How to Fish From a Boat

Some of the best rivers for fishing are too wide to negotiate with hip waders, or the shores may be too steep or rough to make riverbank fishing practical. A boat is a good option on such rivers, and it can transport you quickly up and down the river to better locations.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Fishing Licenses
• Baits
• Boats
• Fishing Gear
• Fishing Lures
• Personal Flotation Devices

1. Inspect your boat and motor thoroughly before starting. Make sure everyone on board has a life preserver.
2. Make sure you haven't overloaded your boat with passengers, and make sure the boat is large enough to handle the currents in the river.
3. Carry extra gear in case equipment fails or you need to change to heavier lines and rods. Have one person manning the engine at all times, even when anchored.
4. Choose between three main methods: drift fishing, back trolling or anchor fishing.
5. Drift fish after finding a good fast current location. Idle the engine, put out the lines and drift through the section, then reel in and power back up above the section to drift through again.
6. Back troll by running the motor fast enough to maintain one location in the river. Let the current pull the lines out.
7. Anchor fish after finding a good spot in the river. Drop anchor and let the current carry the lines out. When you get a fish on the line, be ready to pull anchor and start the motor. Otherwise, fish may become entangled in the anchor rope.
8. Always reel in your line when someone else gets a fish on. Be ready to assist with landing the fish, and keep your rod out of the person's way.
9. Use a net to land smaller fish and a gaffing hook to land larger catches.
10. Make sure the fish is fought out before you try to land it.

Tips & Warnings

• With a large fish, the line will snap instantly if it touches the side of the boat, so the motor operator must be ready to turn or jockey the boat around if the fish makes a run underneath it.
• Contact your local fish and game department for a complete list of license fees and fishing regulations.
• Specific lures, bait and hook types may be forbidden in some rivers. Check the regulations.
• Make sure your boat has the necessary tags and that you have an operator's license, if required.
• Fish regulations can be complex. Often, only short sections of a river are open, and fishing near weirs and fish ladders is always forbidden. There may be "bag limits" on the number of fish that each person can catch per day, as well as "possession limits" on the number of non-preserved fish you can possess. Always abide by the regulations.