Pontoon Boating

“That’s my eighth one in less than two hours,” I remarked to my fishing companion, Bob Skrbac, as I lifted a fat, fighting smallmouth bass to the deck of my 20-foot pontoon boat.  We were fishing a backwater off the Colorado River impoundment, Lake Moovalya, on the California-Arizona border.  Over my right shoulder I could see the beautiful Moovalya Indian Casino across the lake near Parker, Arizona. The smallies were liking the white plastic worm I was presenting rigged for drop shotting.

I had started fishing for bass on the Colorado and other nearby waters several years before when I had joined the Parker Bassmaster Club.  I had retired several years prior to that and only after starting to spend my winters in a mobile home park in Earp, California did I find that bass fishing was fun.  Born and raised in Oregon and Washington, I knew only trout, steelhead and salmon.

I joined the club as a non-boating member and attended the club’s monthly tournaments, learning from the locals what a crank bait was , or a spinner bait or one of the other special enticements bass fishermen use.  I had to pay fees the same as any other club members for the tournaments and it cost me quite a bit to learn the how-tos before I was able start racking up points like the big boys.

It was fun and it wasn’t long until I purchased my own used but serviceable 18-foot bass boat.  Life was good until I suddenly developed a fragile leg which made it hazardous and difficult to climb into or out of a conventional bass boat.  I was having to amble around with either a crutch or cane.  Even getting into the boat from a dock was a bit hard on my ego to have to sit on the dock and swing my legs into the boat.
Climbing into it while it was still on a trailer was out of the question.  It was with a heavy heart that I had to sell that beloved bass fishing machine.

Bank fishing was not a viable solution to my need to fish and fishing docks, which were nice up on Lake Havasu, but were not the answer either.

My wife, Grace, knew I was hurting and saw an ad for a used pontoon boat at a marina on Lake Havasu and suggested we go take a look at it.  I was not very interested.  After all, I was not a party kind of guy.  But, we looked, and with more urging from Grace, we bought it.  She wanted the large brass ship’s bell that was hanging from the overhead!

The mobile home park, Bermuda Palms Park, is on the Indian reservation near Earp, California, and with its dock on the shores of Lake Moovalya, it was the perfect answer for me.  I could look and walk about one hundred feet from the front porch of my home to get out onto the dock where my boat now resided.  No launching or unlaunching.  All I had to do was throw off the lines after firing up the motor and I was back in the fishing game.

For a person who couldn’t climb into or out of a boat, it was the answer to my prayers.  The flat, level deck of the boat was flush to the elevation of the dock and I could even swing from the dock to the deck with a pair of crutches.  Two fishing seats on the front deck made it similar to fishing from the front deck of a bass boat.  To finish converting it, I installed an electric trolling motor to the front of the deck and that worked perfectly.

The boat was pretty rugged.  I could shove it with the outboard or electric motor deep back into the bulrushes to a honey hole.  It had aluminum twin hulls that could withstand quite a bit of abuse.  And, I didn’t have to worry about the paint job.

Even on the days I wasn’t planning on fishing, we did have picnics on board with neighbors or friends.  The swing-out barbecue was great for those hamburger sandwiches to go along with the potato salad , baked beans and yes, even a pie or cake a time or two.  When company came, which was often, we used the pontoon boat as a ferry to carry us over to the Indian casino for some gambling and lunches.  It had a 50 horsepower outboard which didn’t make it a speedster but did wing us along at a respectable speed.  Most of the time the visitors wanted to go slow anyhow, to see the scenery along the shoreline.

The boat had a hard top with curtains all around and clear plastic windows so that it was possible in rainy weather to travel around with the curtains all in place to keep everyone dry.  When weather was decent and a breeze was needed through the cabin the curtains could be rolled up all the way and secured with built in straps.

The day came, after another couple of years, when we had to give up our home at Bermuda Palms in Earp and move back full time to Salem, Oregon.  We were unable to bring the boat back to Oregon due to so much stuff to haul back so we sold it and got a decent price.

Nothing physically changed for me back on Oregon shores and I still missed a boat for fishing.
We don’t have the same ideal setup for keeping a boat close to where we live, but another answer was found.  While gazing down on the docks from Detroit Marina, we saw several pontoons snuggled away between finger docks down below.  An inquiry at the dock office revealed that one of the boats down below was for sale.  The clerk gave us a phone number to call and the owner lived in Salem.

The owner agreed to bring the boat down to Salem (he was planning on doing so anyway) and when Grace and I saw it, we knew we wanted it.  The owner didn’t try to hold us to an outrageous price even though used pontoon boats were scarce in the area, and we were soon owners.  A call to Kane’s Marina at Detroit reservoir bought us the rent of a finger dock at the marina that was near perfect.

The following summer, when the owners of Kane’s found out I was pretty handicapped, they picked a spot for us right off the end of the ramp to the docks.  We can put the boat in the water in early June and leave it there until right after Labor Day when the lake level is being dropped to winter levels to catch flood waters.

We found that fishing for trout in Detroit reservoir is as good as any we might hope for.  We have had kids, grandkids, relatives and friends out in that boat, many who do not fish, but they enjoy the ride. When we have people with us who have not been out on the lake before, we give them a cook’s tour up many of the backwaters and inlets where there are some great views.  Detroit lake also has floating portable toilets so no one has to start hurting before relief is found.  The deck of the portable floating toilet docks are about the same level.  And, picnics are real fun up in some of the secluded inlets.  This boat also has a top but it is a heavy canvas convertible top where the curtains can be rolled up all the way and the top can even be laid down over the stern to get the overhead all clear so a person can have more room to cast.  In rainy Oregon weather the curtains can be used while underway and will keep everyone aboard dry.  The boat should not be towed on the highway with the top and curtains up.

This present boat also now has an electric trolling motor on the front of the deck and it is held in place with an alligator mount same as those on the bass boats and just as handy.  It is not powerful enough to troll against the wind but is ideal to hold the boat in the right position off shore with the wind blowing so that wind trolling can be done or lures can be worked along the shoreline.

Our pontoon boat came with a live fish well which I have not used as yet but that is in our future plans for fishing such lakes as Foster reservoir where an abundant number of bass live or one of the coastal lakes which also contain warm water species.

I can heartily recommend the pontoon boat for those who have handicaps as I do.  But, such a boats is also great for the person with a family who worries about the safety of kids on the water.  Pontoons are extremely stable and make it great for even the little toddlers.  Put a life jacket on them before leaving shore and don’t let them get near the front of the boat.

Kids in a family enjoy pontoon boats for all the extra fun they can have.  Ours has a removable boarding ladder which is great for those who like to swim.  When not needed, it folds to a flat package that easily stores out of the way.  It has special brackets on the deck which make for a very stable ladder to get back aboard.

Skiing is possible if the outboard motor is large enough.  I have a 70 h.p.  motor on the back of mine which has enough umph to pick up a skier who is not too hefty and will pull that person on skiis at about 20-22 miles per hour.  There are many water toys on the market today that can pull multiple riders to provide much fun.  But, a motor need not be large to have fun with a pontoon boat.  Many can be seen tooling along with a 25 horsepower motor at a respectable speed.

For anyone who might be interested in pontoon boats, call one of the marinas at Detroit Reservoir and make a reservation to rent one of their pontoon s.  You’ll love them like I do.  But, a word of caution, the State of Oregon now requires that anyone operating a boat of ten horsepower or more must have an Oregon Boat Education License so better use the time right now to study for and take the exam.  The exceptions for this year are: you don’t need the license if you are more than 70 years old.  Even those 70 years old or more can benefit from the knowledge of safe boating that can be gained in study for the license.  Another exemption for those renting a boat of 10 horsepower for instate resident or out-of-state is a training session by authorized personnel at a marina and completion of a form signed by the marina personnel.  It must be carried on board by the person renting the boat.