Bass boat sits; jon boat and 10' v get the most use

[Spoonminnow]

I used to use my old Ranger bass boat 75% of the time on a local lake that used to have great fishing before 3500 weed eating carp destroyed weed beds. That was 6 years ago and now car top boats are the watercraft I use to fish waters where heavy boats and boat trailers can't be used. Good thing since many anglers who spent the big bucks on fiberglass prefer larger waters over 5 miles in any direction to use them.

The 12' jon is fine for two anglers with a moderate amount of gear and I have two step stools that serve as elevated seat along with cushions. No problem using my fish finder and trolling motor with each of us bringing along three rods each and small tackle boxes.
The 10' semi-V aluminum boat does well fishing alone and I can use a cooler as a livewell to store fish caught, which I rarely do except to stock my pond. Both boats are loaded into the back of my long bed truck after they are emptied of the battery, tm and tackle. I can stand up in either boat and fish when the back starts to ache.

A 10 lb anchor usually is fine but if I know the wind will be over 10 mph, a 15 lb. is necessary.

The only problem fishing alone is putting the 10' back into the truck bed when the launch is steep. For that I use a hand held winch to start the pull and then my own weight to pull it the rest of the way. My electric winch froze after 4 years of leaving it attached to the truck that is left outside all year.

Loading either boat takes little time once emptied and only the jon boat's bottom rivets must be sealed once every few years. Granted, large boats with gas motors can access larger areas on larger waters, but water 2 miles or so in diameter or length do hold fish and at time more and better fish than the lakes I don't bother fishing anymore that are far less wind protected.

[skeetbum]

I’m on the same page Spoon. I have a 17’ Carolina Skiff that sits since getting the Jon a couple of months back. Height from the water is one of my peeves. Good boat, runs fine, just like the ease of fishing from my Jon, which is on a trailer. It’s a 1648