Hi Folks, I have watched a few BOTE videos on the net which have featured their new fishing SUP. It looks like a great piece of kit for those us who want to fish as well as SUP. Has anyone here in Australia been able to get hold of one and try it out?? We seem to be a decade behind the Americans with what is happening in SUP. But this certainly looks like the next big thing.

It's really just a wide board with some tie downs.

The reason there are none in Aus is our population is minuscule and most of it lives on the coast. Getting niche boards like these is a risk.
With the huge population in the USA you could make a Sponge Bob Square Pants board and eventually somebody would buy it.

It's NOT because we are a decade behind.

Take a look at the new Naish 12' Glide or the Fanatic Ray, these would be good fishing platforms.

yes, we are behind the States as far as SUP fishing goes. SUP's are going to steal market share from the current sit on tops and to a lesser extent kayaks. but it would be a brave retailer who'd be the first to bring boards in when joe blow can buy one on the net

the Bote board is the first fishsup to come from a established company using normal construction. the other image is something i posted here a long time ago as plastic ones are old news overseas

the Bote is well thought out with it's level deck, a cooler to use and sit on and hooped rack for more storage and rod holders. it uses what they call a HD nose (hybrid displacement) which looks ideal for parting chop while leaving plenty of meat in the nose for stability.

even though the Naish 12 ' glide and a model by Corran have this new nose shape they aren't fishing orientated

there's a couple of guys on the kayak fishing forum www.akff.net who chase bass around Brisbane that i bet would love to get their hands on the Bote board

Sup fishing is coming and faster than most you think

pete

Thanks 'Paddlepop'. I'm with you on that one. I also think SUP fishing is about to really take off here and those BOTE boards would do well IF they were available in Australi. Thanks also for posting those photos. I'm heading to the boat and fishing expo here in Brisbane this weekend and we'll see what they have there. Cheers.

i though you needed some help defending your original post. glad i could help

sight casting is the latest trend in fishing and there's not a lot of sit on top's that you can comfortably do that out of. although i'd gladly change my hobie sport for a new PA12.

let us know if you see anything at the show. i suspect that Anaconda or BCF will be the first to retail a plastic fishsup

pete

I have to concur with paddle pop, if there was a viable, stable sight casting platform that was less hassle than a 25-30kg yak (plus all the fruit) i reckon fishos would be on it. Mission for the warmer months is to try some fly casting off my Starboard Atlas and see how that goes ( I've got a SOT that's been hanging up for 2 years...anyone want to buy a lightly used OK Scupper Pro?).

Found a you tube video on the net that shows you how to rig up your standard SUP board for fishing using a milk crate, a couple of pvc tubes for rod holders and tie down straps to attach the crate to your board. You could also attach an esky this way and use it as a seat. I do like the look of those BOTE boards but there are a whole lot of cheaper options.

something like this

Third time lucky

don't try this at home, it doesn't work

pete

How good are those shacks in the background , where's that ?

^^^The Glenelg River (Looks more Nelson than Donovans?) - my favorite flatwater spot to paddle. Looking forward to hols at the end of this year so I can test out my soft-plastics casting from my Sup. Wander down to the boatshed/landing on hot days with the sups/rods/canoes/esky/bbq/sunscreen, a bunch of friends & kids. Great way to spend the day paddling around under the bridge & along the rock faces spotting/catching bream &/or relaxing on the landing with a brew.

Pics from interweb;

yes it is at Donovans, well spotted. beaut spot unless it's blowing like stink

pete

Great photo termite, but what board is that? Good looking hull. Is that crate actually attached to the board? Have you caught any fish?

Bugger the fishing - I like the idea of paddling with an esky and a few beers.

only one esky?

Here is my new carbon 12'6" carbon cruiser ready to be fitted with fishing accessories.

good luck with the outfitting but keep it to two rods for simplicity

there's lots of fishsup sites to get ideas from

pete

One of the problems with SUP fishing is weight. Just how much can you load onto your board before it becomes a problem.The lighter you can go with your cooler/icebox here the better.

Trialled my 11'6 Guy Leech board as a fishing SUP. Failed. I used a 45lt esky with a 4kg bag of ice. Board couldn't handle the extra weight and behaved very badly. Also, you really need dedicated tie down points to secure your gear. Those 'Hooked on SUP' boards might be the go.