This is just a curious thought......

How many of you beach casters would give up fishing from the shore to always fish from a boat from then on?

This of course is you DON'T have a boat also!

never !!
just don't enjoy fishin' from a boat ...
i drive 4 hours just to fish from the beach ..
i can be at the susky flats in 1 ...
no offense intended , imho boat fishing sucks
derf

Are we talking a 46 foot Merritt here?

No. A boat that you would normally use say in the 16- 23 ft range.

Never! Not ever! Nope!:tooth:

Nope, not me
I enjoy fishing with my feet on the ground way too much to give it up just for boat fishing even though I do a fair amount of boat fishing each year inshore. Besides, ya can't fish in the canal from a boat, only from shore.

no chance
boats are for those that cant catch fish from shore:grins:

no chance
boats are for those that cant catch fish from shore:grins:

http://img116.exs.cx/img116/1231/z7shysterical.gifhttp://www.vocinelweb.it/faccine/cartelli/28.gif
I enjoy both...http://img116.exs.cx/img116/934/z0tdntknw.gif

I think I'd give up beer first.:gu:

I have a limited time to fish since I currently live on the other side of the pond but I would never trade shore fishing for fishing from a boat even if you would guarantee me double the fish. There is something that is magical about catching a fish from the surf that you can not match in a boat. Whether it is a keeper at night or a fish at dawn or during the day that you see hit your plug it is so much more exciting than drifting eels or bucktailing the race (even though that is fun). When I talk to people that do not fish and want to know about why so much of my holiday revolves around fishing I almost never mention boat trips it is watching the sun break over your back after a long night casting or the simple pleasure of being the only person in the water fishing and the contrast from your normal existence.

With the price of gas right now and in the future, no way besides i'm 5 minutes from the water.

Oh and I have a kayak.

I like fishing from shore. Got invited out to fish on a boat with friends last year.
The time spent meeting up at the ramp, loading the boat, launching, cruising out to sow and pigs, anchoring, setting up etc. to fish for two hours, then the bone jarring ride back, and kicking in money for fuel and bait.
I was thinking, I missed fishing from shore for this? Could have caught my fish from shore before we even got the boat out of the harbor.

Nope.

I agree with Moshulu. Except over here we get the sunlight directly in our eyes :shocked: There is nothing like walking for a half hour to get to THAT spot and catching fish when you get there. The satisfaction of putting your time in and the rewards it pays are what keeps me without sleep and enjoying it.

Plus the fact that a 20 lb class striper from a boat is really pretty easy. The guy in VA who caught a 65 lb bass from a boat took less than 10 minutes to get in the boat. It took Al Mcreynolds 4 hours to beach his 78 lber.

While I do occasionally go out on a boat I would never give up the surf for it.

I think I'd give up beer first.:gu:

Then what would you drink after fishing?

Never, ever- and I own a boat and a kayak.

Once my kids get older I'll be investing in another vessel if the kids are interested in fishing. Right now I can't justify one due to lack of time and other conflicts. Surf fishing works best for me now, but I've vacillated in the past between boat and surf. Will probably be the same in the future.

Never, ever- and I own a boat and a kayak.

Same here. One has to be able to change gears with changing conditions. And if time is a factor, like early morning before work, I'm going to be maximizing fishing time by fishing the beach. Access, weather, and time of year are all factors that may dictate shore over boat too.

(I have to laugh at the idea that a boat makes catching 20# class fish "easy"..... A boat does not make it a guaranteed, no brainer everytime out.)

I get so bored riding around in a boat. I would'nt mind having one to fish in the daytime but it would have to be at a dock and a few minutes from fishing and I would have to move to the coast to make it worthwhile

Nightfighter, I screwed that up. I meant when compared to bringing it in onto the beach or rocks.

at this point in my life I prefer the boat much more

Always? Never. But no need to either. There are things boat fishing brings to the table which are fantastic and exhilarating and fun, and there are things in surfcasting boating could never replace. Enjoy both

I love fishing from shore and I figure half the time the guys on the boats are casting as close to shore as they can and the guys on shore are casting as far away from shore as possible.

Nope. But I use the boat to get to some great ultra restricted CT spots though :happy:

no

i would never trade the surf for a boat.

Another nice side of shore casting is that a boat can be to confining. Especially if there is only one person on the boat catching, and your not the person. That is another joy of shore casting the pleasure of walking as far as you want or don't want.

:wave:Shore, Shore, Love the nights. That cow just rolls in with the waves and land on the beach next toyou with That "BigFish" hanging out of his mouth oh ya!!!!

Every time I've accepted an invitation to fish from a boat, I found myself dreading it on the day of the trip. The only reason I've gone boat fishing is to not hurt the people's feelings who were kind enough to invite me.

I love the beach fishing to much to trade for boat fishing

love them both, sometimes fishing from shore with the current taking your and everyone's line to the same place is frustrating.

Never, ever, ever!

I'll have my Whaler Montauk and my Fortier 26 in the water during this year. The Whaler is my private taxi to MV. The Fortier is for picnics at Tarpoleon Cove and social fishing obligations for friends and family. But the fishing I do for me...is on the beach. I've got my stickers glued to the fenders.

I wouldn't. I grew up fishing on a boat, and I enjoyed that. Now I surfcast, and I enjoy that more. :kewl:

but with SURF casting .........:hidin:

since i don't presently own or can afford a new pair of waders and some other items like a dry top for example...
it's more economical and practical for me to be a guest on a friend's boat for the time being.
and
because of my darned ankle i normally have to sit... eventually, but if i'm out in the water with waders on *thats totally different) then i can stand for longer periods because i can make use (of the freedom) of the buoyancy factor of the water -> thus reducing my "weight-bearing" weight by almost half.

that being said...

with shore fishing there's something magical
or spiritual about being one with the waves and the sea standing at it's edge.

your feeling the rush of the surf and at the same time the shore line in itself, "is" the structure fish are holding to. There's plenty of bait and usually you'll have allot of great company.

with boat fishing....there's a little sense of adventure to it and that's because of the mystery of going out into much deeper waters. (for me anyway)

you can travel to many spots and Then there's the rush
of the moving fast at full throttle, but Once you get out there
and shut off the motor to drift theres a sense of peace,tranquility and purity
..........in that.....being so far from shore. the silence is cool.

Then you'll drift to find the structure the fish are holding to.

I love it all and i memorize every second of it! being that trips are far and few between.:eek: for me......

Never, I get sea sick :yak4::yak4::yak4:

Surf only because I dont own a boat.

Interesting topic.

I fished the surf for almost 40 years and loved every second of it. I fished the cape when the fishing was awesome. I fished RI when the fishing sucked. I loved both places the same. Got a boat 3 years ago because I got sick and didn't have the stamina I use to have to hop rocks all night.
Now I am somewhat in remission and have lot of my strength back. I still go in the surf in the fall and early winter but I would never give up the boat.
I find that the boat is more technical in nature. In the surf I could daydream occasionally. In the boat I need to be alert to other boats, where I am, current, wind, rocks, structure, fuel, speed, direction, etc. This becomes especially true at night and I do run at night alone so you really need to pay attention.
I get more fish and bigger fish in the boat. hell, I had days last year with 8 fish 30 to 38 lbs between 4 and 7 AM. You can't do that in the surf now. 30 years ago on The Backbeach we did but not anymore.

One type of fishing is not better than the other. They both have their attributes and drawbacks. It's what you put into it and what you get out of it.

Me, I just love to be on the water.

One type of fishing is not better than the other. They both have their attributes and drawbacks. It's what you put into it and what you get out of it.

Me, I just love to be on the water.

Very well put. I enjoy being on the boat as much for the ride and what you can see out on the water as much as for the fishing. I enjoy the quiet and peaceful darkness of fishing from shore at night. I wouldn't want to have to choose between boat and shore and give up either.

Lobster or Cracked Crab?

Fishing from a boat is a nice change every now and then but i like rocks under my feet. Ive never been skunked fishing from a boat, it does seem easy to me. Maybe i have been lucky. I havent had a "special" feeling from catching a boat fish, but it happens all the time from shore. I only wish that i could consistantly catch KEEPER fluke and cod from shore.

I bought my first boat in 1993 so I could catch more fish and I have no regrets, I loved fishing from shore with my friends, but we did more fishing than catching, but after 15 years working all the islands and estuaries in the harbor, I do pretty good at catching.

I'm far from knowing it all but I've learned allot, and enjoy every day on the water, especially with family and friends.

Nope. Boat fishing has a time & place for me but doesnt make me want to buy one and certainly doesnt hold the same "mystique" that the shore does.

Possibly: it would have to be an awesome houseboat that you could easily move about and that had complete surrounding decks with some built in live wells.

My buddy got a tin boat this year,and all I'm thinking of are the places we can get to and beach it.Never ever give up the shore.:walk:

Nope. It's not the quantity of the fish, it's the quality of the fishing.