Triton Bass Fishing Boat

Question:
I'm looking to sell my 2002 Lund 1850 with a 2003 Honda 115 and maybe go to a Fish n Ski. I like the Triton's, but the 19' and 21' are recommended to be paired with a 200hp which I'm not sure about for general fishing purposes. The reason why I'm considering selling it is that I've lately started doing bass tournaments and really enjoy it. I've always fished bass, but I'm not strictly a bass fisherman. I like to troll a little bit in the spring for trout and salmon stocked in my local lakes and also troll for muskie once in a while. My Lund has livewells, 55lb Minn Kota trolling motor, 2 graphs, on-board charger etc - it's nicely set up. But I can see it's limitations for bass fishing - namely speed and casting deck room. Plus, the Lund sits higher and on windy days the 55lb Minn kota can't hold the boat very well. The other reason is that my wife loves to be out in the boat but not necessarily fish all the time, and she doesn't really like the Lund because she say's it's not that comfortable. Plus, for a woman, she's a gear-head! She loves sleek looking fast machines, and the 115 I guess just doesn't cut it for her! So - my question is, can I still occasionally troll etc with a 19' or 21' fish n ski and Honda 4-stroke 200hp? I know there are trolling plates, sea anchors etc but do they work?

Answer:
A standard 200 horsepower outboard, typically propped will probably troll faster than you want. However, the Mercury Optimax outboards offer the option of equipping the setup with their Smart Gauges, which enable you to program in the slow rpm's that you'll need for trolling. If I remember correctly, Yamaha offers a similar system, and the other major manufacturers probably do as well. I've been hearing good things about the larger Honda 4 stroke outboards as well, that might be a company to check into. But even if you don't opt for the Smart Gauges, a trolling plate or sea anchor will slow you down to the speeds you want for trolling. Now, I have a question for you. How much skiing and playing are you REALLY going to be doing with the new boat? Are you going to be fishing the majority of the time, or are skiing and tubing going to be the main focus of the boat? The reason I ask, is that most people that I've known that have gone the Fish n Ski boat models haven't been really happy with the boat. There's not enough fishing features on most of them, and equally so, there's not as many creature comforts as the typical runabout or ski boat. Think about this long and hard, and look at the Fish n Ski's from an angling standpoint. If fishing is the major activity and skiing/tubing is way down on the list of priorities, consider buying a straight fishing boat. I've towed skiers and tubers behind my bass boat without difficulty. It's a lot easier to ski behind a fishing boat than it is to fish out of a ski boat.