish out of a bass boat.
I agree with David do not buy a boat because you think your family are going to go with you a lot...... not gonna happen. If you are going to be chasing sandbass you need a boat that has some power and a good trolling motor because you will be moving a lot. I would think about that with any boat purchase.

Good luck with what ever you purchase, no matter what anyone on here says, FISHING IS ALWAYS FUN.

Lots of room but windage can be a problem when fishing. Get a strong trolling motor. Can be a bit hard to tow long distances, if that is a concern for you.

Not all pontoons are slow.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtbX_RZ3IXI

I have a Bennington 22' Tri-toon with a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke. The boat also has lifting strakes and it really moves, for a pontoon. I have clocked it on my GPS at 38 MPH which is plenty fast for me and gets me where ever I need to be. I need to be able to move around a bit and this is a comfortable platform to allow walking about. Only problem I have now is it is sitting in my boathouse with no water underneath it. Pray for rain!

Stu

One thing I have seen over at Proctor a couple of times is Pontoon boats trolling backward. Keeps the fish away from the motor etc. Looks like it works pretty good.

Can a Toon handle rough water going fast? Just asking!

when it comes to fishing there is idiots in all makes and models of boats it is not the boat it is the operator

Check out that video in my earlier post.

There is a question that goes to your question. Are you wanting a pontoon so you can do some fishing AND take the family out on the water? I ask because when someone buys a boat they are usually thinking about how that boat will accomodate the entire family. This is tough because if you have a better half, her choice may influence your buying decision. Here is my take if this is the case. Ask yourself how many times you will fish in a given year and then ask yourself how mnay times you will take the family out with you. If it is split closely down the middle, then perhaps the pontoon would be a better choice. But, if you want to do in depth fishing and be able to get to the fish no matter the conditions and you may take the family out 20% of the overall trips, you should probably look for a big center console. Of course money comes into play here, so the before mentioned may not be an option, depending on your budget. Center consoles are very versatile and in my opinion much better suited to fish for striper/hibbies/sandbass than pontoons. My wife loves to be on the water but if it is too hot or too cold she doesn't want to go and since I fish all year long she may go out with me about 4-5 times a year. Since i fish anywhere from 30-40 times a year, it made more sense to buy a boat that allowed me to fish how i wanted. Another thing to keep in mind is that wind will push a pontoon much faster than a CC or bass boat because of it's design. If you don't have a trolling motor that is big enough to hold your spot, it will become frustrating. I do see pontoons on the water and for the most part they are out to do the same thing I am and that is to catch fish. Basically, if you want to hardcore fish you should probably get a CC, but if you want to just enjoy a beautiful day on the water and catching fish is secondary, than it doesn't matter. Good luck to you and I hope you find the boat that you want!!

Amen!! Like the time a 40' cruiser trolled through a group of boats while fish were surfacing. When everyone looked at this guy and yelled out what are you doing, he threw up his hands and yelled back "What?" It was so ridiculous all you could do is laugh. Or the CC on texoma who trolled throw a group of boats that were catching surfacing fish....in 6' of water! And then there was this time at band camp........

Have a toon we keep in a slip at Texoma, best thing I have ever bought, love my bass boat but the toon is just more fun for striper, sand bass, crappie fishing.
Put a trolling motor on it made it better as well.
Winter and hot summer it is great to troll out of as well.
Tie up under a bridge and fish/sleep all night is a lot of fun.

Lots of room, handles rough water great, runs 30-35 on the GPS, and if the family wants to come they enjoy it as well.

During the hot times of the year you cant beat the top either.

Get you a toon with a center console like I have! Oh yes
you will need a trolling motor, if you are going to fish.

Thanks for the replies. I am still about a year away from buying a boat. I am at the 50-50 spot. I will probably move to Lake LBJ. I had almost decided that I would move to canyon, but have changed my mind. Housing in my price range, constant water level, lots of boat ramps/dockage, and fishing piers make it more desirable. Although it dosen't have lots of stripers, it dose have good whites along with cats and crappie. It's also close to Buchanon and inks, which are full of stripers and hybrids. That will be about as far as I will trailer one. I will be retired, so if its too windy, I won't go. My main fishing will be for stripers/hybrids/whites, but I'll fish for cats and crappie, if they are not biting.
I will not buy a boat, pontoon or other that doesn't have a center console. It will be 18-20' long. I will by a powerful enough trolling mptor and two electric downriggers.
I am pretty good using a drag stock, and fighting the wind. I do live in port isabel. The stability of a pontoon appeals to me. I am not one that has ever been a person that has to get there as fast as possible, so a max engine is not important to me. If I get a 18-20' CC, a 115hp would be my choice, in a pontoon I'd probably go with a 70hp or so. These are my thoughts for now. capt david

I have a 21 foot Avalon Pontoon with a 75 Hp 4 stroke honda and a trolling motor....well did have, my TM quit on me!!!!
That being said, I fish for everything on it. It is not uncommon to fish for white fish/hybrid, Big mouth bass, Crappie, then when the bite turns off, chase blue catfish. Whether with friends or alone, many fish have boarded my boat. I usually find people way too interested in watching birds, and top water action, and leave the magna sandies and hybrid for me to catch.

And big water...large waves...I can cut across large waves and still ride in comfort, just keep the nose up.

Additionally before the water got low, was not uncommon to hit the Trinity in my toon and max out on magna sandies, as well as a nice collection of catfish.

The biggest advantage I see in fishing from my toon, is that you are on top of the water, and can see topwater action fairly quickly. Granted my top speed is about 22-24 mph, and takes me a bit longer to get there, but once I hit my spots it is on like donkey kong!! As already stated, alot of success depends on the fisherman. Oh did I forget to mention the large bimini top? Yup great shade in the 100+ degree days this summer. I got my toon in 2009, and caught catfish, bass, and hybrid, not much, but I did catch some. I learned by talking to fellow TFF'ers, reading posts, and once I figured out LL, locations, etc, this year was my most successful, especially since I easily maxed out on most species of fish.

I do have a 16 foot tracker, love to fish out of it too, but man you just can't beat a pontoon, especially you get to fish with your bestest fishing buddies, and have plenty of room

Oh another advantage... I have a gas grill that mounts to the square rail, which makes it nice to eat warm good grub, while taking a break in the shade of the Bimini.

My most rewarding fishing trip was at Ray Bob, I was given the privlege to take some Hero's fishing. We stayed on it till we found Sand Bass, and the bite was on. These guys were disabled, and most had never ever caught a fish, much been on a boat. Needless to say, hot as it was, we found sandies, and these Hero's had the time of their life. Fellow TFF'ers and my family donated fishing gear, and $$ for tackle.

Yea the toon had the best hosting trip ever, and is ready to assist again.

Sound like you may have it figured it out. I’m now on my second pontoon and I will share with you my experience. It has been some years ago now that I decided I wanted to trade my day cruiser for a pontoon. I gathered up the wife, kid and all the grand kids that didn’t have something better to do and we went to the boat show. I found one that I thought would be the ultimate boat for us. It was a center console, 8 ½’ x 24’ with a 90hp. Turns out I didn’t care for the center console after all. A pontoon is after all a sociable boat and with the center console I always had my back to half of my passengers. My present pontoon is a bit smaller, 8’ x 21’ with only a 50 hp. It will move almost as fast but way better on fuel economy. I much prefer my present pontoon. Good luck with what ever you choose.

Poontoon loaded with bikinis.. a couch, tv, and a barbq ready to fish all day..I say if it floats..it fishes...but Im not too worried about what other people think about me as long as I catch the biggest and second biggest fish.

Ditto on fuel economy.....2009 75 hp 4 stroke Honda is a mega gas miser...
Indeed!!!!!

I will do a lot of trolling. A leaning post or tall seat, behind the center console will make it much easier to tend to them. capt david