Best Multi-Species Boat For Loz?

[crittermo]

i have an alumacraft 175 trophy sport that i keep on loz and it is great to fish out of. it is

an aluminum deep v. i take it to canada every year and it handled those big lakes until two

years ago. got caught in a major storm with huge rollers 8 miles from the cabin. i made it

back, but the rough ride busted my dash in half, some from me holding onto the steering

wheel for dear life and some from the incredibly rough ride. when i got home i called alumacraft

and they wouldn't put me through to the owner of the company and they wouldn't do anything

to help me repair it. It cost $1,400. to repair and they said that wasn't covered under warranty.

my opinion is to buy a deep v but stay away from alumacraft, their customer service sucks.

[rangerman]

Ranger Fisherman series 620 or 621VS... ;-), They will handle anything you can throw at them.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I don't think LOZ is any different then a lot of lakes. It can get rough, but so can others and that only seems to dictate a boat with good freeboard.

I would look at a deep V aluminum with a good sized beam and preferably 18' or longer.

LOZ is a big lake and it's not one big roller.

[fishinwrench]

Yeah, for a single "multi-species" boat you're gonna have to include the following:

Rough water capability with a strong trolling motor....yet not too big to get in behind the docks QUIETLY...nor too heavy to float/idle across a shallow stump filled flat.

Plenty of open floor space and storage compartments to keep stuff off the floor.

Oversized livewell(s).

I might as we'll stop now since such a boat doesn't exist. At least not one that I would enjoy fishing from. You need a rig with all the features of a 18-20' glass bassboat, a 16-18' jon boat, and a 20-24' toon....all rolled into one.

[bfishn]

The closest thing to that I know of is a stripped & customized Hurricane 196 Fundeck.

[NickIL]

I like my Tracker Pro Guide 175 Combo. Handles rough water well and plenty of room on front deck. The combo adds some versatility for family water sports.

[nomolites]

Let's face it, it is simply not comfortable running or fishing from ANY boat on a summer weekend afternoon on LOZ. That out of the way, a boat that can handle bigger water and the significant wind chop that develops on the channel is a must for safety reasons if you are going to travel any distance. If money were no object I would probably go with a 20-21 ft. deep v glass boat like the Ranger or one of the other walleye boats; alas, money IS an object for me so currently I fish from an 1850 Fish Hawk (Crestliner). I LOVE this boat, but to be fair most solid 18-19 foot aluminum deep v's rigged properly will do a good job on LOZ. I cast a fair amount, so I chose the Fish Hawk as it is a little more casting friendly than some of the other makes but there are a number of good hulls out there.

Maybe more important for me is rigging; lots of storage, live well space, solid platforms for rod holders, etc. and the ability to control the boat from the front or the rear(or at times both) as I need to. A kicker and a wireless up front in addition to the main engine allows this as well as fishing "dark to dark", or the reverse as conditions and my mood (or biting fish) might dictate. I DO NOT like to stop when the fish are "on" due to run down batteries, and I don't have to. Been there, done that.

It IS LOZ, so when it gets tough out there I just match my speed to the water conditions and no worries. I mainly fish the east end of the lake(Dam -20MM, Gravois, Glaize) so I see a lot of knuckleheads and big water; as long as I keep my head on a swivel we do just fine - even in summertime.

The bottom line is LOZ is great fishery, we just need to be prepared and take more care as boating density doesn't get much higher. I think it's worth the extra effort.

[Old plug]

I think i have seen this boat of yours fishing what is rumored to be a hot crappie hole up in the mill creek.

[nomolites]

Could be; I visit what I call Gibson flat at the mouth of Mill as well as Guido's hump around the corner fairly often - not to mention a few other "secret" spots up that way...

[fishinwrench]

I thought that was Johnny Borden's hump