Howdy and some questions

[sds888]

Howdy,
I had never fished for crappie before until I found this website a few weeks ago. I was looking at a crappie boat and this site poped up in a search. I have always stuck to bream bass and catfish. So I went out last tuesday on the kayak with a dozen minows to this cove where a huge oak had fallen in the water. The tree is completly under water and not known by many. It is a great bream hole. Well the minnows lasted all of about 15 mins. A dozen crappie later and I am hooked. The biggest was about 2lbs the rest were about a 1 lb. First I would like to say thanks. Now that I am hooke the search for a boat increases. I was hoping to get a few of your opions on two completely different boats I am looking at. The first is the Lowe stinger 175. Has anyone on here purchased this boat yet? The second is the Bentley 20/ 24 foot pontoon boat. The problem of the desicsion is my wife. She wants a pontoon boat and I want a bass/ crappie type boat. Here are my delimmas that yall may be able to help me on. I will be the one mainly using the boat by myself. I have never owned a pontoon boat and it will not be able to stay in the water at all times. So I woory about loading and unloading it myself. I also wonder how am I going to get up in the coves with a pontoon boat and be able to manage it myself. The crappie bass boat I know I can load and unload and manage it myself in small coves. I also like the idea having two bait and live wells on the the smaller boat. My wife supports my desicion on either boat 100% So I leave it up to yalls thoughts. Thanks again
Stephen

[Trihull]

I have both a small crappie boat and a pontoon boat. Load, unloading and the wind are three things with the pontoon that I do not like. I crappie fish 99.99 percent from my small boat. I fish alone and the above things are so much easier.

[ThrillSeeker]

If you're more comfortable w/ the bass boat, I definitely say go for that one. They're easier to store, clean up, and more manuverable than a pontoon boat. I've always liked the pontoon/party boat, but the most people I've ever been on a boat with is 3. Your wife should love the bass boat, because if she decides that she doesn't want to help you load/unload at the ramp, you can do it by yourself in under 5 minutes.

[dixieangler]

My brother-in-law and sister own a 20 foot aluminum pontoon Bentley with all the bells and whistles. Great boat. Very stable. Super quiet. Canvas sun-top. Especially good when the family wants to Speck fish as there are no problems getting all the lines in the water. They have it at their dock on the canal by their house so it can cruise out on the lake from the canal whenever they want. No trailer. They just scoot the boat across the lake to have the dealer service the boat at the public ramp. I don't know about the Lowe 175 as I have never seen one.

[croppy1]

For crappie fishing, especially in the south, you can't beat a jon boat. For more upscale and just general boat fun, a bass type boat is good. For big lake trolling and keeping the wife happy, the pontoon may be the best choice. But it will never beat a jon boat, day in and day out, for crappie production. It's a fishing machine. A pontoon boat is...well mostly for general pleasure, and is not a fishing machine, other than specialized uses, ie trolling.

If you take your time you can probably find a good used 14 foot jon, a 9.9-15 hp motor AND a used pontoon for less than the price of a new pontoon. Then you both can be happy.

Don

[mattcombs]

croppy1 has ya on that one. I have a bass boat myself and I must say it does limit you on some things. Seems like rivers and ponds are much better producers of crappie year in and year out, whether because of less harvest or less pressure. Lots of good rivers and MOST ponds are unaccessable by bass boat, which is where a jon boat would come in VERY handy. I would say go for croppy1's choice, in my experience.

[croppy1]

There was a gentleman, that some of you may have heard of, named Buck Perry. He wrote the classic book, Spoonplugging, and he is considered the Father of Structure Fishing. His ideas on "structure" are a lot different than what most people take them to be. And his ideas apply to more than just bass fishing, again, as many also incorrectly think.

In his book, written after decades of fishing experience, he detailed the benefits of using just a simple jon boat for fish production. Of all, he found it to be the best. I took it to heart, and he was right. When I was learning this stuff I wrote a 50 or so page treatise for my own benefit, and in it I detailed the benefits of the simple jon boat and the best way to maximize it. Those principles have never changed for me, as far as having the right style of boat, and arming it as a fishing machine.

I go to these ramps in Mississippi and observe the fishermen coming in. During the spawn, some are from out of state, and they, with others, have a wide array of boats, some not suited at all for crappie fishing. Then, late in the evening, I will see an old beat-up jon boat puttering in, with a weather-beaten fisherman in back handling a manuel steer 9.9 Johnson, with well-used equipment, a beat-up cooler, and this is the man I find, almost always, to have the most fish.

A jon boat is just tops for fish production. Bass, bluegill, and crappie. There are certain factors that may call for a larger boat (family fun, safety on large northern lakes, including Canada), pontoons (again, for family), bass type boats (faster, more exciting, etc.), but for pure fish production and versitility, you can't beat a jon boat. Even then, you have to modify it some.

Just my .02 worth...

Don

[driller]

We all have our favorites and I really dont dis-like any type of fishing boat,but,a john boat doesnt have the creature compforts that a bass boat or a pontoon has. You wont be able to stand up and walk around in a john boat or take as much gear with you out fishing.

My personal choice is a bass boat with the pontoon coming in a distant second because of the "sail in the wind " factor.

[croppy1]

Yes, Driller, you are correct. And I do not intend to give you a S.A. reply. The bigger boats do have more creature comforts. But if you are fishing seriously you don't need to be standing up and walking around. And you don't need a lot of gear. At most, three jig poles, each with a different colored jig, and just a small tackle box. Then, a cooler, with ice, your drinks inside in a ziplock bag to keep the fish slime off , and a paper sack with some snacks. That's it.

The farther you get away from a jon boat, the more you start seeing all kinds of reasons, other than fish production, entering in.

Just getting on the water is a fun thing. Each should enjoy it his own way. But for pure fish production, you can't beat a jon boat.

There is a big difference between real fishing and pleasure boating. And there is a lot more to fishing than just catching fish.

Don

[volfan]

I am partial to my 19' Center console. I have an older one with a 175 and a t-top for the sun, rain and rod holders. Plenty of storage, you can get up and walk around, great for spider rigging, big front end and willtake anything Percy Priest (TN) will dish out. I got in it used for less than $4k, too
Easy to clean with no carpet and I have room and power for the family to ski and ride. This is the real "fish and Ski".
Just my $.02