Why are Aluminum Fishing Boats the Best Fishing Boats?
So you love fishing, and you want to get your own fishing boat. You’ve got a lot of choices to make, including choosing a boat. Why should you buy an aluminum boat instead of, say, a fiberglass boat?
You’ll find that you have a wealth of choices for buying boats. You can get, primarily, wooden or timber fishing boats, fiberglass boats and aluminum boats. All make fine boats, and for looks my choice is a timber fishing boat. Timber boats look great. They’re often varnished so you can see the color and grain of the timber, and are hand made usually, so they have style. A timber fishing boat is a fine looking item.
But when you’re thinking of buying a boat for fishing, it isn’t really looks that count. Of course great looks are nice, but you need a boat that’s tough, hard wearing, and long lasting, and doesn’t take up lots of your precious fishing time on maintenance.
A timber boat is high maintenance. Trust me, I’ve had quite a few. You’re always sanding timber, varnishing timber, repairing timber and lots more. Now if you’re happy to be doing that then that’s great, but recognize that’s the price you pay for a great looking timber fishing boat. And a timber boat is often heavy, and will not last well, particularly if you aren’t as diligent with your maintenance as you could be. And they puncture easily when you hit something, as I did last week.
But if you’re not an enthusiast for working on boats then timber isn’t your best choice.
What you want in a fishing boat is this. It needs to be tough. It needs to be low maintenance. It needs to be puncture resistant. It needs to last forever without spending hours working on it. It needs to be easily repairable. And it needs to be cost effective.
For me the best choice fishing boat is an aluminum fishing boat. Aluminum has properties which make it the perfect material for building fishing boats. It is very light and strong for it’s weight, and can be easily welded, so is ideal for both building and repairing. It is extremely long lasting, and is very resistant to puncture. Now of course that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged, as it can. But you need to hit it pretty hard to do some serious damage. And if you did that to a timber or fiberglass boat it will be very seriously damaged. And an aluminum boat may just dent, rather than fracture, so you can head right back home with nothing more to show than a dent, instead of possibly be the subject of a rescue from a sinking boat.
And it lasts forever if treated right. If you get a great aluminum fishing boat and treat it well you may well find yourself leaving it to your kids.
Because aluminum boats are light for their strength they often need a smaller engine, and the engine is probably the highest cost item. A smaller engine costs less, and uses less fuel.
And with a smaller engine they are also lighter and easier to handle.
And they require little maintenance. Make sure you hose your boat down after a day out, especially in saltwater, and if you drop a lead sinker make sure you pick it up, as it’s not great to leave any other metal in contact with aluminum, otherwise you don’t need to do too much maintenance at all. More fishing time.
And because aluminum boats last so well they also retain their resale value well. I bought a used aluminum fishing boat 2 years ago and it is currently worth a little more than I paid for it.
So there’s plenty of good reasons to buy an aluminum fishing boat. Unfortunately they aren’t cheap if you want to buy a new boat, but for the same reasons I’ve mentioned above, it’s way better to buy a used aluminum boat, as a used boat is usually much cheaper than a new one, and retains it value well. I would never buy a new aluminum boat.
So grab yourself a great used aluminum fishing boat and get fishing this summer, it’s the best way to get on the water.
Deep Sea Fishing: Some Tips on Deep Sea Fishing at Night
This is why most experienced fishermen would rather have a night trip than a day trip. However, due to the difference of environment during night fishing, if you are new to this kind of setting, then there are certain things that you should know to make your night trip a successful one.
Getting Started
Although it may seem difficult, waking up in the wee hours of the day is still possible. Additionally, you can always get the help of an alarm clock to be your wake-up call. There are some other preparations too that should be done other than being able to wake up, like preparing your bait.
It would be the best if you have already set up everything you need and have some wet-bait ready even half an hour before sun rise. It is important to remember that anchoring and cooking the bait should be finished by the time sunset arrives. This is due to the reason that cooking through your night fishing could be very dangerous. Plus, your bait should be able to cool off before you can use it.
The Logic Behind It
The logic behind all these waking up early and preparations is that fish usually feed shallower around times like this. Thus, they are easier to catch, since they’re only about 30 feet below the water’s surface. In fact, according to experts, twilight minutes are very productive especially if you’re fishing for a living.
Where’s The Light At?
If you really want to have good results at the fastest time possible, whether it be you are fishing in fresh or salt water, try fishing around piers, which have some lights. This is because fish are very attracted to light beams that pass through the water surface in different sea depths. In general, fishing excursions usually have a very happy ending when held around lights on piers or buoys.
Use Something Large
It is also important that you use very large dry or wet flies, nymphs, and oversized streamers, if you are really interested in getting a lot of catch of those active feeders out there.
In fact, night-feeding can be easier for you when your bait is that large enough for the fish to locate. Additionally, you should remember to draw your baits gradually along the surface of the water with a jerking motion. Doing this would help attract some trout. Nevertheless, you should also bring some extra live bait and always keep the lure inside your water or boat, safely contained.
See The Signs
During night fishing, you should always try to be on guard for some signs that feeding fish are in the area. Take note that at this time, you’ll be able to hear them feeding themselves even before you see their splashes or swirls in the water. Don’t forget to chuck in your lure, as soon as possible and once you hear them breaking the surface, into the spot that you think they are in.
Additionally, you should try making repeated casts anywhere that you think they may be circulating, since fish have some trouble in locating lures during the night.
