Hi All,

I have a buddy and we are seriously considering a polling skiff or a flats boat. (Not a bay boat)
We are both almost exclusively fly fishers and would like to get into the salt more. I would imagine the boat would make 5-7 visits to the TX/LA coast every year for reds and specs and whatever else we can find and the rest of the time be on TX lakes fishing the flats for carp and the concessional trip to target bass or some other species. It will be exclusively a fishing boat usually with 2 people and a max of 3 on board.

We currently inherited a 21' 8" Tracker Center Console with a Mercury 115HP, but are not that happy fishing out of it. It's just too big and heavy for the type of fishing we like to do.

Do any of you think this is dumb idea or if there is another type of boat that might be better suited to the fishing described above?


I was recently told that the technical polling skiffs are designed more for the "deeper flats" of Florida/Georgia/South Carolina and are not a good fit for the "shallower flats" of the TX/LA coast. I have no idea if this is true. I also don't fully understand the difference between a polling skiff and a flats boat. Is the skiff just smaller?

Any insight would be much appreciated.

It all depends on *where* you think you'll use this new toy, and careful considerations of all that involves.

The statement about poling skiffs being used in "deeper" flats is true, most won't go where a well designed Texas flats rig will go. *IF* you're planning on fishing Port O'Connor south, this will be a big deal, or your pristine back country will be off limits to a typical florida poling skiff, they can't run in 4" of water to get anywhere.

And if you truly believe you're going to peacefully pole a boat in a typical 20 mph wind day with any control on the coast, you're seriously optimistic about what you can and can't do. And to add to the issue, most back lakes in Texas aren't sand, they're mud. Deep nasty poot mud. That pole goes in about three feet before you get any sort of traction out of it.

So, you can beat your head against the wall, or learn from those that went before you. You drift in the boat, you wade the rest. That's how most of the fish are caught here, and why most of the TX boats are built with very low profiles, which cuts the sail factor down on a drift and makes it much easier to exit and return in after a wade. I've had several buds who decided the florida type boat was the real deal, and all of them sold them in a year.

Probably one of the best technical poling skiffs is the Mitzi Skiff. Very popular in Florida for those that pole for a living.

mitzi has a nice one with a tunnel. Other than that pathfinder had a model back in the day call the 17 tunnel. It was a skinny as they get huge tunnel trim tabs and all I still miss mine. Took 14" to get up less if it was soft mud

A gheenoe LT25 will run in 6" or less if set up right. Thats Microskiff territory though. They handle OK in the wind (pretty light).


ECC makes some nice crossovers between micro and TPS. This version is kinda lone-starry-ish:


Check out www.microskiff.com for more info on these topics. Those guys know all there is to know about getting skinny. Florida knows plenty about the wind too, those boys down in the keys get their fair share of it.

Im building my own "hybrid" skiff currently, incorporating alot of TPS-like features while maintaining some thought towards freshwater species that I fish on a regular basis.

Good luck!

east cape makes some super nice rides. Just keep a eye out for a tunnel skiff without one your not gonna be happy.

Great info. Very much appreciated! The salt is very new to me. I can count my trips on one hand. Thanks again to all! That Greenhoe sounds interesting.

Two boats we have looked at

Coppperhead Ankona
http://www.ankonaboats.com/ankb2_010.htm
Seems pretty low profile


Mako Pro 16 Skiff
http://www.mako-boats.com/boat/?boat=3553
This might be better based on the tunnel hull

Those ankona boats have a good following, The mako is pretty much a fancy Carolina skiff. I know a few guys down here that have them and traded them back pretty quick.
I saw one of these the other day and really liked it.
http://www.baycraftinc.com/custompage.asp?pg=tunnel180explorer

I have been looking at either a used Ranger Cayman 184, Ghost 184, or a Mako 18 LTS for the exact same reason. I woudn't be interested in the polling platform so the extreme 4" draft isn't a concern. I would be on the lake 80% of the time and inshore the rest using the trolling motor in both situations.

Andrew, why have your buddies canned the Mako so fast? I assume it wasn't shallow enough?

yep and also the ride wasn't all it was spoken about. I know one guy put a jackplate on one which was a waste of about 1000$.

That sucks. Maybe the Nauticstar is a better option for the $$$

I have a Bossman Tortuga and can float in 4 to 5 inches of water. Not sure about technical poling skiffs being made for "deeper" flats. Their whole purpose is super skinny water. As a matter of fact if you do get one I would not recommend taking it to any lake unless it is a calm day. I almost swamped mine when we ran straight into 3 to 4 foot rollers in North East winds one day in the bay. It was a hard lesson learned.



If super skinny is what you want then look into technical poling skiffs. If 2 to 3 foot flats is more your style then stick with a conventional bay boat that wil handle rough lakes and bays as well.

If money's not an option, check out this boat: http://gausebuiltboats.com/slideshowpro/...mp;sharpening=1

I had a chance to meet David Gause and tour his shop. My buddy in Tampa has one of their 26's. Its more of a purpose built beach/nearshore Tarpon boat (boca grande style). But the 17 is newer, and one heck of a good looking skiff! Super pricey, but you get what you pay for...

Most definitely want to go into the skinny water. Completely understand about the calm waters. Fly-fishing at stiff winds generally don't mix anyway.