What do you think the best tritoon for crappie fishing?

The one with the best trolling motor and batteries.

Is that the ONLY option? I’m sure some people do it, but it’s not really what it’s designed for.

The one parked in a baited slip!

Any kind of toon can be hard to handle if there is any kind of wind. Like the statement from above says, "The one with the best trolling motor and batteries.".

Not a tritoon because sometimes you want to get up in the trees but I made this one specifically for crappie fishing. Solix at console, 12" Garmin w/livescope up front. Lights underneath and green drop-down led light. Double Bimini for this scorcher days. etc etc etc. Works for me.

That looks really nice

I think I could learn to love that pontoon boat ,

One thats paid for.

Most fishing tritoons come with 3 options: front fish, rear fish and quad fish. Front fish (like the one shown above) are probably best for crappie fishing if you like to sit while you fish. I have a 24 ft tritoon that is a rear fish version. At the time, I was mostly fishing for sandies/hybrids so I picked the rear fish because with spot lock you are mostly rear fishing. The other reason I picked rear fish is because (IMO) it is a much better cruising configuration because most of the seating (your guests) is beside or in front of you. After 3 years of fishing out of my tritoon, I rarely sit down when fishing. If I'm catching fish I like to stand. If I'm not catching fish then I'm pulling up and moving to the next spot ... but that's just me. If I had a front fish maybe I would sit more but I rarely sit in my rear seats when fishing for sandies so I doubt I would personally use the seats that much. BUT, I also rarely fish for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time ... if I were out all day then I'd probably want those front seats when crappie fishing.

Other than front vs rear fish vs quad, there isn't that much difference fishing wise between various fishing pontoons. It mostly comes down to length, motor and seating configurations when picking the base platform. After that it's just about what you decide to add on. I've been crappie fishing out of my pontoon for a couple of years and I love it. Would a center console be a much better fit than pontoon for fishing ? Yes. But a pontoon is a much better dual purpose boat and I've caught a couple thousand crappie out of my pontoon so it certainly isn't much of a negative tradeoff for fishing.

Oh, and trailering a pontoon or tritoon on a windy day will have the best boat driver cursing like a sailor. If the budget allow and you don’t HAVE to have a minivan of the lake, get a glass center console of some kind with a T-top for some shade and never look back.

I heard this a lot before I bought mine and it has ever been an issue for me. I have a 36 volt 112 lb thrust trolling motor and it has no issues keeping me spot locked on a brush pile.

About the only difference I've noticed between fishing out of a toon and a traditional fishing boat is landing fish. Takes a little more attention to technique when swinging a big crappie in ... I fish from the front and leave the front door open to make it a little easier. I have a long extension net that also makes it possible to net a big hybrid which I've used successfully many times. It would certainly be easier to land fish in a center console but with a little practice and preparation it hasn't been a barrier for me.

It's all about tradeoffs ... if you want a dual purpose boat then you can outfit a tritoon for fishing. If you only plan to fish out of it then get a center console. While you can easily outfit a tritoon for fishing, it isn't that easy to outfit a center console so that it's comfortable for 8 or 10 people to go out on a sunset cruise or go watch an air show from the water. Once again, it really depends on what someone is planning to use the boat for.

When I purchased mine 3 years ago, I narrowed down my two best alternatives, one was a Nauticstar 231 hybrid center console that had seating for 10 and the other is the boat I have today -- 23RF Avalon Catilina. Once outfitted the way I wanted them, both boats were roughly the same price.

I couldn't get the T-top of the Nautic star in my boat house due to height so it became an easy choice. After 3 years I'm glad I picked the tritoon because all the concerns I had about fishing from a tritoon weren't really a factor once I got on the water.

Two considerations: are you trailering back and forth? Are you fishing timber like Lake Fork. If you want to fish timber like Lake Fork, you'll be very limited in what you can do. If only fishing brush piles in open water, then good TM and batteries. If trailering the toon, as one friend said it's like pulling a kite. Loading on the trailer also takes some skill if windy.

Dang!! Tough on those pontoon folks! Little man won a catfish trip on a pontoon once. Trip was great but man it was slow. Like we could see where we were going but never get there!!

I will agree with some things said here. I have owned bass boats (Triton), center console, bay boats, and this pontoon. If you are trailering everywhere you go, pontoons are not that fun. If you are like me, and normally launch and load by yourself, pontoons loose a lot of fun because you really got to get that trailer way out there to get them on. I have my pontoon in a slip for the past 3 yrs and just moved it to Ray Hubbard and with it in a slip, there is nothing better. If you get a pontoon, MAKE SURE you have sufficient power for it. Those little 25 and 40 horse outboards don't cut it. My toon is 18 foot (20' with motor) with a 60 four stroke Big Foot Merc and I never feel like I can't make it back in when the water gets rough. I have a 60" Ulterra with 80 lb thrust and I don't have a problem holding lock. I do suggest getting the extra GPS puck as that will definitely tighten your spot lock. On the bass boat, rough water would work you on the front as you try to fish and if it's a little rough, don't stand up. Fast to the location but not a lot of room to walk around and stretch. Center console, I actually really liked but came with most of the same issues as bass boat. Can't stand at front in rough water and not really a lot of room to walk around and both bass and center console, you would cook on those scorcher days. Out of all the boats, and I am 68 now, the pontoon is hands down the most enjoyable over all. It cost extra for that double Bimini, but well worth it. With the graphs and the self deploying Ulterra, the white bass thumper with a switch at the console, etc... , I can take my wife, kids, and grandkids and completely enjoy the day. As far as loading it in the wind, if you buy the guide ons for a pontoon boat and remember not to try to put it on the trailer at super slow speed (give it a little juice and put it between the guide ons) you won't have much trouble loading it. But get ready, you are probably going to get wet because if you are alone, that trailer is completely out in the water. That is about all the 2 cents I have. Every fisherman likes a certain kind of boat for what ever reason. Just evaluate what would make you the happiest and go through it in your head and make a good decision. I is smart to ask others what they think, but in the end you will be the one living with it. Tritoons are designed for bigger motors so that they will remain stable at higher speeds. Just make sure you know what you want before you unload a big load of cash.