Some people who enjoy Bass Fishing and some commercial fishermen as well have a big boat with all fancy bells and whistles on it, while others fish in a small John Boat.
However, some fishermen use nothing bigger than a canoe, and it seems to work fine for them. How important having a nice, big boat is and does it help you catch more fish and bigger bass?
Many fishermen start with a small 10 foot long John Boat. It seems to be a popular choice due to its affordability but still decent space and power. It’s often fitted with a small ten hp outboard engine, and an optional trolling motor.
Common first upgrade for most John Boat owners is a fourteen-foot bass boat equipped with an outboard engine, often a 100 or so horsepower Mercury.
A step up from a fourteen-footer is often a seventeen-foot-long bass boat. You’ll need a bigger engine for it as well, and a 150 HP Mercury Black Max seems to be a popular choice among bass fishermen.
Most fourteen and seventeen-foot long bass boats come equipped with all the bells and whistles like live wells, depth finders, and trolling motors, but you can get those even on smaller boats.
The thing you’ll quickly find out if you started on a ten foot John Boat or similar and moved up to a bass boat is that you can catch lots of basses, including the big ones while using just about anything.
As every real fisherman knows, it’s not the boat that counts, it’s how you use it, meaning that skill, patience, and technique are the real reason why some fisherman can catch lots of fish on small canoes, and some have 17 foot long yachts and come home empty-handed every night.
The thing about the big fancy boats is that you often spend more time moving from spot to spot than you do actual fishing. When people first start, most of them are hungry and eager to fish and catch as much bass as they can, so they tend to get out early and stay at a spot for as long as they need.
And more so, bass like to hang out at the shady places and still waters, like under the shady edges and beneath the lily pads. You can get to these places with a bigger boat, but you just can’t beat a small, nimble John boat when it comes to maneuvering those shallow waters bass like so much.
Don’t get me wrong, having and sailing on a nice big bass fishing boat with a powerful engine and equipped with all the fancy gadgets is great, as long as you don’t expect it to do your job for you.
Catching bass is all about the technique, skill, and patience, and as much as the bigger boats can help you, in the end, it’s all down to you and your skill and drives.
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Meet Tyr Alan, your trusted guide on the high seas and calm lakes alike. A seasoned mariner with over two decades of hands-on experience, Tyr’s passion for boating is as vast as the open water. From navigating the rugged coasts to gently cruising down tranquil inland waterways, Tyr’s voyages have taken him across the globe, gifting him with an encyclopedic knowledge of boating that he’s eager to share with you.
