pontoon boats, pontoon fishing

a couple questions or tips from anyone who fishes from a pontoon, I recently acquired one and although it certainly WILL NOT be my primary fishing vessel as I got it more as a family fun boat we will be fishing from it. it will actually be perfect for 4-6 people to go out for an evening of walleye fishing with company and or kids.

I have a full bimini top so casting away with big trebles and such will not be the norm.

we were out last week with 5 guys on board catching a few eyes, it was a blast and we all had a great time.

dare I ask this but has anyone ever thought of using ice fishing rods on a pontoon boat? this to me seemed like it might be a fantastic idea with some braided line on them. I am new to this pontoon thing and just looking for idea's beyond manipulating a 6-6.5 foot rod through traffic and bimini bars etc. we had no problems per se landing fish or anything, however we were all adults. not only would a short ice fishing rod help with rebaiting and such but also might come in handy when it comes time to get the net into play. let the heckling begin for suggesting such a thing! lol

any thoughts?

Have used ice fishing gear in Simcoe for WF out of my boat, so why not. Actually did better that way than I did the winter before.

cool! it just seemed logical to me and easier to manage. wait til I tell the wife we need some more fishing rods because 50 isn't enough!

yes that's correct, I have no ice fishing gear! maybe that's why winter feels so long! I've tried it twice and it didn't get my blood pumping.

My friends dad uses his ice gear all summer on Simcoe and does quite well.

interesting!

I feel like they would much more stout for hook sets then a couple of my short micro lights.

I'd recommend getting the ugly stik dock runner.
it's a 3' medium action rod. I got one for my daughter in the winter and although she hasn't caught a fish on it yet, it's compact size is great. And it retails for about $25.comes with a reel but you may be inclined to drop a decent ice reel on it once you get it.

Why limit yourself to a short rod.
When icefishing all the line pull is down from the angler.
While openwater fishing the fish could be on the surface quite a distance out. What angle would you have to hold the rod to get any assistance from a short rod?

that sounds like a great option. thank you!

yes I do agree woodsman, a lot of the fun of fishing is the fight so I see what your saying.

i'm just thinking many times you just drop the jig down so your not really battling anything over a lot of distance.

it wouldn't be any assistance as far as that goes a lot of it revolves around the kids and them trying to manipulate a long rod in a more confined area. sometimes their fishing rods flying around are somewhat unruly in an open boat or even on a dock for that matter, let alone under a full bimini top and potentially through the bars holding it up, even tangling the line around the end eyelet 20 times an hour would be easier to deal with. lol

thrillhouse, check this out if you've never seen it before, i'd say I would totally agree with your recommendation!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2TWC_J00-c

For vertical jigging or drifting with Lindy rigs a 36 inch medium action ice rod should work just fine. Pickerel aren’t exactly surface acrobats. It might get a bit sporty when catching smallies.

X3 on the 3 foot rods, great if your backpacking into some back lakes as well. You can still get a decent cast with them or great for what you need to vertical jig.

My biggest issue with fishing from a pontoon is the wind. Most of the time I find you get blown around too fast to jig. And the next big thing is casting. Surely with a pontoon there will be a few people on the boat and the side rails and framing for the cover get in the way.

But on a calm day, with live bait and a bobber you'll have a great time!

Great fot kids/grandchildren.Throw a BBQ on it and your set.. Of course you could use any size rods but I'm old school and love my 7 foot rod that makes my jig dance like a ballerina..

some great feedback! thank you to all, pontoon boats sure have come a long way from the days of big barges with tiny motors ploughing through the water. i'm very much looking forward to having friends and family out on it, it has already offered up some fun times early in the year.

fishmagnet, perhaps I could install a pole in the middle of the boat for some added "ballerina" effect while grilling!