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 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.

Gheenoe lt25 totally outfitted... It's what I am shopping for.

I used to fish out of a Hewe's Redfisher when I lived in Florida. Basically, it would handle the chop & rough water as well as draft fairly shallow to pole the flats. As I recall, it would draft 9" at rest with it loaded. IMHO it would be a good boat for lake fishing as it would handle the rough water well. It wouldn't be ideal on the shallower water of the Laguna Madre, though. I believe most guys would want something with less draft. Just my 2 cents YMMV

If I could choose any one boat to do the job you describe, it would be one of the Hells Bay models - just Google it. Expensive hull, but they're so super light, composite I think, they can really move with a lower HP (i.e. less expensive) engine - also uses less fuel running and you can tow it with a light truck or SUV. Fished on a couple here in TX and another in FL - one sweet ride.

Well, yeah. A hellsbay would be awesome. The guide I fish with in Florida runs one....it's amazing. It's also close to a $60k outfit.

Am determined to get a LT25....like this one. For my needs and the money it's the perfect boat...carp mostly and several trips to the coast per year.

I'm pretty sure I'm not reposting, but http://www.microskiff.com/
has quite a few good reviews.

They have a pretty good forum with a very active for sale section

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. I've been all over Microskiff.com. It's a great sight.

From the prices I have seen, they are fully double the price of what appear to me to be very similar boats. This puts them well north of our budget, but just out of curiosity why are people willing to pay so much for them?

A close friend of mine is a guide in Roatan, Honduras, and he has an LT25. Its a great boat, stable in the water, and has a very shallow draft. Rides great on the open ocean also. We would run across the open water from Roatan to Utila, and Guanaha chasing bonefish, permit, tarpon & snook. Was comfortable even in the open with light to moderate seas & chop.
I'd love to have one also. Tons of storage lockers.

Bill

Bill....

I need to see pictures of these trips...from Honduras...because, jealousy...

Winchester....there was a Gheenoe NMZ for sale in the Dallas area Craigs list a week or so ago.. it is NOT as big as a LT25 though. rich

Was out on Ray Roberts Sunday and saw one of these!

http://spearflatsskiffs.com/

We were wading and only had shots at a couple and no hook ups. His group didn't do any better. Very very nice boat though!!!

So a guide on ray bob with a skiff,,,,I remember way back when...carp where a joke. Saturday sucked, fishing was off I landed 4 early then nothing. Met a dude that was out for his second time on RB flats....cool guy.