Pontoon boats are increasingly popular for fishing. Here are the pros and cons

THE CONS

One of the great advantages to fishing from a pontoon boat—its size—is also one of its biggest bugaboos. If your idea of fishing means navigating through shallow, stumpy bays for largemouth bass, and into the kinds of places where the weeds are so thick it’s hard to tell where the water ends and the shoreline begins, you’re not going to be at your happiest in a pontoon. If you think one hull can be a tricky thing to work through heavy cover, you’ll find two or three parallel tubes that much more difficult. Pontoons may be a lot of things, but weedless isn’t one of them.

Pontoons aren’t friends with the wind, either. Their higher profile and extensive vertical fencing make for tougher boat control on windy days. You’ll spend a lot more time with your foot on the electric, and you’ll likely need to run it on higher power to maintain control, meaning a louder, less stealthy approach and reduced battery life.

One final beef. While the higher deck of a pontoon makes for easier casting, it also means there’s a much longer reach to land fish by hand. In most cases, buying a pontoon boat means you’ve lipped your last bass, and embarked on the path to becoming an expert with the net. I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it’s something you do notice pretty quickly.

Pontoons are NOT big-water trolling boats—especially on rough days

As much as I have come to appreciate fishing from pontoon—and I really do appreciate them—there’s one situation where they aren’t my choice at all. Simply put, they’re not big-water trolling boats, and especially not on a rough day. While V-hull boats slice through swells with comparative ease, pontoons float over top, making for a lot more vertical movement in big waves. It’s a less comfortable ride in rough conditions, and in heavy waves the driver needs to pay constant, close attention to avoid stuffing the bow.

The other issue with pontoons as big-water trollers relates to downrigger placement. The most secure place to mount riggers is directly to the stern swim platform, but on some pontoons, the height of the aft seating makes it hard to see the rods.

So, the bottom line? Unless you spend most of your time kilometres from shore or poking about in the stumps, you’ll find pontoons have a lot to offer. They’re spacious, comfortable and versatile, and offer great value. Is a pontoon your next fishing boat? Maybe. Take a closer look and may just be surprised.