Pontoon boat in the Delta?

Actionmclain · Post by **Actionmclain** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 9:17 am

Seeking some wisdom. I bass fish a-lot in the Delta and Ca lakes. My wife and I have been bass fishing for years out of bass boats with our two kids. I am just wondering now with the kids being bigger if I could get a pontoon boat with a ultrex to do the job and keep everyone comfortable. Let me know your thoughts.

ash · Post by **ash** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:25 pm

i dont think it's feasible to fish on a pontoon boat without anchoring at either of these fisheries. With the wind and the tide that boat will be like a big sail being pushed around. I'm not saying you couldn't do it in certain spots at certain times, but mainly tucked in a cove on an anchor.

Actionmclain · Post by **Actionmclain** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:32 pm

ash wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:25 pm i dont think it's feasible to fish on a pontoon boat without anchoring at either of these fisheries. With the wind and the tide that boat will be like a big sail being pushed around. I'm not saying you couldn't do it in certain spots at certain times, but mainly tucked in a cove on an anchor.

I was kind of afraid of that. I thought maybe a 24 volt ultrex with spot lock and some talons might help. I dont want to fight wind all day.

ash · Post by **ash** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:44 pm

It might help, but i dont see it brother sometimes it's hard enough with a bassboat that sits under the levy walls with an outgo tide and wind I think you'll find yourself spinning circles. My buddy had a centerconsole he outfitted with a TM and stabilizers in the back and it was doable but challenging for him. He ended up selling it entirely after two years.

Perhaps a fish and ski would be suited for you and the family?

monte300 · Post by **monte300** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 4:11 pm

I would say a minimum of 36 volts and even that will probably leave you frustrated in Delta winds. Is there a scenario where you drag your bass boat behind a pontoon boat and do your fishing from the bass boat?

Actionmclain · Post by **Actionmclain** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 4:48 pm

ash wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 12:44 pm It might help, but i dont see it brother sometimes it's hard enough with a bassboat that sits under the levy walls with an outgo tide and wind I think you'll find yourself spinning circles. My buddy had a centerconsole he outfitted with a TM and stabilizers in the back and it was doable but challenging for him. He ended up selling it entirely after two years.

Perhaps a fish and ski would be suited for you and the family?

We had a Reata for a couple years. It was nice. Sometimes the wind would push it around. I guess I need to convonce the wife we need two boats...lol

Actionmclain · Post by **Actionmclain** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 4:50 pm

monte300 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 11, 2022 4:11 pm I would say a minimum of 36 volts and even that will probably leave you frustrated in Delta winds. Is there a scenario where you drag your bass boat behind a pontoon boat and do your fishing from the bass boat?

I guess I could just keep the bass boat. The wimd pushes it around a bit too.

rjt18b · Post by **rjt18b** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 5:48 pm

There were a couple of guys that did the pontoon boat thing fishing the Future Pro tour a couple of years ago. In the wind, from a distance, they seemed to be in less control than a bass boat on the lakes... I can't imagine how tough it would be on the delta!!

monte300 · Post by **monte300** » Fri Feb 11, 2022 6:07 pm

Boats are like pickup trucks, once you have one you never want to be without

fishndp · Post by **fishndp** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 6:21 am

Had a 20’ lowe pontoon and used it on Don Pedro and McClure to bass fish
Put a 24v power drive minnkota on it.
It worked, when the wind kicked up I would head for a nice big cove that I could use the tm to putt around in. Rarely put the Bimini up …
Tm batteries would get a work out for sure
Can’t speak as to how it would do on the delta since I’ve not fished it, but lake fishing it worked for me

ILW · Post by **ILW** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:06 pm

Have you thought about doing a pontoon rental and giving it a try for a day? Maybe it would be a good experiment. I m sure Ive seen pontoon rentals on the Delta. Tower Park comes to mind but it could have somewhere else.

milehi · Post by **milehi** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:17 pm

A couple of guys did it pretty well on my little lake that gets lots of wind & horrible boat trafic. Trick was a tm front & back

Jeff C. · Post by **Jeff C.** » Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:14 am

Have you considered a deck boat? Something like the one made by Tahoe: https://www.tahoeboats.com/deck.html. It would be a happy medium between a bass boat and a pontoon boat and way more comfortable than a fish and ski. I have an older model (2008) which sits higher than the newer models and while it does get pushed around a bit more than a bass boat it is very fishable. A bonus is that it's awesome for waterskiing and tubing.

Kelly Ripa · Post by **Kelly Ripa** » Sun Feb 13, 2022 3:35 pm

I used a drift sock off the back and a remote controlled power driven T.M. Upfront. I could drive from anywhere in the boat. I always wished I had a motor on the back but it was doable...

Actionmclain · Post by **Actionmclain** » Mon Feb 14, 2022 10:08 pm

Jeff C. wrote: ↑Sun Feb 13, 2022 8:14 am Have you considered a deck boat? Something like the one made by Tahoe: https://www.tahoeboats.com/deck.html. It would be a happy medium between a bass boat and a pontoon boat and way more comfortable than a fish and ski. I have an older model (2008) which sits higher than the newer models and while it does get pushed around a bit more than a bass boat it is very fishable. A bonus is that it's awesome for waterskiing and tubing.

I have thought about a deck boat. looks like it might actually work well.I wonder if this one has a live well.

Actionmclain · Post by **Actionmclain** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 1:22 pm

ILW wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:06 pm Have you thought about doing a pontoon rental and giving it a try for a day? Maybe it would be a good experiment. I m sure Ive seen pontoon rentals on the Delta. Tower Park comes to mind but it could have somewhere else.

I have thought about it. I wasnt sure if they hade trolling motors on them.