Small Lake Boats

jaredoconnor

jaredoconnor

Peabrain Chub
Now that I am a master stillwater fisherman, having gone a total of 7 times, I am thinking it might be time to invest in a better watercraft. I’d like something that gets me out of the water and is easier to set up than waders and a float tube. I would like something that can take at least 2 adults and a trolling motor. I’m currently looking at things like a 10ft Pond Prowler or a 12ft canoe, with a trailer for my car. Having it all set up and ready to go is very appealing. Budget is as low as possible. $2,000 max. Does anyone have any suggestions or pearls of wisdom to share?
 
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jaredoconnor said:
Now that I am a master stillwater fisherman, I am thinking it might be time to invest in a better watercraft. I’d like something that gets me out of the water and is easier to set up than waders and a float tube. I would like something that can take at least 2 adults and a trolling motor. I’m currently looking at things like a 10ft Pond Prowler or a 12ft canoe, with a trailer for my car. Having it all set up and ready to go is very appealing. Budget is as low as possible. $2,000 max. Does anyone have any suggestions or pearls of wisdom to share?
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I think those pond prowler type Bass Pro things suck. They are good for bass fishing with the visibility and angle to the water but pretty limited in their use--only good for the flattest days and frankly a bit unstable with two adults. For your budget you could get a used 12ish foot modified v-hull aluminum boat which is way, way more versatile and a solid lake platform, and easy on a trailer, and widely available and I bet you could find a nice one, often with a motor, if you are just a bit patient.
I like my canoe a lot but a 12 foot canoe is pretty short for two people (even one) and canoes are less comfortable for extended lake fishing days. One good thing about a canoe is they are easy to transport. You wouldn't need a trailer for a canoe, especially not for a 12 foot canoe. Just cartop it. You also don't need much of a launch site for a canoe. They are so easy to paddle I have never bothered hooking up a trolling motor to mine. I guess if you wanted to troll flies solo on windless days, that would be the reason.
 
A one-man boat is preferred for fly fishing. A good way to become irked with your fishing partner is to both fly fish out of the same boat at the same time. For easy set up, you can't beat a one-man fly fishing pram (or equivalent) on a trailer. Set up and ready to go, just back up to the shore line and launch, park your tow vehicle, get in the boat and begin fishing.

A word about canoes: short ones handle worse and are less stable. A better choice is a 15 to 17' model, still easy to manhandle when you're solo and you can carry them on top of a car. Easy to launch almost anywhere, but you can't transport them with all your gear in them.
 
Salmo_g said:
A one-man boat is preferred for fly fishing. A good way to become irked with your fishing partner is to both fly fish out of the same boat at the same time. For easy set up, you can't beat a one-man fly fishing pram (or equivalent) on a trailer. Set up and ready to go, just back up to the shore line and launch, park your tow vehicle, get in the boat and begin fishing.

A word about canoes: short ones handle worse and are less stable. A better choice is a 15 to 17' model, still easy to manhandle when you're solo and you can carry them on top of a car. Easy to launch almost anywhere, but you can't transport them with all your gear in them.
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One good thing about a boat that can hold two people is it gives you the option of bringing someone along or leaving their ass on the bank. Options are good. :)
 
I've been in a large inner tube with ping pong paddles, belly boat, pontoon boat, 10' Hews craft, catfish catamaran, 8' Grasshopper, and a 12' Smoker craft. Every time I have come back to the 12' Smoker Craft!! Light Weight, rugged/durable, no trouble in the wind, LOTS of leg room, plenty of space for "stuff", and "I Feel Safe as I am getting older"!!! Last one I bought was barely used for $350.
 
How about a Nucanoe? Kind of a hybrid canoe/sit-on-top/boat. I own one of the earlier models I got for $20 in a garage sale years ago. 12 ft long, 42 inch wide, stable enough so you can stand up and cast, yet nimble enough to easy paddle for one or two people. Can be car topped or trailered depending on model and user preference. You can put an electric or gas motor up to 2.5hp. I have used it in lakes, rivers and Puget Sound for fly fishing, jigging, crabbing, even downrigger trolling before getting a real boat. I think other forum members have or had Nucanoes as well so perhaps they can chip in with their experiences. See below some pics of my yellow early model Nucanoe, came totally bare, I just added some wood planks, later some wood rails to customize holders, etc, great fishing platform! They have quite a few customizable models on the company website (local, WA company), used ones show up often in craigslist, etc, see below a recent CL advertisement for a newer model (not associated with it):
1727809670816.png
bellingham.craigslist.org

Nucanoe Frontier 12 - boats - by owner - marine sale - craigslist

Super stable fishing kayak. Awesome for crabbing. 2 adjustable seats on rails and dry storage in bow. Used, typical scratches on bottom, no leaks, good condition. Comes with a paddle and rear...
bellingham.craigslist.org bellingham.craigslist.org
www.nucanoe.com

NuCanoe – Top Fishing Kayaks & Hunting Kayaks

CLICK MODEL FOR MORE DETAILS CLICK MODEL FOR MORE DETAILS
www.nucanoe.com www.nucanoe.com
 
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Have you spent some time in small boats on the water you are fishing? I ask because tube fishing and boat fishing are pretty different. It’s two separate skill sets. Both are good to have! A boat can cover more water while trolling and is great if you want to anchor up and fish specific areas - particularly effective with indicators. Managing a boat on the water and at the launch takes some practice. Tubes allow you to slow down and pick areas apart and are perfect for wind drifting. I think tubes are more intuitive for fishing (no oars or motor to deal with) and I prefer them on smaller lakes that I can fully cover in a day. It’s hard to carry a boat very far if there’s no drive up access….
 
VMP said:
How about a Nucanoe? Kind of a hybrid canoe/sit-on-top/boat. I own one of the earlier models I got for $20 in a garage sale years ago. 12 ft long, 48 inch wide, stable enough so you can stand up and cast, yet nimble enough to easy paddle for one or two people. Can be car topped or trailered depending on model and user preference. You can put an electric or gas motor up to 2.5hp. I have used it in lakes, rivers and Puget Sound for fly fishing, jigging, crabbing, even downrigger trolling before getting a real boat. I think other forum members have or had Nucanoes as well so perhaps they can chip in with their experiences. See below some pics of my yellow early model Nucanoe, came totally bare, I just added some wood planks, later some wood rails to customize holders, etc, great fishing platform! They have quite a few customizable models on the company website (local, WA company), used ones show up often in craigslist, etc, see below a recent CL advertisement for a newer model (not associated with it):
View attachment 128614
bellingham.craigslist.org

Nucanoe Frontier 12 - boats - by owner - marine sale - craigslist

Super stable fishing kayak. Awesome for crabbing. 2 adjustable seats on rails and dry storage in bow. Used, typical scratches on bottom, no leaks, good condition. Comes with a paddle and rear...
bellingham.craigslist.org bellingham.craigslist.org
www.nucanoe.com

NuCanoe – Top Fishing Kayaks & Hunting Kayaks

CLICK MODEL FOR MORE DETAILS CLICK MODEL FOR MORE DETAILS
www.nucanoe.com www.nucanoe.com
Click to expand...

Could two people cast perpendicular to the hull? I’m hoping to do some loch style fishing, here and there. Being able to swivel is one of the main reasons I’m looking at the Pond Prowler type boats.
 
I've owned a 10' Livingston for past 15 years. Very stable. Great weight capacity. Fits 2 people but a longer one would be better for sure. Can beat the crap out of it and it will just keep going. They are EXTREMELY heavy. I hate the center, full length hump with a passion.

I have been looking for something to replace it for awhile now. If I had your budget, a 12'+ v-hull aluminum boat would be my choice. e.g Smokercraft or Lund. Also look at a Sportcat...

No one boat will meet all your needs, figure out which are most important and go from there...
 
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Matt B said:
I think those pond prowler type Bass Pro things suck. They are good for bass fishing with the visibility and angle to the water but pretty limited in their use--only good for the flattest days and frankly a bit unstable with two adults. For your budget you could get a used 12ish foot modified v-hull aluminum boat which is way, way more versatile and a solid lake platform, and easy on a trailer, and widely available and I bet you could find a nice one, often with a motor, if you are just a bit patient.
I like my canoe a lot but a 12 foot canoe is pretty short for two people (even one) and canoes are less comfortable for extended lake fishing days. One good thing about a canoe is they are easy to transport. You wouldn't need a trailer for a canoe, especially not for a 12 foot canoe. Just cartop it. You also don't need much of a launch site for a canoe. They are so easy to paddle I have never bothered hooking up a trolling motor to mine. I guess if you wanted to troll flies solo on windless days, that would be the reason.
Click to expand...

What about the larger models, like this one?

 
troutpocket said:
Have you spent some time in small boats on the water you are fishing? I ask because tube fishing and boat fishing are pretty different. It’s two separate skill sets. Both are good to have! A boat can cover more water while trolling and is great if you want to anchor up and fish specific areas - particularly effective with indicators. Managing a boat on the water and at the launch takes some practice. Tubes allow you to slow down and pick areas apart and are perfect for wind drifting. I think tubes are more intuitive for fishing (no oars or motor to deal with) and I prefer them on smaller lakes that I can fully cover in a day. It’s hard to carry a boat very far if there’s no drive up access….
Click to expand...

The main motivator is that my dad wants to come with me. He arrives in December and leaves at the end of February. It will be too cold for float tubes, but he would otherwise be open to it. I’m hoping to mainly do loch style or anchored fishing, in whatever watercraft I buy.
 
If I didn't already have a lake boat, I would be contacting @iveofione about his beautiful hand built pram!

I like nice boats with nice lines, and that plastic jon boat from sportsmans just doesn't look like it would bring me joy.

Maybe a square back canoe with an electric motor on the back would be a good two-person boat?
 
@SurfnFish - has lots of experience with Sportcats. Maybe he will chime in here...
 
Scott Salzer said:
I would be concerned about the free board on that one. With two people, gear, motor / battery it MIGHT sit too low in the water. Ya never know when the wind will come up but, when it does, you seem to find yourself on the wrong side of the lake having to move into the wind.
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@Scott Salzer , is correct. More free board is your friend.
 
jaredoconnor said:
The main motivator is that my dad wants to come with me. He arrives in December and leaves at the end of February. It will be too cold for float tubes, but he would otherwise be open to it. I’m hoping to mainly do loch style or anchored fishing, in whatever watercraft I buy.
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My Dad is over 80 now and is doing amazing but I would prefer to fish with him out of something other than a canoe at this point, and I'm pretty sure he would, too, even though he would probably go along with whatever new cockamamy scheme I cooked up.
Another option, if you have the room for it, is a cheap beater drift boat. They do come up in that price range now and then, and they're hard to beat for comfort and fly-fishability.
jaredoconnor said:
What about the larger models, like this one?

Click to expand...
I don't have experience with one that length but in general I have found those things to be awfully narrow at the beam, and therefore pretty tippy when you sit up high or stand. Also there is little freeboard so there is not much room for error.
 
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seattle.craigslist.org

Smokercraft Alaskan deep V 12’ - boats - by owner - marine sale - craigslist

Year 2001 Alaskan Pro Little use on every thing Year 2001 King Trailer Year 2000 electric Start Yamaha 4 stroke strait Gas low hour Fish on Pole holders 2 Smitty Built down rigger mounts 2 Titles...
seattle.craigslist.org seattle.craigslist.org

If this didn't have the motor it might be $2000. If you don't want the motor, sell it, or just keep it and use it on Lake Sammamish.
 
RCF said:
@SurfnFish - has lots of experience with Sportcats. Maybe he will chime in here...
Click to expand...
huge fan of them, most stable boat per ft I've ever fished from, having been in a 10 and a 13' which I currently own. My 13' fishes two well, w/68" beam barely tips with both guys on one side when playing/netting a fish, hull only weighs 260#, and no center hump, level dance floor.
And I'd be just fine if had a 10' or 11' w/electric motor for tooling around stillwater, super light to launch and retrieve. They show up fairly regularly in WA, were built in Portland.
This is mine, which is currently sporting both an OB and MK...and I'd be just fine with only the MK.
IMG_20240903_085217336.jpg
 
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