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Black bass fishing in the USA
Black bass fishing is a veritable religion, especially in the southern United States. It is practised on large bodies of water in regions where the weather remains cordial. The water is often calm. For this reason, the Americans have developed boats, often in aluminum, but also in polyester, which are adapted to this type of sailing. Measuring around 5 m, and up to 7 m, they have a fairly flat bottom to provide good stability when fishing. Low on the water, with around 40 cm of freeboard, they are powerfully motorized to get to the fishing spot as quickly as possible.
These boats are fully equipped, with plenty of rod and bait storage and a pump-fed livewell. The helm station is concealed behind a small console, low enough not to interfere with the angler's casting. These hulls are fully decked, fore and aft, often flush with the planking, so with little or no bulwark. These large platforms are ideal for casting. The bow is often designed to accommodate an electric motor.
For pike-perch in the northern USA
To fish for pike-perch, known as walleye in the USA, the Americans have come up with some very special boats. These fish are found in the north of the American continent. Weather conditions are not always good, and the size of the lakes makes them look like small seas. Flat-bottomed boats are ill-suited to these windy conditions and the chop that goes with them. They slam into every wave and get very wet. This is how walleye boats came into being, aluminum or polyester units with a pronounced V-shape and a freeboard height of around 70 cm.
The layout features a fishing bow and stern, but with a well-marked bulwark and, above all, a deep cockpit from which the pilot is well protected behind a console. This type of boat looks much more like the traditional boats of our coasts.
Bass boat or Walleye boat? Which to choose?
Both types of boat are available on the French market. Retailers such as Bass Boat Center and Selection Fishing often offer both in their catalogs. As an angler, you need to ask yourself what conditions you're going to encounter, i.e. what kind of water you're going to be boating on. Will they be rough or not? But your crew also comes into play. It would be a shame not to be able to take your children with you if your boat is too dangerous, for example...
