Pontoon for Catfishing!

[cat toon]

I use my 1987 Sun Tracker for catfishing,I have 12 rod holders mounted to the side rails,that toon is the Caddy of catfishing.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Hey there fellow Arkie. Let's see, you're in London. Dardanelle? Arkansas River maybe? There are several iboaters who have customized their toons to be catfishing machines. You should throw some pics on when you get a chance. Welcome aboard.

 

[cat toon]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Hey there fellow Arkie. Let's see, you're in London. Dardanelle? Arkansas River maybe? There are several iboaters who have customized their toons to be catfishing machines. You should throw some pics on when you get a chance. Welcome aboard.

i know a few people that catfish from their toons,I love to catfish from mine just put a different motor on mine still adding gauges and making it more reliable on the water.

 

[tumblebug1949]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Hi Cat Toon,

I agree, a picture or two would be nice.

I am from Central Indiana and this is my first post on this forum. I have just bought a 1999 Sun Tracker 21ft Fishin' Barge but have not hauled it home yet. I did not want to trailer it, when the temperature was below freezing, on the country roads here.

It has a 40hp Tracker (Merc) on it which should do fine around here.

I have owned large and small boats over the years but never a pontoon boat. Any suggestions would be helpful. I am looking at trolling motors but have no idea what features are best. Nor do I know whether 1 battery or 2 is best.

For now while cat fishing, I am going to have 4 rod holders (Indiana allows 3 per person).

I am guessing that for drift fishing, drifting backwards is best but I don't really even know that yet.

Anyway, I will be looking forward to learning from everyone as time goes by.

good luck fishing
Tom

 

[cat toon]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Hi Cat Toon,

I agree, a picture or two would be nice.

I am from Central Indiana and this is my first post on this forum. I have just bought a 1999 Sun Tracker 21ft Fishin' Barge but have not hauled it home yet. I did not want to trailer it, when the temperature was below freezing, on the country roads here.

It has a 40hp Tracker (Merc) on it which should do fine around here.

I have owned large and small boats over the years but never a pontoon boat. Any suggestions would be helpful. I am looking at trolling motors but have no idea what features are best. Nor do I know whether 1 battery or 2 is best.

For now while cat fishing, I am going to have 4 rod holders (Indiana allows 3 per person).

I am guessing that for drift fishing, drifting backwards is best but I don't really even know that yet.

Anyway, I will be looking forward to learning from everyone as time goes by.

good luck fishing
Tom

Tom, Here in Arkansas we have no rod limit,makes it nice, I do not use a trolling motor,do not need it for catfishing We just anchor off and put the rods out.People say Catfish have a better smell than a Bass,they will find the bait. I will shoot you link to my catfish page,ask all your guestion there about catfishing.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/catfishmen.women.unite01/ My catfish page.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Have you seen the guys that go "jugging" on you tube. they get lots of little cats and some strange stuff like Gars and Spoon bills.
They use a big tired toon. They might be in Arkansas as well.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Hey cat toon, a lot of people hunt cats here and have mod their toons just for that welcome to iboats.

 

[tumblebug1949]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Hey Cat Toon,

Do you drift fish for cats. I was raised fishing and my family were some serious cat fisherman. We were just bank fishing then (50 years ago) so we just put the bait on the bottom and let the scent do the rest. I have not seriously catfished for 30 years now but have a Tracker toon and am getting started again. I have been reading a lot about drift fishing for cats an am looking forward to learning that. Do you drift fish or anchor and bottom fish?

I could use some recommendations for a trolling motor. I am leaning hard toward a Minn Kota PowerDrive V2 55/US2 w/54 inch shaft. I believe this is a model 1358751. I will add the Q release plate. Anyone have any advice on this model or recommendations? It is a big investment so I want to get it right.

I have a new Hummingbird 788ci HD DI fish finder to mount when I pick up the toon. The transducer in the Minn Kota will work with it except I don't think it will support the DI feature of the fish finder. For now I just want to be able to get a second mounting bracket for the fishfinder itself so I can use the transom transducer that comes with the finder or move the fishfinder forward and attach to the Minn Kota built-in transducer.

Any assistance or advice would be appreciated.

Tom

 

[cat toon]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

I must go outside and take some pictures of my toon but here it is with me fish on it note the rod holders on the rails.

 

[BOWMAKER1]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

What kind of rod holders are those, and do you just mount them to the top of the rail or run the bolts completely through the rail? I would like something easy to dismount and remount for either boating with the family or fishing. I am in southern Iowa and fish a large lake, Rathbun, and we drift a lot for either catfish or crappies, or walleyes so rod holders would be great. I also use a Minn Kota PD V2 but the 24 volt with a 48 inch shaft. I can troll or just use the motor to control drift direction and use it every time we go fishing and sometimes for several hours. I mounted 2 batteries in a storage compartment up front on my Fisher pontoon and a 2 bank on board charger to keep things topped off while the boat in in the storage shed. With the 24 volt I have lots of power even in a stiff wind and have never even came close to running out of battery. I went this way because I also wanted to do things right the first time, as it usually costs less money that way. When the fish stack up in the spring and fall cut bait or shad drifted slowly in 15 or 20 feet of water with a heavy walking type sinker 1 1/2 to 2 oz and a float about 16 or 20 inches in front of the hook to suspend the bait just a little can get some viscous bites sometimes.

 

[cat toon]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

What kind of rod holders are those, and do you just mount them to the top of the rail or run the bolts completely through the rail? I would like something easy to dismount and remount for either boating with the family or fishing. I am in southern Iowa and fish a large lake, Rathbun, and we drift a lot for either catfish or crappies, or walleyes so rod holders would be great. I also use a Minn Kota PD V2 but the 24 volt with a 48 inch shaft. I can troll or just use the motor to control drift direction and use it every time we go fishing and sometimes for several hours. I mounted 2 batteries in a storage compartment up front on my Fisher pontoon and a 2 bank on board charger to keep things topped off while the boat in in the storage shed. With the 24 volt I have lots of power even in a stiff wind and have never even came close to running out of battery. I went this way because I also wanted to do things right the first time, as it usually costs less money that way. When the fish stack up in the spring and fall cut bait or shad drifted slowly in 15 or 20 feet of water with a heavy walking type sinker 1 1/2 to 2 oz and a float about 16 or 20 inches in front of the hook to suspend the bait just a little can get some viscous bites sometimes.

Thoes rod holders are Driftmaster you can unscrew the holders leaving the rod holder base screwed to the rail. you can find the on-line at Driftmasters.com

 

[cat toon]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

I found some older picture of my toon there have been mor mods don to it sence then but most remains the,I put a new stero on it,add the rod rack which are chair legs with keepers screwed into the legs,moved the seats from the frount and added a bench seat. I also added the two side lamps for night fishing the work well to get your fisn in the toon.

 

[tumblebug1949]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

I see you have a center console. I was looking for a toon with a center console when I got this 1999 Sun Tracker Fishin' Barge. It has a side console but was so much like what I wanted in all other ways that I could not pass it up.

I have ordered several of the Driftmaster rod holders and am waiting for them to arrive. I liked the Monster rod holders but they were priced too high for me.

Bowmaker1, I am figuring a way to use the rod holders without drilling any holes in my railing. I had thought about cutting a piece of decking type treated wood and laying it diagonally across the front corner on the rail. One end just to one side of the front gate and the other end an equal distance down the rail toward the rear of the toon. Somewhat of a 45 degree angle across the corner. I will then draw a line parallel to the rail but leave about a 2 inch overhang both at the front rail and the side rail. Then I will cut small pieces that will match the angles but extend from the outside edge under the rail and few inches past. I can then drill a hole in each corner of the small piece and up through the main board and put a bolt with a wing nut attached to the bottom side to sandwich the railing. It can have the rod holders attached firmly to the board and can even go through the board with a bolt on the top and bottom. The wing nuts could be removed and the boards taken off quickly when the family want to go for a ride.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

Cat toon, have you used black lights yet. I did years ago and will probably go that route for night fishing. I have yellow, hi vis, OffShore Angler line on now. Then my leader is low vis.

I have been thinking about the LED lights to add a little light in the deck. I want a light that is easy on the battery and not too bright anyway.

Nice pictures Cat toon. The only pictures I have of my toon are hugh so I will need to get my ipod out and get some that are not as big.

Tom

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

I use black light exclusively at night, once you try it you will never go back.

 

[tumblebug1949]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

I use black light exclusively at night, once you try it you will never go back.

That is my thoughts right now also. I have been looking around hoping to find good quality black lights but so far they seem a little harder to find. I don't know if they make a black light LED but that would be great on batteries.

My biggest problem right now is it is staying below freezing out here in Indiana and I don't do cold weather as well as I used to.

Thanks
Tom

 

[cat toon]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Yea Tom, you can use a 1x2 to screw the rod hold base, put 3 base on each of the board [one on each end and onr in the middle of the boaed], use a small diameter rope and tie the board to your rail,place the board cattie corner on the frount corner of your toon,I hope this helps you.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

They do make them in a LED but the one I use can run for about 24 hours on 6 D cells, but mine is set up to also run on 12 VDC and thats what I use.

My toon is in the yard right now and I will put it back on the slip in about 48 days not that I am counting down or any thing.

Cabela's: Blackeye Twin Beam Fisherman's Lights

 

[River_Lizard]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Here's my cat-toon 24 ft. Harris w/90

 

[tumblebug1949]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Nice toon River_Lizard. I see you have your rod holders on the back. Are those for fishing or for traveling? I just got my toon to my house yesterday so to say I am new to this would not be a strong enough statement. I am not new to catfishing but I have never even been on a toon when it was in the water. I am figuring on drift fishing a fair amount and would think drifting backwards would make the most sense. But I will find out as soon as it warms up.

Since the (new to me) toon (1999 Sun Tracker 21) is i the back yard today, I will try to get a picture with the ipod today and post it later as I am trying to get it in the barn. Since it is cold and we are supposed to get some ice today I will leave the cover on it.

I better get out and get the toon moved before the ice gets here. I am glad I have a tractor with a front bucket. That should make moving it easier.

Tom

 

[River_Lizard]

Re: Pontoon for Catfishing!

Tom,

I have rod holders along the front rails also...when drift fishing I only use 4 rods, 2 on the front corners and 2 close to mid-section. If the rear deck would go past the end of the logs I'd have 2 on each of those corners too when drifting. Keep in mind.....there's not really a direction your boat needs to be in when drifting for catfish...they don't know any difference in it. :lol: I just let my boat drift as the river takes it or the wind moves it, I only fire the engine up to move away from the shore or to re-position the boat in deeper water.
The key to finding catfish while drifting is to set different depths on the rods until you find out where you're getting the best bite at. Sometimes it's the bottom and other times it could be 4 or 5 ft off the bottom. Not sure what you're regs are for the number of rods in the water in IN so that'll play a part in how many you can setup for a drift. Also, using live bait on some rigs and cut bait on others is another way of keying into what's work for that day. Sometimes live bait is the only way to go, other times it's cut bait.
A pontoon (IMHO) is the best platform for catfishing and relaxing at the same time. If you'd like to see a few cats that I've caught on my pontoon.....check out my fishing photos at riverlizard.com I haven't updated much the last 2 years, been really busy with other stuff (life in general) but I'm hoping to get it updated in the next few weeks.
Look forward to seeing the pics of your toon when you get them uploaded.