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Posts: 3
| I am interested in what you master blasters out there think about how close to the water the “musky” boat should or can be, and what’s available out there. I currently have an older 18 Lund Pike and 17 Angler tiller that both fish fairly close to the water —critical in netting and releasing a fish, but they are getting older and I would like to upgrade. I like the boats, but technology and longevity seem to dictate a lot. The problem I’m seeing is so many boats sit very high off the water like the newer Lunds that have the “bathtub” look. I get a chuckle out of watching Al Linder groaning and straining to reach that bass 4 feet below the gunnel in his 90k Pro V. One stat I would love to see is how high the gunnel is from the surface of the water? The bass guys figured this out a long time ago, and Lund has come out with ProV Musky, but this essentially IS a bass boat which for 50+ guys like me, probably shouldn’t own. Plus there not enough floor space for all the tackle and gear Musky guys need. Impact, Fish Hawk, Competitor, Ranger alum. etc. they are all similar. Any metal boats you guys like? Glass boats would be one answer, but I’m not looking that way for a variety of reasons, and if possible the Skeeter MX series was a great solution, but is discontinued. Ranger, Triton, Recon, Lund glass, Campion Rage?!, all huge $. The other amazing thing is how high these boats sit on the trailer, like my chin barely makes it to the gunnel. It’s sure nice to be able to reach into your boat! THANKS! |
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 'The bass guys figured this out a long time ago, and Lund has come out with ProV Musky, but this essentially IS a bass boat which for 50+ guys like me, probably shouldn’t own. Plus there not enough floor space for all the tackle and gear Musky guys need.'
First of all, there's plenty of storage for tackle, rods, and gear in the Pro-V Musky XS with a cockpit depth of 20". The Pro-V is about 22" interior depth. As far as the cost of Al's ride, price out decked out 21' boats from any manufacturer these days.
What does being 50 have to do with owning a deep V musky boat? Look carefully at the actual traditional bass boats and the differences between those and the Pro-V Musky, they are essentially very different.
We are running an 1875 Impact and a 1625 Fury, and neither looks or fishes like a 'bathtub'. I have hand landed a ton of fish from both without any issues. I have run three models of glass deep V boats, and neither's deep V were significantly different as far as reach to the water. I also have run an Esox Mag, which is very low to the water and is a sponsoned V, so not real good in big water.
My next new ride will be a Lund Renegade. It's a nice marriage between the IPS hull and a lower profile rig. Perfect for my serious crappie and muskie fishing, not a 'big water' ride, but we'll have the Impact for that.
Lots of other brands out there, look around!
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Posts: 57
| Depends on where you spend most of your time fishing. Flowages or small northern Wisconsin lakes? No need for high sides or a 20’ boat . Spend more time on big water and the Great Lakes? Big high sides get you home when the weather kicks up . There is no perfect rig for everything or everyone. One man’s junk is another’s prize! |
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Posts: 8722
| I know you said you don't like fiberglass, but the Esox Magnum is a nice platform for musky fishing. Plenty of open space, close to the water, and easy to get in and out of crappy landings. Added benefit is it's super light - for us older guys it makes getting it on and off the trailer and moving around the garage manageable. |
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Posts: 1209
Location: E. Tenn | esoxaddict - 4/12/2022 9:58 PM
I know you said you don't like fiberglass, but the Esox Magnum is a nice platform for musky fishing. Plenty of open space, close to the water, and easy to get in and out of crappy landings. Added benefit is it's super light - for us older guys it makes getting it on and off the trailer and moving around the garage manageable.
This...plus a lot of us old guys don't want to be out there in wind and waves beyond the E-Mag's capability.. It's also a pretty easy step from the trailer to the forward deck at the launch and vice versa. In fact, it even makes me look nimble! |
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Posts: 34
| 50+ old guy here running an 1875 Pro V Musky. Only complaint is from my wife as I buy more gear to fill it up. After one year I would recommend it. |
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Posts: 1671
| Find yourself a old Ranger 681VS hull and re-power and load with the electronics & trolling motor of your choice. |
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Posts: 300
| Find a 96-99 Ranger 690 in good condition and forget about it. Still sits pretty low in the water. Tons of room. Cheaper than a new one, even if you have to eventually repower. |
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Posts: 596
Location: Duluth | What kind of truck do you have, what water do you like to fish? Budget?
Ton's of good platforms out there |
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Posts: 1188
| Lund Pro Guide. 16', 17', 18', or 20'. Pick the size that suites you. Tons of room and storage, and can launch anywhere. Works well for this not far from 60 older guy. |
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Posts: 43
| TCESOX - 4/13/2022 4:56 PM
Lund Pro Guide. 16', 17', 18', or 20'. Pick the size that suites you. Tons of room and storage, and can launch anywhere. Works well for this not far from 60 older guy.
Second this. Loved my Pro Guide. Family just outgrew it so went to a wheel boat. The ONLY knock I had on it was it would get pushed around a little when the wind picked up on big water. But 99% of the time it was just an awesome boat.
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Posts: 267
| I love tiller boats so the Pro Guide type boat would be right in my wheelhouse. But for the life of me why doesn't Lund put even a marginally comfortable casting platform on the back? Seriously! Who engineers these boats?! |
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The Pro Guide series is exactly that, a multi-species ride. There are age-old limitations as to what can be done with storage, sonar and gauge panel placement in a tiller model. The tiller seat design/placement has to meet NMMA/USCG requirements. If the rear 'storage' was extended under the seat to create a bigger rear platform, it would limit how the driver can sit (see the attached image) and restrict several features the model is famous for as the leading big tiller out there. Look at Ranger aluminum, Alumacraft, and Tracker at the comparable tiller models.
(1675-1775-Pro-Guide-Aft-Deck-Closed.jpg)
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 1675-1775-Pro-Guide-Aft-Deck-Closed.jpg (148KB - 121 downloads)
1675-Pro-Guide-Run.jpg (106KB - 136 downloads)
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| I have an 18' Pro V Tiller and I know what Steve is referencing about limitations on the driver if you make the rear deck larger. I was going to make a bigger casting deck for the rear but after mocking it up in several configurations, realized I would have a bigger rear deck but would negatively impact other functions. Came up with a compromise, that I can quickly take out or move when trolling using the kicker or fishing by myself.
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Posts: 1671
| When I had my 20' tillers, both Skeeter & Lund I let the guest have the front deck providing he could run the trolling motor. I would just stand on the floor in back. It would impact some of the things I could do but not enough to bother me. Both were fiberglass boats. I'm a big, big fan of fiberglass but will be downsizing and taking a look at the Pro Guides soon. |
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Posts: 1188
| The small area to cast from, is the only issue I have with my Pro Guide, but not that big of a deal for me, since everything else is exactly what I want. I prefer fishing out of the back even when I don't have anyone else in the boat. Just easier for me. Everything is within sight/reach, and I can control the boat perfectly from there. Even before I got my Ulterra, I had a remote control for my Power Drive, so I don't need to be up front to control the boat. I imagine I look pretty dorky standing in the back of my boat, casting, with no one else in the boat. |
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Posts: 1677
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Dad just bought a pro guide. We are building splash pan plugs to extend the deck like you can buy for the impact. Adds about 12” to the rear deck. |
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Posts: 1188
| RyanJoz - 4/14/2022 5:13 PM
Dad just bought a pro guide. We are building splash pan plugs to extend the deck like you can buy for the impact. Adds about 12” to the rear deck.
Let me know how that works, as I have pondered ways to make the area a little bit larger, and that was the only thing I could come up with that might work, but haven't actually got to the planning stage of actually doing it.
Edited by TCESOX 4/14/2022 5:17 PM
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Posts: 1677
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | I built some for an impact. They are fantastic. Just be sure to open the area around the drains and allow water to get out. |
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | That's a cool idea. |
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Posts: 1188
| Looks like I have a new project for the spring. |
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Posts: 267
| The thing is there is a precedent for tiller boats having a good back platform. The old Lund Anglers (I fish out of a 1992 Pro Angler that has something to stand on), the Crestliner Fish Hawk tillers, and the current Alumacraft Competitor tiller has a reasonable thing to stand on. You don't need much. |
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | It appears the Crestliner Pro Tiller is similar to the Lund, photo below. I don't see a Fish Hawk tiller anymore. That Alumacraft transom area is pictured below too. It looks like the rear area on all the new tillers is just wide enough so a tiller handle can be reached easily.
(Comp-205-TL-Shadow-Series-feature-11.jpg)
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Comp-205-TL-Shadow-Series-feature-11.jpg (64KB - 131 downloads)
1650-Pro-T_key-features-2-x-2_137816-new.jpg (87KB - 122 downloads)
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| RyanJoz - 4/14/2022 6:15 PM
I built some for an impact. They are fantastic. Just be sure to open the area around the drains and allow water to get out.
Would you please post a picture or two when you are done with the project? I had looked at doing something in that area for my older Pro V, but really didn't get very far. |
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | I personally think the crestliner fishawk has the best aluminum boat layout. It's perfect for muskie fishing. |
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Posts: 267
| Yes they don't make the Fish Hawk Tiller anymore. Replaced with the Pro Tiller. I would take the Crestliner Pro Tiller over the Lund as there is no step up on the Crestliner near the gunnel on the back. I would like the Alumacraft the best of the three floor plan wise for a muskie boat. I would also agree with Kirby that the Fish Hawk (Console boat) has a great floor plan. I would also say I would rather have the older Fish Hawk with the lower casting decks than the newer Fish Hawk. When Crestliner moved from my hometown to New York Mills to the Lund factory, Crestliner changed some things I didn't care for as much. But they still are a great boat.
Edited by Smell_Esox 4/15/2022 2:31 PM
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Posts: 32801
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Keith decided on the 1875 Impact XS last year. Side tanks, great storage for lures and gear, excellent rear deck with flip-up seats, internal 8'6" rod storage. Freeboard is very acceptable for a muskie ride.
My personal boat is a customized 1625 Fury XL. I had the rear deck with flip-up seats and the dual console added. It's definitely a two-man boat, but has a ton of storage and fishes really nice. It has small side tanks, and the port side is where I carry muskie rods strapped down. Overall its my favorite boat, and I've owned a few. They offer a very similar boat in the 1650 Angler. Pictured last is a Fury with the walkthrough and the rear deck flipped over, I have the sport windshields.
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1875 Impact XS SS Overhead Closed.png (201KB - 120 downloads)
1875 Impact XS SS Overhead Open.png (801KB - 122 downloads)
2016_Lund_FuryXL_1625Sport_EXT(3).jpg (21KB - 131 downloads)
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Posts: 3472
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | A few years ago I finally went to an older Ranger 617 from a 2005 alumacraft Navigator 165 single console. In aluminum, I was extremely happy with that Navigator as it had a decent front deck and at the time a small back deck to stand on. They had made a couple of improvements in following years with a fold-down deck extension which was a nice feature as well.
In the single console model, I could sit or kneel on the front deck with the net over the port side of the boat. Handling fish was an easy task from there. I also added a strap with a snap to the end of my net and a small eye bolt on the console so I could let go of the net and have 2 hands working with the fish. Nice wide boat with a 90" beam, and a nice HP rating of 90. The Navigator 175 was just as nice, had a 150hp rating and a little longer... I should have gone that route when I purchased... Great rig!!
Never felt it was too high nor too low and it fished great!! Many trips to big water and so long as I didn't make any mistakes, it could handle rough seas decently.
For smaller waters yet, my older alumacraft lunker V16 was amazing! It had a tendency to lean to the side you were fishing out of (the boat only weighed 660 pounds and had a narrower beam. but for handling fish, this was by far the best as the front deck had a small separation from the side decks, allowing me to be right up against the boat side while handling fish. I could sit down and work with the fish (same set up with the net as in the navigator). I could get into small waters well, yet still felt comfortable enough on big waters like lake of the woods. Maxed out on HP, this boat was a great little performer!! Only bad thing on this boat....no back deck...which is why I finally upgraded to the navigator 165.
Steve |
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Posts: 120
Location: Twin Cities Metro | I got a new rig in August 2020. At the time, I was looking at the Lund Pro V Bass 1875 (they didn't have the Pro V Muskie yet). I had seen a number of them on the water at the boat launches, and they had a very acceptable freeboard (essentially gunnel height) for muskie fishing and they had a TON of deck space and storage. I think they had storage for 9'-10' rods in the center rod locker! Not a cheap rig, but what I would consider top of the line in an aluminum rig: spacious, stable, and able to handle relatively big water.
When I went to the dealership, they had a Crestliner Fish Hawk SE on the floor (single console). It came with significantly more bells and whistles than I needed, but it was pretty tough to pass up for $15K LESS than the Pro V Bass (and the Lund being "bare bones" mat that). The deck space is great, and I added the fold down seating in the stern to extend the casting deck pretty significantly. It's only 16'9", but it is a pretty awesome 2-person muskie boat.
So I guess my advice from my experience a couple years ago is: go to a dealership and stand in the boat to see what you think of the dimensions. Best of luck finding an awesome rig that suits you!
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Posts: 51
| The Lund angler 1650 ss is a boat that caught my eye and budget. Sworall said it’s similar to the fury he likes. Do you think it would be a good 2 man, 1500 acre lake or smaller muskie boat?
I’ve been in a 71’ Lund s-14 and it’s just not very stable for standing and casting, my dad has trouble standing in it long term and I’m tired of getting swamped by wake boats and needing to stay home if the wind is 12 mph plus. I fish Okauchee and Oconomowoc lakes mostly so boat traffic wake is my biggest issue with my boat. I also don’t have a truck to tow a boat over 2000# loaded
Any other 16-17’ options to consider for a smaller muskie boat? I want a tuffy x-170 but can never find one.
I’d consider a esox mag, esox Ltd or ranger 681 like the one for sale. |
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