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Full Version: Willard - bass away, cats will play
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Launched at the North marina at 1 pm. Trailers present for 5 fishing boats and 1 ski boat (that was it). Beautiful sunny day with winds 0-6 mph off and on. Seemed like I had the lake to myself.

Trolled for wipers over to the north dike. Nada. Targeted smallies in the weeds. Nada. Started catching cats and stayed with that theme the rest of the day. Two were caught off the bottom with worm on a flig. Three were caught with chatter/plastic just below the surface. All were caught in weed openings between Eagle beach and the outlet pump.

Lost one good lure to a very large cat that took it into the weeds. Lost my old landing net (apparently does not float). I won't make that mistake again.

I hit the marina around 6:30 pm and a front came in and brought winds up to 30 mph. I was happy my electric motor was barely able to bring me in on full throttle.
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That is a nice looking toon, you really have it decked out and ready for war. It looks like it would be fun. Nice going
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Hey Trent, been awhile since I've seen any posts from you. Your Willard report is sounding like many others. WB has been a tough fishin pond this year. But the Cats have been willing players and good eatin.

Is that a fairly new tube? You got it set up quite nice, even nav and anchor lights, pretty sharp. [fishon]
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[#0000FF]Wow! Your final PVC setup looks great.
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[#0000FF]Glad to hear you are getting out again.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Those lures du jour look familiar.
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Some of the hardest strikes I had this year were from cats on a chatterbait. They really slam those things!

That may be the most elaborate 'toon I've ever seen, too.
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That toon set up is nothing short of awesome. Do you have a finder rigged into that set up?
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What a great looking cruiser. I think you should file a patten cause the U.S. Navy might be knocking at your door.
Thanks for your report, did you see the water temperature?
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[quote doitall5000]What a great looking cruiser. [/quote]

Funny...different strokes for different folks. I thought that thing looked like a nightmare. I am wondering why the OP didn't just buy a small boat?
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Really? We all have opinions but some of us use more tact than others when expressing them.
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[quote catchinon]Really? We all have opinions but some of us use more tact than others when expressing them.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I don't think there was any tact at all in that post. [Wink][/size][/#800000][/font][quote Winston Churchill]Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.[/quote]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]I'm sure he meant no disrespect; probably just didn't think it through before clicking the POST REPLY button. [cool][/size][/#800000][/font]
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I have a finder for 2 years and like its features. Its a Garman striker 4. Just $100 dollars.
Color and easy to learn.
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I think we saw you out there on Thurs, Ira was saying that must be a BFT guy, because of all the PVC on your toon[Wink], pretty impressive. Just an FYI, you would likely have done better away from the shore, especially for the cats, now if you were after LM bass, I have heard they are hanging around in those trees. Water temp was 66 degrees when we got out there at 7:30am and got up to 70 by the time we got off the water at 1:30pm.
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I was after the LM Bass in the weeds. Caught a nice one three weeks ago. I would like to know how you did on thursday. Thanks for the info.
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We caught 18 cats, up to 22".
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[quote catchinon]Really? We all have opinions but some of us use more tact than others when expressing them.[/quote]

Ok...You want me to be more specific?

My reasoning for it looking like a nightmare:
1) The rod holders--they are totally out of place for a right-handed caster and not great for a left-hander. Why? Because they are right in the road of any back cast...especially for a fly fisherman. Personally, I would have created rod holders out of gun racks used for ATVs and installed them so that the rods would lay horizontally on the left hand side of the pontoon.

2) The flag--not sure what the point of it is, but, again, it is directly behind the seat and, therefore, completely in the way of any kind of back cast for a right-handed or a left-handed cast. I would totally lose lures and tackle simply by catching them on the flag in the back cast without knowing it and breaking them off as I attempted to cast them forward.

3) All the PVC/frame--Part of the reason I have a one-man pontoon boat is for ease in its use and convenience. I have no idea if that PVC frame is always attached to the pontoon or if it is attached once you arrive at your destination. Either way, though, it looks like it would be difficult to either a) get set up and loaded once you are at your destination or b) lift and carry to the water. Personally, anything that takes me long to ready and get on the water is an inconvenience and hassle and, therefore, wastes fishing time. But, maybe I am wrong and it is easily launched and set up. So, a quick question...Do you haul that thing on a trailer or in the back of your truck ready to launch like a boat. Or, do you have to assemble all the parts once you arrive? Again, personally, and this is obviously my own personal subjective opinion, but I am not sure how that pontoon is better than a small fishing boat and wonder if the set up time and/or launch time would be quicker and easier in a small boat.

4) The oar locks/trolling motor--Again, my personal use of a pontoon boat is all about convenience and ease of use. I enjoy fishing from my pontoon boat on waters like Minersville and even Fish Lake. However, I like using the oars to "motor" myself around and enjoy the little bit of exercise those oars give me. It appears as though your PVC frame would make rowing from your craft very difficult. I am assuming (and could be very wrong) that your trolling motor makes the use of oars unnecessary. Personally, the use of a trolling motor is one more thing that would more than likely slow me down as it would have to be set up and installed on my toon as I got to the water. That would be one more thing that would shorten my time on the water. And, depending on the dependability of the motor and batteries, could be a potential major hassle. Also, the use of a trolling motor makes me wonder why not a small boat. One of the things I dislike about my own pontoon is that I have to wear waders during the early spring and later summer months in addition to the winter months. And, during the winter months, my feet get cold quick even with layers. So, if you are going to use a motor, why not get a small boat and use a trolling motor so that your feet don't get wet? You could certainly buy an inexpensive fishing boat for about the same cost as that pontoon...here is an example of one with a motor: https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/57595475

5) Weight? What is the weight capacity of your toon? Personally, I think I would be ok on that toon because I am relatively small, but even at a whopping 170 pounds all that extra gear would be pushing me to the limits of my own personal toon's weight capacity. That would be scary on a water like Fish Lake where the wind can get tricky.

With all that being said, I do see one positive about your set-up and something that I do like: the lights. Occasionally while fishing for wipers at Minersville and Newcastle, I will stay out after dark. Those lights could and would be handy.

So, after all of my long-windedness...again, I will reiterate that to each his own. But, personally, that thing looks more like a major hassle and nightmare than a fishing convenience. I certainly don't care whether the OP fishes from it or not, though, and know that the OP probably doesn't care what my opinion on it is either. Nevertheless, I am not sure why it is such a bad thing to state explicitly what my personal opinion is when others also stated personal opinions. I am a firm believer that this participation-trophy world we live in is far too easily offended and needs to toughen up a bit. My statement about the OP's pontoon boat is based on my own personal experiences as a fisherman and owner of a personal pontoon boat and were never aimed at attacking an individual, that individual's ability to catch fish, nor anything else that really matters. I love David A. Bednar's quote: "To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else." IF the OP or anyone else was offended by my opinion, that is his/her choice...especially since my words were not aimed at offending nor should they have been taken that way.
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Thanks for the clarification. Your points were well spelled out. I think that to just say that something looks like a "nightmare" without clarification is going to be taken negatively. I am not offended by your new clearly written points. I did have a small boat before getting this toon. Yes the waders are a pain and I can't take other people on board; but most of the time I am heading out solo even with a boat.

I am limited to good weather and near launch locations.

I personally am only using spinning rods and don't have any casting problems. The way I use the motor is locked into a reverse pull position and I steer hands free using one flipper. I love being hands free and I am moving to leg-only waders since only my ankles and feet are in the water.

I have two ways of hauling this. One is a ramp system on top of my truck when I want to also pull another toy on the hitch. The usual method is in a small low trailer and I just pull it out at the waters edge. In this case I only need to attach the battery and motor (nothing else) and I am ready to go. Not long to me.

I will probably get a good mid-range boat in a few years and also keep my toon and a float tube. The float tube is used at Causey and places that are motor-less. They all have different uses and pros and cons as you know. Different strokes for different folks and different settings.

I agree with many of your points, but for me this set up is "optimized" for my current situation in life which will evolve.

All the best you and your fishing endeavors.
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Thanks for your well-reasoned and well-expressed explanation. We, however, are trying to keep BFT a friendly place where all can feel safe to post whatever. It did come across as a personal attack on the taste of the OP and that's what concerned me. At the same time I'll admit that I may be a little overprotective, but I guess that's my job.

I see it like I do the age-old Ford vs. Chevy face-off. If you drive one and loathe the other, what difference does it make? You don't have to drive their "pieces of crap" so why is it your concern? I prefer one make but find the other to be a fine piece of machinery, too. To each his own.
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