Tournament fishing in small boats?

[pantherdad]

Those are the guys that will take your money because they go fish and not run all day

[tcesni]

Makes it all the sweeter to come in with a nice bag from a smaller boat. All that counts is a functional live well. My first tournament boat was a 14R Sea Nymph with a 1956 25 hp Johnson motor on the back (I built the livewell). Won several club tournaments in Lafayette, Indiana from that boat while attending Purdue. Then I graduated to a 16' Lowe with a 70 hp Evinrude and won plenty on some pretty big waters in SE PA. His boat will be fine, the respect will come at weigh in.

[okiebass]

won money in jackpots fishing out of a scamp (2 man boat ) . Also one time won a new ranger fishing out of a 15ft duracraft with 35hp evinrude . It not the boat , it the fisherman !!

[FLAbassin]

One of the best guys I know who fishes local tournaments with me drives a 16ft stick steer. Regularly takes first place. It ain't about the boat it's about the fisherman. . Rick Clunn talking about this exact thing.

[Coon Dog1]

He just needs to GO and let his skills shine!!!!! Shiny boats just spook fish anyways!!!!!

Also have him watch Getting to know Mr Kennedy on bass zone website. (20 feet deep video) He explains very well what a small boat can do for you!!!

[mattmann7]

Not proud of it but my 17 g3 with a 40 is the best I can do right now. Had a streak last year of 2 firsts 2 seconds and a third in 5 tournaments in succession. I'm basically the poorest person in the field. Been fighting that tag for my entire life. Hasn't stopped me from trying to do my best. In 27 years I have been in about 600 club level tournaments. 18 years from the back and the rest up front.

[Jim Dunn]

As long as it has a functioning livewell, he should give it a shot. Skill, not the boat, catches fish.

This! As a 20ft 250hp owner I can attest to the skill part, I don't have much. But I can get to my fishing spot, and not catch fish, pretty quick.

[chefdlh1972]

I have a 17'6" Skeeter with a 115, and I'm not the best. But there are a few guys I know of that fish out of Trackers that are hammers, and one of them definitely doesn't move a lot, just hits a ton of docks and comes in with big fish all the time.

[Transom]

Not proud of it but my 17 g3 with a 40 is the best I can do right now. Had a streak last year of 2 firsts 2 seconds and a third in 5 tournaments in succession. I'm basically the poorest person in the field. Been fighting that tag for my entire life. Hasn't stopped me from trying to do my best. In 27 years I have been in about 600 club level tournaments. 18 years from the back and the rest up front.

Why are you not proud of it? As you already know you don't have to be in debt having shiny toys in a garage to enjoy life. You know that you just do not realize it.

[Fishin is life]

Most all of us have had our money taken by somebody in a rig similiar to what you describe. My only concern would be if they go to any bigger waters where the wind can make getting around difficult even if you dont venture far from the ramp. We all know guys thatd take your money from a canoe and those who wont cash a check no matter how nice their rig/equipment is. Tell him to go for it and have fun whether he wins them all or doesnt cash a check. Ive fished several circuits/clubs and have never heard anybody talk down about somebody because of what they fish out of. We all know getting out there and having fun is what its all about because the biggest majority of us will never actually turn any kind of profit from fishing

[nhharris78]

Ha! Those are the guys I usually fear the most. Small Jon boat or small tracker with 3-4 rods and handful of lures.

[GOTTA BIG SACK]

I won the only tournament I was able to fish this spring out of my Ranger aluminum rig. It was a big tournament too. I honestly enjoyed that win more than any I've ever had cause of all the $50,000 and up rigs that I was putt putting thru that morning before take off.

[chaseerry]

I have gotten my butt handed to me many a time by guys in a small boat. Pretty cool actually because they defy everything we are told by the pros and fishing industry as a whole.

[crawdadking]

Fished many tournaments out of my 16ft Monark with a 40hp Mercury. And loved every every minute of it.

[Ratltrap]

I have won a fair share of money from a Houston bass club that I used to be in and all I had at the time was a 17 foot Aluminum Tracker boat with a 45 HP Merc on it. I fished big lakes from Sam Rayburn & Toledo Bend, went up the river and creeks at places like Lake Livingston where big boats could not go. I would run up on sandbars that blocked the creeks entrance to the river and get out my push pole, push across the sandbar, drop the big motor and go catch fish in untouched water. Shallow water short cuts were a breeze, all I needed was enough water for the prop. Only problem was the wind, it was my enemy! It would run 31 mph, no mater what, caught a lot of fish out of that boat, I would still have it but it got rear ended at a traffic light at 5 in the morning one day by a drunk driver. The thing a small boat does it it makes you area fish, hard to do a 5 mile run in rough water, sometimes wish I had a smaller boat to go tinker around in.

[blakesfav]

Had a 16 foot tracker with a 25 - we just set up an ice chest livewell using an aerator powered by d cell batteries that we bought at Academy. My son had free reign to use this boat for tournaments when he was in high school. I had an Eyra with three graphs and a 250. I rarely finished ahead of him.

[alpine4x4]

Those are the guys that will take your money because they go fish and not run all day

Truth. Got our asses whooped yesterday by a guy in our club who runs a 14' with a 20 horse. He made a 6-7 mile run, sat down, and fished all day. He came in with 17lbs for first. He sat down and fished all day. We burned 3/4 tank running around. Didnt pay off!

[Walkabout7781]

In the club I was in, some of the winners and AOY's used TX-17's, or a jon boat with a jet lower unit, or a moldy old tin. One guy puked the engine on his boat and arrived with the powerhead in milk crates in the back of his van. He launched and fished within sight of the ramp and trophied in the tournament on the largest lake we fished...Banks Lk., 25 miles long and about 1 mile across in most parts. Another couple blew up the OB on their boat and showed with something like a 7 hp OB clamped onto the transom. Different outcome....they won...Potholes Reservoir, still a pretty good size piece of water. Nice thing about smaller OB's is that they seldom try to turn inside out!

[Bearetta]

There should be some big ass tin boat only tournaments. Those boys would stack some fish

[ColdSVT]

I've been doing It with a 17ft javelin and 90hp yammy for several years now

I've won a handful with what is usually (buy not always) the smallest and slowest rig in the tourny