Howdy all. I don't have a boat of my own right now, but I think I'll be looking to get one within the next year or so. I mostly fish for bass, but I also like fishing for sandies or crappie or....well, pretty much anything but catfish, carp or gar.

As much as I'd love a nice nice bass boat, I see lots of advantages to getting a pontoon boat. A pontoon would give me lots of room to take friends and family out for a nice day on the lake of fishing and relaxing. On top of that they're stable and safe and great for kids (because of the railing).

So, my question is, does anyone make a good pontoon boat that is specifically set up for fishing? I think if someone built a pontoon boat with large livewells and a trolling motor then that could be an ideal fishing platform.

Does anyone make such a thing? I've seen the "Fishin' Barge" at my local BPS but it's not equipped with a trolling motor and has a very small livewell.

I wished I had this one: http://www.crestpontoonboats.com/superFisherman.html

Let me preface this by saying "I don't nor have ever owned a pontoon boat"

but

I had a buddy that had the regular bass buggy at BPS and he rigged a trolling motor on it. He said that it was great unless there was any wind. Because it sits up tall, it would act like a sail and it would be too much to handle.

Mark

Hadn't thought about the wind aspect of it. I assumed they were great on rough water but didn't think about the fact that there is a lot of surface area on the sides for wind to catch on. Bigger trolling motor??

Get something at least 76# thrust 12/24. Ny B-I-L just bought a Lowe and it has a MG 24 volt 5 speed. I don't like that TM cause with no wind it goes too fast, . It has, I think 56#, and in strong wind it goes about as fast as in low with NO wind. I say 12/24 and not 36v because it is hard tofind a place for the 3rd battery, at least on his.

well not sure but i have never seen a pontoon boat that came with a trolling motor on it i know you can add one they jsut dont make good bass fishing boats there great for catfishing or crappie something you tie up to a tree or anchor out in the lake but as far as bass fishing there not cause yes they do catch the wind quite a bit and the livewells just aint that big in them thats jsut my two cents on it i have never owend one but my grandpa did and it was not very goos at all for bass fishing

In 2000, I bought a 99' 20' PT w/ a 50 hp Mariner. It had an enclosure w/ porta potty (I like coffee, but it runs right through), and a swivel fishing seat in each corner.

pros of a PT =
1. Very stable platform to fish from
2. You don't have to "relieve yourself" in front of a 1/2 million $ lakefront house (enclosure)
3. It'll carry a whole lot of fishing buddies

cons of a PT=
1. The 50 hp would only shove the darn thing thru the water at 15 mph at full throttle (do you want to get somewhere?)
2. At full throttle, you'll use a whole lot of gas real quick
3. Want to go faster? Try doubling the HP, just realize you'll also burn a whole lotta gas really quick
4. A PT actually does not have much weight to them, even though they look SO BIG. This means they sit high in the water, where the wind will blow them around like a cork. (I had a danforth / "saltwater" anchor get pulled up in a 10 knot wind, even though the rope was 3X the water depth!)
5. If you think you can get around the wind problem on the open water, just wait till you try to get back on the trailer!
6. Before I bought, I had one major safety issue explained. Supposedly, if your finally up to speed, and the boat hits a big wave just right, these things have been known to stand up on end like a cork (remember, they're not all that heavy)
7. Mine rode on a single axle trailer. I pulled it with a Ford F350 Crew Cab Dually Turbo Diesel. At 65 mph on the road, the boat would start to take control over the truck. I've heard that a tandem axle trailer will help reduce this problem.
8. I sold this rig, at a loss, 3 months from buying it. I personally hope to not own another one.

A couple months ago, I went on a trip with a guide on his PT. We caught / released more than a 100 of those dreaded catfish. I had a great time doing it.

Maybe you should find a way to take a ride in someone else's Pontoon to see if it's what you like.

Oh yeah,
As far as a trolling motor, I just took a couple small pieces of plywood and screwed'em to a couple of "L" shelf brackets. When I got into a protected cove, I opened the front door. Put a couple of c-clamps to hold the "false transom" to the deck and mounted a standard 36# thrust transom trolling motor onto it. I kept a single 12 volt battery strapped down to the front deck. In a protected cove, this would get the PT around the shoreline. But if you were in the wind, give it up.

Nine Lives, thank you for your input. That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I have no experience with pontoons. I just thought that nice, big platform would be great for taking friends and family out. Most of my fishing is done with just me and one other person though so I may be better off getting a bass boat.