March 28, 2006
Go Fish!
I was asked the other day by a prospective customer if you could fish from a RIB – the short answer is of course you can – but I really wanted to ask him why you’d ever want to. I must confess that I’m not a fisherman (no surprise there), nor do I really get the attraction, but even I can’t deny that it’s extremely popular. So after speaking with the customer, I forced myself to flip through one of the many fishing magazines out there to try to understand the attraction. I was shocked when I turned to an article with photos of a NASCAR-like fishing derby that showed thousands of spectators filling an arena to witness the finalists unveil their winning catch for a chance at $500,000! With a half million dollars at stake – even I’d grab a rod and real and jump into a RIB. In all seriousness, fishing for many is a great excuse to get out on the water, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with friends and family – even I can relate to that. In fact, we have several customers who use their RIB all the time for fishing. A RIB is an excellent platform for this because of its stability and low proximity to the water. With rocket launchers on the T-top, A frame, or leaning post and a live well, you can transform any RIB into a fishing machine. But what about the hooks? It’s a legitimate question, but as anyone knows who owns a RIB – Hypalon tubes are extremely resilient to hooks. Of course, like anything, if you try hard enough, you could probably puncture the tube with a large fishing hook, but just every day fishing and casting, you have nothing worry about. In all our years of building RIBs, we’ve never heard of any of our customers puncturing the tube. The only thing we’ve heard is how much they enjoy fishing from their RIB! What do you think? Have you ever fished from a RIB? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this...Posted by ribcraftusa at March 28, 2006 11:51 AM
Comments
I've fished off my RIB for many years and never had a problem. While I find fishing boring, my kids and buddies love it so I get sucked in (since I'm the guy with the boat). The RIB is a great platform to fish from as it's so damn stable. I was on a Grady White - or some other Ford Taurus type boat last summer - and got sea sick as the boat bobbed around so much. Never had that problem with my RIB
Posted by: Wes at March 28, 2006 01:35 PM
I've fished the waters around the British Virgin Islands extensively in a RIB for years. In addition to the stability factors, the RIB also provides for much better fuel economy and faster transportation. Often times I need to get 3 to 5 miles to sea to reach the prime fishing spots and a RIB allows me to get there fast while only burning a small fraction of the fuel of hard bottom boats.
Additionally the RIB is highly maneuverable allowing you to troll around schools of fish or run with a fish if needed. Another factor is the shallow draft. I've fished for sharks and game fish in the flats which are often only 16" in depth. Further, fishing the back side of islands the fish are often right up near the steep cliffs with waves crashing into them. With a RIB you can get right in close and maneuver around obstacles and accelerate fast enough to get out of there when things get sketchy.
And yes, I have punctured the tube with a fish hook. But the rate at which the air escaped was minimal and I didn't even bother pumping up the tube for a few more days.
My best fish story is actually having an angry lemon shark attack my RIB. He simply charged it and rammed it with his head. No damage to the boat, but I'm sure the shark had a pretty bad headache.
Posted by: Dave at March 28, 2006 05:28 PM
Aside from the stray fisherman, I don't see RIBs ever taking off in the fishing community, as large and diverese as it is. Good fishermen are reluctant to give up space and typically require a fair amount of ancillary gear that is not easily accomodated on a RIB. Fishing occasionally for kicks...sure. Ballz to da wizzall fishin?? no way
Posted by: Victor E at March 28, 2006 11:17 PM
Victor- Gotta say I disagree with you - My 210 is great for flycasting for Stripers off Cape Ann....but I'm not a chunkbait kinda guy...;)
Posted by: Scott Beatty at March 29, 2006 05:03 PM
Wonderful article in the May 2006 issue of Motorboating entitled "Inflatable Blues" about a father and teenage son from Florida who use a 25 foot RIB to cross the Gulf Stream and fish for Atlantic Blue Marlin in the southern Bahamas. A couple of very persuasive excepts from that article on the unique fishing atributes of a RIB include:
"The marlin came very calmly to the boat as the twin 115-hp outboards purred on the transom... Their tranquility next to the RIB and our unique proximity to them as we held them and set them free, our upper bodies draped over the tubes, were totally unique experiences."
"[The RIB's] stability and seaworthiness make it superior to other boats its size for trolling and fighting fish in big seas (six-foot seas are common at the latitudes we fish). Its cork-like quality allows anglers to concentrate on the fish rather than the waves. When a fish sounds, the boat can spin around the line like a pencil around the point of a compass."
"When I'm laying over the tube and holding the bill underwater, my forearms below the surface, the marlin is only inches away and its calmness is remarkable. The proximity is an uncanny sensation, almost preternatural - we're literally eye-to-eye."
Very strong endorsement for the fishing qualities of a RIB, none more persuasive than the author's comfort in bringing 300 lbs plus blue marlin within inches of the tubes.
Posted by: A. Savage at April 10, 2006 10:10 AM
dhyxwqg sjqb taocd
http://ephedra.withoutprescriptiononline.com ephedra without prescription online
Posted by: ephedra without prescription online at November 14, 2008 05:19 PM
