fishing tourney question...

[raider]

so, after having expensive toys in the past, i can relate to the guys running 250 to 350 hp, and beyond... when i had scooters, the stock motor was never enough, and i always wanted/got more... i was never a chrome whore, but liked to have the power at a twist... for me it was just a fun thing...

i know like in the outlaw out west when you want to get to your parking place on the river first and stay there, speed is a big deal, but do the extra 5 to 10 mph in a regular lake tournament make you any more weight or money, or is it just the drive to have nice stuff that makes the really really nice stuff so popular with the tourney guys???

basically, if you could go faster, would you finish higher and make more money???

 

[300sktr]

Probably not, but its fun. Running a 300 on a Skeeter.

 

[Plain Skeeter]

My boat does 50 mph. And has made over 6K in the last month. :;:smokin

 

[Sum1]

In walleye tourneys....no.

 

[Plain Skeeter]

That got me thinking. My rig will do 50, a lot of others are claiming 65. So a run from Beulah to Indian Hills (17 miles). It will take me 20.4 minutes @ 50 mph. The guys doing 65 will do it in 15.7 minutes. No it doesn't matter. We are all boys who want to have the nicest, biggest, and fastest toys. I think it is funny. I can buy a lot of cranks, nice rods and reels, and other stuff that actually do catch fish for the difference of a few mph.

 

[shorthairsrus]

The tiller 60hp showed that 2 years in a row. I would like to talk a buddy with a fast bass boat to the outlaw. One rooster tail later and it would humble a bumble

 

[Petras]

I dunno about you guys, but I've never caught a walleye going more than 3.2 mph.... Save the money on the fancy boat, and spend it on gas for finding spots during prefishing and you won't need to go 9 million mph to be the first on the spot... Of course I say this having a boat that currently tops out at 53 mph.... I gave up about 9 mph on the top end when I sold my old boat and bought my new one, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Kurtr]

If fishing Pilar's and your not first it will cost you tens .of thousands.

 

[wildeyes]

speed doesn't catch fish, it just feels good to be in front.

 

[johnr]

The fish know damn right

 

[sweeney]

The tiller 60hp showed that 2 years in a row. I would like to talk a buddy with a fast bass boat to the outlaw. One rooster tail later and it would humble a bumble

That's all fine and dandy until it's 3-5 ft waves and the fish bite is 17 miles away

 

[shorthairsrus]

That's all fine and dandy until it's 3-5 ft waves and the fish bite is 17 miles away

That never seems to happen in these videos. Plus I never see a video showing a big one or a bag just shotgun start.

 

[AaronJ]

My answer to this question is both yes, and no. It is completely dependent on the bite.

A few years ago I had a great bobber bite during the Casino on Devils. Day 1 we made it to our spot and weighed 23#. Day 2 we did not get their in time and had to wait out a couple other boats that were there. Spot on a spot situation and when we were able to move into our exact tree we did end up with another 23# and 2nd place.

Another time when the speed and HP matter is in the long runs in bad weather. Casino day 2 this year on Devils a 17 foot boat would have survived; but lost at least 1 hour of fishing time depending on what bite they were on and may have not even made it to their primary spot if it was in Pelican.

Do big sparkly boats catch more fish....no. Do they provide a bit more comfort and "fun factor".....yup. Do I have both the big sparkly and 18 foot tiller/60hp....yup. They both have their time and place.

 

[3Roosters]

If a person has the means, go for it, knock yourself out on whatever size yacht you want. If a person doesn't have the means and just wants to keep up with the Jones's ..well then, perhaps that person needs to readjust priorities. Tough to make it through the real world if there is more month left at the end of the paycheck and eating bread and water 24/7. Class dismissed. My. 02

 

[Tim Sandstrom]

A lot of times no. But as I am baiting John into he's going to say he wants a 350 over a 150 because it's faster.

Getting to a single spot 5-20 minutes before a slower boat can definitely make a difference. It can also not make a difference. I have personally seen it make a difference a tad more than not. But it's close.

What people forget is the run and gunning. Some bites require jumping and if you add up the time from spot to spot to spot the ratio of time spent not fishing (running) to those with smaller motors increases to the favor of the bigger motors.

So yes, a bigger motor will assist because the lines are in the water longer.

Again all depends on bite situation. And really helps if you have prefish spots far from one another.

 

[3Roosters]

So...over time...a person who has his lines in the water longer SHOULD be able to boat more fish, correct? Lets say, 6.5 hours fishing versus 6 hours fishing day in and day out? 1 hour more on a weekend tournament can make all the difference. My point being...doesn't seem like a fair fight if I was to get one less hour of fishing or one more hour. Fastest boat shouldn't determine who is the better fisherperson. Of course fish could be close to headquarters. I am just saying in general. Of course a fast boat doesn't mean you will win a tourney. I am just being devils advocate here stating the obvious. 1 more hour of fishing lines in the water SHOULD be better than 1 less.
:;:stirthepot

 

[Sub_Elect]

I all reality anyone can justify a bigger motor or a smaller motor. The fact is, if you want to run further in harsher weather than you need a bigger boat to get there faster and in more comfort. If you want a bigger boat but are one of the guys saying they can get it done with a smaller motor than go ahead and put a 115 on a 21' boat, only realize it wont even get on plane.

If you have the means to get a bigger boat than its just foolish to NOT max out the horse power.

I can tell you that it was the larger boat and smoother ride that gave me more fishing time at the DWC this year than the 350 on the back of the boat. But the price difference between a 250 verado and a 350 verado on a 70 or 80 thousand dollar boat is negligible. The bigger the hull the more HP you want to push it, or you'll be unhappy and write all over forums how your 21' Ranger only does 45 mph with the 200 you picked to go on the back of it.

 

[sweeney]

So...over time...a person who has his lines in the water longer SHOULD be able to boat more fish, correct? Lets say, 6.5 hours fishing versus 6 hours fishing day in and day out? 1 hour more on a weekend tournament can make all the difference. My point being...doesn't seem like a fair fight if I was to get one less hour of fishing or one more hour. Fastest boat shouldn't determine who is the better fisherperson. Of course fish could be close to headquarters. I am just saying in general. Of course a fast boat doesn't mean you will win a tourney. I am just being devils advocate here stating the obvious. 1 more hour of fishing lines in the water SHOULD be better than 1 less.
:;:stirthepot

Buy a bigger boat then#$%^&>

 

[RustyTackleBox]

I all reality anyone can justify a bigger motor or a smaller motor. The fact is, if you want to run further in harsher weather than you need a bigger boat to get there faster and in more comfort. If you want a bigger boat but are one of the guys saying they can get it done with a smaller motor than go ahead and put a 115 on a 21' boat, only realize it wont even get on plane.

If you have the means to get a bigger boat than its just foolish to NOT max out the horse power.

I can tell you that it was the larger boat and smoother ride that gave me more fishing time at the DWC this year than the 350 on the back of the boat. But the price difference between a 250 verado and a 350 verado on a 70 or 80 thousand dollar boat is negligible. The bigger the hull the more HP you want to push it, or you'll be unhappy and write all over forums how your 21' Ranger only does 45 mph with the 200 you picked to go on the back of it.

the DWC this year is the primary reason I am upgrading my boat... it took me roughly an hour to get back to the ramp from indian hills and that is normally a 20ish min run and I checked in right at the time I was supposed to be back... so on that 1 day I lost an extra 40 min (1 way) of fishing because my boat could not take the bigger waves safely any faster than I was pushing it

 

[Sub_Elect]

On day 1 going out with the ZV I was running 59.5 to 60. On the way back in I was running around 50. Day 2 going out I was running about 50 going out and 60+ coming back in. How was your 18' boat in the two days of the tourney Rusty?

- - - Updated - - -

I was in the second flight on day one and first flight day 2.