A friend of mine, Mark Watson, sent me some pics of his boat and home-made winch that he uses to get on and off his boat whenever he goes fishing.

This is a bay boat which means it's built for angling in the shallow saltwater flats along the Texas coast where Mark lives.

I'll post the rest of his photos so you can see how he has modified his equipment and to see just what possibilities exist out there for wheelchair fishermen.

A pontoon boat has to be the best i've seen so far just because it's so spacious to begin with. It's ready-made for wheelchair access, but there are different kinds of boats for different kinds of fishing.

Notice that Mark has created a platform along almost the entire length of his boat so that he can get around in his chair once he has been hoisted onboard.

You'll see in the next pic that he transfers to the boat's seat in order to drive. This is the safest way to go in a boat (and in any vehicle) because the deck can get slick and riding over waves can bounce a chair around. If you are ever going to stay in your chair when driving, better make sure you have it securely tied down so you can't be thrown.

Looks easy when you have the right stuff doesn't it?

I know who he better call before he takes off for the bay this summer.

Thanks a lot for the pics buddy. It's always good to see someone who did whatever he had to do to get back out on the water.

I've always said this is the easiest hurdle to cross because once you figure out how to get into and out of the boat, you can go anywhere you want. A boat can make you highly mobile and fishing is usually quicker to figure out than hunting. Requires less adaptations too.

I'll put up some fishing pics in the trophy room soon from some of those I've received recently. This site is getting heavy on the hunting (not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Good fishing!!!