I'm ready when you are, Spongebob Sharpiepants...

At least you admit that you'll bail fish with abandon.. :bl: Next trip departs Franklin at 3 AM sharp Sunday. Coupla hours of linesides, then I'm going to try to bail some fluke.

Not sure I agree with the boat fishing is easier if you're referring to actually catching fish. If I think of all the best numbers days I've ever had Striper fishing, most of them have been from shore on the canal or back beach with my sharpie brother.

I will agree that I've had much better luck consistantly catching high numbers of bigger fish from the boat, but it took a few seasons to learn how to fish all the spots correctly and be productive. I wouldn't say it takes any less time, effort, or skill to get really good at it, it's just different. Correct me if I'm wrong Mike, but I don't see any drop off in your yearly #'s compared to boat fishing. Maybe fewer giants, but that's about it.

I know enough superbly skilled surf guys that catch a pile of big fish to think that it's not really any easier. Good fisherman will find bigger and more fish whether they're on the beach or in a boat. They'll work hard to understand the conditions under which fish will be at certain areas and be at those areas at the right times. Also, how many of the folks that claim boat fishing is "easier" say so because they spent the day on the water with a charter captain or very experienced angler that fishes a lot, and therefore knows where, when, and how to catch a lot of fish? Guys like that can tend to make it look a lot easier than it really is. There's dozens of boats out in SoCo every weekend and I don't see tons of Bass being hauled over the sides of many of them. The ones that do catch a lot are the guys who are out there a lot, grinding it out, adapting their methods to the conditions.

Though I don't get out in the surf often due to ruined knees and a job that doesn't lend itself to being tired and smelly in the A.M., I think that there's nothing quite like getting a bigger fish in the suds. You're stationary and more subject to where the fish is going than in a boat. The fight is certainly a lot more interesting. Both ways are fantastic ways to fish!

I find myself going the other way. Shore fishing eliminates a whole lot of complexity and lets you test yourself against the fish on the simplest and most intimate of scales. There is a lot to be said for that.

My sentiments exactly. Despite your propensity for wood, I consider you to be of above average intelligence....

Don't be fooled so easily.

I just spit broccoli and cheddar soup on my flat screen!!!LMAO!!!

made me choke on my lunch.. :jump1:

I was one of the guys stirring the pot in the other thread so I feel I should give my take even if it might not be popular.

Boat fishing is easier that shore fishing period. There are statistics to back that up too. If you check the daily weigh in for the Derby on the vineyard each fall there are consistently more and bigger fish caught from boats. Last year anything over 20# from shore was big and there were dozens of fish that size weighed in everyday from boats. See for yourself http://www.mvderby.com/

I primarily fish from shore. I don't hate boats in fact I have a 17ft Boston whaler, It's sitting in my driveway and I find that the $ and Maintainence is just not worth the reward. Granted I'm 27 and in good health but like most people my age don't have tons of $. So my opinion will most likely change as time goes on. I can understand why older people or with bad health might prefer it.

In my personal opinion pulling a nice bass up on the sand at dawn is nicer than throwing a gaff in a bass and throwing it in a cooler with 2 cycle exhaust in the air. I'm starting to fish from a kayak this year or at least use a kayak to get to the spots I need too. I think this is a nice happy medium and not to mention better for the environment

Squibby, if your motor is properly tuned and cared for ( I have a two cycle) it should not smoke and I catch bass all the time, do not carry a cooler ( I RELEASE THEM ALL) and if I have to gaff a fish it's a lip gaff to hold the fish steady to promptly remove the hook(s) which is way better than slipping your hands into thier gills and is only done with large fish otherwise it's a lip grip with my hands.

At 52 I guess I am a retread though so your right on that point but I do many many nights crawling onto slime covered rocks and standing in surf while the sand washes away around my feet as the suds recede, and most nights on sand are spent walking lonely stretches for miles from high banked parking lots cause the oversand routes are shutdown.

Just a point of contention here is all, carry on.

Doesn't prove anything. Maybe boat fishermen are just better...... ;)

:hidin:

seriously though, a lot of those fish come from charters that are out there all day every day and are very tuned into where the fish are and what to feed them.

I want to let this thread die, but its statements like this and many others above that get me. If you thinks thats what boat fishing is, man you guys are missing out. To me its.......

A cove all to myself, drifting in perfect silence, watching bass inhale a bunker while it runs for its life...or...
2 am, not a soul on the water, tossing an eel into a rockpile most people can never get to. or....
tossing a pencil along an island wathching bass blow up on it one after another as the sun sets.....

no fumes, no crowds, no people, ..... no $hit :buds:

I just got back from a long day at Valiant, Race, Little gull and the sluiceway. We capped it off by stopping at the Watch Hill reefs.This body is very tired from BOAT fishing.As far as solitude, we fished next to less boats and certainly saw less anglers than the majority of my shore outings. Some are fortunate enough to find solitude in the suds via a beached boat. Otherwise get used to some company.

What a dumb thread :hs:

Put simply...if you had feed your family, would you fish from shore or from a boat?

-spence

Dangles,how'd you do?That's my territory.

Yes, this is a dumb thread. And that, to me is a dumb question to ask. That may be a pertinent question to ask yourself, but it's everyone elses own choice to fish however they choose to.:bs:

Amen Jim, amen

To me its not that one is easier or harder its that they are very different experiences. I used to be solely shorebound, and there is nothing like landing a big bass on an eel in the middle of an October night on the Cape...

However, I have had a boat for 4 years and have gradually shifted most of my fishing to the boat.

I'll say the learning curve is about the same if not harder on the boat. I spend most of my time on the helm and fish a lot less. Weather, sea conditions, other boats, charts, safety, etc. all come in to play on the boat.

The techniques and tackle are different and require new skills.

Yes I have access to more locations and can easily move around in the boat, it is different and has advantages, but easier.... I don't think so.

to those that think boat fishing is earier, i guess you have never fished places like the rock of Block island the rips of Montauk ,inlets like moriches and shinecock, the waters of fischers island, the race ,sluiceway, the deep water stucture of the vinyard and a million other places were boat handling skills are paramount to catching fish and staying alive.as a boat fisherman of at least 40 years i will take surf fishing any day over the boat,much easier with your feet on solid ground.

Agreed 100%. There's no doubt in my mind boaters assume a greater risk factor when you look at all the variables involved with doing it safely and coming home alive. In addition, you must assume the safety of the people on board if you're hosting others on your vessel.
As always, we've beat this topic into the ground only to arrive at a stalemate.

"Must" assume safety? This from the guy with whom I once launched a crotchety 15ft MFG from chest deep water into a pounding back beach surf like an Aussie search and rescue team. All because the cut at Nauset was too shallow, too wavy, and too "dangerous".

"Bri, I'll jump on the wheel and hold the nose into the white water, you push us into deep enough water from the stern then jump in when I fire up the engine. If we time it just right, we'll make it out over the swells...."

Of course we did manage to brave the 6-7 ft swells to land my personal best fish that day.
:tooth:

Heres my take on BOAT FISHING, after forty years of saltwater fishing, if you want to catch a ton of fish, impress your friends, take'em out on your BOAT, ( been there done that). IF you want to spend the evening with fellow fishermen an enjoy Standing in the Surf,shooting the breeze, telling stories,an let the stress of the day PASS you by. (been there an STILL do that) SURF FISH. I have caught 40" + fish from a boat.BUT it all fell short for doing it in the surf. so guess Im still a SURF FISHERMEN.
GOOD LUCK GOOD PLUGGIN:cheers:

Gimme a break, I was 24 and didn't give a %$%$%$%$ about anything but catching fish. :fishin:
Luckily I never killed myself or anyone else.:angel: Came close too many times though all in the name of the saxatilis. That's why I'm leery of boats now, lots of people still taking the risks I used to in the name of fishing. Anyways, I definitely caught more super sized fish from the boat than shore so hopefully I answered the original question.

in hind sight I probably vented my frustration of being a boat owner that can't afford to use it and also doesn't have the time or help to run the boat properly. There are certainly better ways to express my frustrations than an internet message board.

The people who do have the $ for maintainece, fuel, bait/gear insurance I hope you do enjoy it and catch fish cause it certainly is an investment of time and skill. THis is even more so if you practice catch and release, cause it's just pure love of fishing not #'s or claims to fame.

I maintain I personally love landing large off a beach to catching on a boat. Maybe i need to dust off my whaler and give it another go:musc:

The question doesn't imply favor for either, nor a bias for others decisions.

-spence

Dragged out boating yesterday out of Scituate with a nice guy who would not go closer than 100 yards of any of the best and sweetest rockpiles. Stayed 200 yards away from Minots and I used to have such great luck tossing plugs there. Not that there was much room anywhere out there. The rockpiles looked like a car club get togethers....
As a result we mindlessly trolled up and down the coast with zippo to show for the time and fuel.
I would suggest that boating is easier but only if you have a slight idea of what you should be trying to do. It's a big ocean but us shore guys are always working some sort of structure or bottom.

PS... Why is it the shore guys cast as far as they can away from shore while the boaters are casting as close to shore a they can.

LOL!

Somewhere in between those casts is where it all happens, eh?

I agree that Boat Fishing gives easier and faster access to bass producing structure at a fraction of the total on the back, legs, and knees.

From my personal experience, I have caught more fish from land than a boat. This anomaly could have something to do with the Captain of the boat that I was on--- I think his name Gilligan. I a long story short, having a boat and knowing how to use it to catch fish, are two completely different things.

apples and oranges . wont compare ice fishing and river fishing either

to each his own . I owned a boat for a number of years when I was younger . now I stricktly shore fish ( cardio exercise ) unless someone offers to take me out ( which I usually accept ) or I charter a captain ( when I think its worth the time and money ) .

fishing is fishing !!!! keep it safe and keep it legal

Good discussion all the way around.

Your access to areas is better from a boat. I boat fish and all but stop striper fishing once the tuna arrive. We only cast light gear or flies for stripers. I think striper fishing is to easy for everyone now. I still think the canal:cens::lurk: