Video: Boat Tip, Docking Made Easy
Ross Robertson 05.19.17
Launching and retrieving your boat is an event that occurs with each and every trip, yet we have all seen the guys at the boat launch that look like it’s their first time. It is often said that preparation is the key to success, and that also rings true when it comes to launching or trailering a boat.
Unfortunately, many boat ramps have docks made from concrete or steel, or the docks are too high for smaller bass boats or walleye-style boats. Taking a few moments to have a dock line attached where it needs to be, and adding a boat bumper at the right spot (or spots) prior to docking ensures you don’t become the butt of a YouTube fail video. It could also save your boat a trip to the fiberglass shop.
While bumpers and ropes are well known – though all too often not rigged in advance – new technology such as a shallow-water anchor makes docking a boat even easier. The advantage of a shallow-water anchor while fishing can be immense, but I’ve found that when launching solo or when with rookie fishing partners, my Minn Kota Talon gives me an extra pair of hands – and prevents me and my boat from being on the wrong end of a viral video.
Check out the clip below to see exactly how I dock my boat each and every time.
Editor’s note: OutdoorHub is pleased to welcome contributor Capt. Ross Robertson of Bigwater Guide Service. Capt. Robertson and crew provides educational guide trips for monster walleyes and smallmouth bass. The Bigwater team fishes ice-out to ice-up on the Great Lakes, spending the majority of the year on Lake Erie’s western and central basins.
