New Fishing Pontoon

[TMeadows45]

Excited to say I am now the owner of a 2010 20' tracker party barge that I plan on making my new fishing vessel. So far I've installed 6 of my Hills rod holders as well as my humminbird 899hd SI. The boat also came with a min Kota 55lb wireless 12v trolling motor that has a quick attach plate mounted on the front deck. What other must haves do I need to purchase? Here's a list of stuff I plan to put on in the near future.

1. Skinny water products shallow anchor system for front and rear deck.
2. Scotty square rail rod holders.
3. Diy 20 gallon trash can bait tank.
4. Vertical rod holders to hold rods while traveling

Pictures of some other pontoon rigs would be awesome!

 

[TMeadows45]

One more.

 

[tsharp]

Very nice hope you and your family enjoy it.

 

[REUSSERY]

I did the exact same thing, Only mine was a used 2006, 18' Party Barge with a Mercury 40 four stroke big foot. I did everything you've noted, I installed two six pole vertical rod holders, I chose the TACO brand because it looked nice being made from star board and they work really well plus they don't protrude out into the walking area where you might run into them. I mounted seven Scotty brand rod holders on the back and six on the rails up front (I'm a die hard crappie fisherman). I also plumbed the under storage area of the flip flop seat into a live well. Install a 24v Motor Guide wireless trolling motor, and added a Ray Marine Dragon Fly Pro 4 unit to scan the bottom and mark waypoints. Lastly and best of all, I traded in the 40 bigfoot for a Mercury Optimax 90... Now I can cruise low and slow with the family, zip to my various fishing hot spots, tow the kids on skis, tubes, etc.. and I love it... its a fishing machine and then some... Its the best all around, multi-functional boat I've ever owned.

 

[TMeadows45]

I did the exact same thing, Only mine was a used 2006, 18' Party Barge with a Mercury 40 four stroke big foot. I did everything you've noted, I installed two six pole vertical rod holders, I chose the TACO brand because it looked nice being made from star board and they work really well plus they don't protrude out into the walking area where you might run into them. I mounted seven Scotty brand rod holders on the back and six on the rails up front (I'm a die hard crappie fisherman). I also plumbed the under storage area of the flip flop seat into a live well. Install a 24v Motor Guide wireless trolling motor, and added a Ray Marine Dragon Fly Pro 4 unit to scan the bottom and mark waypoints. Lastly and best of all, I traded in the 40 bigfoot for a Mercury Optimax 90... Now I can cruise low and slow with the family, zip to my various fishing hot spots, tow the kids on skis, tubes, etc.. and I love it... its a fishing machine and then some... Its the best all around, multi-functional boat I've ever owned.

That's awesome man I wish I would've done that with the motor. Mine has a 60 Mercury and is no speed demon by any means. Haven't gotten to take mine out yet but can't wait!! How does your boat handle trolling with wind?

 

[REUSSERY]

it did poorly in wind, the rear of the toon kept wanting to swing around and or I'd drift sideways across the flat I was trying fishing. So, I got myself a 30" drift sock (sea anchor) from bass pro. I swear it cured the problem the instant it went into the water. The rear of the toon stays put. Its very easy to deploy and retrieve, all you do is tie a 4' line to the sock and a tag line to the pointed end of the funnel (to retrieve it) back to the main drag line, attach the drag lien to the rear of the toon and throw it out, it opens by itself and slows the boats drift to a crawl. The trolling motor is used only to maintain direction and in some cases speed up the troll (I just drag the sock along behind the boat.) When its time to go, you grab the tag line and pull the sock out, fold it up and place it under the seat until needed again. Also when trolling on windy days, I usually idle up wind using the outboard engine and then drift back across the flats with my rods spread wide (crappie fishing). I see no need to kill a set of batteries trying to troll against the wind when your driving a 8' wide bill board across the lake. I have had some of my best catches come from drifting across flats this way, especially at Crooked Creek (on lake sinclair).

 

[bronco611]

I would have to install a gas grill so I could cook lunch and supper while fishing, why eat Vienna sausages when you can grill burgers or chicken.

 

[TMeadows45]

it did poorly in wind, the rear of the toon kept wanting to swing around and or I'd drift sideways across the flat I was trying fishing. So, I got myself a 30" drift sock (sea anchor) from bass pro. I swear it cured the problem the instant it went into the water. The rear of the toon stays put. Its very easy to deploy and retrieve, all you do is tie a 4' line to the sock and a tag line to the pointed end of the funnel (to retrieve it) back to the main drag line, attach the drag lien to the rear of the toon and throw it out, it opens by itself and slows the boats drift to a crawl. The trolling motor is used only to maintain direction and in some cases speed up the troll (I just drag the sock along behind the boat.) When its time to go, you grab the tag line and pull the sock out, fold it up and place it under the seat until needed again. Also when trolling on windy days, I usually idle up wind using the outboard engine and then drift back across the flats with my rods spread wide (crappie fishing). I see no need to kill a set of batteries trying to troll against the wind when your driving a 8' wide bill board across the lake. I have had some of my best catches come from drifting across flats this way, especially at Crooked Creek (on lake sinclair).

That will be my next purchase then! Thank you!

 

[bronco611]

I presently own 2 boats and 2 yaks, my next boat will be a toon around 18 feet long so I can haul it around easily and rig it out as you have to make fishing a family pleasure instead of a chore. My younger brother owns a 20 ft and it is nice to fish off of your own dock in the middle of any lake you decide to go to.

 

[Steve08]

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Nice, looks great!