Direct Correlation: Boats Get Bigger as Fishing Opportunities Get Smaller?

[saanauk]

OK, full disclosure—-I own a boat strictly to chase fish. And having admitted that, It now appears I’ve painted myself into a corner because of all the draconian fishing regs in my neighborhood....summer regs are bad enough but now, going in to 2021—ZERO winter spring fishing. Zero!

If I wanted to have a drinking platform I have my back porch and a lawn chair. I could never wrap my head around burning gas to go sight-see...didn’t God invented cars to do that?

But hats off to all the guys and gals who enjoy boating just for the sake of boating. I must be missing the gene for that.

I have always been the same way where fishing is the number one priority. That is why I bought a Seasport 24xl with a short cabin and long deck. With the diminished fishing opportunities here in the states and the border being closed it is tough. I have been doing more family trips and realizing my current boat setup is not ideal for “Family” trips. Not willing to give up yet and get a cruising boat but I am getting a lot of pressure from the Wife.

Going to miss you write up from the central BC Coast. We normally spend a week up there as well with a group of buddies fishing but that doesn’t look like it will happen this year.

 

[wildmanyeah]

I do wonder with how mobile the rec fleet is how much it plays into the wide spread closures vs area specific ones.

 

[Ringo]

Freedom of the water.

Shhhhhhh. Justin and his “progressive “ ENGOs will take it away from us.

 

[fishchaser]

I think its more age related and financially able more than anything else. I know that as I get older the boats get larger as I like more creature comforts and as the family gets larger from the kids getting married and having their own kids that go with us. Boating to us is a lifestyle were fishing is a nice hobby we take advantage of when seasons are open. We now have 2 boats for different types of fishing. We have a 54 foot Bertram Sport fisher that we recently purchased and moored in Islamorada for our warm weather off shore pleasures and have a 2902 Trophy for our local fishing.

 

[cracked_ribs]

Maybe it's just that with no fish, people aren't continually buying tackle...and once you stop doing that, it turns out you can afford a quarter million dollar boat.

 

[Rain City]

Maybe it's just that with no fish, people aren't continually buying tackle...and once you stop doing that, it turns out you can afford a quarter million dollar boat.

Ding ding ding!

 

[Blueback]

Wow; gonna have to show this thread to my wife, as we are going through the debate/discussion about fishing vs cruising, as I am going to let go of my beloved 18 ft. Ghetto Slayer, and pick up something newer and better. Probably obviously, she wants family cruising and I want fishing.

 

[BigBoat]

There is an old adage that the size of the boat is inversely related to its usage. In other words, smaller boats get more use. It is important to remember that larger boats cost more to buy, run, maintain, insure, moor, etc. Perhaps fishchaser can comment, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Bertram burns upwards of 50 gph.

I don't think it is difficult to achieve a happy balance of fishability and coastal cruising. You will want to determine if you want to trailer your boat or keep it in the water. How many nights a year will you realistically sleep on the boat with more than two people? When we vacation with more than two people we find it easier to use onshore accomodations.

A boat that is too big could have maneuverability issues in tight fishing spots or in a crowd. Speed control is essential for trolling success. If I were to advise someone looking for safety and comfort with accomodations for a weekend on the hook while still maintaining all things fishy I would look in the 27 foot to 36 foot range. Cruisability will increase with size, but at a cost.

 

[Gong Show]

I have weaned the fleet down to three boats from the five I had at the beginning of married life.
The small skiff is for solo missions or towed behind the cruiser, it lives on a trailer in the garage.
Then the wife and kids can sleep in on the cruiser while I get out for fishing.
The middle boat is on a trailer beside the house, 24' eaglecraft. Family does not like cruising on it, but my fishing buddies and I love that it can go through all weather and water, plus has napping facilities.
The cruiser is set up for downriggers, but as mentioned, it is not fun to try fishing tight contours or busy tacks.

You can show this post to the SO, "See, there are guys with much worse issues than me."

 

[seascene]

".....seriously flawed species"

 

[fishbadger]

Sounds like Sharphooks and I must be neighbors, yeah it royally sucks down here right now, especially that the brown menace is upon us. . .water stacked with waves of dogfish 80 feet deep, unreal.

I downsized from a 32 (Whaler 305CQ) to a 24 (Grady 232) some years back. My family and I cruised and fished all over the place in that CQ when my kids were little, we had a ball. It slept the 4 of us pretty comfy, and fished really well. But I couldn't tow it to destinations I wanted to fish. So I downsized into the 24, I got the biggest most ocean-ready towable boat I could, so I could fish wherever regulations and conditions warranted. Now I can take it everywhere, including the occasional tuna trip. In my case, since our local fishery is so diced up and often-lousy, my bigger boat allows me to still attend to some great fishing in other locations, while still doing duty on the home waters. So keep an eye out for me the next time you're out,

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