This is one of my favorite times of the year because I just got my new boat. It’s kind of like an early Christmas present – but one that requires a lot of work.
I don’t mind because boat rigging, for me, is a part chore and part fun. There’s definitely a lot of work involved, but whenever I’m rigging my boat, that kind of starts the new season for me.
I’m fortunate to get a new boat every year as one of the perks of fishing for a living. Ranger does a good job of making sure I have what I need to remain competitive, so I take this process very seriously.
Whenever you’re rigging a new boat, you can go to your dealer and make several requests, and it can be delivered pretty much ready to go to the lake. I know it’s more convenient to have the dealer do it all, but because I spend so much time in the boat, I like to do some of this myself.
I know what works for me, so I want things exactly where I like them. For example, I have particular preferences for my control, so I’ll put them where I want them to be. It’s all about efficiency on the water, so I set up my boat that way.
My boat comes from the factory with a Mercury engine and a Motorguide trolling motor. After that, I’ll spend a couple days running cables, installing my electronics and adding everything I need to carry with me: my tackle, push pole, jumper cables, tools, anchor and rope, live jackets, etc.
The whole process is time-consuming, and I suspect it’s not different for my fellow Elite pros because we’re all picky. If you ask me what I want in my boat and then you ask another pro, we’ll probably want different things – like where we position our graphs.
The good thing with doing your own rigging is if you have a problem down the line, you know where to look and how to fix it.
I have to say that these two to three days I spend every year setting up a new boat are very enjoyable for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I spend a lot of time in a tree stand during October and November, so I haven’t been thinking about fishing much for the past two months.
For me, just getting into the boat and working on stuff is nice. I think it’s the feeling of anticipation of a new season that draws me into this work.
The funny thing is it’s been easy to go out and get my bow because I haven’t walked by a boat for several weeks. Once I get it rigged up, it’s hard to pass the boat on a good fishing day. So once I get it all rigged and wrapped, I’ll start fishing a lot more.
Going through the tackle and loading it all into my new boat is typically my least favorite part of the operation. It’s been a few months since I’ve had my gear organized and now that it’s wintertime fishing, I have to go dig out the jerkbaits and jigging spoons and get all that seasonal tackle into my boat.
That’s really the only burdensome part, but I also know that once I get to this point and I start getting new line on reels, it’s all downhill from there.
If you’re thinking about handling some of the rigging on your next boat, I can offer a few tips that’ll facilitate the process for you:
- First and foremost, you can never have enough zip ties. These simple items will help keep your boat organized. I don’t want to look in the back of the boat and see wires going everywhere, so I use zip ties to secure my wiring in neat bundles. This will help prevent accidental damage to my wiring and if I have any problems, it’s easier to locate the right wire when they’re all neatly organized.
- I make sure all my floatation devices (life jackets, throw cushion) are ready to go. If I have even a little concern, I get new ones. Most importantly, I’ll check the flotation cartridges on my Mustang inflatable PFDs and if there’s any doubt, I’ll replace them.
- Even though the boat comes straight from the factory, I walk the entire perimeter with a handheld screwdriver and make sure everything is tight. I don’t over tighten, but I make sure all the screws are snug.
Once I’ve attended to all of these considerations, my first trip in the new boat will be to my local lake – Tenkiller. I’ll just throw a rod and a few baits like a Bandit 200 crankbait, a couple of Booyah jigs, maybe a Booyah spinnerbait and head out for what will mostly be a break-in run.
I’ll just drive it around and make sure all my wiring is good, my electronics are working and everything is legit. I’ll run around to break in the Mercury engine, ride around on the trolling motor and basically confirm that my boat is ready to go fishing.
The first day with a new boat is always about troubleshooting. You may not have plugged in something, or you may have accidentally knocked something loose during the rigging process.
This is what I look for on the break-in day. Once I feel comfortable that everything is as it should be, the next trip will be to Grand Lake for some serious fishing in my new boat.
