# Using a Poling Skiff around Houston..does it make sense?



## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

I have been a fresh water fisherman mostly but I would like to try to get more into Saltwater Fishing. I am attracted to Poling Skiffs because I like the idea of simplicity, light weight, easy to tow, easy to operate for one person. I am also attracted to shallow water fishing but I do not know our bay system well at all but have been thinking this type of boat may do well for fishing in West Bay maybe some in other areas of Galveston Bay? I am green when it comes to Saltwater fishing or this type of boat fishing. When I say Poling Skiff I am thinking of a Beavertail, Mitzi, Ranger Banshee Extreme. Do these boats make sense in the Houston area? If they do where is the best areas to run them? *I would really appreciate your experience*. I am not a Fly Fishing person although it sounds fun but does this boat work for our area? I fish 50% of the time by myself, 30% of the time with my very young son and then 20% of the time with 1 or 2 friends. Please share your experience and whether this type of boat makes sense for our area and if they do where do you suggest to use it?


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## trashcanslam (Mar 7, 2006)

I owned a Ranger 169 Ghost with Yamaha 90TLR for about 1.5 years and absolutely loved it. It was perfect for the fishing that I do and really easy to trailer. I wadefish and also fish the flats. It got great gas mileage and ran about 40mph. I could fish 3 people out of it comfortably and hold 4 if we were just going wadefishing. I would definetely recommend them to anyone, there are not enough around the Texas waters. 

I sold the Ghost to get a Texas built skiff (Explorer 1850 with Yamaha TRP) and didn't like it at all compared to the Ghost. Rougher ride, burned more fuel, was like pulling a pontoon boat behind my truck (killed fuel economy) and didn't pole quietly in the skinny water at all. I sold it and am looking to get another skiff.


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

*Poling Skiff usability in Houston?*

When you fished your Ranger where did you typically run the boat? Is there any other Poling Skiff's that you have fished on in our water that you would recommend?


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## mardigrastopsntails (May 20, 2008)

There are so many good skiffs out there. I was considering a skiff a few months ago and test drove a few of them. My personal favorite was the Ranger 183 ghost and the Maverick 17hpx. If I would have bought a skiff instead of the shallow sport it would have been the Ranger 183. I loved all the deck space and fishing options it had. It is a little heavier than most skiffs but doesnt give up much in the draft area. Would have made for a pretty good little bass rig also. Since the FLW redfish tour died out (which made these boats so popular) the dealers have been slashing the prices on them. They were coming like $8k off the sticker for the 183 and like $12k off the 173. Galveston is also my home bay system and it doesnt really offer the kind of Poling and Flats fishing like the lower coast does which is the main reason i didnt pull the trigger on one, however there are still people who are very successful using them on the shorelines in west and east bay.


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## Levi (Mar 6, 2006)

MILES of marsh fishing in that area, Greens, Fat Rat Pass, most of the east bay south shoreline has pole-able marsh.....and very fat reds..


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## Bird (May 10, 2005)

I fish a Beavertail B1 skiff all the time in West G-bay. Personally I just happen to really like the technical poling skiff but probably not really the best boat for this area. If you like the idea of getting that style of boat, go with the little bigger and little heavier to handle the chop in the bay. The B1 is 650lbs rigged with a 40hp Yamaha 2 stroke carb motor. Yes its light, skinny and poles really nice but the boats like that get bounced around quite a bit in the chop, are most definitely wet when the wind picks up and pretty slow.

Still I like the simplicity of the poling skiffs.


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

You could spend many days poling from the Galveston Causeway bridge to San Luis pass. All of the South shoreline bays have shallow flats and muddy areas. Bring that area up on Google Earth and you will see them. Lots of reds; flounder and specks. regards, Rich


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

Guys, this is great information please continue to share your experiences. If I am following some of the replies right then a Ranger Ghost maybe a better fit for our local Houston bays? I was hoping to stay with something that was at least 18'. I had some interest in the Beavertail because many of the responses I have read saying it handles a chop fairly well? I know it's a fairly light boat.


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## ghillhouse (Jan 6, 2008)

First, you have to be honest and figure out how shallow you want to draft. As a general rule, the shallower you want to draft, the slower and more uncomfortable the boat will be. If you don't need to float in 6" and can live with a 10-11" draft, you have lots of great options. If you get a poling skiff you probably want one more like they use in the keys (that have some deadrise) and not really skinny areas, like Mosquito lagoon and the lagoon here. The most popular keys skiff is Maverick HPX 18. I would check out the Rangers, especially at those prices, the Maverick which has a new HPX 18 out this year, the used market for a Hells Bay Marquesa, and definitely the ECC Vantage. Also the Egret 18 is a great boat. All of these are 18' or over, with the Vantage pushing 20 I think. For a little bigger boat, the Maverick Master Angler is very nice, as are the Hewes. A killer boat for your area would be a Lake & Bay, a really, really fast poling skiff with some deadrise. If you are fishing a lot by yourself, you won't be poling much unless really skinny, but using the trolling motor, so don't worry too much about getting a little bigger boat. And even if you are poling, you probably are also poling in a drift. At a lower price I would look at used non-tunnel Hewes and Pathfinder skiffs, because there are a bunch of them. 
I "had" to get a 5" draft boat as I go to Nine Mile Hole a bunch. If I didn't fish in such skinny water, I never would bought the boat I have, but something with more deadrise, and thus draft, to cut the chop in Baffin. Good luck!


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## Malbec (Jul 12, 2009)

Over the last 10 years I've owned a 16-ft Hell's Bay poling skiff, an 18-ft Maverick HPX, a 20-ft Lake and Bay and I'm now using a Majek Illusion. I loved the Hell's Bay when I was only fly-fishing, but moved to the Maverick when I started fishing Redfish tournaments and needed more speed and range (and a trolling motor). The HPX was a disappointment in that the fuel tank did not hold what Maverick claimed and they took it back as a part of a law suit settlement. The Lake and Bay was great for tournaments where you had to make long fast runs, but it in the end we realized we really needed to get back to shallower water.

My own history illustrates the fact that things can change. You may or may not like saltwater flyfishing. You might get serious about wade fishing for trout on windy days. You might find yourself wishing for a larger boat to take several buddies out on a regular basis. You might even decide to get serious about redfish tournaments.

So you might not want to spend a bunch of money on a new boat right off the bat. Someday, when I'm not doing tournaments, I'll probably go back to fly-fishing off a 16 to 18-ft poling skiff (equipped with a removable trolling motor) Who knows, maybe with the rising gas prices I'll start using a kayak.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I have a Beavertail B2 that spends a lot of time in West Galveston Bay. There is nothing quite like it for the flats. It will also get you home in three footers when the wind picks up. Although I don't recommend it. 1 to 2 footers are no problem, but you might take a little spray from time to time.

The ride is pretty good though. It won't beat you up like a flat bottom skiff. Also, I wouldn't recommend it for small childeren (under 6 or 7). It is a bit tippy compared to a wider bay boat and you have to get used that.


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

I know it sounds like a broken record, but the old "what will you be doing 90% of the time with the boat" really does hold a lot of truth. If you really want to pole and sight fish a lot, you are going to want to get shallow and you'll be wishing you could get even more shallow. I put up with some ride and comfort issues getting to where I want to go, but once the key gets turned off, the motor trimmed up and I jump up on the platform to pole, the boat is in its element. So, if you want to do this, you will love a boat for its:

Light weight. I'd aim for a hull weight of under 500 lbs.
Low freeboard so it doesn't get blown around
Little or no vee at the stern
No chines or other surfaces near the waterline that will cause hull slap

Note, all of the above add up to not so fun on a big open bay, but will yield a true sub 7", 6", 5"? boat that will be easy to pole. With the above criteria, you'll narrow the search down to probably 10 boats or less costing anywhere new 
from $10k to $60k!!!!

PS, you'll be amazed at what you can see poling one of these boats (that a wader would make too much noise to see) and I've already said too much.


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## hd2001glide (Feb 17, 2008)

I'm still a little confused, just not sure if there is a lot of area in our bays (houston) to run a Poling Skiff? I really like the idea of fishing off a poling platform and sometimes I think I should just buy a 20' Bay Boat and mount a poling platform off it but then with a Bay Boat I can't get much deeper than 12" or so? I keep coming back to a Poling Skiff like Beavertail, Waterman, HPX-V but at the same time I keep thinking is there is a very limited amount of water in our area to run these type of skiffs... and that a Bay Boat makes more sense but then again a Bay Boat is kind of a pain to run when your fishing by yourself not to mention the higher cost of fuel? I'm sure many of you guys have struggled with this same issue...I just want to be sure the boat I buy is something I can keep for a long while especially considering this economy. Will a poling skiff cover more than enough ground in our area to keep me busy having fun? I struggle with this.......

Please share your experiences...it definitely helps to hear all the different view points.


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

I'm certain that many will laugh and disagree with my comments here...but.. 

I, at one time, headed up the Carolina Skiff Owners Group. They are inexpensive flat bottomed boats that won't sink; will go very shallow...and the prior versions were NOT the best choice for crossing bays. 

I owned two at one time. Prior to the Carolina Skiff flotilla...I owned a 16 ft. El Pescador...tunnel hull and all. The CS boats went shallower every time than the EP tunnel ever did. The EP was gentler in the chop...but..I fish the flats and not the chop. The CS's were equipped with Smart Tabs and could get up quicker than the tunnel hulled EP could, even though it had Smart Tabs added also. 

One CS was kept for Texas and another I kept (still keep) in Wisconsin. Up here ( the Frozen North-- Wisc.) I fish a smallish lake. When the wind blows up .... Which happens often in the Summers here..(I just came off the lake with a two foot chop) the darn little 16 foot CS bangs around some; I get sprayed some; but she gets me across the lake in perfect safety. 

With the boat that I kept in TX...I usually launched near the flats ( often West Galveston Bay State Park etc. ) and I never ran more than five miles in either direction to spend a day fishing. If I had to cross the bay on a big day...I'd rather drive around and launch on the other side. That choice, perhaps, limited my fishing locations...but...I fish for fun..not to drive a boat around all day. 

Like the above poster correctly says.... buying a boat for what you do 90% of the time is often the best long term choice. 

You can spend as much as you want....just be sure that you get what you want to do 90% of the time. 

regards, Rich

p.s. I am 260 lbs...so a flat bottomed boat handles my big frame much better than any sort of -V- shape.


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## txshockwave (Mar 6, 2007)

I run a custom 1854 gator tail boat. With a 35 GTR its not the fastest (low 30's) but I can run shallower than any other boat. Infact It will run on straight mud. the draft with two people is 7". The bottom is covered with UHMW with is the same stuff used on Air boat bottoms. UHMW is super slick and lets air boats operate on dry land.


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## richg99 (Aug 21, 2004)

I like it...Rich


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

There are certainly places to run a poling skiff in the Galveston bay complex, but whether it's the right type of boat depends entirely on what's important to you.

I take my Maverick HPX-T out in all the bays here, but I pick my places depending on conditions. For example, I fish Trinity Bay sometimes, but if the winds blowing much I'm staying on the lee shore only, or I head somewhere else. I always try to launch on the lee shore of any bay and almost never run far or go from one bay to another. West Bay, on the other hand, is pretty skiff-friendly and I've never been out there on a day when it was too much for my little boat.

You'll love the easy trailering and launching, shallow running and floating, easy on gas (never burned more than 7 gallons in a day), etc. I also love poling my skiff up in the marsh and I'd rather catch one fish sight-casting than 10 blind casting. But, if you'd really like a boat to run all over the Galveston bays, mainly fishing open water, or if you need the option to have 4 in your boat, you'll feel limited in a poling skiff.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I agree with the 90% rule. No one boat does it all. I actually have two boats. A B2 tunnel Skiff and a 22' Whaler Dauntless. Between them they do everything I want to do.

Having said that I fish out of the B2 85%-90% of the time. On a normal day with winds under 15 mph, I can fish the flats, the mid-bay reefs, SLP, and I've even taken it to the jetties on a calm day. The real advantage is that it can go a lot of places that only a small handful of boats on the water can get to.

The Whaler is used on rougher days, when I take a group wading or bait soaking, jetty and near-shore trips, pleasure cruising, and water skiing. It's a big, smooth, dry, comfortable boat. Not much use in the flats though. There are a lot of places in West Bay that it can't go.

Best thing to do is to spend a day on the water in a poling skiff and see if it is for you.


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

I have owned a bunch of different bay boats and one poling skiff. Basically here is what it will come down to and you'll see it skewed this way and that but here is the straight truth. It comes down to draft vs ride. When you talk about poling skiffs you have a wide assortment to choose from. Basically you have deeper V poling skiffs like they use in the keys and you have the skinny water poling skiffs like they use in the Mosquito Lagoon. Now, the bigger poling skiffs are not much different in what they will do than any old average bay boat. They draft 10-12", ride pretty well, are more difficult to pole, etc. If you are going to get one of those you will be limited in the areas and times you can sightfish. When fish are real skinny you can't get to them. When the water color is off you can't see them in the deeper water they draft. With the super skinny skiffs you'll be able to get just about anywhere a fish can go. They draft 5-7" and will run in the same and they pole like a dream. When it comes to sightfishing they are awsome machines. The downside is the ride. I don't care what boat it is or who makes it a 16-18' boat that weighs in at 500# is going to be rough and wet if the wind is blowing. Yeah, some are dryer or wetter but they are all wet compared to a 22' bayboat that wieghs 1500#. So there is your downside. If you have to cross open water you will be limited by the wind and weather.

So, you have to really stop and think about what is important to you. Can you give up the ride for the fishability? Can you be flexible in when you can fish and work around the bad weather days? Or can you be creative and come up with places to launch and fish to get out of crossing the bay on bad days? Are you willing to trailer your boat a ways to get to fishable water? 

Personally I LOVED my little skiff and will have another. I love the simplicity and the ride is more than made up for once I turn the motor off and start to fish. From there on everything about the little poling skiff was awsome. At the same time, there were days and weekends where i just had to say it was too windy and would get 'em another time. Or maybe drive an hour or two to get to an area I would be able to fish in those conditions. That was just the price you pay to be able to fish the skinny when the conditions were right. And when they are right it is incredible fishing.


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

Gottogofishin, you seem to have the right idea. Get a Poling Skiff and a Whaler Dauntless, two very good options. I keep hoping to find one boat that will handle 90% of what I want in a boat but the truth is one boat will fill the order only 60% of the time. I spend a lot more of my boat time involving the family and a Poling Skiff is not very friendly for family activities where as the bay boat fits this well but then again a bay boat will not get very shallow and takes a lot more vehicle to tow/gasoline and is more of a handful for one person by himself. I was hoping not to buy two boats but it seems to be the only option to meet most of the shallow fishing vs family boating needs.

Can those of you who use a Poling Skiff share more areas to look into when using a Poling Skiff? I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences.


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

Good skiff launching spots in this area include Anahuac Park on the northeast end of Trinity Bay, Double Bayou about mid way on the eastern shore of Trinity, and Jamaica Beach, Sea Isle or any of the ramps on West Bay side of Galveston. These are all usually lee shorelines and provide miles of good fishing water.

Another thought about types of boats is that you're more likely to take a boat out more often if it is very easy to do. I've had some bigger boats that were much more work to trailer, launch, recover, etc. It's great to have a boat I could practically pull with my bicycle and launch in a puddle.


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## shallowader (Jul 11, 2009)

*Poling Skiffs*

I recently purchased a Ranger 173 Ghost for flats fishing. I've been to Galveston, Freeport, Rockport, San Antonio and down near Baffin. Its agreat skiff for two people and I have repeatly had it in 12 inches or less. Does everything I need it to do. It poles with ease versus some boats Ive had where you wear yourself out just poling a 100 yards. The front mounted Riptide is really handy working a grassy shoreline. Plenty of storage and front and rear live baitwells.


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

BruceJ, thank you for the info on where to launch....your information will save a lot of frustration and confusion. Thanks.


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

I was wondering what you guys thought about the Ranger Banshee Extreme for West Bay? Does anyone run a Banshee Extreme in West Bay? Thank you for your replies.


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## houfinchaser (Oct 10, 2008)

Philips500 said:


> I have been a fresh water fisherman mostly but I would like to try to get more into Saltwater Fishing. I am attracted to Poling Skiffs because I like the idea of simplicity, light weight, easy to tow, easy to operate for one person. I am also attracted to shallow water fishing but I do not know our bay system well at all but have been thinking this type of boat may do well for fishing in West Bay maybe some in other areas of Galveston Bay? I am green when it comes to Saltwater fishing or this type of boat fishing. When I say Poling Skiff I am thinking of a Beavertail, Mitzi, Ranger Banshee Extreme. Do these boats make sense in the Houston area? If they do where is the best areas to run them? *I would really appreciate your experience*. I am not a Fly Fishing person although it sounds fun but does this boat work for our area? I fish 50% of the time by myself, 30% of the time with my very young son and then 20% of the time with 1 or 2 friends. Please share your experience and whether this type of boat makes sense for our area and if they do where do you suggest to use it?


big problem with a poling skiff is it takes two to tango, someone has to push you around the flat. unless you find some die hard shallow water anglers most people don't want to be invited to push you around west bay. if your not going to truely pole the poling skiff, there is absolutely no reason to get one in my opinion. Just about every boat on the market today will float in shallow water. The other issue with a skiff is crossing big water. If the wind shifts and your protected water is no longer protected you will have to cross some nasty stuff.


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## Specks&Spots (Aug 26, 2007)

I imagine it would be a PITA in rush hour traffic.


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

houfinchaser said:


> big problem with a poling skiff is it takes two to tango, someone has to push you around the flat. unless you find some die hard shallow water anglers most people don't want to be invited to push you around west bay. if your not going to truely pole the poling skiff, there is absolutely no reason to get one in my opinion. Just about every boat on the market today will float in shallow water. The other issue with a skiff is crossing big water. If the wind shifts and your protected water is no longer protected you will have to cross some nasty stuff.


It's still worth it even if you get a little wet sometimes. You have fish one to understand.

A few points to consider though... A boat that drafts 5" will go a lot of places that a boat drafting 10" can't go. There are a lot of reds in 5" deep water. A TPS is a lot quieter than any other approach (Kayaks as the exception) you can make to spooky reds.

An autopilot TM makes a huge difference when by yourself. Also, poling is a lot more fun than you would think. I love to pole people around on a flat spotting for them. Especially someone who doesn't get to do that kind of fishing very often. Most of them actually end up wanting to pole for a while.

You can develop a real sense of teamwork stalking reds on a flat.

As an indication of their suitability for West Bay, there were about a dozen of them on the North shoreline about mid-day yesterday.


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## Capt. Chuck Uzzle (Jul 29, 2004)

*Another option*

I am shocked that nobody on this thread has mentioned the "do it all" skiff, The Panga. I have run plenty of skiffs and most of my guide business now is centered around sight fishing and poling other anglers around. For years I have run 2 boats, one small skiff and another 20-24ft center console for bay fishing. The new American made Panga's are the absolutely best of both worlds. They eat chop, float in 6 to 8 inches, ridiculous gas mileage on smaller motors, you can fish everything from the flats to the bays, they pole well, and are very easy on the pocket book. I am in the process of scaling back to one boat and I'll give you a guess which way I'm going. I can't find another boat that gets this close to doing everything.

Capt. Chuck


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## Te.jas.on (Mar 28, 2005)

I've got a Beavertail B2 I use in Galveston year-round.

I absolutely love it. And yes, there are PLENTY of areas around here where a poling skiff excels.

I've been fishing an area lately that I absolutely HAVE to pole. The water ranges from 4-8 inches in this particular marsh, and that is on the super high tides we've had the past few weeks (it's simply not accessible on lower tides). There are parts of this marsh where I'm literally scooting my boat across mud to get to the fish. This marsh is limited to poling skiffs and kayaks, and I've never seen another soul there. That's why I love having a skiff.

Here are the results from last weekend. These fish were roaming the shorelines in schools of anywhere from 10 to 50 fish. I was poling my butt of just to catch up!



















And whoever said the Beavertail could take chop wasn't bluffing. This little boat will get you home when it gets rough out there. The ONLY downside is it can be a wet ride. I've got some spray rails to install that will hopefully remedy that issue, though.

After catching those reds in the morning I bounced offshore for some kings. That's versatility. LOL










It's like Stuart says - what will you do MOST out of the boat? I love to fish shallow water and sight-cast, and most importantly, get away from the crowds. These little boats allow me to do that.


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

Great post with the pictures....I definitely want to get away from the crowds. 

I have thought about the Panga but I didn't think they were good for Poling but I guess I was wrong. Panga would sell well in Texas if anyone would ever offer them versus having to go to Florida. If I am not Poling I would be using a wireless trolling motor and I didn't think Panga's design lended itself well to trolling motors?


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

Pangas are neat boats, and I guess you can pole anything, but if you're wanting a poling skiff, I would think you would be frustrated with a panga. That raised bow has some great sea keeping attributes, but I would think it would get blown all over the place on a flat. Also, most of the ones I have seen have surfaces at the waterline that will cause hull slap. Until you've been in a boat with zero hull slap and poled right up on fish that you can reach out and touch with your rod tip, you can't appreciate this enough.

Btw, here is a link to a very good video on basic poling technique. Click on the link under "Tip #1"

http://www.tiborreel.com/tips.html


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## Huachele (Apr 19, 2009)

I have a Maverick HPX-T with a Yammi 70 and a jack plate. I am sure that most of the TPSs of the same size will have pretty much the same performance. Although the tunnel will run shallower than most they all float about the same.

1) These skiffs are designed to be fished with one man on the bow and one on the pole. With the boat balanced properly it will perform the best (tracking, poling, draft, hull slap). If you are solo or with a small child the performance falls way off. You think you can solve it with a trolling motor but a TM cannot run as shallow as your boat will float and they are not really stealthy in the skinny water.

2) If you are fishing with another adult and can balance the boat properly you need to make sure that your buddy can pole the boat. If not you will be doing all of the work while he catches all of the fish. Poling takes some skill and practice so its not as simple a jumping up on the tower.

3) The boats do not handle big chop well and they are wet. I don't care who brags what about whatever brand they are running. TPSs are wet and rough. Keep your rain gear on board at all times.

4) You can launch just about anywhere on the texas coast and find water where a poling skiff will be useful. Any place people wade you can pole. You can also pole in spots where people can't wade because the bottom is too soft.

5) The teamwork aspect that has been mentioned already is part of the fun. I have as much fun dialing a guy in on a fish as do catching it my self. I also enjoy the hunting and finding fish part.

6) After you have beaten yourself to death getting to your spot. You will be in your spot virtually alone. And you will not have a more enjoyable fish than in any other type of boat.

7) Easily trailerable
8) Fits in your garage
9) Sips fuel
10) Easy clean up/maintenance

11) These boats are made for one thing: Fishing. They are not great family boats unless all the family wants to do is fish. (Although I did wake board behind a Dolphin skiff in Mexico)

There are many brands out there. For Houston/Galveston area I don't think a tunnel would be as important as it would be in points further south. A V will also improve your ride.


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## Capt. Chuck Uzzle (Jul 29, 2004)

*No problems with the Panga*

Stuart,
I have been fortunate enough to have fished many places and I have guided on them as well. Perhaps my most favorite place in the world is the Yucatan (Cozumel, Isla Blanca, Holbox etc) where I have spent a ton of time chasing fish from a much less engineered version of the American Panga and never had a problem "poling up to a fish and touching it with my rod tip" as you say. I ran Maverick products for 9 years and guided out of an HPX-T for several of those. I can say without a doubt the Panga will go more places and be more versatile without losing the flats capabilities. I had my HPX on Calcasieu and got caught in some weather, I may as well had jumped in the water because it would be next to impossible to get any wetter. No the technical skiffs are not built for open water, I know that all to well. They are certainly not the best bet for the Galveston complex either. All I'm saying is that the Panga will make more water accessible to a guy fishing on the upper Texas coast, for what you lose in the "hull slap" you gain 10 fold in chop and you can float in anything the technical skiff will float in as well. They also pole way better than you think, you should try one. Coastal Backwater Marine in Santa Fe Texas sells them. Very tough to beat in my humble opinion.


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## Huachele (Apr 19, 2009)

I agree with Chuck:

Panga=Versatile (good at lots of things) and probably a better choice for upper GC.

Technical Skiff=Excellent at 1 thing (OK at others, terrible at a few) You have to love this style of fishing to appreciate it. I do.


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## Stuart (May 21, 2004)

No doubt the panga design is very versatile. It will take some rough water, float shallow and is economical to run. If I could have two boats, one would be my tech poling skiff and the other would be a panga to run the beach on good days. I've never poled or much less even been in a panga, so I'll take your word for it, but I don't see poling skiff companies clammering to make skiffs that look like pangas.


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## Capt. Chuck Uzzle (Jul 29, 2004)

*Upper coast and technical skiffs*

Stuart,
I agree you don't see technical skiff companies rushing to make Pangas, but you also don't see upper coast anglers rushing to buy technical skiffs either. The true technical skiff limits anglers to much less waters on average, we are not loaded with all the protected stuff like say Florida. Yes, we have plenty of water to pole around in but getting there is the problem. In order to access most of this water it means either a run across some big water (Galveston Bay) or a trek to reach another ramp. All I'm saying is that IMHO a boat like the Panga plays into the strength of the Texas angler, it's much less of a compromise and has a great upside for those who can't afford or want 2 boats. Me, personally, I want all of them with a garage a mile long (LOL)!

Respectfully,
Capt. Chuck


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## Philips500 (Aug 25, 2009)

I went to the panga marine website and the panga's look nice but they offer little to no rear deck which is important to me. They do look like a great choice for our water but you don't seem to get a lot of features with these boats considering their relative price. I'm surprised someone is not building one locally.


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## frayed (Jun 21, 2008)

Great thread. I have a panga (Andros 22' bonefish). Love the boat, but it has its limitations. The high freeboard and big bow mean you're going to get pushed around a lot in the wind. Drift fishing means two huge drift socks. It floats skinny (verified 8-10") but requires at least 18" to get up, so the wind better be blowing in a direction toward deeper waters. I've fished some shallow shorelines by idling up into skinny water, then drifting back into the bay.

It's a blast nearshore in flatter seas. I wouldn't want to be out in 3's, but it'll get you home. A soft, dry ride to and from those rigs to chase snapper and ling.

But it's big, heavy and a lot of boat to handle when I'm out solo, and being further down the coast from you guys (north padre island), I bought an ECC Lostmen, with a raised center console so I can stand and run on the back deck, and with a vented tunnel hull for shallow running. Since I'm new to the TX coast, I wanted a small, light boat that I can handle alone, and use to explore and find some of my own fishing spots.

Haven't fished it yet, but I'm hoping the panga/TPS lineup addresses all my needs/wants (inshore anyway).

There are some great deals on TPS's right now. A buddy is looking at the Chaos boats right now. Looks like you can steal one for 17-18k right now, which is an amazing deal.

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/photos/89556592/


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