Boat for Silver Lake

Wild Chrome · 12-28-2006, 04:46 PM

I've fished it a few times with my old, beat Bass Tracker. I noticed it has a lot of shallow water and wonder if some boats would have too much draft to fish certain areas? I'm going to replace my boat soon and am wondering what would be the perfect boat for 1 to 3 people to fish bass/panfish on Silver Lake, as it would likely be my most common destination.
Thanks

ExBassGuide · 12-28-2006, 05:02 PM

Any bass boat would work fin on Silver Lake. Tracker worked great for me but my fishing buddy has a 22 footer and fishes silver all the time. Just trim the motor up when fishing and you will not have any problems. Some areas on the island have real shallow rock but you do not have to get in them you can cast to them. Bumping rocks when running the trolling is rare just keep an eye on the depth finder or set the shallow alarm to 2 feet. A 17 or 18 foot bass boat would never have much of a problem if ever on Silver. But aluminum boats are a smart thing I always bang around in the pilings with my old tracker when guiding they would hang up on the pilings in the middle of the row and I would go in after the lure. best boat 18 foot ranger smartest boat tracker aluminum. I hope you have a copy of my Silver Lake map! that will help speed things up in locating bass.
Roger

tnj8222 · 12-29-2006, 12:19 PM

i have been out there on several boats a aluminum jon, pontoon, rental boats , any my buddys 15 foot skeeter.. no problems at all. alot of areas do get shallow but we have only scraped the trolling motor a few times. biggest thing is the pillings. we have bumped quite a of them that you cant see. we hit one going about 10 mph once in a spot that was supposed to be clear. but anyways its a great lake and almost anyboat will work.

Ethical hunter · 12-29-2006, 02:37 PM

The new pontoon boat I got for Xmas should work just fine

EH

Wild Chrome · 01-02-2007, 03:57 PM

I'm curious about the boat rental option. What kind of boats do they have, what season?
Thanks

tnj8222 · 01-03-2007, 06:31 AM

they have flat bottom fiberglass boats about 10 ft i think. they have a 9 horse on the back. def not the best and it would be smart to bring a trolling motor. although since the new owners they have been putting on new engines and fixing the boats up. i have rented them a few times.

if you give them a heads up they will have one ready for you before first light. if i was you i would pm molly. she works in the resort. her name on here is silver lake crew.

ExBassGuide · 01-03-2007, 07:55 AM

I have landed bass as big as 7lbs 4oz using a Silver Lake rental boat (with out a trolling motor). Now any time I end up renting a boat I use my trolling motor on the front of the rental boat. If you do not have a trolling motor you need to use the wind to slowly blow you in to position to make a good cast. When I got the 7lb 4oz bass I had two start the out board twice to land the bass. Better tools = better fish (most of the time).
Roger

Hunt'nFish · 01-08-2007, 02:22 PM

How about a center console Willie Predator with drop in front & rear decks?
Perhaps even side bench seats down the 1st one third of the bow (aka: rod lockers). Even cut in a livewell in the bowdeck.
Say an 18-20 footer w/ a pumped Suzuki 4stk on a power jack w/ extra proped lower unit.

Come Duck season, pull out the decks and toss on the blind and make it look like this.

That's what I would buy.....:grin:
Good luck on search. If ya need help spending money just holler.
Hunt'nFish

PS: BTW, does the boat in my sig look familar?? I thought so.....don't be so quick to get rid of it.
Very versitile boats them Trackers are.

Lockhart 10 · 01-08-2007, 03:54 PM

I spent the entire Summer/Fall renting the boats at Silver Lake resort. Chuck is the new owner and when I was up there fishing last week he has upgraded quite a bit. They are the most awesome people to deal with and as someone above said, if you call ahead they will have a boat ready for you at dawns first light.
Molly runs the show for Chuck and she is a wonderful person and great to deal with. Can't wait for the fishing to kick back in. I will be up there with a 18' Skeeter I purchased recently.
Rich

WAID · 01-08-2007, 07:42 PM

I've got an old 14" fiberglass with a 15hp evinrude and a small electric motor. Parts of the lake are 1ft or less and I've had a lot of success pulling up both motors and using an oar to pole back into the weeds into little pockets of water. Canoes work to but the only boat I've ever gotten stuck was a canoe on one of the pilings in middle of winter. I thought we where aimed between them:blush:.

tnj8222 · 01-09-2007, 06:46 AM

yup chuck and molly rock really good people. they have really gone the extra mile a few times to make us happy when we visit. i really like the improovements they have made, and there has been alot!

i dont know what we would do if we got stuck on a pillar. we even drive my buddys bass boat in and out of them. we are learning where they are pretty good though. you kinda havet o remember when alot of them are just below the surface and cant be seen.

Wild Chrome · 01-09-2007, 01:18 PM

What do they charge for a 1/2 day's rental?

tnj8222 · 01-10-2007, 10:21 AM

http://www.silverlake-resort.com/Rates.html thats the link to the resorts website.. just click on either winter or summer rates.

Wild Chrome · 01-11-2007, 12:24 PM

Thanks for the info!