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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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With soaring gasoline prices, fishing from big rigs can cost a fortune,
but anglers in small boats can sometimes find fish that others can never
reach.
Probably more fish in modern history hit the decks of aluminum
flatboats than any other watercraft. Growing up, I frequently fished out of a
12-foot flat powered by a 6-horsepower outboard before moving up to a 14-
footer with a 15 on the transom. Sometimes, I could fish five or six days in a
row before refilling the 6-gallon gas tank.
Many people with big boats and big engines seem to prefer running
instead of fishing. I think some people just want to impress their club
members with their hp or mph numbers. I’ve heard bass anglers brag that
their boats can reach speeds exceeding 70, 80 or even 90 miles per hour,
but I’ve never once saw anyone catch a fish going that fast.
I never understood why some tournament anglers launch at Marina A
and run 50 miles to fish the docks at Marina B on the other side of the lake
while anglers fishing from Marina B run 50 miles to fish the docks at Marina
A. How many fish do they pass up when converting fuel into debt and
noise?
People with small boats usually spend more time actually fishing and
less time burning gasoline. Years ago, I fished two annual local
tournaments for fun. In one, I fished from a 16-foot canoe. The following
year, I fished from a 10-foot aluminum flatboat without any motor, only a
paddle. Without spending a penny on boat fuel, I won both events because
I threw more casts than the others. Fish simply can’t hit baits that don’t hit
the water.
During that tournament, all the big boats launched and blasted off to
the other side of the lake. After they cleared the area, I threw my boat into
the water. My first cast landed next to the launch ramp. I fished the docks
of the marina for eight hours and never ventured more than 100 yards or
so from the launch. My last cast landed next to the launch ramp.
In contrast, the other competitors spent the first hour of the morning,
the best fishing time on a hot summer day, trying to beat the other anglers
to their “secret” honey holes. At each hole, anglers made a few casts
before declaring no fish in the area and running to another hot spot miles
away. I doubt they threw 10 percent of the casts that I made that day.
Small boats simply can’t reach as many spots as boats propelled by
225 horses, but small boats can enter areas that big boats can never visit.
In small flatboats, people can venture into tiny streams to fish waters that
seldom see lures – or other people! Sometimes, narrow ditches actually
lead to “lost lakes,” wider, deeper openings behind thick cover. Like
something out of The Lost World, perhaps only a few hundred yards off a
major waterway or highway, these isolated wilderness areas seem like the
middle of the Amazon Basin. In many of these lost wildernesses that few
people ever see, fish may die of old age.
Canoes can grant access to even smaller areas. With a canoe,
people can thoroughly fish a pond measuring just a few acres. Gliding
along silently without burning an ounce of gasoline, anglers can often find
outstanding fishing in virtually untouched waters.
Moreover, small boats SHOULD limit the amount of equipment people
can carry, although that doesn’t always work. How many people carry three
tons of lures on a fishing trip just to use the same five favorites each day?
Guilty as charged! A small, flat plastic box of lures carefully chosen to fish
that particular water body and one or two rods should prove sufficient for
most fishing trips, even when using big boats.
As a kid, I fished for fun and relaxation instead of money, honor or
prizes. I enjoyed observing wildlife as I glided through these tiny channels,
something people can’t easily do while wearing a crash helmet and
rocketing 50 miles across a choppy lake at 75 miles per hour! If I caught
bream, bass, catfish or anything else, that just added to the experience.
but anglers in small boats can sometimes find fish that others can never
reach.
Probably more fish in modern history hit the decks of aluminum
flatboats than any other watercraft. Growing up, I frequently fished out of a
12-foot flat powered by a 6-horsepower outboard before moving up to a 14-
footer with a 15 on the transom. Sometimes, I could fish five or six days in a
row before refilling the 6-gallon gas tank.
Many people with big boats and big engines seem to prefer running
instead of fishing. I think some people just want to impress their club
members with their hp or mph numbers. I’ve heard bass anglers brag that
their boats can reach speeds exceeding 70, 80 or even 90 miles per hour,
but I’ve never once saw anyone catch a fish going that fast.
I never understood why some tournament anglers launch at Marina A
and run 50 miles to fish the docks at Marina B on the other side of the lake
while anglers fishing from Marina B run 50 miles to fish the docks at Marina
A. How many fish do they pass up when converting fuel into debt and
noise?
People with small boats usually spend more time actually fishing and
less time burning gasoline. Years ago, I fished two annual local
tournaments for fun. In one, I fished from a 16-foot canoe. The following
year, I fished from a 10-foot aluminum flatboat without any motor, only a
paddle. Without spending a penny on boat fuel, I won both events because
I threw more casts than the others. Fish simply can’t hit baits that don’t hit
the water.
During that tournament, all the big boats launched and blasted off to
the other side of the lake. After they cleared the area, I threw my boat into
the water. My first cast landed next to the launch ramp. I fished the docks
of the marina for eight hours and never ventured more than 100 yards or
so from the launch. My last cast landed next to the launch ramp.
In contrast, the other competitors spent the first hour of the morning,
the best fishing time on a hot summer day, trying to beat the other anglers
to their “secret” honey holes. At each hole, anglers made a few casts
before declaring no fish in the area and running to another hot spot miles
away. I doubt they threw 10 percent of the casts that I made that day.
Small boats simply can’t reach as many spots as boats propelled by
225 horses, but small boats can enter areas that big boats can never visit.
In small flatboats, people can venture into tiny streams to fish waters that
seldom see lures – or other people! Sometimes, narrow ditches actually
lead to “lost lakes,” wider, deeper openings behind thick cover. Like
something out of The Lost World, perhaps only a few hundred yards off a
major waterway or highway, these isolated wilderness areas seem like the
middle of the Amazon Basin. In many of these lost wildernesses that few
people ever see, fish may die of old age.
Canoes can grant access to even smaller areas. With a canoe,
people can thoroughly fish a pond measuring just a few acres. Gliding
along silently without burning an ounce of gasoline, anglers can often find
outstanding fishing in virtually untouched waters.
Moreover, small boats SHOULD limit the amount of equipment people
can carry, although that doesn’t always work. How many people carry three
tons of lures on a fishing trip just to use the same five favorites each day?
Guilty as charged! A small, flat plastic box of lures carefully chosen to fish
that particular water body and one or two rods should prove sufficient for
most fishing trips, even when using big boats.
As a kid, I fished for fun and relaxation instead of money, honor or
prizes. I enjoyed observing wildlife as I glided through these tiny channels,
something people can’t easily do while wearing a crash helmet and
rocketing 50 miles across a choppy lake at 75 miles per hour! If I caught
bream, bass, catfish or anything else, that just added to the experience.
Small boats may reach lunkers that
big rigs often cannot even tempt
big rigs often cannot even tempt
Steven Felsher shows off a bass he caught while fishing a backwater
off the Cache River in Arkansas from a canoe.
off the Cache River in Arkansas from a canoe.
