hot weather fishing

For the past two years I have procrastinated about getting some shade in my boat. After playing around with various umbrella setups I finally ordered a Bimini top. It will give me a shady place to take a break when I get too hot up front. When I lived at the lake I could go only during early and late but having to travel so far now I tend to fish all day. My wife will now go out some with it and I know Bea will appreciate the shade as dark as she is. Hope to try it out in a couple of weeks at Pine Creek. Geezer stuff.

Floyd, please post photos when you get it installed. Pease include manufacturer and model number. My wife doesn't like fishing in the heat ether.

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Originally Posted by davebrown42

Floyd, please post photos when you get it installed. Pease include manufacturer and model number. My wife doesn't like fishing in the heat ether.

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I would like info. also, but won't blame it all on my wife! LOL:biggrin

Well Hat ya gotta blame it on something.

One mans trash.... Last year when taking a load of trash to the dumpsters provided by Rogers County I picked up what looks to be a heavy duty umbrella made for a John Deer Tractor. It's made of thick vinyl and had nothing wrong with it. My first thought was using it for the boat. Now I just need to figure out how to make a mount for it that is temporary yet supports it firmly. It's about 6' in diameter and has an adjustable pole to angle it.

My wife developed skin Cancer a couple of years ago. Most likely from her younger days when a friend and her seemed to have a competition about how got the best tan and used the tanning beds.
Latest data says that the tanning beds bring on skin cancer much more than the natural sun later in life.
So, that being said, she rarely goes with me any more. We used to be constant fishing partners. I'd like that to happen again, so I might look at the bimini tops. They are only good when the sun is high, but it might help.

The boat shad can't keep the sun off you all the time but it lowers the heat build-up on the boat seats and floors which makes for a lot more enjoyable day on the water.

Yeah, I don't even want it up front. I've had them on two different boats over the years and usually just use them in the middle of the day during hot summertime fishing. But it gives a spot to take a break with a cool drink when the heat gets overwhelming. Last year I was in the middle of a hot bridge bite when it was bright sun and over 100 degrees and the occasional shade from the bridge made it feel 20 degrees cooler (although it was just my imagination.) They hang on the garage wall the rest of the year.

It's here and basically put together but not yet mounted. I need about five hands to get it positioned. It's made in America and appears to be a quality product. I'll take some pics when I get it on.

Don't know if I can find a picture but, I came up with a mount for a patio umbrella that attaches it to the pedestal of your boat seat. Very cheap and simple, just use pvc pipe fittings. A tee that your pedestal goes thru. A short piece of pvc pipe into the side outlet of the tee, than another tee with a short piece of piple with a cap on the end to sit on the floor of your boat and another piece of pipe sticking up that the umbrella fits into. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, a pic would be worth a bunch of words. I didn't invent this, just copied it from others that have been using this for years. But, it works great, is out of the way when not in use and the only cost is the umbrella itself and the pvc pipe and fittings. If anyone is interested, I'll see if I can find some old pics.

As promised, a review with pics (but it was about to rain and I was in a hurry so they aren't great.)

The top is from Carver Industries, ordered from Boat Covers Direct in South Carolina. The frame is exactly like the two I have had in the past. Aluminum with nylon fittings - stainless steel can be ordered as an option but most prefer aluminum. Instructions are clear and a Geezer can follow them. Tops (for my Lund) were priced from $401 to $483, depending on fabric selected. I selected a 8 oz Poly-guard for $402 because I didn't need a bright color.

I still haven't got the tie down lines adjusted completely but wanted to get the boat back into the garage before the rain.

All in all, I am pleased. My boat doesn't allow it to cover the back seat real well but I still have clearance to my two drive batteries and livewell when it is stowed. The factory says it will handle 25mph but several owners have said they have had it up to 35mph. I'll see what it does when I get it on the water.

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They work great, but can get in the way some, but worth it!!

Attachment 237863Here is my summer shade rig but I can't take credit for it as Ernest Paty installed it prior to selling his boat to me. Last summer I was too busy catching the heck out of em to notice the sun peeling the skin off my neck but I plan to put the umbrella up this year if it doesn't interfere with my hook set! It stows easily in a side compartment and goes up in less than a minute. Mr. Paty said he could run the boat full out after simply collapsing the umbrella, leaving it upright in the pedestal slot. If anyone is interested I will take some close ups of this simple rig when I get home from this cruise.

Got a chance to use the top today and it worked great. I've had both a patio umbrella and a SportsBella on in the past but they both did interfere with my hook set and were pretty flimsy in the wind. Looks like Ernest had both a bimini and patio umbrella up. Mine had to be taken down to run on plane. I didn't get much speed up today but did get the boat up on plane and it seemed sturdy. About one pm it sure was nice to get under it for a jalapeno bologna sandwich and soda.

That's the same thing I was talking about. The 'holder' is made with pvc pipe and fittings as I explained in a previous post. They do work great and are simple to build and most importantly, CHEAP!

Last time George. It's time you learn to hold the camera right, rotate the pic in your phone or send it to your computer and flip it there. If it is upside down when you are creating your post, then fix it before you post it please.

Ha ha! Easy for you to say Craig!

Floyd that thing looks like a show boat,,, We need to get large amounts of slime and scales on it LOL

Fished Texoma yesterday and used my umbrella, very similar to the pic from crappie cillar above. I have a biminy top too but, don't use it. Man the umbrella up front was a life saver. My Lund has the bases up front for three pedestal seats. I used the middle one for the umbrella so two of us could still fish side by side and it worked perfect. Yes, it does interfere a bit when bringing in fish but, not enough to stop me from using it in this weather.
We were able to stay out much longer than ever before with the shade!