Fishing from small boats - Rigging a Small Boat

While small boats provide a world of fun and fishing opportunities without any other equipment, a little special rigging can make a big difference in fishing success. Of course, if you overdo it, you can defeat the purpose that many people use small boats for: economy. But if you can spend a little setting up your small boat for mobility, under surface reading, as well as adding some inexpensive extras that just make fishing easier, it can multiply the pleasure of fishing from small boats many times over.

Factors to consider when rigging a small boat are: Safety, legality - check state and federal laws and don't get the idea it doesn't matter, water depth/temperature, quiet mobility (paddles, trolling motors), and comfort to name just a few. The links below will take you to boats that are rigged by their owner for their style of fishing.

For this section, I've started in the logical place, with my boat, a fifteen foot Alumacraft. I purchased all of the pieces, including boat, motor and trailer, separately, and did all rigging alone.

Kayak fishing is an experience all it's own. Small, light, easily transported, they are ideal for the adventurous who want to access waters where other boats just won't go. Rigging a kayak is different in tht it must be rigged to allow the fisherman or woman to reach all they need on the water, with a minium of movement. Relatively inexpensive, once rigged out, all gear for a day on the water can be carried in a large gym bag. The ultimate in portability and accessibility, kayaks are a worthy consideration when fishing from small boats.

When I started kayak fishing a while back, the Wilderness Systems Ride Kayak was unknown to me. My first purchase was a Pelican Castaway 11.5 foot fishing kayak. First and foremost, this is not about reporting on a "better" kayak than that one, just one better suited to my size and fishing style. After taking a good ten hour trout fishing trip down the White River below Beaver Lake Dam in north Arkansas, I decided I needed a bigger, more stable and comfortable kayak. Not that the Pelican didn't do great. It was easy to maneuver and good to fish with one rod from. It did an admirable job. But, I needed a straighter tracking, larger kayak that I could turn around in if need be, without turning over. So, I began to shop for large fishing kayaks.

Rigging A Small Boat