Lake Weatherford was in the grips of a typical Texas summer. It was unbearably hot; the lake was more than 4 feet below normal, and the aquatic vegetation was in full bloom. Most local fishermen believed the bass had to be holding around the shade of the lake's numerous boat docks. But there was one major problem. Getting to the docks was almost impossible. In addition to standing in shallow water, the docks were uniformly guarded well by a massive line of moss that seemed impenetrable.
While the water beneath and adjacent to the docks was clear of grass, anglers hoping to work these docks were faced with having to stay out in deeper water, make long casts to the front of the wooden structures and then somehow winch the fish through the aquatic jungle.
On this weekend like other summer weekends , many bass fishermen gave up in frustration and sought other less dependable summer patterns. But Gary Rasbury wasn't one of them. The Fort Worth, Texas, angler had a solution.
He left his foot fiberglass boat at home and loaded his lightweight 8-foot miniboat onto his truck. Arriving at Lake Weatherford, he ignored the line at the public ramp and simply slid his miniboat down the bank adjacent to the row of boat docks. He then went to work.
While a number of fishermen in bigger boats watched in envy from across the bright green aquatic carpet that separated them from the dock, Rasbury made a short pitch toward the first dock and caught a keeper. After a few more casts, he lowered the seat on his miniboat, squatted down on the floor and trolled directly under the dock to the other side. There he worked that side of the dock, caught another small bass and continued to the next dock.
Rasbury's favorite story is a good illustration of the value of miniboats, which should be called compact bass boats. While the conditions on Lake Weatherford were extreme in that the surface of the water was 4 feet below the dock, enabling Rasbury to slide underneath, the fact is that miniboats simply enable you to get to fishing spots that the bigger boats can't penetrate.
That maneuverability is the major reason for the popularity of miniboats, which were first built in Today, the compact freshwater boats, which average 8 feet in length and pounds in weight, enjoy as much popularity as ever.
A prime example of that are several miniboat clubs in Texas, such as Rasbury's Fort Worth Mini-Boat Club, which has 75 members and stages monthly tournaments. But fish-producing applications for miniboats are in no way limited to Texas. The little boats are perfect for Florida's extensive network of canals, farm ponds in Georgia, floating a Tennessee smallmouth creek and fishing shallow-water tidal conditions all along the marshy coastal areas.
I can get closer to the bank. I can get off into little creeks, even creeks that have openings that are silted-in. I can take a miniboat and go anywhere there's a foot of water. I can find things that you never would even know was there with a big boat. Haynes, an electrical contractor in Mesquite, Texas, is such a miniboat diehard that he often straps his little boat on the back of his Ranger. He fishes from the big boat until he comes to a good-looking spot that would Bass Pro Shop Manteca Pontoon Boats Ap be inaccessible to his foot fiberglass boat and then anchors the Ranger and starts fishing from his compact bass boat.
Jim Griffin knows well the value of miniboat maneuverability. Last year, the Fort Worth club member located a a number of bass holding in a hidden spot in Lake Palestine. Using his little boat, he caught seven bass that weighed 20 pounds to win a miniboat club tournament on Saturday.
On Sunday, Griffin decided to leave his fiberglass boat at home and fish a lucrative one-day tournament in his miniboat.
The result was eight bass that weighed 21 pounds and his second tournament victory in two days. A trailer isn't needed. Most miniboat owners simply slide their boats into the back of a truck a camper top offers a secure place for boat, motor and gear or tie the boat on top of their car.
And there's no more waiting in line at the public boat ramp, since these boats can easily be launched almost anywhere along the bank. With no large outboard to feed, compact bass boats are extremely cost-effective. The recent decline in gas prices have made that benefit less important than it was during the introduction of the small boats in the late s. Getting started in miniboat bassin' isn't a costly affair, either.
With a bare miniboat, an outboard isn't necessarily standard equipment. Many miniboat owners fish waters near their home where a trolling motor provides enough power. With a good trolling motor and battery in hand, a miniboat is ready to fish, although veteran compact bass boat anglers advise installing marine carpeting to help deaden noise in the boat. Many have also installed the pro-style bicycle seat on a high pedestal like the bass pros use in the big boats to give them a more efficient position for fishing.
Without a large outboard for power, compact boat anglers are limited to relatively small areas. You simply cannot cover much water looking for fish and expect to have much time left to catch them.
But Gary Rasbury doesn't see this as much of a problem. You don't have the ability to run off and check a spot 20 miles down the lake. So you concentrate on fishing certain areas and you have a better chance at catching fish in those areas because of that. A definite disadvantage involved in miniboat ownership is a lack of space and storage. Serious compact bass boat fishermen limit themselves to a couple of rods and condense several tackle boxes into one.
Jim Haynes admits the most significant difference in fishing from a large fiberglass boat and a miniboat is most evident in the actual handling of it. Wind often plays havoc with the lightweight plastic boats, particularly when the angler is attempting to hold his fishing position. Because of that vulnerability to the influence of the wind, Haynes recommends using a trolling motor with a minimum of 24 pounds of thrust and a deep-cycle amp marine battery.
Although miniboats get the most use in small, protected lakes, streams Bass Pro Shop Manteca Pontoon Boats Zone and ponds, veteran small boat fishermen say they can be used in larger waters � as long as plenty of common sense is used. That means wearing a quality personal flotation device and paying close attention to the weather conditions.
There was at least a mile-an-hour wind and the lake had whitecaps on it. I just slid my seat back to the rear of my boat an 8-foot Water Spider , started my 2-horsepower motor and the front end of the boat raised right up.
I never got wet and the boat never took on any water. I was impressed. I didn't know how well a little boat would handle those kind of conditions.
Today's small boat anglers have an impressive array of choices when buying a miniboat. Here's a sampling of what is available. Buster Letcher, considered by many to be the father of compact bass boat design. The 8-foot Buster Mini-Boat has a unique "speed-lift" hull design and is made of high impact and weather resistant Rovel plastic, which was developed by engineers of the Dow Chemical Co.
The Bantam I is a one-man boat that is 6 feet in length and weighs 74 pounds. Bantam II and III are two-man models that are 9 feet in length and weigh and pounds, respectively. Features include padded wivel seats, carpeting, built-in rod well and drink holders. Bass Hunter of Valdosta, Georgia, offers four models of compact bass boats. It is rated for a 5-horsepower outboard. Paddleboat Co. The Bass Bug is a one-man boat made of a styrofoam-like material and weighs just 9 pounds.
Yet it can support pounds. The Bass Bug, obviously, was made with the smallest of waters in mind. With the popularity of compact bass boats, it is obvious that, today, there is a bass boat that fits almost every angler's budget.
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