Does anyone here trap out of a jon boat or a kayak

I'm looking at selling my kayak and buying a Jon boat and was wondering if there were any tricks to running a water line out of a boat. I also will need some tips on the organization of traps for this setup.

I have checked traps out of a kayak never a John boat. Can't help any with that.

Make sure you get one with a wide beam
as narrow beam width make for a tippy Jon boat.

Check out www.marlonproducts.com

Don't have one but if I was buying new I'd get one.

There's a dealer in Belleville, Ontario, Canada I'd
visit to take an in-person look at their 14' Jon
If I didn't have to deal with the.Canadian Covid crap.

I've got a 14" princecraft jonboat that traps very well.

walleyed

Yeah, I don't think my kayak will have enough space for running my line out of.

Yeah the smallest width that I would go is a 32 inch in my opinion.

Your going to spend most of your time out of the boat.

Yeah, I've been watching a few videos and it seems that way, but I need something to carry my traps and catch. I also need it because I don't know the depth of the slough and don't want to find a deep spot in my waders.

depth measuring before you get out is a function of your potato rake https://www.amazon.com/Truper-30024...I/ref=psdc_3238155011_t1_B01N9BOE0Z?th=1

check yard sales and auctions to find one

they come in very handy it is your depth measuring stick , your hook , your walking stick the head when you push down doesn't slide into the mud like a pole alone would and you have 4-5 hooks on the end to fish for chain and such on the bottom

the issue with John boats is weight look at the weight rating now add you with wadders and all your traps , toss in more gear start weighing it all , now everything is a little heavier wet and what happens when you add 200 pounds of beaver

v-bottom boats draft a touch more water but can carry more weight also

also check canoes they carry a lot of weight for their size and can be found quite inexpensive 250 dollars or so used and you can carry it in to access places you can't drag a larger john boat

wear a life jacket

Need places you drive a pickup to so you can stash traps and fur. Either to pick up as you go with your boat or drop off and get with your pickup. Either that or dont run very many traps.

Canoes are another option. I have a 17' 6" old town that works like a charm. 5HP for when I trap the Connecticut river. Holds a mess of equipment and animals.

check out water depth during early fall, without gear , and wear a life vest !!!!!,

You could get yourself one of them Costo speacial floaty sharks and use it....

X2, a canoe can be very handy.....If you do a paddle only and no government permission slip is required.

Hey brother that's my stomping grounds. Let me know if you need a man on the ground, always like shopping for boats, especially if its someone else's money

I just picked up a brand new Princecraft 1436 jon boat a couple weeks ago. Seems like it would make a fine water trapping boat.
Not sure I'd take it trolling for walleye on Erie, but should be plenty good on skinny water.

Depends on the water you are trying to trap. This past season I trapped a river near my house. Average depth of about 16 inches with some deeper pools and some rock shoals.

I bought a Mad River Solo Canoe to trap out of due to its weight capacity. It turned out to be way too narrow and super tippy. Extremely uncomfortable to trap out of. I can't use one of the large canoes like other guys on here advocate because I have to carry it a good bit. The weight isn't the problem, its really the length that makes the canoes cumbersome.

I bought a 12 foot sit on top kayak and it is a dream to trap out of. Extremely stable to get in and out of unlike the canoe. It has a hatch up front that gives you access to the entire hull of the boat. Tons and tons of storage. I love trapping out of it. If you have enough depth to reliably run a jon boat that would be a great option too

Wear a life jacket is good advice. Everybody thinks they can swim until they have to.

I bought an Ascend H-12 sit in Kayak. Pretty stable and roomy.

Haven't trapped out of it yet.

I have 2 great uncles who drowned both strong swimmers

one duck hunting the other lifting nets both in good shape in their 20s

I've trapped out of a kayak for a couple years. My biggest problem was storing gear and catches. It can get pretty dicey when you're carrying 5-6 critters and a 5 gallon bucket of equipment. I sold it this year and bought an old 12 foot Coleman canoe. It's a lot more cumbersome to transport, but it'll hold a lot of gear and critters, and it's stable.

I've been trapping out of Jon boats for over 35 years. I love 'em. I have ran them in lakes with 2.5 ft white caps and flooding rivers without issues. As for weight, I have hauled as many as 21 beavers out with a 14 footer. Not easily I might add! You need a short shaft outboard. I like a 15HP.

One nice thing about the low profile is I can ram myself up into brushy willow banks to good spots. A higher profile boat limits you in that regard. I wear chest waders and often am outside the boat and use the boat as my tool chest right at hand. Very convenient to pull a beaver out of trap while in the water and just roll it over into the boat without straining the back.

Finally, I never go out without a good life jacket on. Never.

Jon boat for me in our waters. I have a 16x70 that only takes a couple inches of water loaded and I can stand on the gunnel and it won't tip.

I have trapped out of various boats since I was a teenager. A big factor for me is being able 2 get back to the starting place so I have always used a vessel that I could r o w. I am currently using a 14 32 Jon Boat with a Mud Motor and works well even when loaded with traps, and one other person. I usually use a push pull or and oar 2 check water depth before getting out. Always wear a life jacket.

The type of water you are running determines what you need for a boat. I have spent a lot of hours in a 12 foot Jon on small water hunting, fishing and trapping. I would take a Jon boat over a canoe or kayak any day of the week. I have spent time in all three.

Yep wasn't planning on not wearing a life jacket and we have a potato rake out in the garage too, so that is already covered. I don't have to carry very much weight for long-distance as I'm using it for a pond/slough hopping rig.

Yeah, I would be hauling the Jon boat in the back of the truck driving to a spot unloading the boat and checking traps and then heading back to the truck to load it back up.

The problem is I have a 2000 S10, and it has a topper on it, so a rack isn't an option for me, because the topper is very nice for keeping your gear dry. I would love to run a canoe, but I just don't have the truck for it.

Yeah, I will go out there this summer and check it out for sets and different active huts. I will always wear a life jacket, because I know I'm not the best swimmer.

Idk I feel like I can't store very many muskrats on it.

Yeah, that is how my state is with electric and gas motors, but I just don't have the truck for it.

Yeah, I don't have very much money with the fur being as low as it is, so I'm trying to keep it used. If I had good fur prices, I don't think it would be a problem.

Yeah, I have a kayak that would be getting sold to afford a Jon boat, it's an 11.5-foot sit on top with the same front hatch on it which I wish was open deck.

Yeah, I was planning on running a life jacket as I know I'm not the best swimmer.

Yeah, I have seen a few canoes for sale around my area and I just don't have the means to transport one safely.

Yeah, that was my reasoning for running a Jon boat for running up onto muskrat huts and cattail banks, I could probably trap it in waders, but having a boat to throw my catch in would be really nice. I'm going to buy a nice jacket because I don't trust my swimming capability.

Yeah, I would be running a 10 or 12-foot max since I don't want to trailer it.

I want to avoid using a motor since my state requires it to be registered if you use one, no matter if it's electric or gas.

It would be small ponds and sloughs maybe a couple of acres at the most.

I know you said boat, but if you can wade with just waders on ,think about an otter sled. Very light, easy to tow or drag, holds all your stuff and can carry some weight.

In my area, the rats do not build huts until the fall. But it's still a great idea to get out on the water and explore and become comfortable with your watercraft.

Yeah, I was thinking about that, but this boat would also be fished out of and have a few other purposes too. When it's hot out I'll go out one day and figure out the depth.

Around here, they keep their huts and stay in them unless they're ran out of them.

I use an otter sled from fall through spring it works water snow or dirt and leaves. The Jon Boat gets used where applicable. It sounds like you could use 12 ft Jon Boat. You should be able to slide that in the back of your truck.

Yeah, it was between a 12-footer or a 10-footer as my kayak is an 11.5-footer and it fits nicely back there. I also have an otter sled that is used for winter trapping and ice fishing, but it's not water worthy since it has a wear hole in the bottom from dragging it.

I patch mine with Flex Seal tape inside and out every year. It is almost time for a new sled

Yeah, Jb weld is going to come out before the season.

I have a 10' Meyer Sportspal canoe that works great for my small (20-30 traps) water line as well as duck hunting. The spot I trap is weedy in spots, I bought a 10' Jon boat and small trolling motor and it just couldn't cut through the weeds. The canoe just glides over them. I can't catch enough critters to overload it, I've had 2 grown men and duck hunting gear in it and it was still steady.

Yeah, all I can find around my area is longer canoes otherwise that might be the best option.

I've trapped out of a 14 foot v bottom al boat, 17 foot al canoe and 12 foot fiberglass canoe. If its thick cattails 5he 17 foot canoe works good you can poke it through them to reach the huts. The 12 footer worked good too although it was wide beamed and harder to get through the weeds, the 14 foot v bottom is great for lake trapping where there is more open water and waves. It can carry a lot of weight.

I've fished and duck hunted out of a 14 foot jon boat and it wouldn't be my first choice for trapping. It would be ok imo for shallow rivers and somewhat shallow an open marshes. I think they are a little too easy to overload and tip.

Cartop a canoe on your s10 or get a cheap trailer. You can also get one of those extension brackets that slips into a receiver hitch to support a boat or canoe sticking ot of the back of your truck.

I think I forgot to add one thing about the s10 is that it has a topper. I measured it earlier and the front bumper to back bumper is about 17 feet which would be just the right length for a canoe since it would be easy to strap down to the front tow hooks and the back receiver hitch.

There is also a 15ft 1986 Grumman Aluminum SportBoat with a trailer for sale on marketplace for 1200$, so would I be better off saving up for that instead of buying a canoe or Jon boat. It looks very nice and the trailer does too and for the money, I think it might be worth it. It does have a square back for mounting motors. Only a few normal scratches on the hull.

You will love that boat! Heck I want one of those. Get you a job or two this summer and get after it.

I have a couple of mowing jobs and stuff, but It's just not paying for what I need it to. I'm going to try to pick up as many jobs as I can, especially with gas going so high. I would probably have half of it if I sold my current kayak which was my plan, but it's just trying to get my parent's approval. I have been looking at videos and specs of it and I think I may have fallen in love already. It seems like the perfect mix between a canoe and a Jon boat which is what I needed.

I hate to sound like a butthole but I am. Unless you load your canoe, flat bottom boat, kayak, etc. You will not pay expenses. Quantity can pay your expenses but with fur prices now you can make more money as a greeter at Walmart.
Fur trapping is over. No one likes a trapper until they need one. Let Fido get carried off by a coyote and you can name your price.

I'm going to say this right out of the gate too. I'm not looking at this as a money-making venture. I can't work indoors and will never be able to because I can't handle it. I have other jobs for paying off my trapping expenses. I know how it feels to lose a pet and if I can stop that before it happens then I don't have to worry about figuring out the price. Fur trapping may be over for you, but it isn't for me. I accepted that when I started 3 years ago that I wasn't going to make money and that I was still going to have to work full-time and trap part-time if that's what I wanted to do in my future. I also have plenty of trappers that I like and I have plenty of people that like me as a trapper, so please leave us remaining trappers alone. Like I said before, I'm not looking to pay my expenses for my boat, as long as I pay my gas which is a pretty reasonable thing to want, I'm happy.

I've never trapped for the money. Learned to trap to eliminate predators of rabbits because I was an avid rabbit hunter. It's a good thing that you don't trap for the money because there is none to be made. Furs are done, ADC work is the only way that you can make a living trapping.