Quite contrary to what my wife contends, a guy can’t have too many boats! After all, there’s no one perfect vessel. I mean, you’ve got to have the jet for running shallow rivers…then something that can handle a little chop out on the bay. Well, then, of course you’ll need to have some weather protection when you’re running offshore and then…
See what I mean? Anyway, here’s my current list of 5 boats you just can’t live without…
Maritime 23 Voyager
Okay, so the MSkiff Voyager 23 would be the perfect all-around rig for bay halibut, salmon (when they come back), rockfish, close to home tuna… and would even make a good Lake Tahoe jig boat! I also love the fact that you can duck out of the weather…a very nice feature.
2410 Bay Ranger
Fishing the big waters of the California Delta, I love the idea of being able to move around to distant spots quickly — like I see the guys in the bass boats do. I also like how much deck space and fishing room bass boats have…However, I don’t want to be anywhere near one of those low-sided affairs when the wind kicks up and the tide starts running against it. Luckily, Ranger has come up with the perfect solution: The Bay Boat!
Willie Predator
While all that deep water stuff is great, I still have a tough time finding anything cooler than running up a wild river…going 30 mph in 3 inches of water. And really the only way to do river fishing right is to fish out of a tiller boat like Willie’s 23′ 6″ Predator. It’s nothing but open fishing room!
FishRite
What’s that you say? You can’t decide if you’d rather have a jet for river running or a prop for the lakes and saltwater? Well, the good news is you don’t have to! FishRite’s 21-foot Explorer Outboard Jet/Pro combo is just the ticket! In an hour’s time you can switch out the lower end and transform this thing from an offshore salmon troller to an in-river side-drifter!
Klamath Swimbait Boat
Then, when I don’t feel like burning a bunch of fuel and just want to get out for a quick and easy day of striper or smallmouth fishing, I’d bust this sweet little number…
I know I said these are the 5 boats I can’t live without, but actually, there’s one more that I’d drop ’em all for…
