RapTrap Returns to Ray Hubbard?

Whats up TFF it's been a really long time since I posted here and even longer since I fished. Just wanted to post real quick and see who is till fishing Hubbard and maybe get some advice on a new boat. I am in the market to get something in the next week or two and am trying to decide between a Nitro or maybe Skeeter bass boat or a Sea Fox or Blue Wave Bay Boat. I'm not trying to start a which boat is better war just looking to see if I can get some user experiences and maybe catch up with the old Hubbard crew! Hope you guys have been catching some fish and I look forward to fishing with you all again soon!

Love my 22' Sea Fox its in my sig line. Hard T Top, 36 V Ulterra, ilink , Humminbird. My favorite feature is the Carolina Flare, very nice dry ride. Hydraulic Atlas jack plate and trim tabs. The tabs are great. All the others you mentioned make very good boats. I am completely satisfied with mine. The only thing I would change is the horse power. I have a 150 Yammie its rated for 225. Most favorite feature - it's paid for.

No doubt, I have fished on a couple of peoples Sea Fox boats and they seemed great to me. I started researching the Blue Waves though and am really falling in love. What I really wanted was a Sea Hunt but I cant swing that much. 40k I think is going to be the ceiling for my purchase. Going to look at both the Sea Fox and Blue Wave tomorrow. With any luck I'll be back on the water with my boys in a week!

Howdy, Mike! Good to hear from ya. Feel free to contact any of us RHSA guys and we'll bring you up to speed on hubbard. There are many good CC boats out there. Put a good 4 stroke on it and you'll be happy. I know quite a bit about CC boats and been looking at them over the years as a hobby cuz I LOVE boat shopping Call me first before buying.

Todd, good to see you are still fishing Hubbard. I am on my way out to Ft. Worth to look at Blue Waves I'll call you in route at the old number I have for you. If its changed in the last couple of years call me when you get a chance 214-693-7711

Stop by the shop! Welcome back!

Welcome back Mike. Get the CC. Fishing out of a bass boat is tough on Hubbard.

Man I thought having more money to spend would make this easier...it has not. No matter how I measure my garage 20 to 21 foot Bay Boats just dont fit. I can get a well equipped Nautic Star 215xts for about the same price as a very nice Blue Wave Pure Bay 2000 but even the Pure Bay being smaller needs 25ft to store. Not happening in my garage. I live a 1/4 of a mile from the old Marina boat ramp on Rowlett road and I really hate to drive past the ramp everyday to dry storage. Price of slips these days is a second boat payment and the more I think about my fishing style the more I am leaning toward a bass boat. Bay Boat is great for the family especially my youngest that is about to start fishing, but I get bored just chasing whites and hybrids. If I drop 40k on a boat and cant run the river, flip docks and weave around stumps in search of the illusive double digit LMB I am going to hate myself! If someone can convince me I can do those three from a 20ft Bay Boat that's the route I'll go but everything I read says if you wanna bass fish, buy a bass boat!

If you fish with shad, where will you keep them on a bass boat?
CC all the way. Has a front deck with pedestal seat. Room for a shad tank and tackle.
I had a Kenner that I could get in skinnier water than my old 21 ft. Nitro dual console bass boat.
You can still get it in the same areas as a bass boat and use your new 112 lb. Ulterra to hit docks, stumps, and points.
Build a boat shed beside the garage for the bay boat.
Win Win!

jbobo, Bait is certainly a factor although I only bait fish for about 3 months a year. Doug Arcenaux taught me how to make a filter so I can convert a live well to bait tank so its doable. Been looking at Skeeter ZX200 and its a damn fine boat. Funny that you mention the Ulterra trolling motor because thats exactly what I have my eye set on. As much as I think I would love a Bay Boat storage is probably going to get me. I live in a gated community on Ray Hubbard with a strict [censored] HOA. No parking in drive way or storage of any kind allowed. I have been bribing my youngest son for some Sq. Ft in his room. Told him I was going to knock out a whole in the wall big enough for the outboard on the Bay Boat to back into and then frame it out and drywall it. He said Dad I am going to have a big weird wall in my room and less room to play. I said how about I mount that old 60 inch flatscreen collecting dust in the closet on that weird wall. He said done deal! Wife was much less impressed with my ingenuity than my son and I were

I have heard a few negative comments on the Ulterra, but I have one of the first one to come off the assembly line and I love it. I have the 36vdc with ILink networked with my Onix and it has worked without a flaw. The Follow the Contour function is awesome. For someone like me who has a bit of difficulty getting around with one leg, Ulterra is nice. The big remote is huge and needs charging after about two trips. The 36 Volt pulls my 22' Sea Fox with a hard top around just fine.

Welcome back Mike! Don't give up on a CC just yet. Get out in one in rough water, Ray Hubbard most days, and then get in a bass boat. No comparison.

Mike RapTrap talked a bit yesterday and texted some this morning. I say get a boat that fits your style of fishing, Mike. We only confuse you more on here. Just make sure it floats. Lol

Moe just saw your post, I will definitely stop by once I get back on the water! Have you put together a good bass fishing jig yet so I dont have to give all my money to Booyah? So I just got my wife out in the garage to help me take some measurements and I managed to find a way to get 24 feet of storage measuring diagonally and being sure to account for the width of the boat which means the Bay Boat is not out of the running...IF..the height of it doesnt get me have to check on that next! Now who is going to take me out on their 20 to 21 footer and let me troll up and down the rip rap and run the river to see just how well a Bay Boat can chase bass??

I saw this CC boat on rowlett creek the other day. CC is versitile .

That looks almost as bad as me and my first wife when we started fishing Hubbard out of a 12 foot jon boat except she was breast feeding my youngest son during a Hybrid feeding frenzy. Jackson Bean got a good laugh out of that one....whew its been quite a ride from a 12 foot jon boat to looking to sign the note for a Skeeter or Blue Wave. Good times all the way thats for sure and looking forward to more!!

Oh boy I found some good reading here. http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/10022149/1 Unless the Nautic Star really impresses me on Monday it may be the Blue Wave Pure Bay 200 for me!

Mike I don't get out much because of work but you are welcome to go with me anytime.

Here is the deal on the terrova vs the ultera and the humminbird vs lowrance. Ultera is good but some guides have had problems. I pilot is tried and tested and i have no problem at all with mine( get the 60 inch shaft). If you get a bay boat you probably won't need a graph up front on the trolling motor so either motor or graph will work. Get which ever unit you want. If you want a graph up front on a bass boat( or bay boat ) and want it to have it,s own tranducer, Get the terrova with a humminbird because you can run the ducer cable of a bird down the channel of the shaft and have no interference of the cable sticking and making it hard to raise. The lowrance cable is too thick. Some will agree on here. The ultera there is no easy way to put a ducer on the bottom of it.( well there are some ways but to me it is a lot of effort)BTW welcome back See everyone in a month I am slammed at work

Plano Keith good to see you are still around! Heard much of the same things you are saying here about the Ultera. I think I am going to wait for the Altrex or however its spelled!

So I THINK I have narrowed it down. After driving all over Dallas and looking at about 10 different boats its starting to look like its going to be be a Skeeter ZX225. I was about ready to grab the ZX 200 but no one has them in stock and one dealer is willing to give me the ZX225 at discount to compete with the ZX200 quote. After getting a second look at the Nautic Star 215 XTS today I was leaning Blue Wave on the Bay Boat but by the time I put graphs and trolling motor on the Bay Boat and wait for install etc I am getting up there in price. I feel like the ZX225 should be plenty big enough to handle the waves on Hubbard and all that power when I want it wont hurt either. I am afraid I am just going to want to do too much Bass Fishing to go CC. The kids and wife like the carpet on the Bass Boat and I can still chase whitey just fine I imagine! Plus getting the Bass Boat with 2 HDS 9's, Power Pole, Hot Foot etc its just a lot nice fishing equipment that would have to be added to the Blue Wave.

One thing that has me concerned though is Champion Fish's post back a couple of years about the problems he had with his Yamaha SHO outboard. Was that ever worked out Gene and has anyone else run into problems with the 225 Yamaha VMAX SHO motors?

Mike I had a 22ft Nautic Star and I now have a 24ft Nautic Star with a Yamaha SHO 250 on it. I have upsized since I seen you last.

If you are gonna go with a Minn Kota wait till the the new factory installed I pilot system come out this fall. A new terrova with a new lift assist will be out also, should be easier to deploy and raise with a new spring coiled loaded device and turns a lot quieter. The new spot lock is supposed to be a lot better

Nice Mike! Get what you think will work. 2 years later you'll upgrade. Lol. That Sketters a nice boat. You'll love it.

I am the very proud new owner of a 2016 Skeeter ZX225. Signed the paperwork and picked her up at 5pm this afternoon and then towed it from Fun - N - Sun in Hurst to Garland in hellacious traffic ( NOT FUN ) When I pulled up in front of the house both of my boys were waiting in the front yard. I dont think I will ever forget the look on their faces. I thought my youngest was going to cry. That alone made what has been otherwise a stressful process all totally worth it! Got her dropped in the water just before dark and had 30 minutes or so to run around just a bit and then test out the trolling motor along the north side of the Rip Rap. Saw one unfortunate fellow get run over by his own trailer on the boat ramp while pulling her out and after alot of grunting sweating and cussing I managed to get this beautiful boat tucked JUUUUUST inside my garage! Looking forward to seeing you all out on the water soon! Here's some pictures!!

Hey pretty boat! Happy family. Congrats, RapTrap! We know you can catch. Looking forward for great reports! Even the green trash fish ones

(Ya traffic sucks in all dfw now)

Dang that's a tight fit, just like how my truck fits in my garage too.

Nice boat, there is a happy dad and a couple of great kids.

That is awesome Mike. See you on the lake.

Sweet ride!

Congratulations Mike!

That's what she looks like in the driveway ready to go fishing!

That is very sharp!

Hey Mike just caught up on your journey back to water We haven't been out to much this year and sparsely check the forum Soooo glad your back with us Your boys pics say it all... very proud to say we've got two young boys that love the water as well Your boat is beautiful great job dad....... call me anytime Rap. Dad Ladiesman says hi btw. See ya soon.

Very sharp looking boat and beautiful hood you live in. Ur living the dream, bud

Who are you?

Thanks for posting a pic of your boat! It always helps my potlicking when I can see what you're in.
Glad your back brutha! Give me a shout!

Very sharp ride....welcome back Mike

Sandies don't have a chance

Thanks for all the welcome back message! Glad to see some old familiar faces. Loving the boat besides the fact that I apparently got a bad battery in my 36v system. Should be getting it swapped out tomorrow. Finally found a few white bass I'll post a report in a bit. Looking forward to seeing all of you out on the water!