boats for crappie fishing

[spudjunkie]

I want to thank everyone for the friendly advice. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. decisions, decisions.

[nixon]

My suggestion would be just get one, now. Here in Ga the crappie fishing is wide open. If you are like the rest of us, you are going to have to buy one and fish out of it for a year or so to even know what you really want and what fits the style of fishing you do in your area. I would buy a not so expensive used one for now and fish like somebody left the gate open for a year and by this time next year you will be answering this question instead of asking it.
BTW....I started out in a 1648 open floor tiller steer jon boat that I still have,and while I now have a boat that is bigger and faster and much better equipped, their are times and places that I wouldn't want to be in anything but that old boat....

[matzilla]

Where are you at in IL? Id much rather buy a boat close to home than further from it. Look at M&M Marine | Savanna IL Fishing Boats | Galena Pontoons | Quad Cities Bass Boat | Millers Sport Center Lanark Illinois 61046 http://www.shopmillsmarine.com/ https://www.boats.com/sites/tedsboatarama etc etc

[Gobob]

Where are you at in IL? Id much rather buy a boat close to home than further from it. Look at M&M Marine | Savanna IL Fishing Boats | Galena Pontoons | Quad Cities Bass Boat | Millers Sport Center Lanark Illinois 61046 http://www.shopmillsmarine.com/ https://www.boats.com/sites/tedsboatarama etc etc

Also Eastside marina in Springfield il S$R marine in Beardstown il What part of the state are you in ?

[NIMROD]

Just remember alum. will blow around a lot compared to fiberglass. In my opinion alum. is more friendly in the fact that if you are in the brush, trees etc. you don't worry about rubbing against them and ruining the finish on fiberglass, the alum. will hold up better. The ride on most fiberglass boats is better in big water. Just a few thoughts to get you totally confused. Glad I could help.

That depends on the aluminum boat. Light boats and those with high sides do blow around. Main thing is where you fish in brush or open water and then consider size of lake and weight of persons and equipment.

[Eagle 1]

How you fish and how wide open is the lake will be the key to size you will want .I fished all over backwater of Grenada, Sardis. Enid in a 1436 war eagle for years but I mostly jig fish . Got in with some folks and started pulling cranks and spider rigging and want a 17 ft . at least .

[Lowery82]

Second for S&R Marine if you are anywhere close to Beardstown.

[Boa3]

I have a Pro Cat 240 from S&R and really love it. I fish catfish and crappie so I needed a boat that could handle big rivers as well as lakes. I have been to Mississippi and fished the big 4 so I also know what big lakes are like. Darrin will treat you right and I think he will give any dealer a run for their money on price no matter where you live. Just my 2cents worth. feel free to pm me if you have any questions. Bo

[cpd21]

I fish out of a 1995 procraft 200 combo FISH AND SKI....lol and it has worked great for us for ten years (got it when our two boys were younger) to fish and ski....still have it and wife and i spider rig, double dip, etc out of it with no problems because we are used to it. Find what fits you at the time and have fun....whatever you do...dont make it alot of work and worry trying to figure out what you want to fit you exactly.....biggest thing is have a good trolling motor and good electronics.

[DMW1960]

I too have looked at Crappie Boats for years before I purchased my boat new in 2008. I looked at G3 and I looked at Bass Pro. Then I looked at a Lowes 175 Stinger. I don't have to have the most speed or the best of everything. I can honestly say that my Lowes 175 Stinger was everything that I need to catch crappie. I have a Mercury 50 hp 2 banger with a 12 gallon gas tank. Top speed is 32 mph and the boat will handle ruff water almost as good as some glass boats. Its wide enough at the back of the boat to be stable in all water conditions. Both the wife and I are kind of over weight and we can both stand together anywhere on the boat and it won't tip lower in the water. Figuring that I am 6'4" and almost 300 pounds and I won't post my wifes weight hey I am dumb but not stupid!!! LOL! The boat handles great for us! With both the wife and another couple in the boat with us there is plenty of room to fish with the double seats in front. And I cant swim but I have a good life vest and I feel safe in any water or weather conditions in my boat.

Plus we have a pair of on board minnow tanks attached to the live wells. I figured with the money we saved in buying a Lowes Boat we were able to purchase more crappie jig skirts! And its sure nice to be able to run the boat hard for 2 days on just one 12 gallon gas tank!

Granted maybe I have added to much to my boat. I have added a Apollo stainless steel prop, additional lighting inside the boat. Put a air pump to provide air inside the live wells. Plus done a lot more stuff too.

And yeah I would love to have a new Ranger with a new Ford pickup. But my 2004 Ford F-250 and my 2008 Lowes Stinger does the job just fine. Heck the crappie don't know the difference. And in the end of things its all just about what you can afford to spend and what you want to use.