Match boat choice to your needs
Capt. George Tunison
One of the most asked questions from anglers is, “What is the perfect boat for this area?” Answer: It does not exist. Most all boat choices are compromises. Before investing ask yourself the following questions: 1 — What species do I intend to target? 2 — Where do these fish live, shallow, mid, or deep water? 3 — Is this a family boat or a hard core fishing machine? 4 — Will I trailer or use a backyard lift; will it be stored at a marina or moored in a slip? 5 — How big a boat and how fast do I want to go? 6 — Will I be carrying lots of live bait or do I fish lures only? 7 — New vs. used? If you are an offshore angler and never fish shallow backwaters the obvious choice is a deeper draft, sharp entry (bow) boat, with high sides (freeboard) and one to three engines. If your thing is sight fishing in six inches of water a poling skiff or shallow draft flats boat is the ticket. If most trips are family outings in the river or harbor, a pontoon style boat may be the answer.
» Full StorySome basics for fall redfishing
Last week I wrote about the upcoming fall redfish bonanza where redfish form large schools and patrol the flats. Now that the tarpon season is winding down, but certainly not over, fall redfishing is on the minds of many inshore anglers.
» Full StoryFall favorite time to catch reds
Although we are blessed with world class fishing year round, the fall months are my favorite.
The cooling weather also brings large schools of redfish to our flats and smiles to thousands of anglers’ face.
Witnessing a struggle for life
Every morning for the past week I have been watching a violent life-and-death struggle taking place not far from my window.
I grew up bass fishing and thought I knew quite a bit about the habits of the black bas.
Fish still biting even in the heat
It’s hot as blazes, but the fish are still biting and there is plenty of bait available as well.
» Full StorySetting reel drag has many options
To a beginner, the drag on fishing reels can be a highly misunderstood tool.
Often I hear the question, “How tight should I set this drag?” or what’s the right way to set a drag?
Good question.






