Fishing Alone..

I am finally getting a boat of my own. I am a bit of a lone wolf and don't mind fishing by myself. Any precuations I need to take when fishing alone?/ My boat has a kill switch..but I just wanted to throw this out there to see what others do when fishing alone.. My home lake is Ray Hubbard..I have a 19ft Xpress X19 with a Yahmaha 150. Thanks

When fishing alone I always keep the kill switch connected and phone out of pocket just in case

Bout as good advice as you can get^^^^^

Life jacket. No one to save you or throw one to you if alone. And enjoy fishing alone. You don't have to got get anyone else in hung. Or listen to complaining about a slow day. Etc etc etc. I much prefer fishing alone.

Get you a speaker to play music while you fish.

I wear my inflatable life jacket when alone.

Let someone know where you Launch and area you plan to fish.

1.) Life Jacket and Kill Switch!
2.) Have a plan for how you would get back in your boat.

This is a must. If you don't have one, purchase a comfortable auto-inflate vest you will wear every minute on the water. Always have your cell phone charged. Have enough drinks and snacks in case you get stranded. Let someone know where you'll be fishing. Have a first aid kit in your boat. Carry an extra prop and enough tools to change a prop, fix a leaking hose, etc.

I find I am more focused.. The main thing I hate is being in the back seat and your driver is only focused on his line of sight..You might be right in the middle of working a good set-up then Bam!! there goes the trolling motor and you off your spot..When the roles are reversed I always try and watch what my partner is doing as much as myself out of respect.. I let him work his set then move on..Some folks just dont get it..and get offended if you say something. Hence my own boat

Good advice on this thread.......

Lifejacket is a must, get a lightweight inflatable that's comfortable, put it on and keep it on.

Make sure you can get back in the boat if you go over, ride motor up, roll up ladder, what ever it takes, just make sure you have a way back aboard.

If you were to get injured, go over, and cant get back in, put your phone in a spot you can reach it if necessary. Put it in a zip-loc if you have to, just make sure its reachable if you need to get to it. I fish alone a lot and have ever had an incident where I needed help, but before the trolling motor goes down I make sure I'm prepared to contact someone if I do.

Preventive maintenance, make sure all essential equipment is in good working order, doing on the water repairs is a lot harder if your alone.

Full time PFD and also have a flare gun. I have a small rope on a cleat on the front and rear if needed.

I like the small rope and cleat Idea..Good advice from all the post. Thanks one and all from a new member.

I need to buy me an inflatable...


I love fishing solo, put on my old country music down low and just focus on every cast.

I work in a manufacturing plant that runs 24/7. I work 12hr shifts 4 days on 4 days off. Its great when i'm off weekdays because the local lake I fish might have 5 or 6 other boats at most. This could be a disadvantage though if an accident were to happen. I always let my wife know where i'll be at, about what time I'll leave and where I launched from. Also as others have said, PFD, kill switch, and leave phone in console not pocket. The ropes tied to cleats is a great idea as well if you dont have a swim ladder.

I fish alone probably 90% of the time. I always make sure I have my life vest on and make sure my wife knows what lake i'm fishin. I also make sure she has all my numbers... boat numbers, license number, registration, etc.

All great advice, especially the life jacket. I always have it on, even if fishing with someone else. I also have an inexpensive phone holder with a remote switch so I can take the photo of the big one--just in case!

and put it on before launching, many things happen at the dock.

Unless the rope around a cleat is long enough to reach the opposite side of the boat, it won't be much good for pulling yourself into the boat.

Actually a rope tied around the seat pedestal is a lot better than around a cleat. Lets you actually pull yourself onboard.

Watch out for the wave runners and jet ski's on Ray Hubbard, they pretty much own the lake on the weekends.

1. Detailed float/trip plan with someone who checks their phone regularly.
2. PFD - Inflatable or otherwise
3. Kill switch
4. Know the topography of the lake you are running.
5. Phone in a waterproof/floating case.
6. Water
7. Protein bars
8. Emergency blanket

A good routine for loading and unloading the boat.

Same here. Almost had a final fishing trip a few years ago when I fell overboard.
Get a good comfortable inflatable and wear it at all times.

A lot of good advice here but something that I haven't seen mentioned, whistle or air horn if the boat doesn't have one. Probably a good idea to keep one, even if the boat does have a horn.

Great advice already given, so here's some George Thorogood:

I fish alone, yeah
With nobody else
I fish alone, yeah
With nobody else
Yeah, you know when I fish alone
I prefer to be by myself

This^, I always text my wife and tell her when and where I launch, and once or twice through out the day.
Also when I run the boat, life jacket is on, kill switch is attached, and phone is in the console.
There are so many factors out of your control, so don't get too comfortable and don't get complacent.

Best thing to do it not to lose your cool or do something stupid. Drive a little slower, more defensively, and don't get into a hurry.

I would say the #1 difference between me fishing alone and with others is when I am alone I keep my inflatable pfd on 100% of the time. They are so small and comfortable these days you don't even remember it is on after a few casts but it can save your life if you get hit, knocked off by a wave, or any number of medical issues that might lead you to fall off the deck. It'll at least give you a chance.

Lots of good advice on this thread:

1) I ALWAYS let the redhead know where I plan to be. Granted, saying "between Lake Park and the old dam" is still alot of water, but it eliminates most of the lake arms.

2) Have a plan to get back into the boat. Here's a trick I learned in Alaska for cold water: if your outboard motor has a tilt/trim switch on it, you can stand on the plate above the prop (don't remember what that piece is called) and hold onto the back of the motor, then tilt the motor all the way to horizontal and climb into boat over the motor. Sure you might do some damage to the motor, but you won't die of hypothermia. My boat has a swim step with an extendable ladder. If you have a bass boat, you might want to look into installing an emergency boarding ladder.

3) Keep the lifejacket on. I always keep a few pop up flares in one pocket of my PFD so I can use them if I go into the water and my boat is too far away to reach.

Good advice so far. Of course the most important thing is to wear your life-jacket.

As far as the phone goes, keep it in your pocket inside a sandwich baggie. That way, if something crazy happens you can still call for help. The phone won't help you if its in the boat and you aren't. It certainly won't help you if it's at the bottom of the lake.

As stated above, I fish 90% alone. Life jacket, kill switch and cell phone in a holder on my windshield. I have an app on my Iphone (Find Friends) so my wife can locate my phone/me anytime. I have a routine on loading/unloading my boat on the trailer and when I do have a friend with me, I ask them to let me do everything so I don't break my routine. They help other ways. First aid kit and flares and other items listed by others are great ideas.

-Have fun!
-Relax and think about nothing but fishing!
-Life Jacket and Kill switch
-Tell someone where you are launching so there is a starting point if you don't come home
-Know the point when your boat floats off the trailer
-Attach a rope to the boat and trailer so when it floats off you don't have to swim for it
-Blue tooth speaker if you like music
-Get good at fish selfies!
-Don't forget the diet cokes and blueberry pop tarts

avoid fishing solo after dark

A few tips from me in addition to those already posted.

1. Make sure to do a walk around before you back into the water to make sure you have plug in, straps undone, transom saver removed, etc.
2. I have a 21 foot fiberglass, so not sure how the X-19 will work, but I have learned to keep my bow strap hooked to the boat when backing down the ramp. I give it about 6 to 8 inches of slack. When the boat starts to slide off the trailer, I know I'm deep enough to back off the trailer with the motor.
3. I climb into the back of my truck and lower the tail gate, step on trailer, undo bow strap, climb on boat. I used to step across from tail gate to boat, but almost slipped one day because of the morning dew. Decided it's better to slow down and not get hurt.
4. If your trailer is a drive on, make sure to pay close attention to water depth on the boat fenders so you'll know how far to back in before driving boat onto trailer.
5. Keep a good spot light in the boat that runs off the 12v battery.
6. Keep jumper cables in the boat in case your cranking battery goes dead.
7. Carry a small tool kit with screwdrivers, crescent, channel locks, etc.

Have fun!!!

I like the inflatable vest idea. One of my buddies bought one and I was surprized how much lighter it was compared to how I remember earlier versions.
Also like the phone in a plastic bag in the pocket idea.

If your boat doesn't have one install a board-in ladder. Along with the other safety devices noted

^This.

I fish alone 99% of the time. Make sure your boat and engine are at 100% at all times. Don't let little things going wrong on your boat linger. Get them fixed...on the water is no place to have a failure when you knew it was acting up. I have towed peeps back to docks that mentioned "it messed up last time I was out and should have had it looked at"

Alone or not, if you ever see lightening, get off the water immediately.

Need help,getting back on not the boat? Put your foot on the lower unit of the outboard, hit the trim switch and ride it up