What Is a Bait Boat?

Carp fishing today is both extremely popular and very much focused on technology, with a lot of modern gear that has entered the market and found its way to the banks. Bait boats are a perfect example of the recent wave of technology in carp fishing and many anglers want to know more about this type of gear.

Bait boats are small remote-controlled boats that carry your particles, as well as your end tackle and hookbait to a specific point on a carp venue. Their destination is usually an either hard to approach or distant fishing spot, which hence can be reached from land, thanks to this device.

What Is a Bait Boat Used for?

As the name so aptly suggests, a bait boat is used for carrying and delivering your bait to a specific point on your venue.

Bait, in this regard, implies anything from groundbait, loosefeed, particles and boilies, to the hookbait itself.

So, you can either use it for pure baiting purposes and/or to deliver both a load of freebies and your terminal tackle with your hookbait to a precise spot anywhere on the lake.

While many anglers use a bait boat for mere pre-baiting purposes, simply because it is a more convenient and faster way to get a large quantity of feed out into your intended swim, there are also plenty of carp fishermen who send out their rigs on a bait boat.

The latter makes the most sense on really big lakes where long-distance fishing is your only option.

How Does a Bait Boat Work?

Essentially, the bait boat is navigated via the use of a handheld radio remote control, giving you the ability to send the loaded boat practically anywhere on any given venue. Of course, different models will have different signal ranges.

Most bait boats will either have one main, or two hoppers with opening and closing doors beneath them. The hoppers, depending on the model, can sometimes even be opened individually.

The hoppers’ loading capacity will also vary between different models. Some boats can only carry a smaller amount of feed, while others can carry out a few kilos at a time.

When you’ve loaded up your bait boat with both feed and rig, you simply put it in the water and steer it to the intended fishing location using the remote.