I know Baitboats are not everyone’s cup of tea but personally I think they are a great invention and use mine whenever I can. One of the main objections seems to be “it takes the skill out of fishing”, well I heard the same argument about the bait rig, hair rig, swimfeeeders and poles etc, it goes on and on. The thing is we must accept progress and we can’t expect the world to stand still and keep angling in a time warp!

Space age materials for rods, reels with the precision of a watch, invisible line, flavours and attractors makes the most wary of fish catchable and of course the electronic world that seems to have as much of an input into our angling nowadays. So it is pretty obvious that a model boat would be built to take your bait further and more accurately than casting a rod. But that doesn’t take away the skill of having a good rig, a good bait and having the watercraft of when to drop the bait. Be in no doubt a Baiboat will not make a bad angler a good one. What it will do is improve any anglers chances no matter what their ability.

I must admit that even in close up situations I will use my boat if allowed. For a start I know my loose feed and hook bait are together, where I wanted them and in one spot. How many times has it taken you, three casts with a 3oz lead to be satisfied with your position? The first two casts have positioned bait where you didn’t want it i.e. away from the position you want your hook bait and just as important you have frightened every fish in the area with the splashing of the lead hitting the water three times.

Using a boat, there is no sound and it’s right first time. Two trips out and you have three rods in position, exactly where you wanted and are waiting a take. Indeed on a number of occasions I have taken a run before the boat has returned to the bank. That’s with all species including cats, and of course carp. Nige Williams reckons the engines attract the pike and they follow the sound and will take the bait as it falls from the boat, and he should know for he has taken hundreds of pike using the Baitboat and Microcat.

But for me the true value of the Baitboat, Microcat and Procat is from a conservation point of view. How many times do you know, the closer to the safe haven of an island the better? Three casts later you eventually make the spot again frightening everything in the area or worse still you have to pull for a break because you have overcast into foliage!! It’s easy enough to be on a new rig, but what of the rig hanging up in the vegetation. With a baitboat you can actually take the bait and freebies under the tree line into safe areas that have never seen a bait before.

Another advantage especially if your fishing distance is you can use less powerful rods. For be in no doubt when you are casting great distances your rod is so powerful that it becomes a casting tool, rather than a pleasure to use fishing rod. That’s fine when you cast but when you come to play a fish there’s no give at all. Indeed I’ve seen anglers using rods you could cast a carp out with, never mind land one! With the boats you can use rods just powerful enough to lane big fish and yet still fish 200 yards from the bank, now that’s clever. But its just not fish conservation the boat gives you, it can be self-preservation for when you are fishing big waters in the UK and abroad, it is so easy to get into trouble when taking out your baits and rigs in a conventional boat. There’s no risk standing on the bank guiding your baitboat to the spot.

Having said all that now Angling Technics have taken using baitboats to another level. Not only does it take baits and rigs out for you, but it can map out your swim without moving around with a conventional echo sounder. The Microcat and Baitboat can have fitted a unique echo sounder system. Imagine taking out your bait to a bar on a gravel pit 150 yards out and that is only 3 feet across a very difficult task with a rod, but with a boat within everyone’s reach. Find areas of hard gravel, soft clay, damp weed, bars plateaus, in fact any type of feature can be plotted with the onboard echo sounder. Many is the time when I’m fishing I will get three rods out as quick as possible and if it’s a new water, have a play for an hour with the boat finding out features which I can then fish to. The echo sounder is only one of a vast array of accessories available for Angling Technics boats. The Procat does not have an echo sounder available, this is a basic boat but has all the reliability properties of the other two boats. The boat was tested for over twelve months by Angling Technics consultants and come through with flying colours and helped greatly in putting extra fish on the bank!

One of my favourite tricks is to use the boat with the method feeder. Imagine loading the boat with balls of ground bait on the left hand side and three more balls on the right. One of these balls has your hook bait in it and all this little lot can be taken up to 400 yards away from the bank, where no angler could put a method feeder and balls of bait without a conventional boat. Phil Fry the owner of Angling Technics and myself made the latest video to show you some of our tips and methods and what all three bait boats are capable of, in two days we had four twenties and a thirty from quite a hard water. Resign yourself to the fact, fishing is moving on at a great pace and to keep up we need to move with it and a bait boat is certainly a move in the right direction.
I wonder if Angling Technics have thought about a helicopter yet!
Des Taylor

MICROCAT BAIT BOAT

The Microcat represents the final word in bait boat design, using many of the techniques from its well-regarded stable mate with many advanced design features evolved over five years. Exceptional carrying capacity, massive range, stability and the best in cutting edge technology.
Dimensions 69cm x 37cm x 17 cm
Weight 7kgs Std Batteries
9kgs Hvy Duty Batteries
Hoppers 2
Bait Capacity 4kgs
Propulsion Jet
Radio Frequency 40 Mhz
Radio Range 600 Metres
Echo Acceptable Yes
Continuous Running 45-60 mins
Microcat Boat £655.00
Microcat Boat + Graphical Echo Sounder £1250.00
Microcat Boat + DigitalEcho Sounder £980.00

STANDARD BAIT BOAT

The Angling Technics Bait Boat represents the most advanced fishing aid of its kind. Using state of the art computer technology and an innovative propulsion system it has been designed specifically to give the angler the edge.

Dimensions 57cm x 30cm x 26cm
Weight 4.2kgs
Bait Capacity 2.5kgs
Hoppers 2
Propulsion Jet
Radio Frequency 27 Mhz
Radio Range 400 Metres
Echo Acceptable Yes
Continuous Running 45-60 mins

Standard Bait Boat £470.00
Std Bait Boat + Graphical Echo Sounder £1,065.00
Standard Bait Boat +Digital Echo Sounder £795.00

PROCAT BAIT BOAT

This lightweight boat breaks new ground in terms of use of advanced battery systems and electronics. Deploying up to 3/4Kg of bait up to 200 metres and with
a battery life of
just over 2 hours.

Dimensions 62cm x 28cm x 13.5cm
Weight 2.75kgs
Bait Capacity 0.75kgs
Hoppers 1
Propulsion Propellers
Radio Frequency 27 Mhz
Radio Range 200 Metres
Echo Acceptable No
Continuous Running 120 mins

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