BigBendFishing.Net

Launching is the easy part. Loading can be difficult at times. I launch in the Carrabelle River a lot. Loading with the wind going one way and the current going the other can be a challenge. And, the tide makes a difference. High or low.

I launch by myself so often it throws me off my game when I have help!

That said...I have the luxury of using the same ramp at Anky and have learned all the tricks in self defense. I unload the skiff and the mud boat the same but load differently.
I can drive the skiff on the trailer but would be charged with public endangerment if I tried that with the mud boat. It is not unusual there to see solo fisher folks of all genders and variations. Thankfully, most fall into pure male and female!

Good Luck!

thanks for the input guys. i'd be lost without this forum. i thought i knew boats. growing up on the tennessee river i was around bass boats, 'toons and PWC's all the time. inshore fishing/boating is somewhat new to me though, so ill take all the help i can get.

as for launching and loading: yall have very strong points about size being irrelevant. but fuel economy will play a huge roll in the size of the boat i will purchase. since i fish alone 90% of the time, i dont have anyone so split the cost of gas, ice, beer, etc.

the place i will store my boat (at my parents house) has limited covered area. ill get some measurements eventually, but this is why i have been favoring the smaller bay boats and tins. also keep in mind, im a single 24 y/o, so i dont need extra room for floats, water wings, kids, or nagging spouses.

dave, ill give you a call as soon as im over this strep.

mbweimar wrote:...yall have very strong points about size being irrelevant. but fuel economy will play a huge roll in the size of the boat i will purchase. since i fish alone 90% of the time, i dont have anyone so split the cost of gas, ice, beer, etc.

Hard to beat the panga designs on fuel economy. Does sound like the smaller pangas might fit your needs better, but even my 22' only requires a 90hp and I can run at speeds in the mid 30s with it and take midshore trips totalling over 30 miles @ 4 -6 mpg depending on speed I run/conditions -- try comparing those numbers to other more traditional bay boats.

All that shared, again, looking strictly to stay shallow would recommend non-fiberglass option for our area. I catch reds out of mine but watch the tides like a hawk and get in before things get crazy skinny in the Ecky area.

big bend gyrene wrote: I catch reds out of mine but watch the tides like a hawk and get in before things get crazy skinny in the Ecky area.

I just love crazy skinny at Ecky!

Too bad the water at Ecky isn't going to clear up anytime soon......