How to set up a boat for lure fishing

By Robert Thornton

A fishing boat is more than just a boat. They do much more than simply keep you afloat and get you from place to place. Indeed, good fishing boats are set up with purpose, and are tools that not only open up new waterways for you, but also greatly enhance your fishing experience generally.

In the last blog we looked at the process of setting up a boat for fishing, starting from the decision to buy a boat. In this blog, we’ll get into setting up a boat specifically for lure and fly fishing. As we go, we’ll highlight some important considerations, potential problems you may face, and give you some ideas on how to get the most out of your new boat.

ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES?

Labelling something a ‘lure fishing boat’ might evoke mental images of sleek, fibre-glass vessels with a disproportionally large outboard on the back and a pile of rigged rods and reels strewn across the front casting deck. This is certainly one type of lure fishing boat, one built and set up for a purpose; i.e., fishing in tournaments that require travelling vast distances quickly with lots of fishing gear on board, and can comfortably accommodate 2-3 anglers.

At the same time, a short, stubby plastic kayak carrying a single bag of gear, one rod and no cushioned seat could also be called a fishing boat. Being light enough to carry and lower down steep embankments, and having ability to navigate shallow and obstructed waterways, means that this small vessel has a purpose as well. If you’re an adventurous angler who likes hitting those hard-to-reach locations and doesn’t mind getting dirty, this would be your ideal boat!

Of course, these are two extremes of the spectrum, and many Aussie anglers’ ideal fishing boat would sit somewhere in between.

As mentioned last time, one of the most important considerations of setting up a boat is how the boat will be used. In a fishing context, this means thinking about what sort of fishing you will be doing most often, and if there’s anything new (location, technique or species) you want to try in your boat.

Once you’ve got a good idea of the sort of fishing boat you want, you can then move onto setting it up.

FRONT TO BACK

In this section, we’ll go from the bow to the stern, and discuss some different accessories and design features, their pros and cons, as well as some ideas to make them work for you.

Bow

Some kind of bow-mount electric motor is almost compulsory when lure fishing from a boat, with the exception of some kayaks. It’s worth noting, however, that some canoes and kayaks can be and often are fitted with electric motors.

Electric motors offer one thing that anchors and petrol motors can’t: complete control when fishing. Anchors are good for staying stationary, however if the wind or current changes, the anchor drags, or some large swell comes through, you can end up in trouble.

As for petrol motors, they are fantastic tools for transport, as well as some lure-based techniques such as trolling. Where they aren’t so good is holding a position while fishing, as they can often have too much power at idle, meaning the driver will need to knock it in and out of gear to hold position; a tedious job that produces a lot of unnecessary noise.

Bow-mount electrics allow you to navigate through tight country slowly, with complete control of the boat from the front rather than the back. This is ideal for stealthily creeping through fishy areas. Many modern electric motors also come with an electric anchor function, which basically acts a ropeless anchor that can be adjusted with the simple press of a button.

While most bow-mounts come with wireless remote controls these days, a great budget option for small car-toppers, tenders or anything small, is to mount a tiller-steer electric motor backwards, with the tiller pointing back toward the stern. Driving with the motor in reverse, the angler still has lots of control at low speeds. This is an old-fashioned set-up option, but one that still works well for small craft.

Electric motors, bow-mounts, trolling motors, leckies… whatever you want to call them, should be a priority item when setting up a lure fishing boat.

Front deck area

All serious lure fishing boats should have a front deck that crew members can stand on. A deck more-or-less flush with the gunnels is great for casting from, but it’s also an elevated platform that helps with spotting fish, structure and potential hazards from afar, and most of the time fishing boat decks have hatches cut into them for housing things like lifejackets and other safety gear, tackle boxes , wet weather gear and sometimes batteries. Tournament boats may have their live well under the front deck.

Decking is often built-in to most fishing boats, however if you’re doing up a bare hull yourself, there are plenty of ways to go about it.

Decking is usually made from marine plywood, but other materials can be used as well. Aluminium framing is the most popular material for support, however I’ve seen plenty of anglers simply use the built-in bench seating as a frame for holding up plywood sheets.

The topside of the deck should be covered to prevent splinters and sun damage to the raw material, and most DIY anglers prefer to use what’s known as marine carpet. While carpet is soft on the feet and protects the deck material, a common complaint is that hooks, fish spines and other things can sometimes get caught in it. It’s for this reason that some companies have started producing carpetless coverings made of soft foam, however these can sometimes deteriorate with poor installation or lack of maintenance.

Cockpit area

The cockpit is like the cerebral cortex of any boat, and this is especially true in a lure fishing boat. Aside from holding people when underway, cockpits also tend to be where things like fire extinguishers, radios and EPIRBs are kept in larger boats, and where bulky items such as batteries, ice boxes, fish bags and petrol tanks often end up in smaller boats.

In most cases sounders, sonars and charts are also best positioned in the cockpit so they can be viewed easily by the skipper when in transit. It’s true that these days forward-pointing sonars tend to be mounted on the bow area of boats, however these same vessels will often also have one more other units in the cockpit for navigation.

For small vessels with just one sonar unit, a great mounting option is using a swivel-style mount, or anything else that allows the monitor to be turned 180 degrees easily. That way, the unit can be turned around when the petrol motor is cut and read from the front deck while you’re fishing.

Flush-mounting sounders on consoles is a popular option in larger offshore boats, however they aren’t the best for small boats as they can’t be viewed from the front deck.

When it comes to consoles, like everything else they have their pros and cons. On the pro side, they are a great safety feature, providing protection for the skipper, while also providing storage for small and lose items like keys, phones and licences. Additionally, steering wheels offer better control at high speeds. For smaller boats though, consoles can take up valuable work space, and they can be another thing requiring maintenance. Tiller-steer boats free up a lot of cockpit space and offer superior responsiveness at low speeds (e.g. while trolling), plus they also tend have the skipper sitting a bit further back, making for a softer ride.

Stern

The stern set up of a fishing boat can vary depending on the size of the boat and the job it is set up for. In larger fishing boats, this area is generally where fuel tanks, fuel lines, some safety equipment, spare parts and other bits and pieces are kept. Quite often this area also has a short section of decking over it, providing another elevated platform for fishing off. In offshore boats, rear sections can have things like live baits tanks and bait cutting boards built-in to them, however lure anglers have little need for these things.

In some small car-toppers and tenders, the rear deck is omitted entirely, with the rear space simply reserved for extra storage. Some anglers like to keep their fuel tanks, batteries, and other bulky items here, and leaving them exposed means any issues can be tended to easily. An open rear also allows for easy access to the inside of the bung hole, meaning any blockages can be cleared easily.

Leaving this area exposed, however, also leaves things at the mercy of the sun and saltwater, and there’s also the risk pf crew members falling onto them, hurting themselves and damaging the equipment.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

When it comes to setting up a boat for lure fishing, it really is a case of choosing your own adventure. At the end of the day, the way you set up your fishing boats is entirely up to you, but it should reflect the types of adventures you want to have.

Stay safe on the water, and good luck with your next project!