Why Small Boats?

Small boats give the most people the most opportunities to fish, actually on the water, which means more versatility and opportunities to catch them. Most people, meaning that while relatively few people can afford or have the desire to manage a large, expensive boat, almost anybody can afford some kind of small boat, even if it's basic and homemade. I've seen everything from styrofoam strapped to a makeshift wood raft used as a small boat, up to the limit that will be covered on this web site, an aluminum modified v-hull with 25 horse tiller motor, and all the bells and whistles. And the raft with styrofoam is better than being limited to a small area on the bank.

One of the most common small boats I see on the water is an aluminum flat bottom boat with trolling motor.

These versatile, easily ported boats can be trailored, carried in the back of a pickup and dragged to water, some small ones by one person. I've even strapped one to the top of a Dodge Charger and carried it around from water hole to water hole. With a battery and trolling motor, they can fish small lakes or big lake coves with ease and efficiency. And they are affordable. I'm betting if I had a few hundred bucks, I could have bought the one above with the trolling motors and gear from those guys.

Small boats are ideal for small lakes. One of my favorite lakes, Sugarloaf Lake, just outside of Midland, Arkansas is a 330 acre Game and Fish Commission lake that is well managed and nestled in the midst of some beautiful scenery. But better than that, it is crammed full of fish. Go to Sugarloaf any day and you will see numerous small boats, from flatbottoms like the one above, to "water scamp" style two man boats, to canoes, all with fishermen and women in them. I often take my small boat to Sugarloaf and have generally good results whether fishing for Bluegill during the spring to bass in summer and fall. For any fishing scenario on Sugarloaf, my fifteen foot flatbottom boat will get the job done

 

 Results of a trip to Sugarloaf Lake, Bluegill fishing from my boat just prior to writing this article.

              

Now admittedly, you can't go blasting across massive bodies of water on a windy day with 5 foot waves but if you know of some big lake coves with access where you can launch or drag a small boat, you can compete with the big boys as far as catching fish. Fish do not care what kind of boat you are fishing out of. Your knowledge of the species you're fishing for and the ability to drop in near them will determine your success from your small boat. I've pulled many big stringers of fish out of my small boat that left guys in big bass boats with mouths gaping.

And one obvious reason for owning a small boat is that when shallow fishing rules, nothing tops the boat that can slide in skinny water and plunder fish hiding in tree filled swamps and backwaters. A friend and I pulled in to Lake Atkins, about 15 years ago. We had a 14 foot flatbottom boat and old 10 horse Mercury motor. Atkins is a timber filled Game and Fish Lake of about 750 acres. The water was high from recent rains and a big point located mid lake that usually was high and dry was covered with about 2 feet of water. Catching a few big Bluegill and Redear Sunfish on the lake, we decided if we were going to have real success we were going to have to dig in. So we headed for the point, aimed the boat between two trees and entered the flooded forest. When we got into the trees, we raised the motor and began to drag ourselves between big trees and actually across shallow logs until we reached the center of the area in the midst of towering trees that were usually out of water. There in about 2 feet of water, fishing in just about every direction, and just a few feet away from and around the boat we began to catch fish. We sat right there for nearly 2 hours until we ran out of everything we could think of to use for bait. Filled a fish basket with huge Bluegill and Redear. All because we were able, in a small boat, to drag ourselves into water we couldn't access otherwise. And similar stories to that have been repeated over and over through the years allowing me to access all species under conditions where skinny water fishing was required from a small boat.

As I'm writing this article, a friend of mine is getting ready to go camping and fishing on one of the many small rivers and streams coursing through the countryside in Arkansas. His family's kayaks are going to give them access to the river and to the multitude of fish hiding in the rocks and under logs. No large boats there. A small boat rules.

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