Which Flats boats to bass fish from?

[10sne1]

Do any of you us a flats boat bass fishing? Pros and cons? I own an Aluminum tournament level bass boat, love it. Easy clean, easy tow, fishes great.. wife wishes me to go back to a Glass Boat to fish more salt and bay, snook, trout, reds. So to go glass and fish bass 80% and salt 20%, I’m thinking flats boat? What do you fish? I realize there are bass n bay rangers and others. These are on my list too. Thanks for your thoughts. Tomm in central FL.

[ClarkBird]

Big O, Lake & Bay, Bullet SF

[10sne1]

Add. Ranger Cayman and Maverick. But I’m looking for pros and cons.

[Transom]

I am pretty sure all of them will work.

[LTZ25]

I fish in my Sterling 22xs and it works great , pp’s , ultrex , trim taps and 3 live wells .

[ciasurv]

http://i67.tinypic.com/axim34.jpg

Page 29 of tin boat picture

[perfect-storm]

Seriously consider a Big O Elite X crossover. Give them a call and Terry and his crew will build you a custom boat you’ll truly love owning.

[perfect-storm]

www.bigoboats.com

https://m.facebook.com/BigoBoats/

[Greg58]

Skeeter makes several sizes of bay boats. I live in missouri and bass fish it of my SX220 all the time! Also drag it down to Florida to chase the reds and trout. They can go shallow (12 inches) but handle pretty big chop. I love it!!

[bigkahuna71]

Have been/are still in your shoes. Tried it for a few years in a Hewes Redfisher 18, then went back to a bass boat. For one, it was a wet SOB, but the other things like no rod lockers or raised gunnels so you can safely lay a few rods on deck, no recessed pedal (had a Terrova with the plug in pedal, but now there's the Ultrex, which is much better IMO), front decks are usually shorter than most bass boats if you fish 2 up front, etc. A Big O is about the best solution to all of those issues, and are everywhere south of you. They are great boats, but have a few little things about them that keep me from going that route. If looking used, Skeeter, Triton, Legend, and Ranger have made bass boat models with non-skid over the years, but Ranger and Bullet may be the only ones currently that do? I would strongly consider a 21 Master Angler by Maverick if they ever made it again, used ones are tough to find. If your split is really 80% bass I think you'll end up with regrets like I did. I am currently considering getting an older 18' flats hull that is solid and repowering it for a saltwater option. That way I can park it in the yard and not be too concerned over it while the bass boat stays in the garage. If

[LTZ25]

I can't believe Pathfinder doesn't come out with a bass boat .

[ZO6]

Lake and Bay Bocagrande

[Marshfly]

The suggestions will be all over the map. You're going to have to throw out a budget to get meaningful responses. Everything from a $90k Yellowfin 21 Hybrid to a used $20k Hewes Redfisher and more will do what you want.

[10sne1]

Thanks, great real word reviews. Thanks.
Looking at used rangers. Bass and bay platforms. Big o is to pricey.

[perfect-storm]

Big O gets used trades sometimes so still worth a call. New can get expensive depending on what you add to it. Base boat is $39,900. That includes hydraulic jack plate, trim tabs, hydraulic steering and dual axle aluminum Ameritrail trailer. From there you have to add motor, trolling motor and electronics. The rest is where it can go way up or stay reasonable. Even motor can be anywhere as the boat runs very well with a 150, 175, 200 or whatever. In the end it’s not more than a production boat and you’re getting a custom boat made the way you want it.

[Marshfly]

Thanks, great real word reviews. Thanks.
Looking at used rangers. Bass and bay platforms. Big o is to pricey.

What's your budget?

[10sne1]

Used at $20k +-$2k. I’m headed to Tampa Boat show, Friday to crawl on a few to get a feeling of. Seating, gunnel heights, size of decks, widths, etc.... I realize there are yearly model changes, but it will help with my lists.

[Marshfly]

You're looking at older Hewes Redfishers, Ranger Cayman, Action Crafts, stuff like that. The thing is, most of these boats were pretty expensive new and it'll have be something that they made a decent amount of to get down below $25k. The rare stuff will never get that cheap unless it is ragged out. If you search hard, you will probably be able to find a nice, older Hewes Redfisher 21 with an HPDI on it that would work very well for what you want to do. They have enormous decks and should hit 70mph with a 250.

[10sne1]

Agree, I have the same list you gave me. Some of these are at $20k on Craigslist, but further than I’m ready to travel at this time. As my calendar gets open, I’ll venture out.

[mikesxpress]

You can have both: