need a pontoon boat that fishes like a bassboat

[aikido]

I have a family member who is not stable enough to be on a traditional bassboat but would still like to fish. I am pretty sure that a pontoon boat would meet all safety requirements. Does anyone have any ideas for how i should go about outfitting a pontoon boat or boats that exist already that I should look at. I fish the St Lawrence river so please take constant current and big water issues into consideration when responding. The main things I am worrying about is what sort of trolling motor is going to be strong enough to handle the current and waves at the St Lawrence river. Look forward to your ideas.

[apenland01]

I took the Ultrex off my bass boat when I switched to a Ghost and put it on my pontoon boat. We use it for night fishing and crappie fishing. It has 2 fishing seats in the front and the Ultrex is between them. It's an old 1985 Party Barge with the fishing front deck. Very stable platform.

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

Many pontoon boats actually make a decent fishing platform but I will note that I fish in my bass boat on the lake and down below the dam on the river. I seldom see anyone fishing from a pontoon down on the river but often up on the main lake. Current is the issue for people below the dam on the river I'm sure so your comment about constant current and big water issues would have me personally skeptical about how well a pontoon would work for your application. Maybe a smaller one like 20' with a very strong trolling motor. I have a friend who had a Lowe aluminum deck boat years ago. It was about 19' to 20' feet long and I was on it several times. It had the big open deck with a Bimini top like a pontoon but it had much better performance and maneuverability on the water for fishing. Heck it even had a live well in it. It was maybe not as stable at rest as a pontoon but very close. Maybe a tin deck boat is your answer. Good luck, I'm all for anyone who wants to help a family member with some health issues continue to enjoy fishing and the outdoors. You are to be commended!

[CastingCall]

We have an old 12v Minnkota TM on the bow of our 18' pontoon with a foot pedal which works great on our relatively small lake. Without much in the water causing drag, it takes far less power to move a pontoon with a TM than a fiberglass or aluminum fishing boat.
If you were to put a 24v or 36v TM on the front, there is no reason it couldn't handle strong wind/current.

Ours has a full height railing that goes all the way to the front of the pontoon. The only issue is needing to open the front gate to stow/deploy the TM. We can close the gate once it's deployed, but gate needs to be open when stowed.
My BIL bolted a removable slide plate onto the floor near the gate and we wired a 12v plug so the TM can be removed when not in use.
Depending on the layout of the pontoon, the type of TM, and shaft length, you may need to be creative with a mounting bracket of some sort.

The pontoon is great for having more than 3 people to cast comfortably, and it can sneak into much shallower water than my bassboat. When not casting, we can relax with multiple rods in the water and troll around all day long (we have rail-mounted rod holders all the way around). We converted one of the under-seat plastic seat bench pedistals to a livewell with an aerator as well.

[JR19]

There is not a lot out there but if you search you can find a deck boat that is set up for fishing. I haven't seen it for a while but there was one on my local lake and over the years I have see a few. The specific boat I'm talking about has a massive aluminum hull that looks like something you would see under a massive jon boat but the top cap is a deck that resembles a pontoon. The bimi top is very small. It pretty much only covers from the drivers seat back. From the console forward is wide open walking space. It has a guard rail around the entire deck like a pontoon. Up front there is a trolling motor just like a traditional bass style boat. The few I have seen are around 20 ft in length.

Here is something similiar to what I was talking about except the one I saw was closed in at the front...https://2020.princecraft.com/2/en/pr...eck-Boats.aspx

I just think a deck boat would handle better when fishing than a pontoon but that's just my opinion.

[jpt7779]

We have a Veranda VF20F4 all aluminum zero wood which is pretty much all purpose. Lots of options to choose from.
It has a Yamaha SHO 115 HP and sips the gas.

https://www.verandamarine.com/fish-series/fish-f4/

[GPtimes2]

For the OP and those committing on deck boats. I have had mine since 2003, and can say that it will handle better, but a pontoon with a wall/rail is going to be a better platform for someone with stability issues.

[WVBullet]

There was a guy around here back in the late 90’s early 2000 I believe had a “Bass Buggy” (I think that’s what it was called) it was a 16’ pontoon and he fished himself, his dad and his son. All three fished out of it just fine and it scooted around pretty good.

[wareagle24]

Send a private message to LTZ25. I remember he bought a pontoon boat a couple of years ago and was going to fish tournaments out of it. He could probably answer your questions for you. Here's a thread about it.

https://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=1177510

[Mikeinoh]

In 22 we bought a Tahoe 1950 deck boat. Set it with a 24 v trolling motor. Not a bass boat but for recreational fishing I'm pretty happy with it vs a pontoon. There's a fair amount of deck up front. I have added a pedestal seat up front since this pic was taken.

20220806_170155.jpg20220806_170155.jpg

[ssmithboats]

i built a veranda 22 ft tritoon with a bare deck into a fishing boat with a center console fishes an runs nicely.

[fly by night]

I once owned a Crest Family Fisherman pontoon boat that had a fishing seat on all 4 corners, a live well, fish finder, a 54" MK trolling motor on the front with remote. It fished quite well and was 22' long.

[geobass]

Check out Anglers Quest pontoons. They are set up for fishing, especially trolling.

[SteezMacQueen]

I saw a tri-toon the other day with four 12ft talons, one on each corner, it had a big Ultrex on it….also had a Yamaha 425 on the back!!! Couches and a bbq grill.

the thing probably cost more than my house.