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During colder months in most parts of the
country open boat angling isn't exactly comfortable, but in the
Southwest, California and many parts of the Southeast houseboats deserve
consideration, and offer off-season savings on rates. For with a warm
cabin and hot coffee fresh from the stove you can watch rods in comfort
as you troll or still fish the day. Best of all, houseboats run
displacement hulls so their most effective speed is just about right for
trolling up trout, bass, striped bass and other fresh and saltwater
species. From very late fall until the waters warm in early summer these
species will be on or near the surface so you can use sporty lightweight
gear in instead of heavy trolling tackle.
New to houseboats? They offer the
convenience of RVs with the access to the best angling spots. In fact,
you can moor in casting range of the action, and enjoy fishing at dawn
or dusk you might otherwise miss. We've houseboated all over the West,
in Florida, in the Amazon, in Kashmir, France, England, Ireland and
Germany. This time of year prime spots include Lake Mead for stripers
and black bass, the California Delta, California's Shasta Lake and a
number of other venues. In Florida the St. John and other rivers deserve
a look. We've brought our own turkey - call so size ovens as we found
the maximum turkey size that fits at about 16 pounds. We've toted a
Christmas tree and enjoyed a three generation family gathering.
Minimum gear - warm clothing, food and
such - does the job as most boats come fully equipped with cooking gear.
Do bring your own CDs or tapes if you tastes don't happen to run to
Country and Western!
Fishing gear isn't complex either. We use
light casting gear with ten pound test for trolling minnow plugs over
the stern. You may find clamp-on rod holders a good investment so you
can set rods off the bow deck so the skipper can keep an eye on them.
Otherwise someone need brave the weather on the stern deck. A portable
depth/fish finder can be handy as well.
In addition to the trolling rods we
normally carry nine to twelve foot steelhead sticks rigged with eight
pound test and casting spoons so we can cover swirling fish with quick
casts as opportunity arises. Fly anglers can bring their usual dry and
streamer fly outfits. When we moor on the bank we convert our trolling
rigs to bait - live bait like worms or minnows fished under a float or
on bottom lets you extend your angling day. Mooring next to a stream or
inside a protected point works well. If you anchor, look for spots near
logs, clam or weed beds and other fish holding cover.
In many cases you'll have a free canoe or
skiff and motor as part of the off season package. This means that the
anglers can get away from the houseboat and fish without waking the lame
and lazy.
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