How is everyone rigging their boats? Rod holder locations, # of holders, bait storage. lighting, bells and whistles?
I need to add a few more holders, and some toys to the boat this spring. I have a few ideas to make every trip a little more comfortable, practical, and probably a few things I just dont need, but would like to have them anyhow!
Rod holders.. I currently have 5 mounted on my boat, spread from front to rear distributed pretty evenly. I purchased this boat last fall, and is most properly set for sturgeon *fan casting* line placement in minimal current… or it looks like my boat could support an umbrella with all the big rods going every direction. I want to add 4 rod holders to the back of the boat. I have a tiller model boat so holders sticking up all over the transom isnt neccessarily ideal where they might interfere with the motor. I plan to mount 4 flush mount stand up type rod holders in the rear of my boat. 1 on each corner on the instrument/flotation compartments, and 2 more in the splash-well offset far enough where the outboard wont interfere with use of the rod, and the boat light should assist in lighting up those rods for bite detection. The addition of the stand up holders in the rear of the boat would allow me to move my existing ram & attwood holders to other location in the boat for when rod placement would be more practical in other areas.
Interior and alternate boat lighting.. I want to be able to selectively light up the boat like a christmas tree with different lighting options. White Cabin lights work excellent when you need substancial amounts of light in the boat.. unhooking fish, tangles, whatever. The problem with them is they generally get in the way and get hit or broken by something. I am going to find 2 LED flush mount back-up lights and mount them in strategic locations to light up the interior of my boat and draw every mosquito for miles when I need good light for a short period of time. I am also going to find, or make some lower intensity LED amber or red lights to make life in the darkness a little more comfortable. Too dark gives me eye strain and creates headaches for me over time. Last but not least, I am mounting 2 dual purpose 18″ black light/flourescent units for line and rod illumination. The flourescents can give light if/when needed, and the black lights are priceless for illuminating objects in the night. One light on each side of the boat towards the rear should successfully light up every rod in the boat, and the line within the lights duration beyond the rod.
I am tired of an elastic strap around my head, and squinting to see everything in red light. “was that a bite?”.. is never a confidence phrase and leads to more squinting to see if something moves. I want lighting when desred, but I dont want a ton of current draw to get it. If I want to make it out all night, I want to see whats happening. I have 2 group 29 batteries for accessories which should be more than enough power reserve.
Spot/running lights. I currently have a rechargable 2 million candlepower light that runs for a little more than 20 minutes on a charge, it also plugs directly into a cig lighter for direct battery power if the internal battery dies. ts a bit heavy, but it works. I usually have a back up 1 million rechargable also. My biggest complaint is when you drive a tiller, it doesnt make a difference what you do, your going to illuminate part of your boat trying to see the water in front of you. If you have a passenger holding the light, your eyes focus more on that passenger and its hard to see an obstical in the water. I have a pair of fog lights here I was very impressed with for vehical use, I intend to get a set for the boat. They are *Nightblaster* brand, 55w, and the lenses appear to be an irridescent clear/purple/amber color until you turn them on and hey are a very bright amber. The replective distance is about a mile with these things(good for seeing cans in the distance or boats), they have a very wide angle light projection which realy helps you see objects off to the sides. These lights mounted on the front of the boat below the bow level of the boat would be priceless for seeing, and would greatly assist the use of a handheld spotlight. I will probably use the front trolling motor plug since I dont run a bow mount, and wire a switch to turn the lights on/off from the cockpit area. The lights could be mounted on a removable mount.. even a board going across the nose of the boat with the light mounted on the bottom side for solid temporary installation as needed.
Bells and whistles department… hmmm. A multiple battery energy guage would be a wise installation, especially with added electronics and lights.. and is good warning if your charging system isnt keeping up, or not working. A simple guage could save me from being dead on the water. Another thing I really want.. install a permanant fuel tank which comes will also allow a gas guage. I run the old red gas cans, and its easy to forget to check the fuel supply! A gas guage would keep fuel levels in mind, and t would also move that annoying red tank that always seems to be blocking something.
Bait storage.. I have been thinking on this one for a while. I large livewell alnoge the side of my boat with a bait basket in one end. The basket is handy for putting frozen shad in.. but its also handy for bullheads to hide under. I dont like taking room in the boat with bait coolers. I would like to come up with a divider for my livewell that would isolate the live bait to one side, or alow me to seperate bait(bullies/suckers/etc). The bait basket I would like to replace ith a water tight container, and install a drain plug in the bottom to drain that shad juice to the livewell when desired, but keep them out of the bait water… much easier to wash out a removable basket than the entire livewell. The last thing for the livewell ill be a livewell timer.. that pump doesnt need to run all the time. I already have a livewell light which is awesome or grabbing the bait you prefer!
Trailer accessories… In the past, a simple center running light on the trailer really assisted me on seeing where center is while driving the boat on. I also had pvc guide-ons that were good for visual reference. I changed trailers, so now I need to make modifications. I will add these same accessories, they do help, but the guide ons would be better with lights mounted on them, and it would be nice to have some type of light mounted under the winch so you can see where it is when you lose sight of the trailer lights.. I like to drive on and tie the boat down.. not shake the boat at 2:30 a.m. getting the nose, or the transom on center.
I guess I just want to load my boat, and get out and fish and not worry about anything. The extras might be excessive, but what price can a person put on enjoyment of fishing in comfort? I hate tangled power pro in the middle of the night, squinting to see everything, loading bait coolers and taking room, and individually testing batteries to be sure everything is in check. If I need anything.. flip a switch, rods wont get stuck in stand up holders even while tight lining. Nothing to do on the water but fish.. and pull an anchor once in a while(much easier to do without bait coolers in the way!). And a trailer set up where I can see to easily load the boat.
Just some ideas guys! Most will become a reality before too long. Does anyone have any layouts/set ups or modifications that have treated them well, or future plans of modifications they would like to do?
