Howdy all,

I’m entertaining getting a small boat specifically to fly fish out of in smaller local waters (Trinity river, Bachman, White rock, etc) for bass and carp. I’d like some opinions and i figure theres plenty of guys in this forum with some experience in a raider or bass buster type boat.

1. I’m 6’1” and 250lbs. I plan on mostly using this by myself, while standing to cast. How is the stability going to be for me?

2. Does anyone use a shallow water anchor on something like this? If so, how does it work out for you?

3. What trolling motor do you use? Is there a transom mount foot control option? Do you ever need a spare battery with you for a 12v motor?

4. Any must have mods? Recommendations on a cart or something to get it to the water?

5. Is there a better option that i can fit in the back of my truck?

You would be better off with a sit on top kayak, they make some sweet modern roto molded yaks even for bigger guys with elevated chairs that you can stand up in also just as stable as a bass buster. If paddling isnt your thing they make kayaks with pedals propulsion and even trolling motor. Ask in the kayak section for more info.

My set up.



My pelican set up. I still take her out every once in a while

I had 1 just like this 1 and I did catch many fish with it ,I always had an extra battery with me but I never ever used it .I had a 50# trolling motor with no problems .The only problem I had was being so low and yes I could stand but never felt to safe doing it .I finally went to a 10FT basster and loved it until I went with a skeeter .wish I had my 2 man back was much better for fishing small lakes

If you're going by yourself then I would recommend either a kayak as mentioned above, or an aluminum boat. Those Pelican boats work fine but they are HEAVY compared to their aluminum counterparts. Most 12 foot aluminum boats are around 98 lbs or so. Pretty easy to either lift or drag by yourself. My dad and I are each about 6'5" and 250+ each and we fished out of 11-12 foot plastic and aluminum boats together for years. Caught a lot of fish too!

Was your first one a two man or one?

i would make a rudder for it so the wind doesnt over work you. they make dollies so they can be easy to push around. have fun, some of the best fishing to be had these days in smaller bodies, 100+ days for bass. wear a pfd.

if you want to step it up a notch there is a place on 69 just north of mineola that sells (I think they mfr. them too) 2 man pontoons, for standing that is how I would go.

I have had 3-4 of the 8-10' pelican types and really like fishing out of them but I would never stand in one to fish, not all that stable.

had a home built 2 man pontoon with foam/glass pontoons, 12' x 5' and could stand on it easy but never really needed to. hauled it around on a small flat trailer and had a 15hp merc on back. that thing would scoot and get into places big boats couldn't.

Those small Bass Raiders are great in calm water.
In north central and west Texas, we get a lot of wind and any small vessel with high walls/gunnels will suffer in it.

This is the reason kayaks are so popular, especially pedal kayaks, they perform much better in the wind.
Anyone over six foot and over 240lbs will need a bigger kayak to do any significant standing.

Standing in a bass hunter in the Texas wind making a traditional fly cast doesn’t sound fun.
Most of the fly fishermen I see in smaller vessels are sitting down and making roll and sidearm casts.

These are about as light in weight and stable as you'll find. Flat deck for standing and 41 inch beam.

https://www.nucanoe.com/nucanoe-frontier/

I am a big guy. Fished out of a BPS Pond Hopper for years. Loaded and unloaded myself without a problem. Carried two batteries and a rudder as mentioned will help you track straight. Fished Fork, Toledo Bend, Ray Roberts, Monti, Purtis, etc. from mine. Pick a creek, marina, pocket, etc... and fish it like it is its own lake, don’t worry about the rest of the lake. Inexpensive great way to fish!! BTW I have a bass boat and a peddle kayak now. Bass Buster is more stable and better to fish out of than a kayak hands down!

Glad to hear. I’ve got a 20’ Triton, but i can’t get it into a lot of water bodies i want to fish. I’ve seriously looked at and entertained all of the suggestions presented, but I can’t for the life of me see how any kayak would be more stable when standing. Anyone have experience with an Ultraskiff or a Roundabout?

Don’t know that this would be the best answer for most applications but looks very interesting. Looks like the one man boat version of a saltwater flats scooter!

Have you considered a skiff like in these videos? Thre are newer SOT kayaks that are super stable, you can sit on the edge of them and not flip them.