A couple years later , Cox switched full-time to an aluminum boat ; a year after that ( 2015 ) saw him winning a FLW Tour event on Lake Hartwell , the Forrest Wood Cup on Wheeler Lake and finishing runner-up in the AOY standings , all from an aluminum .
But that original win highlights exactly why he , DeFoe , Poche and others are choosing to fish from them more and more , be it fun fishing or in tournaments . They simply can get places fiberglass boats can ’ t .
The lack of weight of an aluminum boat compared to the weight of a fiberglass boat allows them to sit higher and draft far less water . For Cox , that meant he could squeeze his boat through the culvert , using wood twoby-fours to push his way through because the weight was so much less .
DeFoe ’ s aluminum Tracker can float in only 8 inches of water and drafts less than 3 inches when on plane ( and he even uses a jet motor so there ’ s no skeg to hit ). That means it ’ s the perfect bet for when the water comes up in spring and he wants to get way back into areas of newly flooded brush . And according to Poche , he can raise his jack plate high enough that his boat only drafts an inch or two of water ( including the prop ) when he ’ s running full out . Thus , stumps , rocks and pretty much everything else underneath the
“ They ’ re durable and can get just about anywhere , opening up possibilities to fish untapped areas .”
water suddenly are no longer an issue for guys like DeFoe and Poche . If they can ’ t see it , they ’ re not going to worry about hitting it .
To get to his winning spot on Cherokee – near a dam far up the Holston River – Poche had to run a couple little stretches of super-shallow rock shoals . DeFoe joked that had he been able to use his aluminum boat for that event – per MLF rules , an angler has to use the same boat for every event of the BPT – Poche would not have been alone up near the dam , as DeFoe has long been one of the few locals who fished that spot because of his own aluminum boat . But because DeFoe had his fiberglass boat , there was no way he was risking it in that event .
And the thing is , even if DeFoe or Poche can see an obstacle , they ’ re still not worried . Poche recently posted a
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON video on his Instagram of him jumping a concrete dam . And DeFoe remembers what he ran ( and ran over ) en route to the first time he won a boat in a tournament .
“ I was fishing a team tournament on a small river in Mississippi in my old jet boat ,” DeFoe said . “ We were literally jumping dry logs on plane . You ’ d hit logs at 20 to 25 mph and go right across them . Some were about even with the top of the water , but some were 6 inches above surface . You ’ d just hit them with the nose of the boat , you ’ d pop the nose up , and then go completely over them .”
metal mindset
What the above outlined more than anything is that when it comes to aluminum boats , there are endless possibilities , both from a fishing perspective and a customization perspective ( see sidebar on DeFoe ’ s setup ). But in order to maximize those possibilities , an angler needs to think differently .
“ With so many of these bodies of water , the main lake gets so much pressure ,” Poche said . “ Everyone knows most the spots and can fish them . In an aluminum boat , I have the opportunity to get off the beaten path and find hidden spots where there may be fish who have never been fished for before . That ’ s a huge advantage .”
DeFoe agrees , as he says when he gets in those “ hidden ” places , he definitely sees fish that react a lot different than those he sees out on the main lake .
“ They ’ re definitely a little less boat shy because they ’ re not used to seeing boats ,” DeFoe said . “ They don ’ t associate a boat with anything . It ’ s not like those you see cruising an open bank that spook the second they notice a boat or who leave after you ping them with forward-facing sonar . They just do their thing .”
Does that mean the fish are easier to catch ? Yes and no . DeFoe joked it ’ s not like 5-pounders are just going to start jumping in the boat . It still takes skill to catch them , just like it does to hit a golf ball . But like using an oversized club , these hidden fish are a bit more forgiving if a presentation is not perfect .
30 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2023