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I will be purchasing a new boat in the next couple of months and would like some help from the veteran crappie anglers. What is the best length of boat, alum. or fiberglass, flatbottom or v-hull, engine size, trolling motor size and any rod rig set-up I need to put on once I buy the boat. Any and all help very appreciated.
Thanks,
Slabseeker@wheelerlake
Anything. That. Floats.
I like Fiberglass bass boats. They're roomy, stable, and have decent sized live wells. You may want to go bigger or smaller depending on how many you fish with. I'm normally fish by myself, or with one other person. I have a 90 hp Mercury on my 17 ft Stratos and a 55 thrust Minnkota trolling motor. I have as few as 3, but as many as 8 rods w/ me when I go...ranging in length from 5 to 12 ft.
I have 3 Black Widow rod holders mounted on my boat (2 on the back and 1 up front by me). I have 2 15 lb river anchors each w/ a chain and 150 ft of rope (anchor bags are worth the investment to keep the anchor out of the way) and another 100 ft rope for tying off or towing.
I keep my throwable pfd in one of the compartments along w/ the fire extinguisher and a spare life jacket. My bait pump is always nearby, and I bought one of those square frabill minnow buckets w/ the built in aerator, because I average losing 4 minnow buckets a year.
Crappie World had an article on just that question a month or two ago. Everyone has their preference and no one type boat is perfect for everyone. Many of the large aluminum boats with all the frills may be all any fisherman would want, however some like myself prefer a heavier fiberglass boat with a large motor. I have an 18 ft. fish n' ski that was a compromise with the wife as she wanted a runabout with an I/O while I had my eye on bass boat with a larger OB. I guess what I'm saying is its up to your own preferences or situation.
if i could afford it, then i'd go fiberglass for my primary rig. the stability in the wind would make it worth the money to me. the only disadvantage is fishing out of the way spots during the drawdown stage of the lake. you can easily fix that with about a 500 dollar aluminum rig to pair it up with. just fix them up where you can move your rod holders from boat to boat depending on where you're going to fish.
It depends a lot on where you like to fish, but I'm nuts over big
deep V boats - alum. or glass. I like fishing big, open water, ran
about 4 or 5 miles each way on Pickwick Sunday in a pretty heavy
chop - whitecapping in the main river. Ran near wide open, slow as
that is, only got a little shower on the way back, but that is because
I'm sitting in the back with no windshield - tiller steer - RAINSUIT! :D
It sits down in the wind to fish, even a howling gale will only blow it
a little over 1 mph... drawback for some would be that it draws probably 2' of water, couldn't get in shallow places, but to me it's worth it!
You might want to take a look at the Lowe Stinger. I just purchased one and should be picking it up in a couple of days. Wide boat 60" bottom.
Slabseeker
I would go with the biggest fiberglass bass boat that I could afford. Its better to have to much room than not enough. If you look you can find some deals on some used but in great shape 20 and 21 foot bass boats out there, they make the perfect crappie fishing rig and will handle the big water and the wind. Trolling motor 80 to 100 thrust lbs varible speed on a 24 volt system with on board charger. On rod holders Driftmaster are the best that I have found for long line trolling and or spider rigging. Get what you really want the first time around because there's nothing worse than not having enough boat for the conditions your are fishing...
Hope this helps...
I'm on my second boat now. I started off with a Ranger R72 with a 90hp merc. This was a great boat for me, but I did upsize to a Triton TR20 with 200HP and have never once regretted the decision. Different brands, hull designs, ect. will have different features and performance characteristics. I would recommend to you to the largest boat matched with the adequate motor size, that you can afford. Storage, room, stability, ect. go hand in hand with your boat size and it's always better to have more capability than you need instead of always regretting not getting what you wanted in the first place. Also motor size is important to match with your boat to maximize the effieciency, not just speed and performance. You do need to consider budget vs. use as well. I don't even want to tell you how much a fishing trip cost me if I break down the cost of the boat by how much I actually get to use it. With all this said, there is no one answer to your question, but probably more questions to add to your list of questions. Write a list out that includes the features, performance, and price range that you want. From there you can begin to shop and decide what is best for you.
carolina skiff all the way center console all kinds of room
If the funds are available get the new Triton Crappie Boat. Check out their website for more details.
I have been in these boats and they are set up exclusively for crappie.