Front seat or back

Truth be known, I prefer the front of the boat on inland lakes and the back
of the boat on bigger water. Why? Because on big water, the person up front
spends 50% of their time trying to maintain boat control. One reason why I
have beaten every boater I have ever fished with on the Great Lakes. The
poor guy is continuously working the troll motor while trying to fish at the
same time. Even with drift socks, the person up front is working the troll
motor to help hold the drift line (or path). Being in the back, I get to
focus 100% on fishing. It's kind of unfair for the boater.

On inland lakes, I like being in control and having first crack at all the
fish. I also like to position a boat a bit further off shore than most
people (typically about 60-feet), or right in the middle of narrower
cannels. I also like to follow main river channel breaklines, where a lot
of anglers simply follow the shoreline. I also like having my troll motor
set on the lowest setting I can get away with to maintain boat position, so
I can fish a spot slowly and thoroughly. Being primarily a tubebait and
jig-n-pig angler, slow works better for me. I think too many anglers spook
their fish by having the their troll motor set too high and the fact that
they stop and start their motors, instead of maintaining a very slow but
steady pace.

When would I prefer to be in the back of the boat on inland lakes? yeah, on
windy days where the wind is pushing the boat around badly. Its like being
on big water, being up front means spending a great deal of your time
holding position so the guy in the back of the boat can out fish you.

--
Craig Baugher
Be Confident, Focused, but most of all Have FUN!

I prefer to fish, don't matter where..... Actually, I find myself in the rear of the bus most times as I fish primarily draw tournaments as a non-boater. Not being familiar with someone else's rig, I'd prefer to have them put me on the fish. Most of my team tournaments are on bigger water and not having to fight with the trolling motor gives me more time to concentrate on my fishing (and beating my partner.....

I have heard some real horror stories of a person being 'back-boated'. However, I have NEVER been 'back-boated' having been fortunate enough to have been paired up with really good people.

--
Sandy Joren
By the time you get to greener pastures, you're too damn old to climb the fence......

"Sandon L. Joren" wrote in message et...
I have heard some real horror stories of a person being 'back-boated'. However, I have NEVER been 'back-boated' having been fortunate enough to have been paired up with really good people.

Being back boated deliberately is not really an issue. I have not fished with soembody who has doen it deliberately, but i can tell you that it happens. Usually due to difficult boat handling conditions. Flipping a bank with a lot of heavy baot traffice is difficult. Sometimes its easier to drag the boat along right against the brush and flip ahead of the boat. The back boater is rarely ina good position to flipt he cover. If the front boater is conscientious they will invite the back boater up to the front deck in these conditions.

A couple months ago a friend of mine drew a local female angler as his boater. He complained bitterly about her back boating him afterwards It created some negative tension in the local club community. I took him fishing shortly afterwards in an open team tournament, and I let him run the trolling motor for a while in windy conditions. I kicked back and waited until he was having trouble positioning the boat then I started complaining about him back boating me. LOL. I think he got the point.

I don't think he has apologised to the other angler, but I doubt he will be so vocal without atleast thinking about it in the future.
--
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Bob La Londe wrote:


Being back boated deliberately is not really an issue. I have not
fished with soembody who has doen it deliberately, but i can tell you
that it happens.

I have had it happen deliberately on many occasions,, but that is what I
tell them to do, I want them to work the fish first, and catch what they
can, I'll fish for what's left, or for the fish they just caught, of
course there is never any "money" on the line like in a tournament,,
well sometimes some money is side bet,, but all in fun.

I let them work an area first, and I follow up.

Without me doing this, I can't directly compare their fishing rigs
and/or techniques to mine. It has proven to be the best way to test
fishing techniques on the same fish, at the same time. It's not good
enough (to me) for my rigs to work, they must work better than others,
at least the major majority of the time. If I come up with something
that is "just as good" as another product, I don't pursue it,, just
being different is not enough.

Of course there are some days where nothing works, or almost doesn't
work, and I need to know that other rigs are failing at the same time,
that my successes,, even when they are few are still better than other
techniques under the same conditions.

Just taking a rig out, and having a good day, proves absolutely nothing,
neither does taking it out and having a bad day
--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Long Shot "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread
Boomerang Fishing Pro. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, Decoy Activator
and the EZKnot http://www.ezknot.com