fishing from a boat question

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Orbits3

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Hello everyone, I have gone fishing with my father in law and at the end of the day he was ready to throw all his gear overboard because I have caught 15 bass and he hadn't caught any. He was thinking it was because I was in the front of the boat as we trolled along the weed lines and was casting to the "Good Spots" first. Is this a valid reason? If so is there anything we can do to fix this "problem"?

Neither of us have much boating expierence but I was thinking that I wouldn't want to shore fish right behind another fisherman. Thanks in advance for any help
 
Usually the person in front of the boat has the best chance to catch bass. There is no reason that he can't catch fish out of the back of the boat though.

I started fishing in a BASS federation club back in 1996. I didn't have a worthy boat at the time, but My first year in the club I won 3 tournys from the back of the boat. That being said when I bought a 19' Stratos I had this guy with me one time that couldn't catch fish in a barrel. I had 3 to 4 pounders schooled up, pulling them in left and right and he caught none. Casting to the same spot, using the same bait. It was comical, but sad at the same time. Some people just don't have the touch.
 
haha

agreed on the some people just dont have the touch. I fished with a buddy Sunday and he only landed 1 fish while i pulled in 8 fish with one being a 6 pounder :) He is a young in Bass fishing though. And when i can't catch them on one lure im not afraid to fire something else at them.

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Now when i fished with my dad when i was younger he would get on to me for hogging all the good spots first when i was in the front of the boat. "I want to catch some fish too." To be fair though as i thought about it he would leave me spots untouched to throw in when he fished the front of the boat.

Dont forget hes your father in law... nothing makes the wife more happy when you do something nice for her parents. Just make sure you leave a few spots for him next time so he wont have an excuse as to why didnt catch any. Try to encourage him to throw in a spot you left open for him while your line is out say, "Hey i bet there is bass next to that log." stuff like that.
 
I've been skunked numerous times...me in the front, partner in the rear of the boat. And there's been many times where my partner has outfished me when I'm at the rear of the boat.

I think many people think that they can catch more from the front because that's where the trolling motor is...and you can sneak the front of the boat into "fishy" spots easier. And certain species of fish are harder to find...and occasionally it's easier to sneak up if you're fishing from the front. I know around here, trout are really finicky. Try to motor up to a shoal and they'll scatter.

Your father in law just wasn't lucky that day. Next time you take him on a trip, put yourselves in a position where you BOTH catch fish. I've done that with my dad many many times over the years. Sometimes he gets mroe than me. Sometimes it's the opposite. But the important part is that you're both catching something other than just a sunburn.
 
This may not be the case, but if it's a tiller control motor that the person in the back is running or even just fussing with, the smell of gasoline and oil on the hands might get on the bait. I now carry a small container of dish detergent on both of my boats, so after launching I wash my hands. It really has helped increase the catch rate for me as my tin is a tiller control.

My fiberglass boat has a console and a hydraulic trim but when I had a previous outboard that was giving me problems, I had grease prints all over the boat and on the steering wheel. After replacing the motor with a newer one, I fiddle with it less and noticed that I catch more fish too.
 
fender66 said:
Is there a reason why he can't fish from the front of the boat sometimes?
he actually was in the front of the boat to begin the day but he didn't like working the trolling motor so we switched.
 
Trapper02 said:
Dont forget hes your father in law... nothing makes the wife more happy when you do something nice for her parents. Just make sure you leave a few spots for him next time so he wont have an excuse as to why didnt catch any. Try to encourage him to throw in a spot you left open for him while your line is out say, "Hey i bet there is bass next to that log." stuff like that.
That's a great idea. I dont think he will want to switch spots because he doesn't like working the trolling motor but I can point out open spots for him to cast to. I know he enjoyed himself but it is very frustrating when you get skunked. Next time I think I'll try that so we both have a great time. Thanks. Oh and nice fish by the way
 
Rick Clunn wrote an interesting article on this once, and covered on T.V. once. If two anglers, 1 in the front and 1 in the back are casting at the same targets they are presenting the lure in 2 differant directions which changes the presentation. Which ever end of the boat your in you have to remember the fundamentials of fishing. A bass likes to lay in the shadows and ambush prey. So cast to the shaded side of the target, which could be differant depending on which end of the boat you are in. Some some tidbits that might help.
 
Although my boat has a foot controlled TM on the front I prefer to fish from the rear. I keep all of my electronics and such back there plus that is where my tackle ends up in the storage compartments.


No real difference in the catch rate for me - one thing that we do is use the anchor when we find the fish - we will locate a known fishy spot (or a new possible one) and take the boat a long cast away - 30-40 yards at least. We can then cast at the likely area and really work it over. It is surprising how many fish we might pull off an submerged brush or tree that you will get when you are sitting away

And just like the above post by nimmor points out - angle of retrieve does make a difference. I might anchor and work a point from one side and get nothing - move the boat to the other side and bang a fish on successive casts
 
I don't HOG all the good spots. I skip every other one,leave some virgin spots for the person in the back,usually my wife. That way they get unspoiled water to fish. I get just as much enjoyment seeing the person that fishes with me catch,as I do catching myself.
 
Out of my buddies, I was the only one with a boat when we were younger. I got the cold seat everytime because I was running the tiller. I learned if you want to get a virgin spot, you need to wait for your buddy to be in the middle of his retrieval and then just cast over his line. He'll be reeled up and casting about when you're half way back. Get into a nice rhythm and you'll usually have a 50/50 split normally (unless he has no idea what to do with the lure/bait).

My father-in-law has always had kayaks, and so 2 summers ago I bought and shipped 2 spinning rods and 2 small tackle boxes to him before our annual visit. He was surprised and excited to go fishing. He had a good time and hooked into several pickerel and bass in no time at all even though reeling with his left hand was a challenge (left is right) :) Hanging out with the in-laws is always more fun with a rod and reel!
 

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