A Change of Scenery
February 10, 2009
We all know things are tough right now economically and it seems that everyone is watching their money as closely as they can. The fishing industry is not immune and some top level pros are losing sponsorship deals, boat dealers are dealing with layoffs and some businesses are closing their doors. Being an angler isn’t easy right now. But there is light at the tunnel if you know where to look. I’m personally looking for a change in scenery: I’m looking for areas to fish that most people aren’t familiar with, and low and behold I have found many within a short distances from my home.
Keep It Close To Home
One of these little sought after areas are the rivers around my area. I’m from central Missouri and there are a lot of rivers in the area that offer some great fishing opportunities with very little fishing pressure. One of the best smallmouth rivers in the state is close to my house. I’ve been to it many times this past year and done very well on it.
Granted most of these areas are not going to hold huge tournaments but places like this are a great way to keep your skills sharp. You can also try new techniques close to home. Naturally, fishing rivers I’m going to find some things that are different than when if I was on my lake of choice. Some of these differences are small and some are major.
One of the biggest differences is size. Most of the rivers around my area are fairly wide but the water is very shallow with many riffles and slack water areas. Not the friendliest place for a 20-ft bass boat with a huge outboard on the back. So I use a different boat. Hold on, I know what you are thinking, but bear with me and you’ll see that you can get a huge amount of enjoyment for very little money.
Downsizing Your Equipment
I picked up a small 14-ft flat bottom jon boat with a trailer for $200. Nothing fancy at all but it floated and didn’t leak and, well, that’s important. I found a small foot-controlled trolling motor for $40 as well as a hand-controlled trolling motor for the back of the boat for $25. Now I have a boat that floats, doesn’t leak and is also propelled from either end for less than $300. Not too bad considering I have reels that cost more than that!
As far as safety items go (life jackets, whistle or horn, whatever else your state laws require) most of us already have them in our bigger boats. With just a few more items, you can set these boats up very well. I built a front deck that’s about 6 foot long and has compartment lids in it so I can store tackle and extras under the front deck. I also put an inexpensive fish finder on the back of the boat so I can keep an eye on the depth of the water I am running in (handy when running rivers).
Look for small lakes that are trolling motor only or idle speed only lakes. Most of these are big enough to put a bass boat in with all my normal gear, but the lake is smaller. Check out state parks and conservation areas - go to your local conservation department and ask them if there are any of these smaller lakes in the area and if they’re bass boat accessible. A lot of these types of lakes hold a great population of fish because most are stocked by the conservation department for management reasons. For the lakes in the state parks contact your state wildlife department or state park departments and ask them if there are any lakes in your area that are trolling motor or idle only lakes.
Talk to local tackle store owners - a lot of these lakes are some times kept pretty quiet but you can get lucky and find a gold mine in one of them that is just right around the corner from you by doing a little homework. On a recent excursion I found a small trolling motor only lake that was 30 minutes from my house. It was about 200 acres and held some of the best 3 to 5 pound class largemouth I have seen in a long time.
You might not get to fish exactly where you want to fish right now, but you can get out on the water for very little money and have a great time as well. You just have to be open to a change of scenery. Get on the internet, look for some lakes in your area that are small in size and ask questions about them. Look for as many good deals as you can find and you will be able to get out on the water at very little cost. I bet you’re able to find some sweet little honey holes and fill the boat on the cheap!