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Posts: 267
| This may be a stupid question but I'm wondering why more folks don't use center console boats for musky fishing. It seems to me, center consoles would work well because one can walk all the way around the helm to any side of the boat without the helm getting in the way of landing a fish. Just seems like they would have more room in general. Thoughts?
Edited by goose007us 3/17/2011 9:32 AM
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Posts: 2384
Location: On the X that marks the mucky spot | They're starting to catch on now. The problem is that most are set-up for saltwater which doesn't always have the layout and storage that freshwater guys are looking for. There's one company out there that is going to be making a push into freshwater in the next year or two. |
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Posts: 1169
Location: New Hope MN | I've been looking at them HARD. Stay away from the skiff or flat boats. they are designed to run in 12" of water. Try taking that thing out in big waves and you'll get soaked.
Bay boats are where it's at. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I love mine. And especially with Larry and Pete using them now on TV, they're getting more and more exposure. There's pros and cons, but they work well if they fit your needs. But you do need to do your homework because the bay boat market is larger than the multi species market and all bay boats are not created equal. Also think about how, where and what you fish. There's alot of applications where a conventional muskie boat does better than a bay. |
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Posts: 3
| All great comments. The fact is that center console boats with the 360 degree fishability are the norm in other fishing intensive areas of the country. I think the reason you dont see them here is that many dealers wont go out of their comfort zone even if there is a boat option that may be better in some respects.
Having fished Muskies out of a center console I love the ability to "walk" a following fish the entire length of the boat changing the direction/speed/depth to induce the strike without locking a big one up with too many turns.
Also having the ability to follow a fish around the boat and being able to have the guy with the net right next you with nothing in the way is awesome. |
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Posts: 17
Location: Minnetonka | Morn Goose,
Take a look at American Marine's 24" bay boat. Division of Gravois, all alum plate, 23 degree deadrise hull with a 350 Yami.........Sweet boat , far more life that a glass hull. Also Gaudet makes fine bay boats . Only problem with a Center Console is no protection in October, November. Just the 3 sided EZ2C wind break.
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 'Sweet boat , far more life that a glass hull. '
Why is that? |
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Posts: 791
Location: North Central IL USA | MELFA MOPES - 3/27/2011 8:33 AM
Morn Goose,
Take a look at American Marine's 24" bay boat.
I don't think a 24 inch boat would cut it for me.  |
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Posts: 146
Location: where the fish are... | I have wanted a center counsel boat since I was in one when i live in NC. There are a couple of brands out there that really cater to the needs of alot of fishermen alike. Pete Mania's boat is awesome by mako, Nauticstar has a amazing 22 and 24 ft bay boat that is truley a "musky" style boat all the storage big motor moster front and back decks. Skeeter also makes some models that would work wonders. The flats style boats are too low to the water but i suppose if you are never going to fish deep open water like green bay or lotw then it would be sufficient but having no raised sides on the front and back decks would pose a problem. To me center counsels are on their way into a everyday conversation for musky fisherman and when I can eventually afford to jump up to a 21' boat you'll most likely see me rocking one myself. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | The only thing I'd add to the conversation is that bay boats aren't for everyone. Trollers come to mind. Most bay boats have only basic seating, if any at all. My boat doesn't seats, but I'm not a troller or a jigger. The other thing they don't have are full windshields as was mentioned earlier. Mine has a pretty tall windshield on the console, but zero protection on the sides, or for anyone not standing behind the wheel. Sometimes I feel bad when I get to a spot and I'm dry as a bone but my boat partner is soaked on their outboard side....sometimes. LOL But in the fall, it's no joke.
Another thing is length. Unless you're in a boat from a boatmaker that knows how to design and then build a hull that will carry hp and be quiet, you'll find yourself underpowered compared to a similar length bass or muskie boat. And when you do find that, you'll pay for it. Yellowfin and Pathfinder come to mind. A "proper" bay boat is chined to fish shallow and have minimal hull or chine slap and that's often at the expense of hp rating. You'll see alot of 22' bay boats with 150's or 200's on them.
And one last thing I'll mention is that all center consoles are not for muskie fishing. "Center console" only denotes...well...a console in the center. That could be a 36' boat with a coffin box and three outboards. And you can't just go by length. You'll see 20' center consoles with bow rails and bow pulpits...not at all ideal for muskie fishing. They're meant to be offshore boats; no trolling motors, super deep V's drawing 24"-30", waist deep gunwhales, etc. When shopping or looking for a "center console" for muskie fishing, look for a bay boat. Bay boats are meant to mount a trolling motor, meant to cast from, meant to run into 12" of water, and meant to trailer.
A guy here on LSC bought a 20' "center console" and didn't think it out beforehand; just made the impulse purchase and he got a center console alright, but he couldn't mount a trolling motor, couldn't revive or unhook a fish over the gunwhales and couldn't get the boat through less than 20" of water. He's got it down in Florida now jigging wrecks like it was designed for.
Edited by esoxfly 3/28/2011 12:53 AM
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Posts: 3
| Esoxfly nailed it. Most of the center consoles out there have too high hull sides and no decent casting decks. The "bay" boat design is a relatively new concept that has become mega popular with anglers/guides in fresh and saltwater in the coastal states. I fished with a guide in Florida who ran a bayboat that flat ate the chop we had to run through. We fished four guys and all day, never got in each others way. The center console is the key for being able to move around boat. |
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| I've fished muskies out of a 19' & a 21' CC & after that I would not want to own one. People say they like how you can walk around the boat but in order to do that you have to walk sideways around the console. With the CC it's harder to fish 3 people with the console in the way unless you go with a 23' or bigger but then you have the issue of fitting it in the garage. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Musky Jim - 4/1/2011 11:54 PM
...in order to do that you have to walk sideways around the console. With the CC it's harder to fish 3 people with the console in the way unless you go with a 23' or bigger but then you have the issue of fitting it in the garage.
How so? I can walk around mine sideways, backwards, forward, whatever.
As far as the three people thing, yes, I can agree with that. Two fish well, three, you need to all be friends. And yeah, a larger boat would solve that, but 20' is for me, a perfect size. I'd not want a 22' for my uses. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | (3) downsides
1. tall on a trailer for storage in some garages
2. dry lockable storage
3. sometimes old men want to sit down to drive
(1) upside
1. they are phriggin' awesome to drive and fish out of |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | jonnysled - 4/2/2011 3:50 PM
(3) downsides
1. tall on a trailer for storage in some garages
2. dry lockable storage
3. sometimes old men want to sit down to drive
(1) upside
1. they are phriggin' awesome to drive and fish out of
I was wonderin if you were gonna chime in.
Yeah, the height can be an issue, as I have to drop the windshield and console rail each time I put it in the garage. But once they're down, the outboard becomes the highest point. I also have to lower the PP's to get it in the garage, so I just take it in stride.
And I do love driving it. I "sat" in a 620 last year for the first time in a couple of years and I felt like I couldn't see anything and the ride killed my back! LOL |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | the vision thing is a huge deal ... i can't see how anyone can sit "underneath" a full windshield. the single console is not bad from a seated position but the walk-through's are borderline unsafe to me. the centers are amazing and unmatched from that perspective. |
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