How many of you enjoy a decent stereo in a boat?

thill said:

That is an interesting idea.

What does it sound like when lightning gets close? I may use that one!

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thill said:

For what it's worth, if you have or buy a knock-off brand Yeti, (Walmart, BPS, Amazon, etc.) because of the thicker walls, it gives you a lot more space for better speakers and components. And the thicker walls flex less for better sound. That is what I would use if I wanted to make a better one.

I couldn't find the video showing how to warm up and stretch the inner liner, but that is definitely a good way to go if you want to still use the cooler. If you want a dedicated sound box, you could put a 50AH or even a 100AH lithium battery inside and power lots of stuff besides the music.

My cooler stereo only puts out 12W per channel, but it sounds good, just not very loud. Perfect for sitting under a bridge catching crappie. You could just as easily make a similar unit that puts out enough sound to fill a pontoon boat with music when running at speed. Just use different components.

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thill said:

For most of my boating career, I had a cheap radio in the boat and rarely used it. I didn't want noise when fishing and they sound horrible anyway.

A few years ago, I picked up a 24' Wellcraft that had a serious sound system, with two Kicker amps, a 12" sub and 6 full-range speakers, including a pair of 8" Kenwood marine speakers. What struck me was the QUALITY of the sound. It immersed you in crystal-clear sound, even at very low volumes. A rather pleasant experience.

When entertaining friends and their kids I would crank up music, and it was fun. Kids laughing and dancing around, and parents enjoying it, too. Suddenly, music became part of my boating experience.

Now, I'm rebuilding a runabout, and I'm trying to decide whether or not to add a decent stereo. The system I have in mind will only cost about $400, but that's money I could save, without the option.

So here is the question:
If YOU were looking at a boat to buy, and it was in good shape overall, would having a decent stereo be a plus for you? Would you pay $500 more for a boat with a nice stereo over one with none?

I'm, very interested in your replies.

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Basstrackertx17 said:

Absolutely not..
Bass are finicky as it is.
You play the wrong music they will just leave..
Basstards. Lol

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thill said:

Yes. Sitting at the bridges, they don't care if you are playing some low music. With cars going over the bridges and boats running through them constantly, they get pretty immune to noise.

I've never tried bass fishing with music playing but that seems like a bad idea

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Douglasdzaster said:

I’m wondering about drifting for catfish.

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flatheadsteve said:

I catch catfish right under my boat in 8ft of water with the radio on. Flatheads and channels. I catch blues with it on too but I'm always in 20+ ft of water for blues. I don't have it cranked about normal conversation level.

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thill said:

I don't think catfish care about anything besides eating!

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thill said:

Channel catfish in shallow rivers can be pretty smart.

As a kid, I spent many an afternoon trying to catch the big ones I could see traveling up and down a Kentucky river. (Turkey Branch?) I only fooled one once, and I'll never forget it.

It was perfect timing. I had just peeled a fresh crawfish tail when I saw a pack of big cruisers heading upstream like submarines. I stuck the tail on a hook and tossed it well upstream of the fish. As they cruised by, I saw one of them pause for a second, and it's gills flared. Could it be????

My line came tight, my rod doubled and my Zebco 202 screamed drag. YES!!!!!

The pack of catfish never slowed down or broke formation. For maybe 10 seconds I felt the awesome power that fish possessed, as I held on, unable to do anything. And then came the sound that I still hate more than almost any other...

-plink-

It had reached the end of my line. I believe that was the first time I'd ever heard my drag scream and the first time a big fish spooled me and broke me off. I stood there, heart racing, watching the pack of fish majestically continue into the distance. Wow.

Since then, I have seen big ones in "cruising mode" many times, but have never fooled those fish again.

Usually, I catch channel cats by accident when throwing spoons, jigs and especially crankbaits.

The last one I can remember was big, maybe 15-20 lbs. I was fighting a bluegill on my 5wt fly rod and suddenly a fast, dark shape shot out of the deep, after the bluegill. What is that?!? WHAM! I was shocked as the big fish turned toward the deep, gills flaring as it gulped my fish.

I had a flashback to when I was 10. Maybe I would get this one? I took a breath and set the hook.

Just like when I was a kid, my rod doubled over, my heart raced and it took drag at will. I couldn't even slow it down. And again, a few seconds later, my line went slack. I reeled in the bluegill, dead as a stone.

I still wonder how long that fight would have lasted. My tippet was probably only 4 lb test, but at least he hadn't broken me off. Small victory!

Channel cats have a special place in my heart, very different than the other catfish. They are true gamefish, in my opinion. The others are just big, strong, easy and fun.

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thill said:

Channel catfish in shallow rivers can be pretty smart.

As a kid, I spent many an afternoon trying to catch the big ones I could see traveling up and down a Kentucky river. (Turkey Branch?) I only fooled one once, and I'll never forget it.

It was perfect timing. I had just peeled a fresh crawfish tail when I saw a pack of big cruisers heading upstream like submarines. I stuck the tail on a hook and tossed it well upstream of the fish. As they cruised by, I saw one of them pause for a second, and it's gills flared. Could it be????

My line came tight, my rod doubled and my Zebco 202 screamed drag. YES!!!!!

The pack of catfish never slowed down or broke formation. For maybe 10 seconds I felt the awesome power that fish possessed, as I held on, unable to do anything. And then came the sound that I still hate more than almost any other...

-plink-

It had reached the end of my line. I believe that was the first time I'd ever heard my drag scream and the first time a big fish spooled me and broke me off. I stood there, heart racing, watching the pack of fish majestically continue into the distance. Wow.

Since then, I have seen big ones in "cruising mode" many times, but have never fooled those fish again.

Usually, I catch channel cats by accident when throwing spoons, jigs and especially crankbaits.

The last one I can remember was big, maybe 15-20 lbs. I was fighting a bluegill on my 5wt fly rod and suddenly a fast, dark shape shot out of the deep, after the bluegill. What is that?!? WHAM! I was shocked as the big fish turned toward the deep, gills flaring as it gulped my fish.

I had a flashback to when I was 10. Maybe I would get this one? I took a breath and set the hook.

Just like when I was a kid, my rod doubled over, my heart raced and it took drag at will. I couldn't even slow it down. And again, a few seconds later, my line went slack. I reeled in the bluegill, dead as a stone.

I still wonder how long that fight would have lasted. My tippet was probably only 4 lb test, but at least he hadn't broken me off. Small victory!

Channel cats have a special place in my heart, very different than the other catfish. They are true gamefish, in my opinion. The others are just big, strong, easy and fun.

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FuzzyGrub said:

Zebco 202..... many childhood memories!

In the last few years, we switch to fishing for channel cats when the river goes high and muddy. Caught my personnel best last year, 14lbs. No music was playing.

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thill said:

What do you catch them on in muddy water?

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thill said:

Channel catfish in shallow rivers can be pretty smart.

As a kid, I spent many an afternoon trying to catch the big ones I could see traveling up and down a Kentucky river. (Turkey Branch?) I only fooled one once, and I'll never forget it.

It was perfect timing. I had just peeled a fresh crawfish tail when I saw a pack of big cruisers heading upstream like submarines. I stuck the tail on a hook and tossed it well upstream of the fish. As they cruised by, I saw one of them pause for a second, and it's gills flared. Could it be????

My line came tight, my rod doubled and my Zebco 202 screamed drag. YES!!!!!

The pack of catfish never slowed down or broke formation. For maybe 10 seconds I felt the awesome power that fish possessed, as I held on, unable to do anything. And then came the sound that I still hate more than almost any other...

-plink-

It had reached the end of my line. I believe that was the first time I'd ever heard my drag scream and the first time a big fish spooled me and broke me off. I stood there, heart racing, watching the pack of fish majestically continue into the distance. Wow.

Since then, I have seen big ones in "cruising mode" many times, but have never fooled those fish again.

Usually, I catch channel cats by accident when throwing spoons, jigs and especially crankbaits.

The last one I can remember was big, maybe 15-20 lbs. I was fighting a bluegill on my 5wt fly rod and suddenly a fast, dark shape shot out of the deep, after the bluegill. What is that?!? WHAM! I was shocked as the big fish turned toward the deep, gills flaring as it gulped my fish.

I had a flashback to when I was 10. Maybe I would get this one? I took a breath and set the hook.

Just like when I was a kid, my rod doubled over, my heart raced and it took drag at will. I couldn't even slow it down. And again, a few seconds later, my line went slack. I reeled in the bluegill, dead as a stone.

I still wonder how long that fight would have lasted. My tippet was probably only 4 lb test, but at least he hadn't broken me off. Small victory!

Channel cats have a special place in my heart, very different than the other catfish. They are true gamefish, in my opinion. The others are just big, strong, easy and fun.

Click to expand...