It could be done but like that thread on the guy who was attempting to fish from a Stand Up Paddleboard... probably not my first choice. Pick your days well and most typically even when the wind waves are low in the a.m., they most definitely pick up in the afternoon. Make sure you have a good bilge, foul weather gear and coast guard safety equipment.

 

Colton,

Being from Texas, where bass boats are just about the most common pickup truck accessory you'll see, I too have thought about that. But then I thought better. I think a flats boat would be a great bet for the Sound. Sure, it wouldn't be ideal for hooking up a downrigger and trolling deep but you fly fish so who cares? A flats boat seems like it was built for fly fishing. Nice open deck up front for your running line...room for coolers, etc...

I'd think something like this would be great for estuaries/shorelines and would hold up if you wanted to get a little further out and cast to rising salmon slashing bait.

http://glen-l.com/designs/hankinson/flatsflyer.html

If you end up buying one, I'll gladly pay the cost of gas to get on the water.

Holla atcha.

MW (James)

 

No. They are made for different water and different fishing. Take a big freighter wave over the back and see how fast your bass boat goes down.

 

The problem is that you're going to be an hour or two from the launch ramp and some nasty weather blows in and it will take you 2-4 hours to get back safely. Short steep chop in the 1-3 foot range is pretty regular and would be a problem in a bass boat. A whaler type would be good for the sound plus big and small lakes. A deep v center console would be best for large lakes and sound.

 

Zero v hull in winds above 5mph means your butt will get spanked and wish you had at least a semi v.
It could be done but don't even try it in winds above 10 mph, all your gear will be thrown out due to all the slammin' on the waves,etc. I have a 14' lund and don't think twice about taking it out in winds above 15mph. Go to accuweather.com it give accurate reading of local wind readings in the area you choose.

 

I have a Parker 1801 Center Console. I respect Puget Sound. Saturday with a forecast of partly cloudy and winds of 8 knots in the Central sound a storm blew in with gusts to 30 and waves that were as high as 6 feet with very little separation. We were pummeled for over 30 minutes and would have been in real trouble with a boat with less freeboard. You can be as careful as possible and still need to be prepared to deal with unexpected rough weather.

I wouldn't do it.

Good luck, Steve

 

I fished Puget Sound once out of a bass boat when my friend moved back up here from Texas.
We were young and dumb...never again.

 

Colton, another thing to consider is that commonly the fittings are not aluminum or stainless steel, meaning that corrosion from the salt water will chew up things fast. Also, the metal flake in the finish of the boat is reeally heavy and requires a lot of horsepower..........just kidding. In short, a bass boat is great for fishing for bass. Look for a boat designed for salt water. Or a good aluminum model with a good saltwater history.

 

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I'm jumping on the NO bandwagon. There are enough things that can go wrong while you are out. Don't start the outing with several of them already stacked against you.

 

It can be done, but I would vote No as well. Years ago we fished Willapa bay a few times in a 15' bass boat that my step dad borrowed from his boss. I remember one day in particular where I hooked a 30lb king in some pretty rough water. It was absolutely no fun at all, and realistically quite dangerous. (Though I certainly didn't care at the time!)

If you are asking simply because you have a bass boat, or access to one, then I'm sure under the right circumstances if you're ULTRA careful, it could be used. But if you're thinking about purchasing something I'd definitely go in another direction.

Nick

 

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If you've ever tried to stand on the front deck of a flats boat in any kind of waves, you'd think otherwise. They're purpose built to be stable and shallow running on the flats, but have no freeboard and no self-bailing decks, which makes them almost worthless anywhere else. Some of the roughest, wettest rides I've had were in flats boats in conditions that would be considered normal for Puget Sound.

The front deck of any boat is tough to stand on and fish in any kind of waves. You could add a knee brace like a drift boat to the front casting platform if you want to fish from the front deck in serious seas but then the wind will probably make fly fishing near impossible. You can also build yourself a cage http://www.alumapole.com/alumarinemain.html Flats boats are designed to be ultimate casting platforms and I would rather fish from a flats boat than any other kind of boat when the conditions are reasonable. When conditions are pretty rough, you're usually forced into trolling anyway..

Flats boats do have minimal freeboard but the truly good ones are self bailing. They also have so much of the boat decked over that very little water can get in the cockpit to be drained out. Check out the Coast Guard testing on the seaworthiness of an Egret 18: http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/278464-egret-18-coast-guard-test.html

The poling platform in the stern is very useful for fisherman stability in rough seas and makes taking a leak off the back way more comfortable than most center consoles under 23 feet.

To me the main disadvantage would be operating downriggers / mounting a kicker if you want to troll as previously mentioned.. The secondary drawback is the ability to get out of the weather, but you need a fair size boat to have a cabin and enough deck to be able to fly cast..

 

Closest thing is to get a whaler and slap on a purple metal flake paint job. Best of both worlds.

 

Wise advice has been given here, so please listen to the combined experience.
One day I woke up (from a confused dream) to find myself the proud owner of an older 16' shallow-vee Sea Nymph john boat that looks like one of those older bass-tracker style boats. Seemed like a good deal at the time. My fishing buddies have enjoyed casting for cutts from the front deck in the calm backwaters, and its great for that. Awesome for lake fishing, as its roomy and comfortable, and very stable to cast from.
I've had it out a few times in calmer conditions trolling for salmon on Willapa Bay, and did fine. However, each time I was out there in that boat, I thought that I was indeed lucky that the conditions were mild. I have to listen carefully to the marine forecast to cherry pick my go-outs, and then check my local conditions at the last minute before I'll launch in big open waters. It only has 20" high sides.
Its a good fishing craft for lakes, lower rivers, and protected waters. With the shallow vee and strakes, 1' to 1.5' wind chop isn't too bad, but it quickly gets rough after that. 2' wind waves are very gnarly conditions for this boat.
I wish I had gotten something with a pointier bow and higher sides now. I would not recommend a boat like mine for the Sound, unless you wanted to limit yourself to calmer conditions than a more seaworthy craft would easily handle.
Hey Don, how about purple/chartreuse camo?

 

My advise would be, depending on your financial situation to buy a whaler. look on craigs list. a 17 montauk would be a good model. get someone to check the engine before purchase.
mike

 

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you have to understand that wind is not the only thing that causes choppy seas. in puget sound, strait, and entrance to the pacific the current has a huge impact on the state of the water. forcing yourself to troll if it is not flat calm is imo the very definition of a boat not meant for fishing the pacific northwest.

there are plenty of non self bailing boats that are far better northwest boats than a flats boat. the decking all over is one of the problems with a flats boat. freeboard allows you to fish comfortably anywhere on the boat (front, back, sides) without worrying about a freighter's wake sending you into deep, cold water. the coast guard testing is impressive, but not very relevant to what makes a good pacific northwest saltwater boat.

I don't feel forced to troll until the seas are 3 foot which is far from flat calm to me. What is the concern about the freighter wake: is it that the wave will rock the boat and someone will fall in or that the wave will swamp the boat? If the concern is falling out then yes higher gunnels will help to keep you in the boat, but sometimes falling in the boat causes much greater injury than falling out of the boat if you're appropriately dressed to take a swim. I am very comfortable standing to make a cast in the front while bracing my knees against the bow platform and then sitting on the casting platform for the retrieve if it's really rough. No matter what vessel you're in, it requires constant attention to fish in rough conditions.. A deep vee center console is very unstable at rest and it can be tough to keep balance unless you're wedged into both gunnels at the bow. Midships without a coffin box is like a 6' by 10' dance floor on a tilt-a-whirl when a big boat wake goes by. Without decking, a wave that breaks over the transom is now in the boat and it takes the bilge pump several minutes to clear the water compared to two minutes for a self bailing cockpit. You're also just one bilge pump system failure (pump, debris in pump, debris in discharge, hole in discharge, battery) away from a proper swamping. The decked over boat probably has 10% of the water in the cockpit compared to what a center console would have.

a 16-18 ft center console with decent freeboard is really easy to pee of of... and you can take a piss of the back, front, or sides of the boat in chop.

I'm 6'2 and I find the freeboard in those length boats to be enough to keep me in the boat but not really comfortable to lean into for balance for fishin or pissin when it's rough. The poling platform hits me at the waist so I can really lean into it for casting and it's at a perfect height to grab with a free hand while whizzing.

getting out of the weather is nice, but not all that important for fly fishing. a fishing boat is for fishing, and a center console with freeboard is perfect for the pacific northwest. as for mounting dowriggers, if we're talking about fly fishing boats that's not relevant.

most people also want a boat that can be used in many different fisheries. they might want to fish for pinks in the south sound, cutthroat in hood canal, coho and rockfish at neah bay, and maybe trips to vancouver island. having a boat that really works well for very shallow water fishing (which we have very little of) just doesn't make sense for someone who lives and fishes in the NW.

The reason for possibly wanting to mount downriggers is just that: flexibility in uses for the boat. I don't always fish in saltwater, and when I do I prefer to fly fish To me there's a world of difference between a multi purpose flats boat that can handle rough water and a technical poling skiff that is designed only for really shallow water. The poling skiff is definitely a questionable choice outside of the flats, but a multi purpose flats boat is really only good in 12" or more water and is just an excellent casting platform at rest in 1 foot or 500 feet of water. To me that describes what's best for all the fishing situations you mentioned. The trip across Juan de Fuca I imagine would only be attempted on flat calm or close to it days in a boat less than 20 feet regardless of its hull type.

there's a reason there are virtually zero flats boats fishing in the pacific northwest.

I agree, that means either it's been tried and it doesn't work or no one has tried it. If it's been tried then please provide some links to some horror stories of bad boat purchases or flyfishermen lost at sea.. The only thing I've found online on a northwest flats boat is this JohnK guy from Port Townsend sounded real happy with his Scout 177 flats boat: http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/12183-john-k-washington-new-scout-177-a.html Too bad there aren't any reports after the first one or two. Has anyone seen him out there? Maybe he did get into trouble in his brand new boat.

There were virtually zero flats boats in the northeast too until people tried them out and found them really useful. The Pacific northwest is even further from Florida where most boats are made so it might take longer for them to reach the left coast. The lack of shallow water does make it even less likely for a flats boat to move there automatically. A flats boat isn't a general purpose boat like a center console for trolling or family cruising which means it would take someone interested in only casting to try one out. Just because no one has tried it though doesn't mean a flats boat couldn't be a great choice for an at rest casting style of fishing.

I would be very interested to get opinions based on actual experience. In this case I know I'm speculating on pros for performance based on a lot of time on a flats boat (over 400 days in the last 5 years) with limited time (maybe 30 days in the last 5 years) in the Northwest and I'm guessing you're speculating on cons based on a lot of seatime in the Northwest and not much on a flats boat like an Egret. I know for sure I was wishing I was in my Egret when I rented the fly fishing designed 17 foot skiffs at Weigh West in Clayquot. If you're ever in south Florida let me know and I'll take you out for a sea trial in a flats boat that's not a technical poling skiff. It might not change you from a no to a yes, but I bet I can get you to maybe.

martyg: If you're looking at a remote flats boat that claims to be self bailing I think it would be worth putting a post on floridasportsman Boating forum to get details from people that have been on the particular boat as to just how the self bailing is implemented. Lots of the flats boats claim to be self bailing but as soon as the boat stops moving and you have more than one 150lb person in the boat, water comes back in through the bailing holes. Most of those boats offer plugs / shut offs for the thruhull. Egret has a goose neck from cockpit to thruhull and is totally self bailing at rest even with a thousand pounds or more of stuff ( 3 big guys going camping) into the boat. They don't offer a plug for the thruhull because it's not necessary. That coast guard test shows you can't get more than 3 inches of water to stay in the cockpit even if you completely flood the entire rest of the boat.

Smalma: you got a special custom trolling motor there? Minn Kota Rip Tide is either 101# thrust and 36 volt or 80# or 72# thrust and 24 volt as far as I'm aware.

 

I've thought about it and my biggest concern has been the hardware thing - I don't want to have to replace a bunch of hardware that might not cleanly fit mounting holes. If you have your heart set on it just get a monster bilge pump.

There is a 19' self bailing flats boat in FL - asking price $14K+. I almost bought that. It can be shipped for $3K.

As far as seaworthiness I've fished Puget Sound 100+ days from a decently seaworthy center counsel and have run very small SAR craft in big conditions - like 20+ breaking waves. Freighter wakes are no prob. Waves from large cruising vessels are. If I did not start the boat up and turn the bow into the wave I would have taken a lot of water on - but then again I am not wigged out about running a boat half filled with water.

In reality, if you are fly fishing, you won't be going out in windy conditions. Controlling your boat and casting in winds just sucks. I never found myself in conditions where I would have been uncomfortable in a bass boat and there are days when I ran 30 miles. If I was, there are enough protected coves around. Jump into one, chill and don't do anything stupid.

My current boat is a 17' Triumph and it rocks. It is lighter than a comparable sized boat, it is a tiller steer so there is a ton of usable space (I hate the space that a center counsel eats up) and with its rotomolded hull I can let the tide go out and am totally content to let the hull sit on dry ground.

 

I grew up in TX and fished out of lots of different bass boats, different brands and different sizes, big and small. I've been beaten to pieces and been soaked by waves in all of them. I wouldn't want to be in a bass boat of any kind or size in the Sound. Get a boat made for the salt and the conditions that come with it.

 

PUGET SOUND WATER TEMPERATURES
Water temperatures in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca vary by
approximately eight to nine degrees Fahrenheit from summer to winter. The water
temperature in the Strait is generally 2°F (1.1°C) cooler than the waters of
central Puget Sound. According to U.S. Department of Commerce (1986), winter
temperatures vary from 46°F (7.8°C) at Seattle and 44°F (6.7°C) at Port Townsend
to 45°F (7.2°C) at Neah Bay. Summer temperatures vary from 56°F (13.3°C) at
Seattle and 54°F (12.2°C) at Port Townsend to 53°F (11.7°C) at Neah Bay.

Because of the relatively cold water temperatures, survivability of personnel
who are immersed in the water by falling overboard or other means, is severely
jeopardized. Hypothermia resulting from immersion, either intentional or
unintentional, is a life-threatening hazard that must be taken seriously.
Non-swimming, average person has a life expectancy of approximately two hours in
calm water with a temperature of 44°F (7°C), and four hours in calm water with a
temperature of 56°F (13°C). The times could be reduced to one and two hours
respectively for "fast coolers", i.e. persons of low body weight, children,
light clothing, or those who are exercising such as persons without PFDs who
must swim to remain afloat.

FROM AN ARTICLE ABOUT TEXAS GULF COAST WATER TEMPS
During summer, Texas offers some of the warmest ocean swimming in the United States. The water temperature usually reaches 86 °F (30 °C) at the Galveston Pleasure Pier in July and August.

The Gulf of Mexico's coolest water of the year along the Texas coast arrives in January, when the temperature drops to 53 °F (12 °C) at Freeport.

Most people will find the ocean off Texas warm enough to enjoy swimming from April to October. That's when the water temperature is usually over 70 °F (21 °C) at any of the state's coastal beaches.

 

Any boat used on Puget Sound, especially one by a fisher who will be standing, should be the most stable craft available to that person. It doesn't make sense to risk your life or the lives of others for a pretty boat with a metalflake paint job if it can't stand up to the wind and wave action on the Sound or in the Straits. I have a Boston Whaler and won't take it out when the weather looks bad. Common sense should always rule.

 

The decision on which fishing platform to get is always a difficult one and by necessity one of compromise. The ulitmate decision will be made based on the diversity both the fishing and waters fished, you budget, and other needs. The sad reality is that if one wants to take full advantage of the potential fishing opportunites here in Washington there isn't a prefect boat. One really needs 3 or 4 (maybe more) different craft. The best solution is opt for one that covers most of your needs and acquire fishing buddies that boats to cover the other situtaions.

For retirement after decades of fishing Washington waters I treated myself to my new "office"/fishing machine. As suggest here I looked at a center console boat in that 16 to 18 foot range. I not only wanted a boat fly fished the salt, I also was going to mooch for salmon, crab, chase bass, troll for kokanee in freshwater and salmon in the salt. I did not want to spend the extra bucks for need for a larger towing rig (am towing with a Ford ranger) or bigger motor to push a heavier glass boat.

My compromise ended up being end of the year package deal (saved about 3K) on a 16 foot Lund Alaskan cneter console with 40hp Yamaha 4 cycle. Equiped it with good electronics (Lawerance GPS/Depth finder combo), Scotty downriggers, and bow mounted electric ( 110 # thurst rip tide -24 volt system). Now more than 6 years later and more than 400 days on the water there is very little I would change on my "office". When I repower I will likely step a bit in motor size (to a 50hp?) but as is a great two man boat. Fish all over Puget Sound and Eastern San Juans, a number of larger lakes and rivers, parts of the Columbia and Willapa Bay. The boat came with a live well as part of the package which I was indifferent about but now love.

All and all a good fishing platform that has produced hundreds of days of enjoyment and thousands of fish at what I think was/is reasonable economic investment. With the ranger I get 14.5 miles per gallon while towing and have 4 wheel drive for those "sticky" launches, the boat has a top speed in the high 20s and cruise at 4200rpm at 22 mph while getting 6 to 7 miles per gallons. Since my stomach doesn't like large swells I don't fish west of Sekiu; if I did I would have opted for a larger version of the same rig.

Good luck in your search for your fishing machine (which will likely change over time).

Curt

 

. The boat came with a live well as part of the package which I was indifferent about but now love.

Great post Curt, do you mind expanding on why you like your live well so much? I've thought about making one for my boat, but I don't have much reason unless I was to target Albacore, not very likely in my 17' whaler though!

 

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here's appropriately dressed for an offshore swim in the pacific northwest

I think that's a little overkill. Those guys are dressed to spend an entire weekend bobbing around in a kelp bed like a sea otter. How about this compromise:

"The Gill 4801 Breathable Drysuit is one of the most comfortable suits to be worn for extended periods.
One of the highest MVT (Breathable) Moisture Vapor transfer fabrics available. This makes it ideal for both cold or hot conditions as the moisture can escape.
The heavy duty front zip makes for easy access and the zipper can be closed by the wearer.
The fabric is 3 layer giving greater comfort and very good durability."
This suit is worn by thousands of college sailors in cold conditions and is ideal for surface water sports and being in the water for short periods of time

Looks loose enough to be comfortable to cast and yet it would keep everything but your head dry if you did end up in the water. At $600, it only costs as much as 3 out of 4 sections of a new Sage too! I think that would be a wise purchase even in your dreamboat for any day outside the middle of summer.

i wonder if anybody that actually fishes the nw saltwater would prefer to fall overboard versus falling inside the boat. my vote is to stay inside the boat.

If you're not dressed to get wet then yes do whatever you can to stay in the boat, but like Mumbles said (maybe sarcastically? ) an ugly landing in the boat on your head can be way worse than an intentional landing in the water in the appropriate suit. I have elected water over deck before but admittedly appropriate dress for a Florida dunking means no cell phone in your pocket.

my dream pacific nw saltwater boat would probably be a lee shore, pacific skiff, or another great nw boat builder in the 18-19 ft range with a center console. if i'm ever in florida i'll take you up on your offer... although it would likely never be a yes since any boat i would buy would have to work in the rips north of tatoosh at neah bay... and a open deck would not work in the confused seas there.

I have never seen those seas so I can't comment. Local conditions can definitely be very specific. I checked out the pacific skiff boats and they do look great for spending a lot of time in big offshore swells. I think it would be miserable trying to brace against the front curved gunnel and cast unless some sort of knee brace were built into the bow which is also my comment for a decked over boat. The pacific skiff has a lot of freeboard while the best rough water flats boat (Egret, Maverick Master Angler) probably only has the same freeboard as a montauk. I concede the massive freeboard is important if you're always fishing offshore waters in all kinds of conditions, but if you're fishing semi protected waters when the wind is amenable to fly fishing I think a rough water flats boat could be a excellent choice.

Smalma: Check out the i-pilot in the latest model that stores your route + speed and lets you repeat your course exactly with a button. That will definitely be on my next trolling motor.

 

Chris, great points! Perfectsafety perspective. Falling in your boat could mess up a shin, wrist or hell you might bang your head. Falling into the very cold water and not self rescuing or getting rescued in just a few minutes could be fatal. Tough choice.

 

IBN -
Prior to getting the Lund the only live well I had used was for bass fishing. With the varied fishing I do I was surprised how often I use the live well (32x10x12 with aerator on a timer). It work great for keeping crabs alive and fiesty; in fact the game wardens several times have been surrpised how fiesty they are when they attempted to measure one -LOL. I also use it to keep my herring alive when jigging them. Have also kept geoducks and other clams in it. However where I reaaly appreciate it is when I keep fish. I bleed everything I keep and the drill is I usually throw the fish to be kept into the live well where it is keep nice and lively unitl I have a chance to "process" it. It is easy to reach in the live well and pop a gill to bleed the fish and with salmon, etc I also clean them once they are bled before stashing them in the ice chest. Not only is working in the live well handy it keeps the mess confined while keeping me inside the boat rather than hanging over the side.

It was also handy for some sampling I had done; holding the fish safely until they were processed and released.

mbowers -
A "brain fart" on my part - it is an 80# thrust. It pulls the Lund at between 3.5 and 4 mph at full power and fishes more than a full day while working along a rip, easing along a beach or holding in the current while I back down over a reef while casting flies for lings and salmon (or fishing gear). At speeds I fish for kokanee (1.2 to 1.7 mph) the 24 volt system is good for 12 hours or so. It has the auto pilot feature which is another non-essential that quickly became "essential" - love the fact that it "drives" itself while I concentrate on my fishing.

Tight lines
Curt

 

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