Here’s how to accessorize your boat on a budget

Let’s say you acquired a “new-to-you” boat over the off season – a great time to find used-boat bargains – but it took most of your hard-earned boat savings to pay for it. What’s more, you still need to outfit it for fishing.

Here are some angling accessories you can add to your craft that may leave you with enough gas money to get you through the summer.

Rod Holders

The first accessory any boat – from kayaks to cruisers – needs to morph into a recreational fishing craft is rod holders. There are two major types of rod holders: those used for storage to keep the rods from underfoot while the boat is underway and those used to hold the rod while actively fishing.

Storage holders can be horizontal racks under the gunwale or vertical racks placed about anywhere. There are many versions available for a wide price range, but if you’re pinching every penny, consider using the spring-type clamps designed for use at home for storing brooms and mops. They come in different sizes to fit common handle diameters, and some are made of plastic or have rubber gripper tips, which won’t damage rod finishes.

Active fishing rod holders can be clamp-on styles that affix to a hand rail or gunwale. They also come in a wide price range, but if you go that route, buy the best you can afford. The upside of these is that they are portable and can be removed and stored out of the way when the boat is used for other activities. The downside of these is that they are portable, and therefore prone to working loose over time and use, which you may not be aware of until the holder falls off or is violently jerked from the boat by what would have been the catch of the season.

A better choice may be tube-style rod holders that are flush-mounted to the top of the gunwale, where the tube is hidden and out of the way below the mounting surface. Most have an angled design to allow the held rod to be angled back and/or out when trailing a line for trolling or still-fishing. Others are vertical and can be used for storage or fishing.

To make your own vertical, flush-mounted holders, buy a section of 2-inch-diameter PVC pipe that is flared at one end from a plumbing supply retailer, which will snuggly slip into – but not all the way through – a 2-inch-diameter hold drilled into a horizontal surface. Or you can make your own flared holder tubes using an 8-inch-long section of PVC pipe and a Coke bottle. Carefully heat the drinking-end of the bottle and insert it into the end of the pipe as far as the bulge in the bottle will let it go. It might take a try to three to get it right, but eventually the heated glass will soften the end of the PVC and expand it as you force the bottle into the pipe. When you get the desired flare, let it cool, and drop your new vertical rod holder into a hole of the same diameter. You can secure it with epoxy and/or meal strapping below the deck.    

If you purchase angled rod holders, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to cut the oval-shaped hole required to accept and properly secure the tube in position.   

Livewell/Baitwell

A dedicated livewell/baitwell is a welcome accessory aboard fishing boats, especially for those who use live bait. Plumbing and powering a watertight storage compartment to morph it into a well with circulating water and aeration can be tackled, but it takes some cash and know-how. Instead, dedicate a cooler to the task. Select one that fits aboard, fill it with water, and use a 12-volt portable pump with aerator stone to circulate it. There are models available that plug into a traditional 12-volt receptacle, others that rely on batteries, and the latest technology offers rechargeable units to power the pump. Just remember to replace the water at regular intervals as these systems only circulate and aerate.

Even simpler: Mesh fish baskets were the original “livewell” and still serve as an affordable alternative to built-in wells. Ditto bait buckets for minnows, leeches, and crawdads designed to be placed over the side to float while allowing water to circulate though the interior. Just secure the basket/bucket over the side of the boat, preferably on the shady side and deep enough to find cool water on warm summer days. Just make sure you bring the basket aboard before getting on plane and headed to the next fishing hole.   

Trolling Motor

Many Midwest game-fish species such as walleyes, trout, and salmon are best caught by slow-trolling lures and baits. Note the word “slow.” Walleyes especially may not hit a bait traveling at more than 2 mph, and most boat’s primary engines – outboard, inboard, or sterndrive – can’t drop the RPMs enough without stalling to push the boat that slowly.

So, anglers who can afford them buy separate small outboard motors, known as “kickers,” or electric trolling motors, to slow their boat’s pace. Others install a trolling plate to their motor’s anti-cavitation plate to flip down and stifle the prop’s thrust. A cheaper alternative is to drag a fabric drift sock to slow the boat’s pace while allowing the engine to maintain a high-enough RPM to keep from stalling. An even less-expensive alternative to a dedicated drift sock is to drag a common five-gallon bucket off the transom, tethering it to a secure cleat on the gunwale. You can regulate the speed by drilling holes in the bucket to speed up a bit – or adding additional pails to slow down to reach finicky walleye speed.     

Sonar/Fish Finders

Many recreational boats these days come equipped with basic sonar, but that offers only live-time depth information, often displayed in analog on a tiny gauge on the dash. If your boat lacks that, you can always go the Mark Twain route with a weight on the end of a line marked at one-foot intervals, which can be dropped over the side of an anchored craft. Once it’s lowered and the line goes slack as the weight reaches the bottom, just look at the mark nearest the surface and read the depth.  While it’s down there, the weight can be used to tell a bit more about the structure – or lack thereof – below by moving it around and up and down and noting what you feel topside. Clanking means rocks, thuds may be wood structure, mush means mud, snagging and releasing may be weeds, which may also show up when the weight is retrieved. Better yet, buy an up-to-date chart of the waters you intend to fish and reference it often.

For less than $150, you can buy a new basic electronic fishfinder these days, which will offer depth readings as well as information on bottom structure and fish presence. Or go the used route, buying a higher-grade unit from an angler who is updating his or her own boat’s electronics. If you don’t want to wire your boat for a permanent finder, look for models that run on batteries, such as those used for ice fishing.

Or, you can use a trick for finding schools of fish I first used when living in the Florida Keys. It works great for crappies, white bass, and other schooling freshwater species as well: Catch a fish, remove the hook, and have a second hook ready on a 5- to 20-foot length of line, depending on water depth, with a party balloon or large float tied to the other end. Hook the fish behind the dorsal fin or back in the mouth and let it go as soon after boating it as possible. Then, use the balloon as your “fishfinder,” following it as the fish catches up with the school with the balloon in tow on the surface. You know what to do then. Just be sure to remove the hook from the “bell cow” and carefully release it out of gratitude when you are done fishing.   

Overhead Protection

A popular option among boaters is to outfit the watercraft with overhead protection from the elements. Durable, waterproof fabric designed for the task is popular for everything from folding Bimini tops to full camper enclosures for all-around protection from sun, wind, and rain. Such protection doesn’t come cheap, however, and if all you need is occasional protection from sun and rain, consider a golf umbrella. Set in a vertical rod holder or dedicated mount affixed about anywhere, these over-sized bumbershoots offer plenty of protection and are extremely portable, as all you need to do is pop it open when needed and fold it away and stow it when fishing commando.