2010CABIN LIVING | on the water

by Zenon Bilas Best Fishing Boats

I f you know someone who loves the outdoors, chances are you also know someone who loves to fish. Luckily for anglers, no other type of boat offers more diverse choices than fishing boats. No matter whether you’re fishing for walleye and north-

ern pike on rocky-bottom lakes of Minnesota, cruising salty shallow coastal waters for snook, chasing bass on the Lake of the Ozarks or pursuing muskies on the lakes of Wisconsin, there’s a specific fishing boat that works best for your needs. Boat builders design fishing boats to do specific missions well. Bay boats, flats boats and bass boats feature spacious open forward and aft decks designed perfectly for casting and for reeling in fish. Anglers even have a choice of materials – fiberglass for performance and looks and aluminum for affordability and durability. But beyond the materials and overall designs of fishing boats, there’s a long list of features to enhance your fishing mission. Here’s a look at four craft that should appeal to any angler.

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22 OctOber 2010 | cabin Life, cabin Living

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by Zenon Bilas

Zenon Bilas test-drives boats for a living. Yes, he is fully aware of how lucky he is.

Length: 17 feet, 5 inches | Beam: 7 feet | Dry Weight: 1,266 pounds Max HP: 75 hp | MSRP: $15,480 www.polarkraft.com

Length: 21 feet, 8 inches | Beam: 8 feet | Dry Weight: 1,425 poundsMax HP: 115 hp | MSRP: $16,495 www.trackerboats.com

Length: 22 feet, 5 inches | Beam: 8 feet, 6 inches | Dry Weight: 3,800 poundsMax HP: 300 hp | MSRP: $74,576www.whaler.com

Length: 20 feet, 10 inches | Beam: 7 feet, 11 inches | Dry Weight: 2,365 poundsMax HP: 300 hp | MSRP: $69,460 www.skeeterboats.com

2010 Polar Kraft 175 FFFor CabinsThe 175 FF offers plenty of deck space for two or three people to fish. With solid construction, it works well in the bumps, especially for its length.

Best Feature It’s very affordable but still packs a punch in the horsepower department. And its low price tag doesn’t translate to a lack of extras and thoughtful design.

Accessories & Amenities Polarcraft accessorized this 175 FF with full fishing features, includ-ing a 9.3-gallon aerated baitwell, in-deck storage for tackle trays, and bow and stern fishing deck pedestal seats (complete with mul-tiple base locations).

2010 Tracker Grizzly 2072 CCFor Cabins Strong aluminum construction and shallow draft makes the Grizzly perfect for fishing fanatics who venture into the shallows – fresh-water rivers, grassy lakes and tidal saltwater fishing spots like bays and backwaters.

Best Feature With its extra width and center console placement of the helm, it features a good amount of space on the aft deck and on the for-ward casting deck. Its ample width also makes it stable when fish-ing and poling. (For the uninitiated, poling is propelling your boat with a length of pole in an effort to reach very shallow waters or approach fish without disturbing them.)

Accessories & Amenities The Grizzly 2072 comes with plenty of spacious below-floor stor-age and an aerated livewell, vertical rod holders and trailer. A troll-ing motor is optional.

2010 Boston Whaler 220 OutrageFor CabinsA diverse craft, it’s at the right size and design to do bay fishing as well as handling big waters found on large lakes and offshore.

Best Feature The 220 Outrage is full of gorgeous stainless steel: including the toe rails, which increase stability when reeling in the fish, and the four gunwale-mounted rod holders, which keep the rods safely out of the way.

Accessories & AmenitiesIn-floor fish lockers located on the port and starboard sides are massive, especially for this hull length, and plenty of under-gun-wale rod racks make the 220 Outrage ideal for venturing into big waters for larger fish.

2010 Skeeter FX 21For CabinsThe FX 21 is designed with a plethora of storage compartments including one for up to 14 rod holders as well as others for tackle trays, and two independently plumbed live wells. You can stay on the lake all day – and even pick up and drop off some friends – without running out of storage.

Best Feature The slick hull provides great acceleration and top-end speed.

Accessories & Amenities A jack plate that raises or lowers the engine for maximum perfor-mance helps get you to the fishing spot faster, while a trolling motor and fish finder let you close in on the fish.

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