Pontoon boats are great for fishing, but if you’re serious about your catch, it can pay dividends to make your own customizations and changes to the layout. It could make a huge difference as to how successful your trip is.
But every fisherman (and gal) has their own preferred way of fishing, so many consumer pontoons factory layouts won’t be quite right for what you want to do.
Whether that’s equipment in your way, rod holders out of position, or seats in the wrong place, there’s loads that you can do to achieve the best pontoon boat fishing setup and layout.
In this guide I’ve put together some aspects that you should consider when putting together the best setup for fishing, plus further down the page advice on layouts with some photos of what others have done.
Table of Contents
What to Include in Your Fishing Setup
#1: Fishing Rod Holders on the Bow & Stern
For the best layout I would position mine on the bow and stern, because that’s how you fish!
I would imagine you already have fishing rod holders, but if you don’t here are some very good ones that I recommend – click for the best rod holders.
My personal favorites are the Eagle Claw Clamp-Ons. They give you a 360 degree adjustment and are compatible with all rods up to 1.367 inches.
#2: Build Your Own Custom Rod Holder Setup
No pontoon boat fishing setup would be complete without something that you have made and fully-customized yourself.
Rod holders are very personal, and often the ones you can buy online just don’t do justice to how you personally want to fish.
For some inspiration take a look at these homemade ones with these r you could even make some homemade ones DIY pole holder ideas.
#3: Leave Room for Rod Storage
When you design your layout and setup you might also want to consider whether or not you’re going to have dedicated rod storage on board, and I don’t just mean holders for your poles.
Instead you might want to make room for either some racks set against the side of the panels, or some type of storage area underneath the seats.
I’ve put together some of the best rod storage solutions which include racks and cases, in both upright and horizontal configurations.
#4: Install Vinyl Flooring Instead of Carpet
When fishing, using a vinyl flooring over carpet setup is so much better, primarily due to the amount of water and mess that you can bring on board the deck during the day.
It will last longer and will be far easier to clean.
Yes, it can be slippery, but there are vinyl flooring kits such as SeaGrass Marine vinyl which has grips and grooves in. You can find out more about this in the carpet versus vinyl blog post.
If you are thinking about tearing up your old carpet as part of your improved pontoon fishing boat layout project, here are some tips on how you can get the glue up off the deck.
#5: Use a Livewell Seat for Ease and More Room
Having enough room on your boat to move around into the best positions is key for a successful fishing trip.
To enable more room, many pontooners will remove some of the existing seating, and instead use a livewell seat.
It means that they don’t have to have a separate seat and livewell, maximizing the space on the deck, with live bait or fish within easy reach.
You could even use it as a cooler and throw some cold beers in there instead. Just a thought!
The Moeller Swing Back Cooler & Livewell boat seat is very good and will help you be more efficient with your layout and setup.
#6: Keep the Livewell Close to the Seats
If would prefer to have a separate livewell and seating setup, then make sure that the livewell is close to your seat.
It’s going to save you time and hassle when reaching for bait, and could be the difference between catching that fish, or being sorely disappointed if you can’t get setup in time.
Handy Hint: You could eliminate the hassle of connecting up a livewell completely and use a deadwell as an ice chest depending on the type of fishing you are doing.
#7: Use Cup Holders on the Rails or Seats
I don’t know about you, but if I am fishing I want my beer or drink close to hand.
And that’s exactly what you can do with these awesome pontoon cup holders. For example, these stainless-steel ones can seat snugly between the seats.
With a few of these placed and setup as part of your new fishing layout, you won’t have to leave position to grab your drink, or risk it spilling all over you when you have a bite pulling on the line.
Even better would be the Arnall’s pontoon cup holder which you can fit on a standard 1.25 inch square rail. For me these are the best for guys who love to fish.
#8: Make Sure You Have Enough Shade
If you are sitting out in the sun for hours on end, it’s essential that you have enough shade to protect yourself. It’s really easy to forget how powerful the UV rays can be, and when you’re in the moment of tackling a bit catch, it’s not always going to be at the forefront of your mind.
However, given how high cancer statistics are, guys like us who spend days in the sun are most at risk.
Wear a hat at a bare minimum and cover up with sunblock.
But for the best way to keep safe from the sun, add a Bimini to your pontoon boat fishing setup.
#9: Leaning Post for a More Natural Fishing Position
If it feels more natural for you to be always standing when fishing, then a marine leaning post could quickly become one of your most valued pontoon fishing accessories.
But be prepared to spend, as these things don’t come cheap.
I don’t own one myself, but do have a buddy who has the Taco Metals leaning post, and I’ve loved using it in the past.
#10: Choose the Right-Sized Trolling Motor
Don’t make the mistake of having the wrong sized trolling motor on your pontoon. For example, here’s some information on the right spec if you’re running a 24 footer.
That guide will show you just how much thrust you’re going to need, plus includes a recommendation on the right type of deep cycle battery you will also need to buy.
If you’re mainly catching catfish, crappie fish, and white bass, then I would choose a Minn Kota Terrova 80.
Mount it on the bow, and you can operate it from anywhere on your pontoon provided you choose a trolling motor with a remote control.
#11: Install the Trolling Motor on the Bow
The prefer to install the trolling motor on the bow using a removeable mount.
That lets me troll at 3 miles per hour using the remote control, drink in hand, easily pulling into a slip to find the best catches.
Using a removeable mount means I can take it off if I need more room at the front.
#12: Install Your Fishfinder Correctly
I am little bit biased here as I have been given free fishfinders in the past from a friend who works for Garmin, but I do genuinely believe they are the best on the market. I am currently using a Garmin Striker (see the Amazon prices).
In terms of installation and layout, the transducer is best placed on the bottom bracket at the rear starboard side of one of your pontoon tubes, but not too low, and not too high. Ideally the transducer needs to be parallel to water when sitting in water.
I would then mount the fishfinder monitor on top of your cockpit console above the instruments.
If you have a weak battery or your battery is too small, then you might get problems. Try connecting a different power source and wiring it separately on the fuse panel as you will probably see better results.
#13: Fit an Electric Anchor Winch on the Bow
I don’t want to be spending time messing about with my anchor when there are more fun things to do. I’ve also suffer from back pains, so would rather save that pain up to be used when pulling in a catch.Â
That’s why I use an electric anchor winch at the bow, which I can operate remotely from the console.
I love winches, they make life so much easier, and you can see two or three of the best anchor winches elsewhere on the Pontoonopedia website.
#14: Be Strategic with the Seating
You might end up removing some seating to give yourself more room to fish, but at the same time you need to make sure that the seats you do leave on deck are in the optimum position for you and your fishing buddies.
Ideas you can think about could include using bucket seats spaced out evenly or having a swivel captain’s seat off the back which lets you get to the different fishing spots.
One of the most popular seating configurations is having a center console with fishing seats in all four corners of the boat.
That gives you two at the front and two at the back, then you can have your captain’s seat (see this one on Amazon) in the center letting you control things like the anchor and trolling motor. I have also put together a guide on the best pontoon captain’s seats and chairs. You can read more about which ones I recommend in this skipper’s chair guide.
But my personal preferred configuration is to have two swivel fishing chairs at the bow. That way I can stay right on top of the action.
#15: Leave Room for Netting and Casting
Another setup and fishing layout tip which really works well is to have a pontoon that lets you walk behind the rear fencing.
That lets you net and cast from the rear of the boat, with nothing else in the way.
Obviously with this one, your existing pontoon boat might not have the structure in place to do this, but if it does, then make good use of it, and possibly remove any obstacles such as boarding ladders, anchor ledges, or anything else.
You could do the same at the front too depending on your pontoon design, and I’ve seen some boats with an open deck of four foot at the bow.
#16: Don’t Forget the Rail-Mounted Grill
My last recommendation is one of the best, so I saved it for last as no new pontoon fishing boat layout is complete without a grill.
Nothing beats making a catch, cracking open a beer, and grilling the fish right there and then. You won’t get any fresher than that.
Nothing tastes as fresh as your own fish caught from your pontoon boat. Click this photo above to see what the best grills are that mount and clip.
I personally prefer the rail-mounted models, as they leave more space for you to fish from the deck, but just make sure you install it on a side rail and out of the way of your rods.
To see the best available, go check out this guide to pontoon grills which contains 5 of the best, with the first option being a portable model that you can clip and un-clip from your rails in seconds.
#17: Accessorize Your Layout for Fishing
Those are just some ideas on the types of gadgets you can install including some advice on where to position them, but that’s really just a taster.
There are far too many fishing accessories that you can add into your custom setup to mention, many of which you can find on this pontoon fishing accessories page.
What’s the Best Layout for Fishing from a Pontoon?
How you lay everything out is going to be completely personal, as what works for one person, might not work for another.
The setup points raised above should give you a degree of guidance on how I layout my pontoon for fishing based on a few years of experience.
You might not think that my ideas are the best, and they might not suit your style of fishing, so I thought why stop there when I could feature a load of alternative layouts that other people have setup.
Pontoon Boat Fishing Layouts
Here are some pontoon fishing boat layouts I like that I have found on Facebook and fishing forums.
In this example the boat owner has customized the front of the pontoon with corner boxes for tackle and batteries and setup rod holders and rod storage (layout via the fishingnetwork.net forums).
In this pontoon setup you can see fishing seats in the deck corners, couches in the front with lean backs, big console nice reclining captains chair and wrap around couches. You can also see a fishing chair in the stern (layout via the pontoonboatforum.com forums)
This fisherman has so far installed 2 swivel fishing chairs mounted on the front of his 24 foot pontoon with a depth finder and trolling motor with this unfinished project (layout via the crappie.com forums).
Facebook Comments
I also asked some other pontoon fishermen about their own personal preferences for layouts and setups, and here’s a small selection of the best comments I received back on Facebook.
“I do a lot of fishing for trout and stripers. They don’t tend to live long, so I use a deadwell instead of a livewell, but also add some insulation in so I can use it as an ice catch for anything that I catch. It also means I can remove any complexity such as a timer and pump.”
“I am currently re-doing an older pontoon boat for fishing and wanted to change the layout and setup. I ended up pulling all the seats out and tearing down completely. Went with a vinyl floor, center console, livewell on the front to double as a seat, 4 fishing seats in each corner and an open deck on the front 4 foot.”
“I switched to a vinyl floor after tearing the carpet up. It seems to last longer, is easier to clean and helps protect the deck floor. I have not had any issue with slipping at all.”
“I have a 2013 22-foot Landau with what I think is a very good fishing layout. The livewell is close to the fishing seats. The only problem is that I am very tall, and my fishing seats are a bit too close to the rail for me.”
“More important to me than the usual layout stuff is how room there is. I like room to fish off the bow and stern. Chairs are not as important as room to walk and work with your rods and tackle. I also want lots of shade, so a full or double Bimini is a must have.”
Conclusion
How you customize your pontoon boat for fishing is entirely down to you and will depend on what’s going to be comfortable for your style of fishing.
You might also use your boat extensively for family trips and entertaining, so you might have to make some concessions about how far you go with your own setup.
I hope you have got some inspiration from the above though!
