I like to employ some low cost neat little tricks to make either of my two bass fishing vessels more efficient fishing machines. You would be suprised how a little ingenuity goes a long way. Please understand that I live on Long Island and although we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, we are limited to electric motors only in all except one. This hardly makes the pleasure of owning a gas outboard worth it unless one wants to frequently travel upstate to fish. My Bass Fishing Platforms

Float Cat 65
As I stated, I own two different types of watercraft that I use for bass fishing. The first is a Hobie Float Cat. This is a type of catamaran that features plastic preformed non inflatable hulls and an aluminum frame that keeps me above and out of the water. I have a small deck on the back of it that I use for storing a battery, small cooler and even smaller duffle bag that I keep stocked with Snoozers baits, Yamamotos, and Northern Handpoured creations. The deck has an aluminun block welded dead center on the outside pipe that serves as a rock solid motor mount. I run a 36lb. Motorguide Stealth trolling motor on the back end. The whole set up wieghs about 33lbs. and no doubt is the fastest watercraft out on the lake on any given day. Seriously, I think that if I upped the power to 65 or 70lb. thrust, I could ski off of it. The top sides of the pontoons have rectangle sunken in areas for tackle storage. I fit a Plano 760 or 660 in there with ease. I normally travel light, but anyone who wants to bring larger boxes would have little problem. I do not use a finder or graph on the Float Cat, although it would be simple to set up. I would recommend one of those Fishin' Buddy one piece LCD's that you see people clamping on to a dock or john boat.

The Float Cat came to me totally fishable. I though of a few simple low cost mods that could make it even better. I noticed right off that it had pre-drilled holes on the immediate front and rear tips of each pontoon. I stretched a bungee cord from front tip to front tip. This allows me to stand up out of the boat in shallow water without having the boat drift away. I fish in current often with this little boat and that is a great way to prevent the boat from getting away from me...total cost about 90 cents. Next, I added a fixed rudder to the bottom of each pontoon. I fashioned them out of hard plastic and mounted them with super deadly grip epoxy. The rudders extend about two inches deep by two inches long past the tip of the pontoon. They don't hang up and allow me to turn the boat on a dime. I feel the also help me travel against the current easier than if I ran the boat without them. Total cost about five bucks. I added a bungee cord to the front of each pontoon and they serve as rod holders during travel and while fishing. These wrap totally around the pontoon. I normally run 4 rods and they store neatly out of the way on the opposite side of the boat than I am fishing. Again, total cost about two bucks.

I experimented with several types of anchors. I used a 5lb. mushroom, 3lb. metal dragger, and even a windshield wiper fluid bottle full of sand. They all sucked!!! Either they didn't hold or were too bulky. That is when I got an idea. I realized I needed a flat, easily stowable device. I chose a rubber coated 5lb. weight plate from my workout bench. I rigged nylon-coated anchor rope through the middle. The anchor holds well and never gets in the way. I sometimes forget it is even in the boat and have to avoid getting smacked in the head with it as I take the boat of the roof of my car. Although I haven't done anything tremendous, I have successfully increased the performance of the Float Cat. It runs like a bass catching battleship and gets me into places other guys can't reach. I store the boat suspended to the ceiling in my garage with a clever little rope and pulley system. Total cost of Float Cat Mods....about $20.00

Tracker 10.2 Bantam
My "big" boat is a Bass Pro Shops Bantam that I picked up at a good discount last summer. I used to own a 12 footer that I totally rigged out as a bass boat, so I thought this would be a natural. The Bantam is the type of boat you can stick in the back of a pick up. It has two flat bottomed pontoons to keep it stable and an actual deck that allows the angler to stand. I didn't even have to build a raised casting deck so I was ahead of the game. My only real dilemnas were setting up a tow package and mounting electronics. I used to tow my 12 footer on a jet ski trailer which I still use today. I simply changed the wood side frames and extended them to a full ten feet. Next, I built a box by capping the ends and adding support beams. Finally, I put some marine-quality plywood on top and laquered it up and covered it with outdoor carpet. The final product was similiar to a common flatbed type trailer. Now I didn't have to worry about the hulls getting damaged. I added a large eye to the bow so I could winch the boat on to the trailer with ease. I added several strong eye bolts to the frame to serve as tie downs.

I'm always concerned with power and considered getting a 70lb. + trolling motor. I just didn't want to spend a few hundred dollars on one. Robbie's dad set me up with a 42lb. Minn Kota that does well enough. The main thing I like about this motor is that it is great on power. That in itself is a plus because I like to get into nasty areas. The boat weighs only 150lbs. and I always run at least two batteries. One for the motor and a back up that I use to power my LCD or livewell. For a livewell I use a 42 qt. cooler with a spray bar that suction cups to the side of the inside of the cooler. It can suck in water from the lake. The thing I do to help keep fish alive is use frozen water bottles. This drops water temps and I think stresses fish less. I only use the livewell if I'm going to take video or photos of fish or am planning on catching a really big fish.

Electronics
I've done several sonar set-ups. I rigged my dad's boat as a through-the-hull set up. I rigged my old boat the traditional way. The Tracker presented a challenge because I couldn't shoot through the hull nor did I want to hang the transducer off the back gunnel. I drilled a large enough hole through the casting platform to my right side. I snaked the assembly through the floor and mounted the transducer to the inside of the right pontoon, about 12 inches back. This way the trolling motor wouldn't effect it and it would always be submerged. I use the factory on-board, through-the-pontoon wiring for the LCD and keep the battery in the back of the boat to balance the weight. I mounted the LCD to a Johnny Ray swivel base on the front right pontoon in a recessed area that is easy to see. I generally prefer to fish off the right side so it makes sense to me this way. I employ a side scan transducer on the trolling motor at times and this works well.

Creature Comforts
I added two small mini bungee cords to the front and back of each side of the boat. These hold 4 to 6 rod and reel combos each and keep the floor clear. No broken tips on my boat!!! I use a Plano Tackle system soft sided box behind my seat and a few Tackle Logic wraps at my feet that hold scores of Micro Munch Jigs and Snoozers tubes, among other things. The addition of a few stick on tape measures allow me quick access to judge my catch. I also keep tools handy by mounting velcro pockets on the backs of the swivel seats. I always seem to see things in a different way when I'm out on the water and I always look to improve the performance of my boat with neat little modifications. The best ones are the ones you don't have to spend much money on.