Kevin Van Dam Forums

In the future i want to upgrade to a nice fiberglass boat, but i think it might contradict my fishing style. i love fishing timber and getting out in the middle of a stump field and haul out monster bass, or i love fishing close to the bank and pitching plastics and jigs and frogs into the thickest stuff i can find.  im worried that IF i run into a stump with the glass boat it would get damaged pretty bad.  what do you all suggest???? should i start out with an aluminum boat so i can practice getting control of working through the stuff or what?

man....profisher....that all depends on just how hard you run in there amongst them stumps.  if you know there are stumps around, then you should treat them with a bit of respect...cause they aint gonna respect the glass boat.  kinda like the guy that picked up the snake on top of the snow covered mountain...carried it down to warmer elevation...then the snake bit him before he put it down....moral of the story....he knew it was a snake when he picked it up.....same goes for the fishing in stumpy areas...if you know the stumps are there...why tempt fate?

Glass boats and aluminum boats all handle stumps the same way. DON’T GO FAST NEAR THEM.  Idle through stump fields and you will have the same success no matter which boat you choose.

really, ive landed on some of those stumps too, its not cool, the last one i got out of the boat and tryed to lift the back end up off of it, i had to wait till one of those 2 or 3 million dallar ship or yauts came by to pick a big enough wave, and had to stear my trolling motor forward finally got of but it took a 6 foot wave...ive got an aluminum boat 17’ 5”

I dont plan on running full speed through a stump field or being careless. i dont want to break my equiptment but i like fishing places most anglers arent willing to fish.

profisher - 02 October 2008 10:48 PM

I dont plan on running full speed through a stump field or being careless. i dont want to break my equiptment but i like fishing places most anglers arent willing to fish.

There is a reason “most anglers arent willing to fish” that area. You will re-think that idea when you get a $20,000- $50,000 boat. Its just not worth it.

BBK - 02 October 2008 10:53 PM

profisher - 02 October 2008 10:48 PM

I dont plan on running full speed through a stump field or being careless. i dont want to break my equiptment but i like fishing places most anglers arent willing to fish.

There is a reason “most anglers arent willing to fish” that area. You will re-think that idea when you get a $20,000- $50,000 boat. Its just not worth it.

yeah your probably right. im probably going to start out with a used boat for around 4-6 grand so i can get used to everything and have something to fish in while i save.  im not talking about fishing in a stump field that is impossible to navigate, just a stump here and there and maybe a couple trees. im not going to risk going into a underwater forest with something i paid good money for and i want to keep nice

The boat i use now for fishing stumps is a v hull boat that we got for a couple hundred and its not the prettiest thing that ive seen. when we hit a stump it doesnt do much except maybe a small dent or scratch the paint that is mostly gone already

when i get my Ranger or Skeeter i wont be taking it into a stump field.

You probably could get a ranger from 80’s for around 2 grand.

Newer fiberglass hulls are more durable. I drag mine through stumps just about every time I go out. Just dont hit them with any kind of momentum and you will be fine.

It also depends on the thickness of the hull. If the boat has a thick hull, then an encounter wit a stump at slow speed(trolling motor) should be fine, even at slow-medium speeds. But if you get a boat wit a real thin hull , then try to avoid the stumps because they could easily kill your hole, and your pocket when your out a few grand. Remember, you can always get a BIG johnboat, and fix the flooring so it is like a regulat boat, or just get a metal hull boat I think bass tracker and ranger make some like that. (interior of a regular bass boat but wit metal, not fiberglass hull)

i have a fiberglass boat and i just spent almost 2,500 to have 3 small holes fixed in the bottom ( well the insurance paid almost 2,500 ) you can put holes in anything if you hit it hard enough! all i can say is get good insurance!!