Fishing toon

[Allen]

So I seem to find myself in the market for a pontoon capable of being an adequate fishing platform.

I know not a damn thing about pontoons, tritoons, or the things that make them a serviceable fishing rig.


There are now those advertised as fishing toons, and they tend to come with a lower HP motor (although on new that is changing). The pontoon would also be needed to pull the kids on tubes and I'd think a person would want at least a 115 for a 22 ft pontoon or tritoon. Is that big enough to not leave a person wanting?

How about what is too big for a motor? There's a used one for sale with a Yamaha 225, would that idle too fast to pull cranks on a 22 ft tritoon?

Anyway, feel free to chime in on what features are must haves for a fishing pontoon, what are nice, and what are a waste of space. I see some with a 10" diameter sink and faucet on the console, what the hell is that for?

 

[martinslanding]

Yes 115 4-stroke is pretty standard on that size pontoon… it will pull a tuber but struggles to get up an adult skier….keep your eye open for a rear configuration like this:

 

[Ponyroper]

Have a buddy who bought a pretty nice one to use for fishing and partying. Nice platform for casting and on still days it's OK for trolling but he said it's a nightmare to handle in a normal windy day and it takes a full time driver when trolling. He also said it's nearly impossible to come into a dock if the wind is wrong. He doesn't have a trolling motor or kicker and he's just an old farm boy who came into some money so I know he doesn't have any boating experience so I'm taking his comments with a grain of salt.

 

[Huskerdu]

Boat control with a pontoon is challenging to say the least, if stored on a lift at the lake they are great for kids to fish out of if its not blowing. I would not want just a pontoon as a fishing rig and we do have one at the cabin.

 

[Allen]

Note, I am keeping my Lund Fisherman for when there's fewer than 6 of us on the trip.

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and it will be trailered often. I have no intentions of getting a slip and keeping it tied to one body of water. At least, not yet.

 

[Kurtr]

I might have to offer toon driving lessons. You back troll throw a drift sock out up front for precise controll. I have fish 30 mph winds on Oahe more than a few times. I have no problem loading go on up wind side dock will guide you on. There is a reason all the guides are going pontoons down here. More room smoother ride but not as fast is a down fall

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I also don't have a slip I think it beats the shit out of them and they look in rough shape after a couple years in the marina here.

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I have a 21 with a 60 no tube pulling but guess my wife wants a bigger one next year so I will be looking

 

[Allen]

Is a 225 4-S Yamaha just too big for trolling down?

a.) I hate the idea of drift socks, etc to slow down a boat while trolling. Just wasting gas at that point.
b.) Backtrolling, ehh? I have never really cared for that either. Guess I'll have to put a large rearview mirror on the console.

 

[Kurtr]

Is a 225 4-S Yamaha just too big for trolling down?

a.) I hate the idea of drift socks, etc to slow down a boat while trolling. Just wasting gas at that point.
b.) Backtrolling, ehh? I have never really cared for that either. Guess I'll have to put a large rearview mirror on the console.

Dont bother with a toon than as you will need to have drift socks out and back troll. With out drift socks and going forward my 60 does not go slow enough. You will have a big captains chair and just sit there and drive it is easy my 11 year old drives all the time now while we are fishing and it takes very little input with a sock out front to get toon to respond.

it is nice have every thing up front no motors to twist up in and lots of room to work. i have had 8 kids on there and not one tangle

 

[WormWiggler]

So can the celebrity skater / boat control aficionado put them bags in the belly of this beast. (Random Toon Pic)?

 

[Kurtr]

No it is mine I suppose you could but just as easy to hook it on the side the wind is blowing you will track straight

 

[Finaddict]

X2 for the drift sock. We have a 20 footer that has the front rail back about 3 feet from the front of the deck. I mounted a trolling motor with a quick release mount and a minnkota power pontoon anchor winch with a remote switch which is GREAT when fishing panfish with kids. Easy to move from place to place without leaving the helm. The area inside the "fence " is a little smaller, but still plenty of room for 4 young grandsons to hang out. Consider a bimini top for shade

 

[sparetire]

I might have to offer toon driving lessons. You back troll throw a drift sock out up front for precise controll. I have fish 30 mph winds on Oahe more than a few times. I have no problem loading go on up wind side dock will guide you on. There is a reason all the guides are going pontoons down here. More room smoother ride but not as fast is a down fall

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I also don't have a slip I think it beats the shit out of them and they look in rough shape after a couple years in the marina here.

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I have a 21 with a 60 no tube pulling but guess my wife wants a bigger one next year so I will be looking

The story of my life, brother. :;:huh

 

[Kurtr]

X2 for the drift sock. We have a 20 footer that has the front rail back about 3 feet from the front of the deck. I mounted a trolling motor with a quick release mount and a minnkota power pontoon anchor winch with a remote switch which is GREAT when fishing panfish with kids. Easy to move from place to place without leaving the helm. The area inside the "fence " is a little smaller, but still plenty of room for 4 young grandsons to hang out. Consider a bimini top for shade

Bimi top is so awesome when it is hot even when raining to keep a guy dry

 

[raider]

i have a 20' suntracker tri with a merc 150 4 stroke... has run 43 with 2 people, and 33 with 8... pulls a 3 seater super mable up to 25... i saved bout 10-12k going with the tracker vs a benny... the benny was nicer, but i couldn't justify the difference... 10 year warranties don't suck either...

runs down to 2.3-2.5 at idle with a 15 pitch on flat water... ran a 2 tube with a 90 for 2 years and hit 23 once with 2 people - 12-14 with 8... wasn't enough so i traded... 100% satisfied now, and that's a first through many boats... i look in a 2125 or a 621 now and think they look tiny...

80# terrova does ok, but is weak in big wind... would buy another... fwiw, i've always got at least 1 drift sock out when trolling... when you learn how to use them, you won't go without the precision - kinda like custom loads for a rifle...

have a porta poti in the changing room which is nice for the ladies even if they don't use it much... changing room also holds 2 - 4 packs of the cheap life jackets, a couple kids ones, a few other adult size loose ones, and a throw cushion...

it has a cheap rod box that i have 12 rods in sleeves in... 2 livewells, and 4 fishing seats besides the helm and L lounge and rear bench with storage underneath...



pontoons are great fishing platforms for all but the tournament angler imo... you can fish way more people, and loading/unloading and boat control are no different than a boat... if you got it in a boat, you will have an easy transition...

good luck...

 

[Allen]

Thanks KurtR and Raider, very solid help and I appreciate it!

 

[raider]

rumor has it allen is done toon shopping...

any updates???

 

[Ericb]

I'm curious how things worked out Allen. We were just in Florida and rented a pontoon. The wife and girls are set on getting one now. The only thing I know I would look for is the platform on the front and back.

 

[Allen]

Ok, so here's the update. I ended up buying a 2013, South Bay model 522F tri-toon with a 150 Merc 4-Stroke.

I have had it out twice now, both times in some fairly unpleasant conditions, one day with 30+ mph gusts, and then again this past Saturday with some 15-20 mph winds. Haven't caught a damn fish yet off of it, but outside of that I am really starting to love the platform.

The 522F is a fishing style rig with plenty of creature comforts to keep the girlfriend and kids happy. The 150 Merc pushes it 32 mph at WOT, and it didn't matter if I was running into a 15 MPH wind, or with it. Yet it slows down to a reasonable 1.8 mph going forward, and ~1.2 mph when idling in reverse.

Like I said, so far I am really liking the platform and am just really impatient to get it out on a nice day when the fish are cooperative. The kids LOVE it, as does the girlfriend so I am looking at this as a win for me.

Only thing I would say is that when fishing alone I will still be using the old Lund, but any time the kids are with I am thinking they will insist on the toon.

The ONE negative I have on the thing is the carpet. It has actual loop carpet, so when the kids (or I) get a hook in it, it is really easy to start unraveling the rug. Bad design on the rod box being built on top of the carpet. Pretty tough to get a rod in and out of there without snagging the carpet. As a matter of fact, there's a Rapala now just up and out of reach stuck in the carpet of the rod box. That's kind of annoying.

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Oh yeah, and that thing is unbelievably stable/smooth when out on windy days. It's been years since I've even set foot on a pontoon, but suffice to say...this is NOT your daddy's old twin round log setup with a 40 horse Johnson.

The motor trims up and hits about 5700 RPM pretty easily with a 13 pitch Enertia prop, so I am thinking it would go a little faster if a person slipped a 15 pitch on it, but the current prop/motor setup makes it very responsive to when you give her the onion.

 

[Vollmer]

Can you lay a rubber mat of sorts in the rod locker?

 

[Allen]

Can you lay a rubber mat of sorts in the rod locker?

It's just gonna get stuck on that damn rapala. ;:;banghead

Actually, once I fish that SOB out of there, that is kind of the way I planned on tackling this. Custom cut a piece of something rubbery or plastic'y and that should fix the problem.

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Thankfully, I have an 18 inch filet knife that will help me retrieve that rapala.