Northwest Fishing Reports

Hi Guys! I became a bit tired of shore and pier fishing and decided to buy a small boat. I never had a boat before so I know nothing about them. I done some search and found this variant as kinda interesting http://www.ebay.com/itm/86-Inflatable-S ... 25a70140ad" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; What do you think about? Or maybe you can recommend a good boat for newbie that doesn't need a trailer, because I do not have a truck. Boat with motor is preferred. Thank you in advance!

I've seen a lot of guys fishing the sound in kayaks (close to shore) though they aren't as cheap as the raft you posted. Not sure what your budget or storage requirements are, but a small aluminum boat could easily be towed with a car, not a truck.

I started with a 12' aluminum boat. Put it in my van. What a hassle it was. I soon bought a bass boat and trailer hitch to have fishing be fun again. OR I'd rather fish from the bank. I've never regretted the bass boat and our young family loved the boating aspect too. Fishing opportunities opened up when I had a bigger boat.

I was fishing in CO and not in the salt.

There is my 2 cents.

I'd put my money towards the purchase of an aluminum boat instead.

I agree with the others - skip that type of boat. I tried one similar years ago and quickly regretted it. They do not stay pumped up. Trust me - you will not like it when its under-inflated and it will be nearly impossible to keep it inflated tightly enough.

The cheap plastic doesnt last long and will be easy to put holes in it. Id also be willing to bet serious money that electric motor is NOT safe to use in salt water. Saltwater rated electric motors are, unfortunately, very expensive. Thats mainly because its difficult to make one that will last more than a few minutes in saltwater.

If you're willing to tow with your car look up its capacity, don't have to have a truck. Just buy a boat, motor, trailer combo that is ~50% of that capacity and leave the other 50% for people/gear in the car.
A trailered boat will give you more size and type options.
When I bought my 12' Livingston I towed it with a Corolla. That Corolla's capacity was 1,500 lbs.
If it were 1k lbs I would have went with aluminum or a smaller Livingston.
Good deals for these smaller set ups are on Craigslists all the time, good luck!

kodacachers wrote:I've seen a lot of guys fishing the sound in kayaks (close to shore) though they aren't as cheap as the raft you posted. Not sure what your budget or storage requirements are, but a small aluminum boat could easily be towed with a car, not a truck.

Thank you all, Guys! I never heard about fishing kayaks before, but spent some time with researching and realized that exactly kayak sounds as a better option for me than inflatable boat. So, I went to online store, have ordered a 13 feet sea fishing kayak, some accessories for it and roof mounts for car. Can't wait to try it

ps by the way they are not cheap, spent almost 1500

I got my 12' Northwood with a galvanized trailer for $800.00

strider43 wrote:I got my 12' Northwood with a galvanized trailer for $800.00

Congrats! Looks like a hell good deal. Where did you get it?

through craigslist, it take time to weed out the flakes but three are decent deals out there

I think you'll be happy with that purchase. Kayaks will open up a TON of new places for you to fish.....and you won't have to pay for gas or registration!!

Go Deep - thank you! I agree) A lot of advantages - you do not need a ramp, do not have to find a place to park a trailer, you can go river, lake, ocean, everywhere you want, even all places where motor boats are restricted. I am going to hit an ocean heavy this weekend

A kayak's a great place to start. Have fun!

Without getting too preachy, keep your safety in mind and always wear a PFD. Before you start carrying a bunch of gear, take advantage of the warmer water and practice getting back on the boat after you inevitably get dumped!

Dark Tuna - thank you! I already done a couple outs to ocean, pretty enjoyed, kayak is an absolutely new way of fishing and also productive. And yes, I am planning to do some warm water fishing, maybe Sammamish river.