3 Ways to Fish When You Don't Have a Bass Boat



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Bass boats are a fast, wonderful thing, but sometimes you have to get back to the basics if your boat is down or you don't have a boat. You may even get you to spots completely untouched by boat anglers. Here are three wonderful ways to do that.



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Kayak

The fastest of the three ways I'm going to mention to get around on the water when you aren't Bassin from a big boat is a Kayak. Kayaks can move as your arms can paddle. They can be upgraded to carry a fish finder, multiple rods, tackle and even a cooler. You won't cover as much water as you can in your Skeeter or Nitro but you might also be able to, as I said earlier, reach waters untouched. Some smallmouth infested rivers in the Western United such as the Owyhee river or the John Day (both in Oregon) are either too small for a big bass boat or have areas that don't allow motorized boats. Kayaks are a great Bassin tool to get you to some fun spots. Fishing kayaks retail anywhere from 499$ to 2000$ depending on what you want.

Float Tube



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Much slower than a kayak because you go only as fast as your legs can kick. We at River Lakes Bassin got our Bassin start using float tubes on Ruby Lake, NV. Some of our best memories are on that body of water catching bass on top waters while deep in the back of the marshes. Most float tubes are considerably less expensive than kayaks, retailing anywhere from 89$ for your basic round tube with pockets on both sides and a rest on the back, to a pontoon style float tube with the works up to a trolling motor mount at 700$. All styles are super easy to upgrade if you can work with PVC pipe to create attachments such as rod holders, tackle holders, or fish finder bases. The only thing you need besides the tube is waders, fins and your own tackle. Find a small body of water with bass in out west with your tube and you won't be sorry.

Fish from Shore

Crazy, right? This might not be fast like the kayak or get you deep into the marshes like a tube but it might be the best afternoon Bassin you spend for other reasons. First, you can enjoy this style of Bassin with more than just a couple other people. It is a great way to introduce kids to Bassin and you can be with your family as your kids slay fish all afternoon. Second it might be a good way to spend a summer evening after work. Relax, throw a spinnerbait and just be outside for a little while catching our favorite fish. Third, you might learn something about bass like this. It's how I learned as a kid bass hang out off points and other structure.

If your boat is down or you don't own one and still have that addiction to Bassin we all have you can still get into Gods country and catch bass. I'm telling you, try one of these three methods to catch fish and you'll be very happy you did. What do you all do when you fast bass boat is down? Let us know in the comments below!