re: Poling skiffs in Louisiana

I would get skunked if someone handed me a spinning rod and a bait shrimp. I wouldn't have the slightest idea of what to do. To say bait guys are any more or less skillful than fly fishing guys is silly. It's two different skill sets. The on thing bait fisherman have over some sight casting is the ability to put high numbers in the boat, and the ability to put a newbie on fish. I'd go as far to say bait guys have a wide range of skills and the ability to fish many different situations.

Doesn't matter how good I am at finding and stalking redfish, if the guy on the front of my boat can't make accurate casts with the correct presentation, we are getting bricked.

You can make yak fishing as expensive as you want just as you can make skiff fishing as cheap as you want.

I fish Hobies and my neighbor fishes bay boat. When we go in kayaks, it is simple, fun and cheap. Real world cost for a day is $20 to go saltwater fishing from Baton Rouge. Add more if you dont have tackle or dont pack food. Real world cost to go in the bay boat is about $70 and then there is a push towards "making the trip worth it" by adding shrimp/minnows. Even without shrimp it is easily 3x the cost to go in the boat. Also add in yearly costs of maint, registration, trailer upkeep, etc. It can get old quick especially if the boat has some age.

It doesnt take long to fall in love with fishing out of a kayak. My neighbor often calls me "my wife has us on a budget this month, can we go fishing in the kayaks?".

The Hobie vs other kayaks (i do have a paddle kayak) is that I can have the line in the water longer, go further, be less tired, fish in higher winds, etc. Ive been in kayaks/small boats with trolling motors and they are decent but they are an absolute biatch when battery dies or some other glitch.

As for lack of poling skiffs here, I think it is because the areas of Louisiana are not generally considered true flats. When I think of poling skiff territory I think huge flats in Florida where the tide range leaves the ground completely dry in matter of minutes. Here you dont need ultra shallow draft to get to fish, just moderate draft and a trolling motor. Since you dont need ultra shallow draft you can add higher sides and transom and be able to fish/cross bays with chop.

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Also add in yearly costs of maint, registration, trailer upkeep, etc. It can get old quick

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Nope, you're wrong. Barf said he hasn't spent a dime in 36 months...

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The Hobie

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You pressure wash it don't you??? ...you son of a bitch.

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Nope, you're wrong. Barf said he hasn't spent a dime in 36 months...

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I said I haven't had any maintenance costs. As in nothing has broken, nothing has needed to be fixed. My fixed maintenance costs are the same as they would be for a kayak. Wash, rinse, and storage are the same for my skiff as they are for kayak.

This obviously doesn't apply to someone who doesn't have a place to store a boat on a trailer.

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Here you dont need ultra shallow draft to get to fish, just moderate draft and a trolling motor. Since you dont need ultra shallow draft you can add higher sides and transom and be able to fish/cross bays with chop.

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Don't know if I completely agree. There are plenty of duck ponds that a lot of boats can't get into. There are a lot of boats fishing the opening of a pond system in the deep canal, but only a few going into the ponds. A lot of ponds I fished were less than 1' deep in the middle. How many places do people go in yaks that a boat really can't get. Most of these technical poling skiffs can get there too. I do think Florida flats are easier to fish with a flats boat, since you aren't trying to maneuver a bank the entire time, but instead a vast open flat. But, it's still beneficial here.

In regards to the higher sides/cross bays stuff, you have to realize that in the keys, they run some open water too. You'd be surprised what some of those boats could handle. Like I've said, it's easily comparable to 18' aluminum hulls that are very prevalent. I think a BIG factor is just the lack of experience in the area. It's easy to see when you go to different regions even in LA that certain boat types are more prevalent. Slowly over the last 10 years, I've seen more and more flats boats. Not saying they'll take over, but as people try them out, they'll feel more comfortable with them. I remember people questioning the boat, but after the first trip, I had two friends convinced that it was perfect for marsh fishing.

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I agree with you here a little bit in a sense that you don't need a flats boat necessarily to catch redfish, but like Barf mentioned, fishing how you would in a low draft boat is definitely something you can only do in one. There are plenty of ways to catch fish all over the coast, and a poling skiff is just a way to experience it a little differently than let's say deep canal, islands, structure fishing where you can just go party in a bigger boat.

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To put it into perspective. If I hit 4 or 5 feet of water, I'm in trouble. Too deep to pole effectively, even with a 21ft pole. I'm out of there and looking for shallow water.

I'm limited to a max of about 36 inches of water. However, I feel the opportunity to fish sub 3 foot deep water is plentiful and warrants the use of a poling skiff. The kayaks are fantastic for fishing that water that most people pass up for one reason or another. However, I feel there is an argument to be made for poling skiffs or things like a Gheenoes that are similarly priced to high end kayaks but offer 100x the coverage without much increase in operating costs.

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I think an actual flats boat would meet my demands a little bit better than what y'all are calling a poling skiff. I just want something smaller, lighter, but still want some go in the motor and be able to handle some light chop just making trips to some skinny water. I wouldn't mind a side console or a tiller if a good one came around.

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I need a bay/flats hybrid. The overall design of a flats with the openness of a bay.

Euw

Those things are cool as shite

As cool as they are, when they are decked out, I think you can buy other boats that are a much better investment. That second one is probably a 15k boat.

Now buying a used one in the 4k range is probably a better investment than spending 3k on a Hobie PA. That's from a purely more access to fishing standpoint. I understand some people just enjoy the kayak aspect of it.