what are some man powered, 2 man fishing boat/kayak/paddle options for farm ponds?

[zghorner]

My 9 year old son has really taken to fishing lately...everything just clicked (after years of practice here and there) he has gotten great with casting, setting the hook, everything...and his desire to go fishing is enormous right now.

I have access to two good farm ponds that we bank fish from...usually catch enough to stay interested but have a really limited area to stand and cast. I just thought that if we had some way to bee-bop around, those ponds would go from good to great.

I know nothing about this type of stuff and wonder what is available these days in the realm of man powered boats...hoping some of yall could lead me in the right direction. looking for ideas on something that is reasonably comfortable and stable (tipping resistant) with enough room for 2 adults to fish from. Also worth mentioning is these ponds aren't that big so i dont really think a trolling motor is necessary.

 

[swampratt]

When I was in 4th grade a couple friends and myself made pond boats that we left at the ponds we fished.
It was usually a couple doors with Styrofoam sandwiched between them.

4x8 sheets of plywood will do the same.
Much later in life my dads cousin showed up at the lower Illinois river with his home made boat.
4x8 plywood with 3 truck inner tubes under it.
One in the front middle and to at the back where his trolling motor seat and battery was.
Super stable platform.

Many friends had those bass tracker boats but not too stable.
Craigslist has jon boats sometimes or this
https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/pelican-intruder-12-12-flat-bottom-boat#repChildCatid=1408795

I fished for many years from a Coleman 17 foot Canoe the tupperware one Polyurethane and red in color.
That was a very stable Canoe.

For small ponds we always used a long push stick to get around.
Just a few years ago I was on a 4/8 plywood "boat" in a pond and had a great time fishing with a friend it had 2 folding chairs on it.
No wet feet either.

 

[Hangfire]

@zghorner I've spent countless hours fishing farm ponds and watersheds in a float tube (even duck hunted in one a few times)......below is a link to a thread from back in April that may be of some interest.

https://www.okshooters.com/threads/pond-boat.291090/#post-3359011

 

[EKing]

I bought one of these several years ago.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sun-Dolphin-8-5-ft-Sportsman-Boat-11077/204690387

It works well, as long as both fishermen face away from each other. It is very stable but that stability comes at the cost of being hard to move through the water. It fits in the back of a pickup truck and is light enough for two people to load and unload.

I only used it a couple times but we made some memories with the kids while they were still young.

 

[Parks 788]

I guess it depends on how you plan to get the craft into the water at the pond. Two grown adult men can move some weight around. Personally, if you can have a trailer and boat I'd go for a Jon boat with a trolling motor. I sure as hell don't want to be out fishing on a nice day and have to continually row or paddle the boat while fishing. Plus if there is a slight breeze you will always have the oar in your hand to maintain position and not your fishing rod catching fish.

I have seen these before and they seem so slick. Very stable and feature filled. You could each get a setup for yourselves and still be on the water together and fish the same areas but also have the ability to hit other nearby areas on your own. Imagine your son's enthusiasm if he was able to have his own fishing skiff to fish out of. $2100 for both of you to have a setup is a sweet deal. NOt to mention a half ton pickup would get both to the pond/lake with out a need for a trailer.
https://roundaboutwatercrafts.com/

 

[dennishoddy]

I have a 16' canoe at the pond that I fish from. With only one person, I have to put a couple of 30# rocks in the front to keep it down so the keel resists the wind. That being said, whatever you end up with make an anchor out of something to keep you in place while your casting or sitting over a brush pile. The wind will position you where it wants to so the anchor used wisely will position the watercraft over or near where you want to fish. If the wind is right, just lift it and let the wind blow you further down the bank. I've used two anchors to keep the boat stationary and sideways to the wind.

 

[RickN]

Years ago I had one of those Styrofoam sailboats that was great for pond fishing. Leave the mast and sail at home. With 2 adults, a large ice chest and all our fishing gear it only drew a couple inches of water. You had the center board down most of the time but pulled it up for going over logs or beaching. Light enough one person could carry it.

 

[zghorner]

Shoutout to @EKing for hooking me up with the perfect setup. I ended up buying that little sun dolphin of his and it came with oars, anchor, and life jackets so we loaded up and went to Hinton friday & saturday. The difference having that boat made in the quality of fishing was night and day. Went ended up keeping 12 fish total, 11 bass, 1 crappie and caught probably 30ish fish total. Seriously one of my new favorite memories my boy and I both had an incredible time. having a little fish fry for the grandparents tonight to share the love.

First day's bounty:

Second day

 

[EKing]

That's awesome, very happy for you.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Awesome.catches!