Super shallow boats are not needed to sight fish redfish! This obvious fact is how I know.
Your Boat is Not Too Big
Conventional knowledge dictates you need a shallow-running boat to stalk bronze-backs in brackish ponds.
After all, redfish are typically found in that shallower water, where they patrol shorelines and aquatic grasses to ambush prey.
Surely, pursuing them in a heavy boat could spell disaster once the tide drops!
But is this really the case?
I don't believe so, and to prove it I'll reveal what veteran redfish tournament anglers run.
What the Pro's Use
You can see what the pros are running by looking at their bios on the Elite Redfish Series website.
- Erik Rue - Triton 240 LTS
- Lee Daughdrill - 24" Haynie HO
- Chad Billiot - Blazer 2420 GTS
These aren't small boats!
The Triton alone drafts 13", the Haynie and GTS twelve inches.
Yes, some of the tournament anglers listed do use shallower craft, but that doesn't undermine the fact that the folks who fish for a living, whether it be tournaments or guiding, are using heavier bay boats.
Still don't believe me? Watch this video of this bay boat doing just fine in a duck pond (note the blind).
Why do they use these bigger boats?
Because they need to get across larger bodies of water.
A tournament held out of Biloxi, Mississippi will have competitors crossing the Mississippi Sound, even if the wind is bad.
A larger boat is required to do this effectively (and safely).
Can these bigger boats get after redfish?
Absolutely!
Contrary to popular belief, great redfish action isn’t found in a foot or less of water.
In fact, my best days of sight fishing were in ponds two to four feet deep.
Twenty-four inches is plenty to draft a bay boat and run a trolling motor, isn't it?
Conclusion
You really don’t need a boat drafting ten inches or less for great redfish action.
It certainly helps, but it’s the angler who makes the fishing trip happen, not the equipment.
Jump start your inshore education
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Captain Devin went into great detail!
I loved the videos of being out on the water and catching fish, the boat setup videos, and how the course was not vague.
Thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
This course, like Inshore Fishing 101, has answered all of those questions I wanted to ask, including questions I did not know to ask!
Hey Keith, thanks for commenting.
I strongly disagree that it drafts that little and can explain why.
First off, bay boat manufacturers have reason to compete on draft: it’s a metric inshore anglers are looking for. But what’s interesting is that this is not a metric bass anglers really care for. So bass boat catalogs tend to report a deeper draft (that’s the actual number).
Perhaps a 24′ bay boat drafts 10″ towards the bow, but certainly not at the stern.
You only need to measure it while she’s in the water (and I have done this on several boats) and you’ll find that bay boats draft more than what’s advertised.
This isn’t a knock on bay boats or their shallow water capabilities, as this article I wrote clearly demonstrates.
And that 2420 GTS you got, well, it’s a fishing machine! You’ll love it.
Tight lines, and thanks for reading!
That 2420GTS drafts 10″. I just recently bought one and coming to Hopedale first of Oct.