JACK WOLLITZ Boats make angling enjoyable

Can you imagine what our angling ancestors would have thought if they could have stepped aboard one of today's modern fishing boats?
Walleye and bass anglers are enjoying the marriage of technology and competition. The offspring of that union comprise a new generation of boats that make fishing productive and more enjoyable for millions of anglers.
The upcoming midwinter boat shows will feature big displays of the fastest, most-gadget-loaded watercraft ever manufactured with fishermen in mind.
So let's take a sentimental journey with great-granddad to the Cleveland Boat Show and watch his amazement grow. "What's that?" he might inquire after we pass through the IX Center's turnstiles. "Looks like a Buck Rogers space ship."
"That's a bass boat."
"A bass boat? In my day, any boat was good for crappies, catfish, walleyes and bluegills."
"Well, Grandpa, this boat is built specifically for bass fishermen."
"So who fishes just for bass? They aren't any good to eat."
"People who fish on boats like this release their bass."
At the bar?
"You're kidding me? Why go fishin' if you aren't going to bring home a bucketful of fish for Grandma to fry? If I came home with no fish, she'd have thought I was down at the bar. Anyway, you wouldn't catch much from a glittery boat like this. It would scare the fish. And how big's that outboard?"
"225 horsepower."
"Get outta here. That's more than the flathead Ford I souped up when I was a kid. So how fast will she go?"
"70 mph."
"Now I know you're pulling my leg. Who needs to go that fast?"
"Speed is just for getting out to your fishing hole. When you're ready to start casting, you stand up on the bow and lower that electric motor into the water."
"You stand up? Well that sure would scare the fish. And if you troll around on that motor very long, it would kill your battery and you'd never be able to crank that big outboard with a rope."
Three batteries
"You don't have to worry about that, Grandpa. This boat carries three batteries."
"Well no wonder they've got a 225-horse motor. You need that just to push the weight around. What about those dials and boxes, what are they?"
"This one is a sonar unit and the other is a GPS that reads satellite signals that help you navigate."
"See, I told you this was a space ship. Either that or you use the sonar to hunt U-boats."
"No, the sonar is to tell you how deep the water is."
The cost
"I used to do that with my anchor and rope. OK, what's a rig like this cost?"
"$29,000."
"You're crazy. That's more than me and my four brothers paid all together for our houses."
Time to cut this trip short, before the old fellow has a stroke.
But he was right about one thing: For sure, fishermen are crazy. Thank goodness the boat-builders recognize we're willing to buy all those bells and whistles. See you at the boat show next month.
jwwollitz@aol.com