Casting Decks

[1960 yellowboat]

Maybe i'M old fashioned or just nuts,,,,,,,,, but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
What is the facination here with putting casting decks on the bow of fishing boats?
Most of the threads here deal with this subject, well, a lot of them anyway.
Why do you take a perfectly stable 14 to 16 foot tin boat with plenty of freeboard and build a platform over the most unstable part of the boat?
It doesn't matter if it's a flat front jon or a semi-vee or a deep v. The first two feet or so is the most unstable part of the boat.
So you put a deck in that now gives you only a few inches of gunnel between you and the water. So when that big wave or fish hits,you have to do a balancing act to keep from going in the drink or falling backwards into it boat. Your center of gravity goes way up and you may go way down.
Enlighten me. I just don't understand why fishing on top of a boat is better than fishing from inside the boat.
Just my two cents.
No offense intended to all you deck guys.

 

[eeshaw]

One thing casting decks have going for them is they raise you up and this can actually help you spot fish. I have a flat bottom 16 footer that used to have a raised deck on it that I used for bow fishing. I dropped it down to improve my line of sight and it sits about three inches below the gunnels in the front and is about 5 inches below the very front of the boat. Another reason I did it was to install a chair that I can sit back in and relax. If I'd have installed it in the bow on the floor it would work but not as well. With it raised I can pivot around on it 270+ degrees while seated. I can also remove the seat entirely and bow fish off it too. I also installed a larger gas tank under it along with my battery charger and there's additional space for more items if I want.

 

[LDUBS]

I've often wondered the same thing about raised decks in general. Way back when we targeted LMB we stood on the floor and did OK. I always figured maybe it has to do with better view of the water and perhaps better place to make casts. I have never been on a bass boat style of boat. Probably would be an eye opener on the benefits of the design.

 

[turbotodd]

Better visibility. Better casting distance. Both work for you if you are casting, particularly when precision casting (into brush, etc). Less stuff to trip over (ribs, seats, etc). Also gives a ton of storage options which LMB anglers like.

I had a smaller Tidecraft (aka Tidecrap) with a 90hp, typical "bass boat". While nice, and comfortable, you pay the price for it in the form of more weight and a higher center of gravity among other things. I liked it but it was really too "big" for what I needed it for. 22" draft was just too much for waters that are maybe 12" deep at times but it beat the snot out of the aluminum boat which I have now on the larger lakes that need a longer run on choppy waters.

I sometimes fish for trout locally, small river (creek) tailwater, it's clear most of the time. The downside to a full height casting deck is that the fish can sometimes see you too and if they do, they will scatter. Only applies in clear shallow water. Deep and/or murky waters its mostly a non-issue. I've found that the use of neutral colored clothing seems to help in that clear water, that and 2lb test fluoro line with light lures & baits. Smallmouth are real similar to trout in that sense, they can see you and will scatter quickly heading for deeper water if they think there's a danger, but "camo" (neutral colors or colors that are similar to what a fish sees looking up toward the sky) seems to help. Sounds crazy but the worst days I've had fishing clear waters are when I was wearing clothing and/or hat that was highly visible. Best days were with neutral colors. Being up higher on the casting deck gives the fish more visibility to YOU as well.

Mine is sort of a "low deck", in other words not a full height deck, and not no deck, but kinda halfway between. Works REALLY well and a lot of aluminum boats have been offering this option for a long time now. I'm real happy with it. Not quite as comfy and roomy as the old tidecrap but WAY better than sitting on a bench with your feet on the bottom of the hull and no room to move around. There's been times I've needed to chase a fish around the boat a couple times, again with 2lb test line and a bigger fish on the line you have to do that sometimes. If I had to climb over bench seats I'd have lost them, or gone into the drink tripping over them. I've had that happen before a number of years ago.

 

[LDUBS]

Yeah, if you can see them, they can see you!

MerkyWaters posted a video of his 15' boat (under Watering Hole). Looks pretty stable with him standing on the front deck. More so than I would have thought for standing at the front deck of a 15' boat. Course, MerkyW probably has better balance than I do. Lol

Anyway, I can understand Yellowboat's concern with possibly creating a balancing act on some really small boats.

 

[MrGiggles]

A lot of it has to do with bass fishing, pitching/flipping (underhand casting) are difficult to do when sitting inside a boat. You need to be up on a platform with few obstructions, which is why most bass boats have the aircraft carrier look, super low gunnels, low freeboard, floating platforms, essentially. There is also visibility. You can see better and further up high, with less glare.

 

[Vader809]

I'm not a big fan of the high deck. Been in a few, they were stable, but for me-one wrong step and I am swimming. I like my deck with enough free board to keep me in the boat. With a 16' deep v,I have plenty of room for what ever I need for a day of fishing.

 

[-CN-]

My 1442 is very stable while I'm standing on the raised from deck. I fish from it because I have more rod control for casting and retrieval. I think if you would try fishing from a deck in a wider jon boat such as a 42" or wider, you would find it isn't as unstable as you believe it is. I have never had so much as a worry as I jump up and down off of the front and rear decks as my fishing situations warrant fast movement around the boat sometimes. I've also been seated in my high casting chair in high waves (while holding on tight) and was not at all worried that the boat would overturn. I'm honestly not really sure what your concern is.

 

[eightwt]

All depends on what you're fishing for. There kinda of a must for the flats, marsh...

 

[TMO8853]

Also depends on your situation. For instance, I live on 10hp restricted lake so a 1648 jon is about as big as I can go for that size motor. If I deck all the way to gunnels it provides me with a larger usable area and the boat feels much bigger and this is a positive no matter what I’m fishing for.

Also, if you're younger and lighter lol well falling in the water becomes much less of a big deal.