small bass boats

[scoremaster]

i like to ask a question and it is ....

has anyone out there fished out of one of the bass busters or small pontoons.

am thinking about getting one i mostly crappie fish by myself and don't need alot of room and it would be easy for me to load it in the back of the truck no trailer .

i'll keep that trailer stuff for the big lakes with the other boat.

pelican makes a boat called a rhino with live well and a battery box and buster boats makes one with a live well and a cooler both are around 1,000 dollors . but before spendign money i would like to know what people are thinking about them i do fish a couple of electric only lakes so it woyuld be great for that. and the pelican and buster boats hold about 610 lbs .
the bass buster from cabeleas only hold 550 i think .

Thanks,
Scott

[deathb4disco]

I have not, but you might also consider a kayak. They have gotten very popular.

[Michael D]

I had a bass hunter a few years ago and I loved the boat. It was very stable and I never once felt unsafe. I have thought about getting another one. I would seriously think about getting a small trailer because they are not very easy to load in the back of a pickup by yourself. I know that from experience. When you have a partner, then two people can load them fairly easy. I know that my bass hunter weigh about 100 pounds or so when empty, but it was very cumbersome to try to load by myself. I have checked out buster boats and other brands, but I am partial to bass hunter because they seem to weigh less than the others. And if you plan to try to load it by yourself, then the extra weight is something you really need to consider. I would really think about getting a small utility trailer.

[fultondalecrappie]

My dad and I have fished out of them.He has had his I know for more than 20 years.They are good because they are light and they have more room than a kayak.I do have one word of advice.Don't put folding chairs in and fish in them because my dad and I were bream fishing one day and were getting ready to move to some more beds and when he went to pull up his anchor the folding chair sat a little to high and over he went.

[SPORTCITY]

Many years ago I won a small pontoon bass barge. I forget the name but it was a plastic boat and I was never sure that it had floatation in the pontoons. I used it for a couple of years in a small lake near my house and caught quite a few fish out of it. I had a small minn kota troll motor (like 10 lbs thrust) which moved it quite well. I always felt safe in it even when the wind got to blowing. I always was really careful when loading or launching the boat in a rocky area because I was never sure how durable the plastic was against the rocks. The weight is something to consider because it is cumersome to pick it up by yourself. If you fish with a buddy--no problem. If you want the bigger pontoon boats complete with live well and all the bells and whistles you will need a trailer. I now use a 10 foot aluminum jon boat for my small lake fishing (easy to load and launch) If you go the jon boat route make sure you get one that does not have rivets because sooner or later they will leak. Good luck and good fishing to you!!!!

[jhef]

i have one that i use on reservoirs with motor restrictions, mine is a pelican i believe it is more like a boat then a pontoon wirh livewell and lights. i really like it, but it has its place, keep it off the big waters and out of the wind and its all fun and games.. get one with a trailer, they are too heavy to load and unload by yourself with battery , rods seat etc,, i been that route too

[Micropterus salmoides]

I have one that I use weekly and I love it. Needless to say it is all I have but I wouldn't get rid of it for anything. I can't fish everywhere a bigger boat can but I can fish a lot of places a bigger boat CAN'T, that holds fish a lot of people will never see. It just takes a lil more effort and determination.

Adam

[PineappleSlap]

this is a great question

I have been pondering an inflatable pontoon for the last year. Do not have a truck anymore, and figured that would be super easy strapped to the top of my car......

anyone ever use the fishcat's, Colorado, Cablelas, etc etc inflatable pontoons?

if so what do you think?

Weight of the craft is not a problem

[AtticaFish]

I've got a kayak and love it. Thinking it weighs 40-45 lbs empty and have foam rack for top of my buick century. Easy to load, easy to portage. They are very stable, when you sit in one, your butt is under the water level! Small ones like mine (8.5') don't have much room, but I have improvised, just need to come up with some rod holders. If your talking about near $1,000, there are some nice yaks (10'+) with storage, anchors, rod holders and more.

[Uncle Grump]

Scoremaster

Don't have one, but have watched the folks that have one use them on a local electric only-no landing carry-in lake. They seem fine when the water is calm, and when there are two people to load/unload - just as the others have said. Let the wind kick up - then things get interesting.

I've got a 12' v-hull aluminum boat - push it with a small Minnkota - I can fish the same water they can, and I've more hull under me when it gets rough. You indicate you have a truck - I bet if you look around, you can find a 10-12' jon or similar for alot less $.

UG