(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
Pete Gluszek remembers the first time he tried to put his first fiberglass bass boat on the trailer after a day of fishing. It was on a local river, and the ramp was crowded with Saturday traffic. As he approached the trailer, the boat got out of position. In hindsight, he should’ve backed away and started a second approach, but instead he tried to throttle down and make a quick turn.
The results were bad and could have been worse. His boat humped the trailer and ran into the boat next to his, doing damage to both of them. It was a painful early lesson, but it’s one that has stuck with him over the ensuing decades.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned-veteran, a substantial portion of the scratches on your prized boat may not come while you’re out fishing, but when you’re launching and retrieving the boat. Gluszek said much of that can be avoided by taking things slowly. Keep your foot off the throttle except to the extent necessary, and make wide turns, giving other vessels ample space.
“You never want to come in too hot,” he explained. He also noted that the more practice you get, the more you’ll be able to anticipate your boat’s reactions, but complacency is every bit as dangerous as a lack of experience. Accordingly, he’s developed strategies for everything from tying up to the dock, to pushing away from the dock, to easing the boat onto the trailer.
“You want to come in at a slow speed and you want to get pointed straight at your trailer for as long a distance as you can.” Try to make the stowed foot of the trolling motor contact the front roller and you’re likely on track, but when the boat eases onto the bunks that’s a time to initially let off the gas. “They find their way on that trailer. You don’t have to oversteer it. You don’t have to worry if you’re a foot or two off.” Once he feels that the boat has straightened itself sufficiently, he uses the jackplate and/or the trim button to ensure that the prop will not scrape bottom as he throttles forward. Then he hits the gas until he feels the boat come to a comfortable stop.
For beginners who might not want to muscle the boat onto the trailer, he recommends backing the trailer down a little bit further, but he noted that optimal positioning varies according to the brand of boat you’re driving. With his Bass Cat, he likes the water to be just below the trailer’s wheel well.”
While some longtime boaters don’t immediately attach the winch strap, Gluszek does so every time. It’s particularly important with a new boat where the carpet may be slick. Failure to do so can leave a boat too far back on the trailer, or even worse, dropped to the pavement. “That’s a bad deal,” Gluszek said. “I don’t recommend it for anybody.” You don’t need to overtighten the winch strap, but the boat should be tight to the roller. Then trim the motor up and pull away.
If you want to learn some of the other keys to Gluszek's strategies for getting his boat situated properly on the trailer without damaging anything, including the reason that he highly recommends four-wheel drive tow vehicles, check out his full video, direct from the water, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
