I've been fishing for about a year in a 12' Jon Boat with a small Mercury motor and it's just not cutting it anymore so it's time for an upgrade. I enjoy being on the water just for relaxing and getting wet but I also want to be able to comfortably fish. I rented pontoon boats before with friends and loved the comfort roominess and laid back feeling hanging out in them. I wasn't fishing back then so I don't know what it's like to fish out of them but I saw them configured for fishing and thought it's the perfect combo. Never been on a center console but I understand that these are the ultimate kind if you're a hard core fisherman.

What are the pros and cons of fishing off a pontoon compared to a center console? Does the height of the pontoon and "fence" all around it make it inconvenient for fishing? Why is the center console so much better (from what I hear) for fishing? Should I consider other type of boats for fishing/relaxing?

We are currently looking at getting a good used one, I now have a bass boat, but when company comes over and we want to all go fishing, a pontoon would be great for that.

Stable, lots of room, ride dry, pluses.

When the wind blows they become a empty sack on the water, smallest breeze makes them very difficult to control.
Pain in the tail to trailer. (see parachute)

If you have a waterfront or marina situation, walk down, get on and go, they're great, if you have to battle it on the ramp everytime you want to use it, it will become quite tiresome.

I wont own anything else. I was a diehard bassfisherman since I was a kid and switched to chasing catfish two years ago. I traded my bass boat in two years ago on a pontoon. Best thing I've ever done. More room, safer for my 6yr old son, your able to walk around and not worry about being off balance. I am actually selling mine to get me a gigantic one.

I want one of those!

Had one loved it for crappie 24 volt TM helps

I personally would get a deckboat instead of a pontoon. We have two deckboats in my family, one is a hurricane 20' fiberglass and the other is a lowe 22' aluminum hull. I prefer the lowe. It has a 115 evinrude and will run about 35, hardly uses any fuel, and doesnt drift that bad for being how light it is. They are also easier to load on trailer and have all the benefits of a pontoon except they will get on plane which is more efficient and dryer.

Great for crappie and catfish. Fun to take food and rinks and take a group for a cruise.

Is it possible to get a new pontoon with just the console and without the metal screening on the inside of the rail? That would make wind less of an issue. Maybe just a short curb to keep your stuff from falling out.

So when you're fishing what's the advantage of a middle console vs a pontoon? Besides that you can go faster.

Much more maneuverable, you can actually bass fish with a troll motor from a CC bay type boat. Can handle much rougher water and higher winds. Take it down to the coast, and not rust every rivet and fastener in it.

And MUCH easier to trailer.

Don't get me wrong, if putting out to a spot, dropping an anchor and sitting is what you want to do, the pontoon is exceptional. If it's something different, then it's not going to work out as well. To me a center console is by far the most versatile design there is.

I fish from 22' G3 pontoon. Love it. We have 12 rod holders mounted all around the boat. We carry two drift socks for drifting and an anchor for front and back. You have to learn how to maneuver in windy conditions. But, I can fish in higher winds than in my 20' Triton bass boat. We love the pontoon and it is comfortable and roomy. And you don't have to worry so much about falling in. Can walk around all day if you want.

We had a pontoon for several years and it worked fine for tying to a tree or anchoring (if you can get your anchor to bite in the clay bottom). But if you move around in the trees chasing crappie or try to fish humps in the middle of the lake for sandbass or hybrids in any kind of wind, you're gonna be in for a struggle. I had a 24V 70lb trolling motor on mine and it would move it ok, but it was a constant battle. Also, when trying to use a castnet, the railing was a PITA. I don't think getting it on and off the trailer was too much more difficult than our bass boats we had before it, but it did catch the wind going down the road.
On the plus side, everyone could get comfy, the bimini was a godsend (it was a requirement on the new boat), and the swim ladder made cooling off and getting back out so easy (also going to be added to the new boat). Installing anything was a breeze, no fishing transducer, power cables, or livewell hoses under the deck, just crawl under and run things where you needed them.

Mine is underpowered and still runs 24-26 gps loaded with much more than I normally need. Unloaded will run 32 gps. With the 3rd log and lifting strakes, it planes out and rides atop the water. Heck, I can even lift the nose for those windy days.
Trailer guides greatly reduce the troubles of loading in the wind. You can either buy the guides or make them (another forum member has a nicely built trailer guide for his toon).
2 x Box anchors will hold in most windy situations, if they don't, we probably shouldn't be on the lake that day.
2 x 60"+ drift socks or drift curtains will keep you drifting slow enough to fish. If they don't, we probably shouldn't be on the lake that day.
24-36V, 80+ lb thrust I-pilot on a quick release plate helps you fish those mid-lake humps for striped fishes. It also helps when catching bait as well as controlled drifts on the days where there is no wind . (quick release plate for pontoons allows you to remove TM to load boat and not hit the bump stop of pontoon trailers)
Towing: well, towing is towing, diesel is best, but I know folks toting a 24' with a 1/2 ton, and a 21' with a Toyota 4 runner every time they fish. If getting a tri-toon I would strongly suggest having a diesel.
They are comfortable, plenty of sitting area, plenty of standing area. I haven't had any issues with the sides getting in the way of fishing or cast-netting for bait, maybe it's just me.
Keep in mind that pontoons will take more ramp and more water to launch/recover than other boats. Most of our Texas lakes are low right now, and have been for a while. This could restrict in terms of where you can safely launch.
Just my opinion on pontoon/tri-toon vessels as that's what I currently have and fish from weekly.

I will agree with Pat however, center consoles are probably the most versatile boats out there especially if you have any coastal fishing on your mind where you would want to take your own boat.

by far my longest post, if you have any other questions specific to toons, feel free to ask, I'm happy to offer my opinion.