Isn't salmon fishing from a boat boring? What's your opinion?

[Spydeyrch]

Ok, so before I get into any questions, reasons, and experience, etc., I just want to make it clear that this is not a bashing thread. In no way am I bashing salmon fishing from a boat or anything like that. :naughty: It is more curiosity and probably lack of experience, that has initiated this thread. :think:

Ok, so now that that is out of the way. Isn't salmon fishing from a boat boring? I mean, casting out, sitting down, and then waiting, while one does nothing, for a salmon to happen to come along and take the bait, seems to me to be somewhat boring. Again, this is a personal opinion. Now let me give you why I ask if it is boring. It is based upon my very small, minute, tiny bit of salmon fishing from a boat. I have been salmon fishing from a boat once and it was soooooooooooooooo boring

A friend of mine asked if I wanted to join him on a guided salmon fishing trip. I had never been salmon fishing so I said sure. Besides that, it was free (for me) and they needed to fill the last seat or else the guide wouldn't go. So why not.

So we got out on to the water a little down river from the Bonneville dam. We cast anchor and then the guide/captain proceeded to rig all the 5 or 6 lines and cast them out for us. We sat there and did nothing for 4 hours. Just talked, chatted, and ate some snacks. It was a little cold but I was fine. I took a few naps. Eventually we started hooking into some salmon. By the end of the day all of us had two salmon each, so not a bad day as far as the catch goes. The other boring thing was that when a salmon was hooked, we would fight it for like 20 mins before we boated it. Then the captain would proceed to rig the line again and cast it out for us.

It was very ......... hhhhhmmmmmmm ........ boring for me. I just sat there and then twice, for twenty mins each, I fought a salmon and then sat there again. We were on the water for a total of 9 hours. Plus I had to get up @ 2:30am. It was a 90 min drive out and another 90 min drive back. This was years and years ago but it has stuck with me since. What was the point? It seemed very ........ passive ....... very retroactive. I would sit there and do nothing. Even if I was the one who rigged the lines and cast out, it seems that it still would have been passive and boring to me.

So why do those of you who salmon fish from a boat do it this way? Granted there are mores areas, rigs, times, etc, to fish for salmon from a boat. I would imagine that the tidewaters would be fun, with a group of friends and not some random people. Probably hitting your favorite river and your favorite holes would be a blast cause you know the area well. Going and exploring some new waters seems intriguing to me.

But sitting in a boat and doing nothing for hours just seems so ..... as I said before, boring...

My friend that took me years ago, all he does is salmon fish. And all he does is go with guided fishing groups. He has been doing it this way for like 17 years. this year, he finally broke out his boat and went to the coast for a week. I guess he had been taken notes from the various guided trips over the last 17 years. Where holes were at, what bait, what times of the year/seasons, what lines, how to rig them, etc. In the last 5 years he has been using a GPS to pinpoint his location on the guided trips.

Anywho, I digress. The whole sitting in a boat and doing nothing but waiting for a salmon to come along seems like such a waste of energy and time. When I fish, I like to research where I am going. Find it on a map, look at the topo maps, analyze my rigging, and then be pro-active. I try to read the river/stream/lake as best I can. I find it much more enjoyable to be pro-active and invest my time and energy into actually looking for the signs of fish and the actual fish. I enjoy it even if I don't catch anything. And then to hook into a fish makes it even more exhilarating and multiplies the value factor for me.

It could be that because I am basing my opinion off of a single non-enjoyable experience, I am tainted (hehehe ) hence my question.

Why do you fish for salmon from a boat? Perhaps you do it differently than what the guide did for us years ago. Perhaps you go to different spots, etc. If so please explain. I am not trying to say that salmon fishing from a boat is a waste of time in all cases. And I am not trying to put anyone down or anything. I am actually interested in possibly giving salmon fishing from a boat another try :dance: but would really hate for my second experience to turn out as my first. Thus my post inquiring as to why others do it.

Sorry that the post is so long. I wanted to make sure that I explained my past experience but also that I am not trying to bash or troll on anyone else.

Thanks for your time and explanations.

-Spydey

 

[Herefishyfishy]

There are a couple reasons I would rather fish from a boat: Even when the river is full of boats I still have my own space. It may not be tons of space but it is my own, no elbow to elbow with people like I've done hundreds of times from the bank. I have gotten up at 3 in the morning to make sure I would get my spot on the bank and had ten people shove in right next to me at daybreak. Also for boat fishing I like to troll which covers a lot of water and feels more like hunting for fish than casting into the same hole a hundred times. Don't get me wrong 90% of the fishing I've done has been from the bank, I just got my boat going not too long ago and I've been enjoying the space. I may be a little biased though since in over a year I never caught 1 salmon from the bank and have caught 3 in the last 2 months from a boat!

 

[halibuthitman]

your gonna make a fine flyfisherman

 

[metalfisher76]

Yes, yes it is. But that`s just me(us). I`ll do it some day, again(had one and used it every week for a couple years; sturgeon and salmon). Just not till my knees won`t let me reach those far OFF places on foot. I have these useful legs now. I`m using `em, every chance I get!

 

[Spydeyrch]

There are a couple reasons I would rather fish from a boat: Even when the river is full of boats I still have my own space. It may not be tons of space but it is my own, no elbow to elbow with people like I've done hundreds of times from the bank. I have gotten up at 3 in the morning to make sure I would get my spot on the bank and had ten people shove in right next to me at daybreak. Also for boat fishing I like to troll which covers a lot of water and feels more like hunting for fish than casting into the same hole a hundred times. Don't get me wrong 90% of the fishing I've done has been from the bank, I just got my boat going not too long ago and I've been enjoying the space. I may be a little biased though since in over a year I never caught 1 salmon from the bank and have caught 3 in the last 2 months from a boat!

That is great that you have been able to raise your catches up from one a year to 3 in 2 months!!! That really is great! I would just not enjoy it as much. Even if it meant that I would only catch 1 fish in a year, compared to 3 in two months, I think that I would enjoy searching for that one sweet spot that no one knows about.

My wife thinks I am crazy, but sometimes, I will hit a little local creek here where I live. there are little cutties there but I won't even have any lures or rigs on my line. Just a weighted line. Just casting to cast. It is an excuse for me to get out of the house and into nature, something that doesn't happen too much as it used too. Especially with a 4.5 year old, a 2.5 year old, and a third on the way. She asks why I go fishing if I don't even intend to catch anything. I tell her that it sometimes isn't about the act of catching the actual fish that makes it such a great thing, but the act of just being there and "fishing".

So I think that for me, having my own space wouldn't really be a requirement because I enjoy very much seeing what's around the next bend of the river/stream. So usually there aren't many fisherman around the next bend, if you understand what I mean. so I usually have quite a bit of room.

Although you do have a very legit point about being able to cover more water with a boat. that is something that sometimes I do wish I was able to do. I have thought about purchasing a float tube as the canoe that I have is just too big to pack around, hahahahaha. :lol::lol::lol:

Thanks to all.

-Spydey

 

[Spydeyrch]

Yes, yes it is. But that`s just me(us). I`ll do it some day, again(had one and used it every week for a couple years; sturgeon and salmon). Just not till my knees won`t let me reach those far OFF places on foot. I have these useful legs now. I`m using `em, every chance I get!

I know what you mean. I just feel like there are so many more interesting places to visit and explore by hiking/walking to them. I might as well use my legs while I have them, right.

I think that I am missing something about fishing for salmon from a boat. I am missing the attracting aspect of it. I haven't seen it yet and that is what is wanting me to learn more about it and try it again. But I really want to understand why it attracts others vs. for, example, trout fishing in a clear mountain stream, or other fishing. I understand that to each his own and everyone has their own likes and dis-likes. I am hoping that someone might be able to point something out to me that I am missing about salmon fishing for a boat.

For example, my friend that took me fishing that one time years ago, that is all he does. I invited him to go hit a mountain lake for some nice trout fishing. We would hike in, camp there for like 2 or 3 days and fish, hike, sleep, fish some more, and maybe sleep a little more. It was going to be AWESOME!!! Who wouldn't want to enjoy such beauty while fishing!?? But, he turned me down and said that he didn't want to because it took too much time and energy to fish for such a small fish as a trout. So kind of the opposite mind-set of how I think, hahahahaha.

 

[Chedster]

I have never been with a guide and don't ever plan to, simply because they do everything for you. When you are forced to do your own preparation there is way less sitting around. I'll usually be prepping bait, tying more leaders or driving the boat. If all that gets done, then I'll sit back and enjoy a cold one. This is all while trolling for fall chinook though so your on the move. Sitting on anchor can get boring if the fish are not biting.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

I will never give up mountain lakes and streams or fishing from the bank. I still have a lot of plans for the Wilson and Trask and a lot of other beautiful water. I'm just just enjoying the new opportunities from my boat and the different freedom it brings. And as I am still a rookie but getting better I'm enjoying snagging up a lot less!

 

[Mildy]

I like fishing on the shore... keeps me grounded, and I get to walk away when I'm done. The task of keeping the boat way overrides the fun of fishing from it...

 

[Spydeyrch]

I have never been with a guide and don't ever plan to, simply because they do everything for you. When you are forced to do your own preparation there is way less sitting around. I'll usually be prepping bait, tying more leaders or driving the boat. If all that gets done, then I'll sit back and enjoy a cold one. This is all while trolling for fall chinook though so your on the move. Sitting on anchor can get boring if the fish are not biting.

Good point. That was one of the most boring things. It was like almost getting slapped on the wrist for wanting to touch the pole. I felt like a little kid sitting in an icecream parlor and only able to look and not buy except for maybe a sample spoon here and there. It was extememly frustrating..

But I guess that if one was rigging his own line, driving the boat, preparing things, then it would be much more pro-active and more enjoyable.

 

[Irishrover]

I think I would share your perspective if I was sitting in a boat and having someone else run the show. On the other hand when you own your own boat it's a whole new ball game. Nothing I like better than to take my boat offshore out of Newport. I like planning my trip checking the weather conditions, getting the gear together and making sure all the boat equipment is functioning. Then heading out between the jaw and crossing the bar smelling that ocean smell. Then your job is to get on the fish that are somewhere out there. Sometimes it's just my wife and I. Other times we take friends and when you hit into the fish and have four crazzy coho on at once it becomes a real blast, not at all boring. You also have the benefit of having the freshest fish around, all chrome bright and sealice hang on them. The trick to having fun with it is learning how to do it and doing it yourself. Like tying up your own mooching riggs, then rigging your own gear. The other enjoyment comes when you pay your own gas bill:shock:

For myself I do not enjoy hiting the Columbia anchoring up and sitting. I need to be moving.

I am also a believer in doing all kinds of fishing. I hit the banks a lot on the Sandy with the spey rod. I hit the banks of the Crooked and Descutes with the 5wt.

Fishing to me is like eating I like a varity sometimes cheeseburgers sometime T-Bone!

 

[rippin fish lips]

I have never been with a guide and don't ever plan to, simply because they do everything for you. When you are forced to do your own preparation there is way less sitting around. I'll usually be prepping bait, tying more leaders or driving the boat. If all that gets done, then I'll sit back and enjoy a cold one. This is all while trolling for fall chinook though so your on the move. Sitting on anchor can get boring if the fish are not biting.

The guide i went set the gear the first couple times, told us to watch what he was doing then let us set and and rig our bait, It was my first guided trip, he saw that i was more of a natural then anyone else would be if it was there first time so he siad i could help rig and set gear if i wanted to so i did! all he did is drive the boat and net the fish.

 

[tnffishman]

I think it is boring most of the time. Of course when ur slammin em it's great! But so many countless hours sitting there waiting.

 

[Halfthrive]

Both are great dude, I've hiked many a mile to fish and drifted or motored to many a spot and I love and hate both equally. Yea you can hike to a great spot and enjoy the walk but with a boat you can acess so many areas that a bank fisherman just can't get to, and faster. The appeal of fishing out of a boat grows with age, the older you get the more you want to relax while catching fish. At least for me.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

X2!

 

[Thuggin4Life]

I personally love fishing from my boat. for any species. gets you out of the bank and into unreachable water for a bank angler. Also i can do what i want in my boat because its mine and even if its slightly crowded at least its with good company and not some sttrangers up and down the bank. i dont plunk from the boat but i could manage it for a few hours. i do plunk form the bank but then you can build a fire. cook food and just move around. i troll out of my boat so i am always covering water in anticipation of that big takedown on one of the rods. also i have never been with a guide and done a lot of trial and error trying to learn how and where to fish so it has all been and experiance for me and i love it. think i would clash with a guide if i could rig and cast and just have 100% control of my rod and i would bring my own. i woould only be using the guide for his boat and to get into an area that is unfamilar and to learn a new tactics.

 

[beaverfan]

There's some water that's better fished from the bank but there's tons of water that can't be fished from the bank. In tons of areas the boats catch most of the fish, in a few areas the bank guys do as good or better than the boats. Do the math.

 

[JSpencer]

I'm not as old as a lot of the guys on the forums here, but when my arthritis starts acting up i start envying those guys sitting in their boats. Still, id rather be limping through a river in my waders than dealing with the hustle of city life and crowded streets, and especially work! But yeah it sure would be nice to have a boat to relax in.

 

[JeannaJigs]

I love bank fishing...certain places. There's places you can't go with a boat. That said, I have a drift boat, and it was the best investment ever. It just depends on what kind of fishing you want to do. I have a non motorized boat, so basically, my boat is my mobile bank. I fish from my boat, the same as I would from the bank, and I don't have to elbow in and get into confrontations with local yocals.

I won't turn down the oppurtunity to troll for some salmon if offered a seat in a boat, but it's not my preferred method, because my ADD can't handle it in excess. Think that's why I love the drift boat, if i'm back bouncing plugs, I'm still occupied on the sticks, so i'm not sitting around doing nothing.

 

[SantiamDrifter]

You can't base your opinion off 1 day. When you go with guides you do what they know how to do. Its thier job to get you fish and the best way to get rookies fish are to back troll, sit on anchor or side drift. Its easy but boring. Even bobber fishin, rookies will miss too many bites. They can't take a 1st timer out to drift fish and expect them to catch a fish. They just dont have enough experiance. If they dont produce fish the word gets out, and they lose money. Now if you were out with your buddys on smaller river where trolling isn't the go to method you would have a lot more fun. Your constantly doing something. It actually makes me mad when my fishin buddys stop fishing and start being lazy.

I like fishing from the bank sometimes, But from 3 yrs old I've been in a boat. I wouldnt have it any other way.