Front seat or back
Which do you prefer and why ?Under what conditions would you change places ? Do you seam to catch more bass from which one over the other on a
regular bases ? |
Rodney
May 30
2004
|
| Truth be known, I prefer the front of the boat on inland lakes and the back
of the boat on bigger water. Why? Because on big water, the person up front
spends 50% of their time trying to maintain boat control. One reason why I
have beaten every boater I have ever fished with on the Great Lakes. The
poor guy is continuously working the troll motor while trying to fish at the
same time. Even with drift socks, the person up front is working the troll
motor to help hold the drift line (or path). Being in the back, I get to
focus 100% on fishing. It's kind of unfair for the boater. On inland lakes, I like being in control and having first crack at all the
fish. I also like to position a boat a bit further off shore than most
people (typically about 60-feet), or right in the middle of narrower
cannels. I also like to follow main river channel breaklines, where a lot
of anglers simply follow the shoreline. I also like having my troll motor
set on the lowest setting I can get away with to maintain boat position, so
I can fish a spot slowly and thoroughly. Being primarily a tubebait and
jig-n-pig angler, slow works better for me. I think too many anglers spook
their fish by having the their troll motor set too high and the fact that
they stop and start their motors, instead of maintaining a very slow but
steady pace. When would I prefer to be in the back of the boat on inland lakes? yeah, on
windy days where the wind is pushing the boat around badly. Its like being
on big water, being up front means spending a great deal of your time
holding position so the guy in the back of the boat can out fish you.
|
Craig
May 31
|
| Front Front Front! I'm one of those guys that's miserable if I don't have
total control of everything regardless of the conditions. I fished in the
backseat the entire Federation Divisional on Champlain last year & honestly
believe it cost me a spot in the National. My day 2 & 3 boaters suc-ed &
man was I on em. Warren |
go-bassn
May 31
|
| I have to say when fishing calm waters I prefer to have the fornt seat.
Around here that means lakes an backwaters. I just naturally have the best
position to hit every bit of cover that I like when flipping, and flipping
or pitching is probably 50% of our productive fishing most days. However, when handling the boat in rough water or a heavy current I much
prefer the back seat. I can concentrate on fishing. In my home waters that
means working the banks int he main river channel. Between the pleasure
boaters running up and down the rver and the changing current as you work
your way up a bank it can be a real challenge to keep your boat in position. An exception of course is my ABA series partner Kwame (Hammer) Kuanda. He
has amazing boat control skills. We have worked miles of fast side banks
without a hitch except to tie on a new rig or switch baits. I have watched
how he works a bank and I can duplicate it to a certain degree now, but not
with the apparent effortlessness he exudes. When fishing a tournament we
switch off on the front as convenience dictates. When he has to retie he
steps down off the front deck and I take over so I can contine to put my
bait in good locations while he is otherwise distracted. When I need to
change and he is ready to fish we will switch again. We make a vary good
team this way. I guess to answer your question, it depends on the water and weather
conditions, and who I am fishing with. |
Bob
May 31
|
| I am absolutely a back seater. I fish purely for fun, and I compete only
with myself. I am an intensely curious person, and I like to experiment &
occasionally fool around. I would hate to back seat behind me because I am
not always paying attention to where I am. I will voice my opinions if I
think they are worthy, & will be very outspoken if an idiot in front is
trying to block me from good spots. If that doesn't work, a few 7/8 oz. Zara
Spooks in the back of the head will quickly get the idiot's attention (at
that point a treble in his ear becomes my only goal!). At day's end, I
always have fun & seem to catch my share. |
Bob
May 31
|
| I prefer the front, but have fished out of the back of enough boats to know
it's not a huge disadvantage as long as you're not afraid to speak up if you
don't like what's happening. I've seen several guys complain about trolling motor in the wind. I fish so
much out in the wind that I seldom give it a lot thought. It becomes a bit
automatic after a while. I really like fishing wind blown points and
bridges. The bridges usually not only act as a water funnel, but a wind
tunnel as well. |
Andrew
May 31
|
| Absolutely Andrew - I'm amazed when I hear guys whining about fishing in the
wind or having to use a trolling motor in windy conditions. I too seek out
the windiest spots I can find, be it points, riprap bare banks & especially
docklines. The advantages include increases dissolved O2, camoflauge of my
boat, baitfish/feeding bass & less fishing pressure; What more can a guy
ask for? "Windy" can be a matter of speaking too, as I often seek out areas with the
slightest of ripples on an otherwise flat surfuce. Can't tell you how many
times a subtle ripple has led to success for me. Wind is good stuff. Warren |
go-bassn
May 31
|
| I always take the front seat and face backwards. Cause i solo fish from a
canoe. |
lurebuilder
May 31
|
| Call me a sissy, for I do like to fish wind blown points, but if I'm in
front you can count on me throwing out an anchor in the front and one out
the back. I want to focus on fishing. Besides, once anchored, that means
nobody can come within 150-feet.
|
Craig
Jun 1
|
| the |
Andrew
Jun 1
|
|
I especially like that less fishing pressure. I have definitely noticed
that myself. I know what you mean about the subjectivity of windy. I always
look to do a little fishing in the windiest areas. I love a windblown shore
almost as much as a windblown point. I especially like when the water
against the shore has it stirred up a little. Of course, crossing the large body of water on a very windy day is another
story altogether. Can't say that I particularly care for that! :-) |
Andrew
Jun 1
|
| I have to agree with Craig. The front seat is my preference, but on those
really windy days, the guy in the back just sits back and fishes. The guy
in the front is working his butt off. The other big reason for wanting the front is to use my own boat. Even
though I might not use that much tackle in a day, it sure is nice to know it
is there. There have been days where I might fish all 8hrs with 1 or 2
rods, but on others, I'll will have pulled everyone out and still looking
for something different to throw..:-) In our club tournaments, each guy is supposed to have half a day of boat
control. I always ask the back-seater if he has some spots he wants to hit,
or something he wants to try, but I have never had a back-seater want to
take control of the trolling motor. They usually just sit back and enjoy a
day of guided fishing. Scott....
Chetek, WI |
Scott
Jun 1
|
| ------=_NextPart_000_013C_01C447D3.4DEC2650
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Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I prefer to fish |
Sandon
Jun 1
|
| OK Sissy ;-) Who says nobody can come within 150 feet? No pro circuits
have that rule anymore... Warren |
go-bassn
Jun 1
|
| Naturally it should take you longer to cross rough water but its usually
well worth the trip. Warren |
go-bassn
Jun 1
|
| Back, Back Back! Its easier to sleep.
|
IBNFSHN
Jun 1
|
| Well since this Sissy hasn't fished in a REAL tournament in almost 2 years,
I haven't read any rules. Hell, I was suppose to fish the local TNT
tournament tonight, but couldn't leave because I was selling a new car and
the customer wanted to drive it home today. She drove away at 5:05 p.m. and
launch was at 5:00. Actually, registration was at 4:30 p.m., and all boats
have to be on the water by 4:50 p.m. Well, there is next week!
|
Craig
Jun 1
|
| You ARE the undisputed KING of trolls! Congrats, Al! |
Dan
Jun 2
|
| <You ARE the undisputed KING of trolls! Congrats, Al!> <Lure builder wrote: I always take the front seat and face backwards.
Cause i solo fish from a canoe> How is this post troll-like? |
jbuck41
Jun 1
|
