# Pontoon Fishing. Why not?



## FishyItch (Mar 4, 2011)

Please help me win this argument. My fiance thinks that eventually it be a good idea to just buy a pontoon for all of our aquatic needs. I keep telling her, "No, you can't fish out of a pontoon!" She maintains that it can be done so she doesn't understand what the big deal is. I really can't come up with any solid reasoning as to why a fishing boat is better than a pontoon for fishing. The best I can come up with is, "It's simply not done. You wouldn't understand."

So I turn to you. How can I explain to a lay-person that a pontoon is no good for serious fishing?

(At this point this more of just a running gag, but I still want to win.  )


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## wasilvers (Mar 4, 2011)

FishyItch said:


> Please help me win this argument. My fiance thinks that eventually it be a good idea to just buy a pontoon for all of our aquatic needs. I keep telling her, "No, you can't fish out of a pontoon!" She maintains that it can be done so she doesn't understand what the big deal is. I really can't come up with any solid reasoning as to why a fishing boat is better than a pontoon for fishing. The best I can come up with is, "It's simply not done. You wouldn't understand."
> 
> So I turn to you. How can I explain to a lay-person that a pontoon is no good for serious fishing?
> 
> (At this point this more of just a running gag, but I still want to win.  )



Because it's too hard to trailer - at least that's what I've heard (and seen at the ramp) They are heavier than my boat and bigger so it's harder to store. Besides, don't you want to 'go fast' without putting a 150hp on the boat? That's the ammo I'd use.

But it might be nice to fish from one, imagine the wife can sun behind you while you reel in one bucketmouth after another. Best of both worlds.


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## Decatur (Mar 4, 2011)

My parents have 24' pontoon and it's great to fish out of! They don't trailer it, it just stays on the lake where their cottage is. It has a big livewell, rod carriers mounted on the helm, rod holders along the rail, two swivel fishing seats on the front deck, and two more just inside the rail, a bench where you can catch a nap during all night crappie trips, a trolling motor on the front deck, as well as docking/bowfishing lights, a bimini top, and plenty of room to stretch your legs! We bass fish out of it, but it's mainly used for chasing gills and crappie. I love it!!!


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## lswoody (Mar 4, 2011)

They are slower, you can't get them into shallow water, you can't manuver them in a tight area.


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## devilmutt (Mar 5, 2011)

> But it might be nice to fish from one, imagine the wife can sun behind you while you reel in one bucketmouth after another. Best of both worlds.


 


> My parents have 24' pontoon and it's great to fish out of! They don't trailer it, it just stays on the lake where their cottage is. It has a big livewell, rod carriers mounted on the helm, rod holders along the rail, two swivel fishing seats on the front deck, and two more just inside the rail, a bench where you can catch a nap during all night crappie trips, a trolling motor on the front deck, as well as docking/bowfishing lights, a bimini top, and plenty of room to stretch your legs! We bass fish out of it, but it's mainly used for chasing gills and crappie. I love it!!!


 
Congratulations FishyItch, you're getting a pontoon!


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## Decatur (Mar 5, 2011)

:LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2:


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## hossthehermit (Mar 5, 2011)

I useta have a pontoon, and it was a GREAT platform for certain types of fishing. Couple ponds I used to leave it at for a week or 2 at a time, go out morning and evening and troll for brookies, salmon, used it some out in the river mackerel and striper fishing. Stable, lots of moving around room, great for all day, laid back, group trips. Not much good for water skiing or tournament bass fishing


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## lbursell (Mar 5, 2011)

Never had one, but always wanted one. Like everything else, you'd have to consider the trade-offs. Roominess for manueverability. Fuel consumption. More flexibility regarding the number of friends or family you can take along.

Tell her that you need both for maximum flexibility. :wink:


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## Jim (Mar 5, 2011)

I would love one....

https://www.directboats.com/pontoonboats.html
Sorry! :LOL2:


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## bill (Mar 5, 2011)

i just sold my pontoon. it was great to catfish out of ,or anyother fishing when you anchor. but to work a shoreline to bass, or panfish was terrible if the wind blew even a little.


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## brmurray (Mar 5, 2011)

best crappie fishing rig ever!!! Have caught stripers, bass, hybrids, cats, and crappie. Never got tired and always had a coffee maker!


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## S&amp;MFISH (Mar 5, 2011)

You ARE both right. But for different reasons. Fishing boats are great for 2-3 people,they get into tighter spots than pontoons,But heve you ever tried to get more than 3 in a fishing boat without smacking each other with your rods.Pontoons are great if you like to fish with your friends or family,lots of space for everyone. You can argue both ways.That's why when you are at a lake with lots of docks(Homes),what you usually see parked in them is a fishing boat AND a pontoon or lakecruiser.


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## countryboy210 (Mar 5, 2011)

We Had A Bass Boat For A While, And The "Kids" Liked It. We Had Foster Kids Over The Years And Quickly Outgrew The Bass Boat. Traded Up To A 24 Foot Pontoon Boat And Everyone Loves It ! Ever Spent The Night Fishing From And Sleeping On A Bass Boat ? I Have Once. . . Just Once.

Now Let Me Add This. I Also Have A 16 Foot Gheenoe With A Six-Horse 2-Cycle On The Stern And A Foot-Controlled Trolling Motor Up Front That I Bought From Dad Before He Passed. I Recently Traded My Faithful Tin Flat-Bottom Jon Boat For My First Ever Kayak. I Just Found And Will Be Bringing Home My Next Project- My First Tin *V* Jon Boat With An 18-Horse 2-Cycle. Last Year, I Bought A $200 Fiberglass Quachita "Basket Case" Boat Off Craig's List Just For The Trailer And A Few Parts; But Have Been Eyeing It Lately To Referb Instead, Since I Have A 24 VDC Trolling Motor Laying Around. Yes, It Is Nice To Live Within Six Minutes Of A Boat Ramp On A 5,500 Acre Lake, And Also The Scenic Cumberland River.

My Advise: Let Her Pick The 'Toon, One That She Will Learn To Drive. My Wife June Launches And Trailers OUR 'Toon While I Manage The Trailer At The Ramp. Then, You Go Find Your Next "Project Fishing Boat" And You Both Win.

* I Can Promise You This- The Fish Will Not Care Which One You Cast From.*


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## jixer (Mar 5, 2011)

I fish off pontoons. I have two lakes that I go to where I know people that live on the lake, they both have pontoons that are docked and ready to go all summer. If you dont have to launch and recover everytime its ok, I can spend more time out fishing on a pontoon because I can walk around, the girlfriend can lay out in the sun when she gets bored with fishing, and a group of friends can hang out all day. One of the coolest boats Ive ever ridden in was a pontoon, it was one of the ex-es dads powertoon tripletoon, 60mph, the look on speedboaters faces when they get outran by a pontoon is priceless.


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## KMixson (Mar 5, 2011)

The catfish guides around my parts use pontoons exclusively. They are very stable and have lots of room. I can see her point in wanting one.

A fishing boat is much easier to handle launching and maneuvering while trailered. One person can handle the job with ease. It also does not take up as much space in the yard. You can also haul your fishing boat behind a much smaller vehicle. You will need a Mack truck to pull your pontoon, a Chevy Chevette will not do it.


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## wasilvers (Mar 5, 2011)

You can still mod a pontoon - It certainly would be easier than modding a Vee style boat where NOTHING is straight. 8)


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## bassboy1 (Mar 5, 2011)

The main limitation is the maneuverability in close quarters, making it kinda tough for bass fishing. The maneuverability sucks. 

However, a handful of local striper fisherman have them, and absolutely love them. For fishing open water, they are great, and they claim that when trolling in a headwind, the boat slices the waves, and doesn't rise and fall over them, making a very smooth troll. They love the space they have in them. 

Same deal for the guys fishing for cats. Open water, and plenty of space.


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## FishyItch (Mar 5, 2011)

Wow! I didn't expect these results. You guys are actually making some really good points. I might need to have my fiance log on and thank you guys! :LOL2: I can definitely see a pontoon working out for a lazy day of pan-fishing with a few other guys.

I guess my deal is that I really only see myself fishing by myself or with one other person. And while I'll be fishing bigger lakes, I also have a lot of smaller, shallow weedy lakes in mind too. 

For some reason I just don't like the thought of pulling the pontoon down to the lake so I can spend the afternoon fishing by myself. 

However, now that I've found this site and trolled trough most of it I'll be able to have my custom fishing boat (by my second or third mod) at a fraction of the cost of something new. Maybe we'll put that extra cash towards a pontoon somewhere down the road.

Thanks for weighing in you guys. I guess I had a hard time explaining it too her because there actually _isn't_ a lot of good reasons for the pontoon hate. I suppose my best reason is... I just don't like it. Of course, opinions have been changed before.


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## bulldog (Mar 5, 2011)

I am pretty set on my next boat being a pontoon. Something with a bathroom and big top to keep me out of the sun. Also has to have a BBQ grill and be a home on the water for cat fishing.


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## brmurray (Mar 5, 2011)

fishyitch, besides, pontoon is easier to mount skis on it for your winter fishing up there in the great white north. LOL :LOL2: All joking aside, have had a couple good fishing trips up there in southern wisconsin. Over in delevan had a real good one as well as on lake geneva. But ya'll have some killer mosquitos up there! At least our southern ones have etiquette, they only bite after dark!! :twisted: :LOL2:


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## richg99 (Mar 5, 2011)

Some six or so years ago, I owned at 14 ft pontoon on a small lake in Northern Il. It was OK for what I wanted. My wife loved it and would actually go out fishing ( or boat riding) which she doesn't do in my regular boats. 

It had a problem in high winds, but a larger trolling motor and maybe a inexpensive drift chute would make it work alright. I wish I had added an electric anchor winch to the stern. That way, I could drop the anchor and fish the shoreline pretty well in higher winds. I put a 10 hp four cycle on it and it ran fast enough for me.

If I did it all over today, I'd add an inexpensive kayak and I could be happy. 

Every boat does something better than other boats. No one boat does all things well. Rich


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## Oldgeek (Mar 6, 2011)

I'd think a pontoon would be great if you only fished one lake and didn't have to trailer it every time. Of course I take my wife and grandkids fishing a lot, so I'm not able to do serious fishing most of the time. :lol: 
I've fished off them a few times and the wind was a big problem at times. I know this isn't much help but just my 2 cents.


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## perchin (Mar 6, 2011)

countryboy210 said:


> We Had A Bass Boat For A While, And The "Kids" Liked It. We Had Foster Kids Over The Years And Quickly Outgrew It. Traded Up To A 24 Foot Pontoon Boat And Everyone Loves It ! Ever Spent The Night Fishing From And Sleeping On A Bass Boat ? I Have Once. . . Just Once.
> 
> Now Let Me Add This. I Also Have A 16 Foot Gheenoe With A Six-Horse 2-Cycle On The Stern And A Foot-Controlled Trolling Motor Up Front That I Bought From Dad Before He Passed. I Recently Traded My Faithful Tin Flat-Bottom Jon Boat For My First Ever Kayak. I Just Found And Will Be Bringing Home My Next Project- My First Tin *V* Jon Boat With An 18-Horse 2-Cycle. Last Year, I Bought A $200 Fiberglass Quachita "Basket Case" Boat Off Craig's List Just For The Trailer And A Few Parts; But Have Been Eyeing It Lately To Referb Instead, Since I Have A 24 VDC Trolling Motor Laying Around. Yes, It Is Nice To Live Within Six Minutes Of A Boat Ramp On A 5,500 Acre Lake, And Also The Scenic Cumberland River.
> 
> ...



*N*ow *J*ust *T*o *C*apitalize *O*n *T*hat... :LOL2: :LOL2: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:


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## T-MAN (Mar 6, 2011)

poontoons are good for drift fishing and anchor fishing but when you try to cast at banks and try to move through standing tember and shallow water it becomes a hassle to control especially when its windy. we tie up under bridges at nights for striper fishing and its nice but we also have all of our seats but 2 removed. other wise a poontoon is very slow at speed and is just real hard to handle


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## bearsphan3.14 (Mar 7, 2011)

The wife and I are looking to get a pontoon. I can't wait. You can mod them and they are big enough to get a bunch of people on. I envision the girls layin around while we fish. Plus, I have a small tin already. I might tow it out to get to the smaller tributaries in the Chesapeake.


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## dixie_boysles (Mar 7, 2011)

For bass fishing, NO, but for an all around boat, they are ok i guess


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## fender66 (Mar 7, 2011)

Wow....not much help are we! Doesn't appear like you're gonna win this one. :LOL2:


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## Quackrstackr (Mar 7, 2011)

Are there any pontoons being used in competitive fishing events?

I think not.

Case closed. :lol:


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## screwballl (Mar 7, 2011)

I think it depends on the boat. If it has a movable or removable roof/canopy and removable seats for a larger deck area then yes it can very easily be used for fishing. I know plenty of people that do river or bay/saltwater fishing here on pontoon boats, and they work very well due to their stability. I fished plenty from an uncles pontoon boat in some lakes growing up in South Dakota.
I know if I did any fishing on the bay I would get one myself since the chop can toss around a normal fishing boat if the offshore winds pick up and the boat is a smaller bass boat/tin boat.

The downside is the speed, if you do some bass tournament or fishing that requires faster travel then a tin or bass boat is definitely going to be better.


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## raven174us (Mar 7, 2011)

For me it's easy. They are too much of a hassle to haul and load/offload. Sure they may be great to take the family out on for an outing. But taking a Pontoon fishing is like driving a Cadillac in a Nascar race.


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## FishyItch (Mar 7, 2011)

I almost used the same nascar analogy when I was talking about this to her! weird

Though I concede that the pontoon is practical, but there's no way it would be our only watercraft. I just don't think I could take myself seriously bass fishing in a pontoon. Not the waters I'll be fishing anyway.


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## Hanr3 (Mar 7, 2011)

Are you kidding me? Pontoons are the best all around family craft on the water. They can be rigged anyway you want. You can camp, cook, swim, fish, even get them into shallow water pretty easy. Actually, my kids both learned to fish out of my gandmothers pontoon boat. They didn't care it was a pontoon boat, they were happen to catch fish and go swimming in the middle of the lake. Besides, as a father, I felt safer with them on the pontoon then on a regular fishing boat.


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## Decatur (Mar 7, 2011)

Hanr3 said:


> Are you kidding me? Pontoons are the best all around family craft on the water. They can be rigged anyway you want. You can camp, cook, swim, fish, even get them into shallow water pretty easy. Actually, my kids both learned to fish out of my gandmothers pontoon boat. They didn't care it was a pontoon boat, they were happen to catch fish and go swimming in the middle of the lake. Besides, as a father, I felt safer with them on the pontoon then on a regular fishing boat.



+1!


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## Nussy (Mar 9, 2011)

The big thing is wind!!! you get blown everywhere. I have a 18' pontoon that I use on my lake with a 55 lb bow mount trolling motor. I fish exclusively for bass on my lake. Works well when it's callm but the issue for me is when it's windy you spend all your time trying to hold the boat. They good thing is the stability. I'm actually just starting to build a mini toon like the pics Jim posted above. 12' long no sides a couple fishing seats and a trolling motor. I figure that will be my fishing rig for this lake. I'm actually cutting 24' pontoons in half(found a deal on Craigslist)...so I'll have a 2nd one for sale. stay tuned for the mods in that section. 

Oh, and trailering it does suck. If you want the best all around go with a Fish and Ski.


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## wasilvers (Mar 9, 2011)

You guys with pontoons, do you think a powerpole would help? Maybe, maybe noe? When I think of bass fishing, I think of shallower water, putting myself near the weeds and casting away.


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## Pops14 (Mar 9, 2011)

I enjoy fishing on my 20ft toon and the wife loves it but the hassle of loading and launching are a little much to take it out alone plus if you're lucky you might get 2 miles to the gallon on gas. they're not that heavy either I pull mine with a Jeep Cherokee. I might need to change to a 50 horse to help on gas instead of the 100 horse I have now


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## Hanr3 (Mar 9, 2011)

wasilvers said:


> You guys with pontoons, do you think a powerpole would help? Maybe, maybe noe? When I think of bass fishing, I think of shallower water, putting myself near the weeds and casting away.



That's the beauty of a pontoon. It draws maybe 1' of water, and floats extreme;y well over weeds. The biggest trouble with weeds is getting them wrapped int eh motor, and that will happen reguardless of rig.


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## KMixson (Mar 10, 2011)

Hanr3 said:


> wasilvers said:
> 
> 
> > You guys with pontoons, do you think a powerpole would help? Maybe, maybe noe? When I think of bass fishing, I think of shallower water, putting myself near the weeds and casting away.
> ...



My canoe will glide across lily pads and weeds with ease. Nothing hangs up at all.


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## Catarafter (Mar 10, 2011)

I have a 13' cataraft.....it works good for getting into small areas that you might not be able to get into with a boat. Cons include it can be cold during the winter, it is easy to drop stuff into the water and lose it, not as much room for gear on a pontoon.


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## bailey86 (Mar 13, 2011)

theres a guy near by here that makes pontoons that are 8x12 and 8x10 there not real big they look great. fairly cheap I would love to have one take the family out catch a mess fish and cook them on grill lisen to the nascar race never leave to boat


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## KMixson (Mar 14, 2011)

bailey86 said:


> theres a guy near by here that makes pontoons that are 8x12 and 8x10 there not real big they look great. fairly cheap I would love to have one take the family out catch a mess fish and cook them on grill lisen to the nascar race never leave to boat



All the while lying on the deck. Cool.


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## BloodStone (Mar 14, 2011)

*Personally I think that 1); they're ugly-a fancied up, glorified barge imo. 2) The maneuverability on the water must suck majorly. Not to mention how they are in really rough water? And 3), continually trailing those hulks (16'-24') can't be a cake walk. I Can't even imagine the kind of horsepower power it would take to yank one of those suckers up & out of the ramp successfully (16'-24'). 4) Pushing them through the water must be substantial since there really is no bow to speak of. And 5); If pontoons were really "all that & a bag of chips", then why aren't more of them used in tournaments (not just talking bass)? I suppose if you have a big family these glorified rafts may be the way to go but, you & a buddy or two..no way! Just my 2 cents.. *


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## Crankworm (Mar 15, 2011)

I've stayed out of this thread as long as I could. I am fortunate enough that both my parents and my inlaws have cottages on lakes, they also both have pontoons. I think they are great to fish out of, it only takes a second to fold the top down. The inlaws toon is older and a little redneck. It has the helm and a captain chair to drive but no other funiture except lawn chairs that makes for a really big fishing platform. I usually throw my transom mount minnkota in the truck and I clamp it to the front of the deck and run it in reverse to pull me along nicely. instead of a power pole I just use a mushroom anchor if I want to stop. All that being said I couldn't imagine trying to launch and trailer a toon every time I wanted to go fishing. They are big and wide and wobbly going down the road. Heres the best pic I could find of my pontoon adventures. Yea I know my gut is pretty pasty white


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## Pops14 (Mar 16, 2011)

Bloodstone, They actually dont handle bad even on fairly rough water and like I said before I pull mine with a 98 Jeep Cherokee with a 3.0 six cylinder with 200,000 miles and have no problems pulling it out


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## MrSimon (Oct 8, 2014)

I know this is an old thread, but I fished out of a pontoon boat this past weekend for the first time.

I'm a die hard tin V-hull guy ..... but now I don't think I'll ever buy another one.

I LOVED THE PONTOON BOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had 7 guys out there with no issues.
The ride in rough water was a LOT smoother than my 16' v-hull.
There was plenty of room to cast, move around, sit down, lay down, etc etc.
The sun shade was super nice.
It runs even shallower than my v-hull.
It was plenty fast enough with a 75HP Tohatsu.
It was no harder to tow/launch/recover than any other boat.

We found one drawback. It was windy and the boat catches a lot of wind. We just used anchors to slow the drift and it was fine. If I had my own pontoon, I'd mount a high end remote controlled trolling motor and that would solve the wind issue.

I have a cottage on a lake in NY, three young kids, and a wife. Can you guess what I'm already shopping for?


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## Tallpine (Oct 9, 2014)

We just sold our 20' pontoon but I have to say it was great for certain types of fishing. Lots of room for a group to fish out of and very stable and comfy. Yes not as easy to launch and maneuver but you will be so relaxed after a day of fishing it's worth it. A lot of the guides on the lakes here in Central Oregon use them for trout fishing. They are very good fly fishing platforms. The only reason we sold ours is my Dad is 83 and i'm in a wheelchair and it was a lot for us to deal with.


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## lovedr79 (Oct 10, 2014)

you're getting a pontoon! they are great to fish out of, great if you have kids too! they are also hard to turn over in the water.


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## huntinfool (Oct 10, 2014)

If you want a laid back type of fishing they are great. 

But for a serious angler, you need Storage for all your gear (which a toon has), you also need maneuverability ( which a toon doesn't have) and speed (which a toon doesn't have) 

Analogy: 
why doesn't she get a mini van to race the Daytona 500. Sure it will work, but its not the right vehicle for the job. 

Most areas I fish I can barely get my boat into, let alone a toon. 

That's about all I got. 


Good luck.


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## Jim311 (Oct 10, 2014)

They suck in shallow water, can't handle a chop, catch wind like a sail, and basically just do everything badly except for allow you to carry a lot of people.


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## WiskeyJaR (Oct 14, 2014)

What kind of pontoon boat is she looking at? The little pontoons folks use around these parts can get ya into some tight and swallow spots, and rivers, but may not be "big enough" for open lakes, and yes they are like sails. Most are single person boats with a few 2 persons floating the bigger rivers.

Have floated a couple rivers here in oregon with a friend and his Fish Cat 13. My 12' jon boat has ton more space for 2 folks AND a dog to fish, hunt, or whatever. Will go anyplace his pontoon will go, as long as the water allows motors, pontoon is easier to row then me jb.

Now ifn your talking them big party barges, have no experience with them.


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