Improving the 'fishability' of your boat
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Hints,Tips and How To's
Forum Description: Rigs, tackle, baits, angling techniques, tips and hints & your DIY projects here
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=31293
Printed Date: 09 Jun 2026 at 7:28pm
Topic: Improving the 'fishability' of your boat
Posted By: grantdixon
Subject: Improving the 'fishability' of your boat
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2008 at 4:43pm
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But they all have one aim – to make fishing easier, more effective or more enjoyable. If you have something to share, take a photograph, write a description of what you have done, how and why, then post it on this thread.
PS: This thread was the basis for an article in NZ Fishing News in 2010.
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As you travel around the country’s boat ramps, beaches and marinas you are always coming across craft that have been modified to enhance their ‘fishability’. Sometimes these alterations and additions are extensive, while others are quite simple. Replies:
Posted By: Wide Load
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2008 at 2:54pm
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I've built a bracket that holds my craypot off the side of the boat when pulling it up.
It hooks over the gunwhale when needed, a few mods to hold the rope on the roller and it'll be ideal.
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Posted By: ski da mofo!!
Date Posted: 03 Aug 2008 at 6:34pm
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heres a mod of a "small boat tuna tower"that helps for spotting freejumpers or workups,birds etc on calm days complete with 2 can holders (one with ice holder)just bolts to the roof and easily removed so can still get the boat home under those low hanging trees! can also make out the mirrors on the sides which when the sun is out work the same as a witchdoctor but dont have to remember to haul it in! ------------- BIG FISH IS WHERE ITS AT |
Posted By: ski da mofo!!
Date Posted: 03 Aug 2008 at 6:42pm
and here it is in action comfiest seat on the boat! ------------- BIG FISH IS WHERE ITS AT |
Posted By: tga fisher
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2008 at 8:50pm
I love my fishing but the rig isn't perfectly set up for fishing. It's an ideal family boat so we get a lot of use out of it in the summer on the lake. So not a huge amount of room at the back of the boat. We are converts to softbait fishing and love it. The boat has four rod holders but I like to get a rod angled further out to the side and have found this outrigger/rod holder extension to be excellent. 
Often will set up a small rod/overhead reel like this while my wife and i softbait out the back while drifting slowly. When we get a bite on the rod in the holder one of the kids will take this rod. Not new i guess but I think it's worth letting people know. This keeps the third rod a little lower than if in the normal rod holder position and i like to try a different fishing technique on this rod particularly if the fishing is slow. Great for getting the gurnard when drifting over the sand.
 ------------- Sorry - out of office - GONE FISHING |
Posted By: JigNut
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2008 at 10:00pm
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Fishing with a sea anchor intrigued me for quiet some time and I was lucky enough to win one last year in a competition. I found it difficult to retrieve while hooked up on kingfish and sharks without a trip line... My boat is only 4mtrs in length so I didn't need a particularly large anchor but it was still difficult to retrieve while hooked up so I came up with this idea and so far it has worked a treat... I have rigged the sea anchor on about 4mtrs of rope and have attached a stainless clip to the end for quick release... Attached about a foot along the length of the sea anchor rope "at the clip end" is my easy lifter float and that is attached to the sea anchor rope with a heavy duty shark clip "Clip on clip off" the sea anchor rope.... I found once i dropped my sea anchor to the mercy of the current it was difficult to retrieve so a handle was added to the top of the float and bingo Retrieving the sea anchor on the drift without a hook is a PIECE OF CAKE    So for those that enjoy fishing by themselves this will make handling
the sea anchor while hooked up to monsters a breeze
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Posted By: Seadoc
Date Posted: 25 Aug 2008 at 8:59pm
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I have a little stacer 380 and over the last 3 years have fitted her out to suit my needs. This is what I have come up with:
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the centre deck is uncluttered so you can easily walk around while sorting out those moochers! I prefer to stand while working the SP's and don't like falling over clutter on the deck! The flat floor is low enough so it does not affect stability when standing. 
The step is handy when going for a swim or a dive. The LED trailer lights are sealed and great for peace of mind. The navigation lights are also LED to save the battery. The 25 hp Yammie provides plenty grunt (it planes my 100kg on a biscuit) while still sipping very little of the expensive juice. 
The knife, Iki spike and squid lure are easy to get to. 
The fish finder is out of harm's way and the glovebox holds the car keys, cell phone, sunnys etc. The lead plugged into the power outlet is connected to the solar panel to keep the battery fully charged and ready for the next trip. 
The fore deck can hinge up to store extra tackle boxes, safety gear etc and is where I keep the ice-filled chilly bin. the hand held VHS, anchor light and dry clothing goes in the shelf under the anchor well. The anchor is out of harms way in a drained anchor well. 
The central cleat helps to keep the little boat straight when dragging the scallop dredge. The bilge pump is a good safety feature. I mounted 10 rod holders, 2 of the adjustable, some to store the rods while traveling and also have 4 horizontal rod holders to keep the rods and reels safe when traveling. while the hatches built into the thwarts are handy for storing bait, tucker or to use as a live bait well 
The tackle drawers built into the rear thwart makes it unnecessary to clutter the deck with fishing gear. I hope you like it! |
Posted By: Bill Collector 1
Date Posted: 27 Aug 2008 at 10:07am
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these chaps were down lake Tawarewa for the opening,alot of work gone into it and there is a mini keg of coke just out of shot underneath 
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Posted By: CapnHook
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2008 at 11:00am
I spend a lot of time tackle testing and even when on my own four rods is not uncommon.
Angled, vertical holders are unsuitable for bottom fishing especially when using easily broken, graphite rods.
I had these triple holders made and they can be positioned as shown at the stern, or mid-cockpit.
One or more rods with hooked fish are often left unattended for 2-3 minutes without any bother apart from angler excitement !!
 They work fine with spinning or overhead reels and are the only ones used now.
Use em for straylining, ledger rigs and soft bait fishing.
------------- If you're not on the edge you're taking up too much room. |
Posted By: Blue Asparagus
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2008 at 8:28pm
How I improved my fishability. Well for me it was a simple operation [I wish] I already had a boat a trusty stead called BLUE ASPARAGUS a 28ft Ship Builders. We did a lot of work on her and she did us well. A nice boat but with a growing family and the want, no need to go further a field I talked the wife into looking for another boat, this we did and found a Carl Augustin on Trademe and at what I would call a good price, sure it was not exactly what we wanted and it was evident that we would need to do some work, so after getting a nice stripey and a great Blue she was taken home to Whenuapai to be worked on. This was her when we got her, back then she was known as the SnowGoose.  So with her now at home it was decided to turn her from a somewhat bland boat into a game-fishing boat but retaining a family feel. .  stripping her out and replacing bench tops and having new fuel tanks was more or less the easy part but with help from fishing.net.nz members things were made alot easier. Snow goose had nothing on her no bait tank or anything that really could be considered suitable for fishing, even the rod holders were some what antiquated. So tubes were brought and was one of the 1st things i brought for her.  That was a start and it all grew from there. My younger brother pointed me in the direction of a fibre glass fly bridge and on viewing said item a fly bridge uphostery, helm chair, bench seats and stainless was purchased for a mere $700, not bad at all. So it became time to fit the fly bridge and this is where the fish net lads came in and helped out.  I cut over a meter off the original top as it covered in the cockpit, remember the boat was a sedan top as can be seen by the pics. I then set about recutting and fitting the rear windows as can be seen in the pics. Fly bridge fitted and then became time to do a hard top, again Trademe came in handy and i purchased a hard top from Wellington for $300 no bad and it arrived with satiness as well, what a bonus, but it would not be suitable for my needs. I then got a fuel tank made up along with stainless poles to support the fly bridge and fitted it all, she was slowly coming together. Again I went back to trade me and found a bloke making rod holders so I asked him to make me up 6 which were made to take a thrashing and be able to take an 80 wide set up with ease, all 6 for $120 they are awesome 140mm long by 100mm wide with a plate as a gimble istead of a rod as you see in rod holders. so finally after 5 months and 24 days a new name was found for her, she is now called the Ultimate game, alot of my mates call her the cherry popper, 14 marlin in 2 seasons and all to 1st time anglers, my proudest moment so far is my sons 1st marlin est at 115kg and his 1st her is a shot or two of the finished product. .   This the 1st marlin taken on her  Yip from what we had to what we have, we have certainly improved the fishability, but to add icing to the cake we brought a mariner in Whangaroa, just to up the anti you understand. . ------------- Ultimate GAME Fishing Adventures. Northland |
Posted By: claw
Date Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 4:34pm
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OK Here is my contribution. I have posted some details about this before. But I will add a more detailed report here. The Work Station is made from 2x 60lt Rubbish Bins ( Please, 'Do Not Steal') The double liner means you do not have to have a great deal of water in the livey tank. (30/35lts) and it also helps keep it cool on those hot days. I made up a pipe that picks up water while under way, and a bilge pump circulates water while at anchor. On the front is 1x pocket for tools and on the other side of the 'livey in' tube, is the knife holder. There are 2x tubes for rods on top in front of the bait board, these are handy when baiting your hook. I have a small 20watt Halogen in the light over the bait board, this is the only light on while fishing at night, unless we need more light. Pix 1 shows the work station in the developement stage, a bit of modification has gone on since then. I have changed the pocket for the knives as they ended up coming out of the bottom ofthe pocket.     The main issue's I found were the holding down of the unit. On a rocking boat things should not move. |
Posted By: of2fsh
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2009 at 11:51pm
Sea anchor improvement for those rough days  Sea anchor with a double section of 8mm bungee cord to allow a bit of give which stops the waves splashing over the back of the boat and make drifting a bit more comfortable when the winds cranking.These are looped over hand rail and can be removed in seconds to hook on the frount or side of the boat as required. ------------- 2009 and 2010 BERKLEY SOFTBAIT COMP CHAMPS,Runner up 2013 ( solo),winner 2013/14 longest kingfish nz fishing competition |
Posted By: tas-tackle
Date Posted: 25 May 2009 at 5:48pm
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Do you have an electric winch on your boat but different mates tow it to the launching ramp.. Decided to make the power winch system self contained .. Ran a pair of heavy duty cables to a marine fitting on the exterior on the bow of the boat .. Added a 30 amp cutout at the battery on the positive terminal.. Now with a long lead that plugs into the bow fitting and the electric winch at the other end, I can simply use the boats battery to winch it onto the trailer... anyone can tow it now and I dont have to rely on my vehicles power source... ------------- http://postimage.org/" rel="nofollow">  http://www.tas-tackle.co.nz |
Posted By: tas-tackle
Date Posted: 02 Sep 2009 at 4:12pm
That outboard well space can be used more efficiently simply by adding a rod rack.. great for rod storage.. (dont ya hate lying your rods down because ya got no rocket launcher) also magic for trolling on a small boat.. and simply a good spot to put that strayline rod for way out the back fishing, enabling the line to keep out of the way while you play out the side and back of the boat with another rod.. ------------- http://postimage.org/" rel="nofollow"> http://www.tas-tackle.co.nz |
Posted By: tas-tackle
Date Posted: 02 Sep 2009 at 4:19pm
Got my old chilly bin for my fish bin... Its strong enough to sit on but bl**dy hard.. Picked up a cheapo padded cushion .. a tube of no more nails and emptied on the lid... Glued the squab down and voila.. cheap fishbin seat.. for no much bucks....  ------------- http://postimage.org/" rel="nofollow"> http://www.tas-tackle.co.nz |