Must-Have Fishing Boat Features

For serious anglers, owning a fishing boat is the best way to ensure fishing success. Sure, you can stay on the lakeshore, but you’re not going to get much there. Fishing boats help you to access deep waters where big catches like bass enjoy swimming, and they provide you with plenty of storage options for all your gear. But sometimes you want to add a few more accessories to take your fishing boat from good to amazing.

We’ve provided the following guide to our top fishing boat accessories we think everyone should have. They may not all be strictly necessary, but they can improve your ability to catch fish and make your trips much more fun and productive! If you have questions or want to look at boats for sale, visit Yankee Boating Center. We offer dealerships in Lake George, West Haverstraw, and Diamond Point, New York.

Cooler

Having a cooler on board lets you bring ice-cold drinks to have on hand while you fish. You can also use it to store sandwiches, fruit and other foods that need to stay cool so you have lunch available to you. If you’ve got plenty of food and drink options, you won’t need to go to shore so soon!

Depth Finder

When you’re on a large lake, it can be hard to find the perfect fishing spot. A depth finder helps you analyze the depths of the water you’re in so you can locate certain types of fish that prefer deeper waters. The depth finder also lets you know if you’re about to run aground in shallow waters. You can even buy depth finders that will attach to your fishing rod to allow you to cast your line to the perfect depth!

Rod Holder

If you want to keep more than one line in the water at once, a rod holder is the perfect means to do so. Fishing boats generally have a few well-placed rod holders installed on their sides already, but if you’re trying to equip another type of boat for fishing, then you may need to install these items yourself. Or you may want to add more to your current boat. Aftermarket options exist that can anchor onto several types of boats so you can keep your hands free while fishing.

Baitwell & Livewell

Having a means of keeping live bait fresh will help you to catch fish more easily. Baitwells are pretty small, circulating the water within them for bait to swim in. If you’re fishing for several hours, it’s good to have a way to keep those catches fresh until you head back to shore. That’s where a livewell comes in handy. These tanks circulate and aerate the water to keep your fish alive. Livewells should be large enough for the fish you plan to catch, and the rule is generally one gallon of water per 1” of fish. So for very large bass, you’re going to need a big livewell. Newer baitwells and livewells have built-in macerators to grind up debris, which will speed your cleanup process.

Anchor

All fishing boats should have an anchor on board. For one thing, you’ll be able to fish more efficiently if you can stay in the exact place where the fish are biting. Without an anchor, waves will rock your boat and cause you to drift far from where you want to be. And for another thing, you’ll want to have an anchor on hand as a safety measure if your engine dies. Anchoring your boat in place allows rescuers to find you more easily and prevents you from drifting into obstacles.

In search of fishing boats for sale near Lake George? Visit one of our New York dealerships to check out the boats we have for sale. Yankee Boating Center proudly serves those in Lake George, Haverstraw, and Albany, New York.