# Micro skiff for Yankeetown



## grego

I fish the area often with my ecc lostmen. You cant run around on a winter low tide but the rest of the time the boat works great in that area.


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## anytide

you need a small jon /tunnel from what youve said.
-with that budget you can go all new? or new power over used jon. -maybe better. [smiley=carcrash.gif]
fishing the skinny there and youre gunna be a oyster mover and a limestone cowboy like it or not.....you are correct the skinny/rocky is where they be  and all boats wont rip thru there,  airboat or not.


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## deerfly

I fish that area quite a bit. Depending on my mood it'll either be my 18' panga skiff or a 16' mohawk canoe. Here's a few pic's from my last two trips out of YT... Canoe trip was Friday after xmas 2012, skiff was new years day 2013 (I was in bed by 10pm   ).



























panga...































































There's nothing you can buy that can make up for local knowledge in that area. Obviously an airboat is the most forgiving but you will be scratching up and potentially tearing up what ever you use out there whether its a roto-molded yak or a $60K HTCheatum skiff.

Kinda' like anytide said, if you're looking to save money I would just find a 14'-16' beater jon boat with 25hp. Run anywhere you want up there within reason in that. Used fiberglass micro of some sort would be next tier. Once you get north of $8-10K for something to run that area you have to start questioning your sanity...


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## Shadowcast

Ankona ShadowCast 16??










PM me if you are interested.....


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## fishicaltherapist

Selling your Shadow? What's next?


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## DuckNut

Get a used tinny until you learn the area. A glass boat will get bruised real fast with oysters.


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## Shadowcast

> Selling your Shadow? What's next?


Not officially..... but anything is negotiable!!


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## Jimmy77

I live in Dunnellon and have fished out of Yankeetown since I was a small boy. If you are not that familiar i would say a jon boat with a tunnel and possibly a jet drive. I would not take a fiberglass boat inshore unless you know where you are going. My father was a guide out of Yankeetown until recently and he ran a jon boat with a tunnel and he was raised in Yankeetown.


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## Splietz24

It sounds more and more like that is what I am going with


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## Vertigo

I fish Yankeetown three or four times a week, almost year round.  Over time, I've had a lot of boats, flats boats, bay boats, tunnels, jets, jons, etc.  I've had aluminum, glass and wood.  I resisted the idea at first, but after lots of experience I'm of the firm opinion, that  the boat for Yankeetown inshore and nearshore fishing is a tunnel hull aluminum jon of about 16ft with sponsons.  Mine is a Sea Ark, but G3, Alumacraft, Duracraft, etc.  will do the job.  There's only one other boat I would consider, and that's the custom tunnel hull skiff I built just for this area.  It will run in just about nothing, but isn't much fun when the wind comes up.  Here are photos of my SeaArk and my custom skiff.   You will notice that the photos were taken at the ramp at the end or Rt. 40.


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## Splietz24

nice setup


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## zmgsvt

I fish YT weekly in an HPXv but I put hundreds of hours on those waters in a gheenoe before that.


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## menzor29

I fish from my Ipb16 in that area all the way up to Horseshoe Beach with out incident if your scared to scratch a boat then its best to keep it on the trailer lol. There is nothing like hearing that indescribable sound of gliding over some oysters. just take it slow and easy and things will come together, when it gets shallow grab the push pole and get to the knitty gritty.


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## COWMAN

i've been fishing yt and ck north nearly every weekend all my life,,you will scratch your boat and you will chew up some props,,but it just happens,i use 3 different boats,one being a hells bay neptune and another being an ankona native,,you'll learn the area, the tides and your limitations,,the good thing is if you sell your boat in that area,,the buyer will expect those scratches


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## Capt Dan Medina

dont have as much time spent in that area as most of the other guys, but i whole-heartedly agree that an aluminum boat is the way to go till you learn the waters. I sold my hewes when i moved up there because i couldnt fathom the damage to the gelcoat and fiberglass. I got a thick hulled aluminum boat, a push pole and a trolling motor. It was a beater hull that i didnt mind pulling across the rocks and oysters.... watch your tides as there are areas where you can literally get stuck in a puddle. A good pair of waterboots can also help prevent vicious cuts and scrapes from the oysters should you have to wade and pull... 
Best of luck to you!

Dan


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## jtf

Being new to this site, it's good to find posts that target the areas I have fished and want to visit again. Good boat advise and good pics too.  I will probably add another hull soon, looks like the prop/tunnel will be my choice. 

The sea ark comes in 1660 and 1860 and only $300 difference. Any thoughts on boat length?

My current metal boat is a 14ft hyde lowpro driftboat, slow but shure, only makes 5mph but rows and polls in 4" or less, has a UHMW bottom, won't dent, floats high. (No hull floatation and sure not sea worthy however).


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## 6wt

Hmmm, was thinking of planning a trip flyfishing for reds/jacks/trout with a 17' pathfinder tunnel or a Hewes Redfisher to the Crystal River/Homosassa/YankeeTown area. Sounds like those boats might not be a good thought?


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## shiprock8

You might consider one of these.  They claim that they are made for conditions like yours.
http://www.saltmarshskiffs.com


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## 6wt

Kevlar in the Salt Marsh sounds bulletproof; no pun intended ;D Have to give them a call. But would imagine oysters and rock will have the same effect on the gelcoat. Would imagine the kevlar fibers will break also?


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## Godzuki86

I would want nothing more than a tunnel john up there. Airboats work really well too.


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## Backwater

Most of the airboat guys (who are "in the know") up there that run those oysters and swiss cheese lookin hard limerock bottom, has epoxied or riveted 1/4 to 3/8" black poly sheeting to the bottom of their hulls.  That solves the scratching issues and adds to the durability of their boat bottom.  If it get's too cut up, they just replace it.  It's cheaper than having the bottom redone on your boat.

Other guys will just have the bottom of their hulls shot with a smooth coat of Rhino Liner or Line X.  They can set the spray gun to make a smoother texture.  Some might even have a 2nd coat added for extra durability.  

You can even add some pigment to marine laminating epoxy to match your hull bottom and roll on a 2 or 3 coats.  That will do the same thing as Rhino lining or Line X.

With an Aluminum Hull, I would use an all welded hull.  If you Rhino line, Line X or epoxy the bottom going up just above the waterline, you will also seriously reduce that tinny hull slapping sound.   

Also, don't forget a keel guard (if you have one) and a skegg guard if you don't have a Jet foot.  How about Dolphin fins for the motor to plane out fast.


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## Capt. Ken O

Splietz24 said:


> I am looking for a skiff to use in the backwaters from the Withlacoochee river to the Waccasassa river. Most people in this area either fish out of large aluminum jon boats or airboats, ranging from 25k to 60k brand new and using twice the gas I would like to use. How would a technical poling skiff hold up going over a steady dose of oyster bars and an occasionally going out 1/2 mile in open water to grass flats for trout. I really think the backwaters are untapped by many anglers with noisy boats, and I have to get away from all of the fishing pressure on the outer points. I run about 4 miles from the boat ramp, am I asking to much out of a little boat? I don't care about getting a little wet. Looking 10-12k new that would suit this terrain, I don't mind getting a used motor but i would like a new boat.





Splietz24 said:


> I am looking for a skiff to use in the backwaters from the Withlacoochee river to the Waccasassa river. Most people in this area either fish out of large aluminum jon boats or airboats, ranging from 25k to 60k brand new and using twice the gas I would like to use. How would a technical poling skiff hold up going over a steady dose of oyster bars and an occasionally going out 1/2 mile in open water to grass flats for trout. I really think the backwaters are untapped by many anglers with noisy boats, and I have to get away from all of the fishing pressure on the outer points. I run about 4 miles from the boat ramp, am I asking to much out of a little boat? I don't care about getting a little wet. Looking 10-12k new that would suit this terrain, I don't mind getting a used motor but i would like a new boat.


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## Capt. Ken O

Bateau has a new model out called an FS 13 A take after the solo skiff. I will build you one for 1795.00 Includes all okoume plywood, full flotation and three layers of graphite on the bottom. All epoxy composite. Comes with stand up handrail for grab bar. Can be push poled, trolling motored or 5hp engine. Call me at three five two, three four two six.six one nine or email me at [email protected]. Located in Crystal River.


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## Vertigo

This thread is 3 years old. I'm guessing the OP has found a boat by now.


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## Capt. Ken O

6wt said:


> Kevlar in the Salt Marsh sounds bulletproof; no pun intended ;D Have to give them a call. But would imagine oysters and rock will have the same effect on the gelcoat. Would imagine the kevlar fibers will break also?





Splietz24 said:


> I am looking for a skiff to use in the backwaters from the Withlacoochee river to the Waccasassa river. Most people in this area either fish out of large aluminum jon boats or airboats, ranging from 25k to 60k brand new and using twice the gas I would like to use. How would a technical poling skiff hold up going over a steady dose of oyster bars and an occasionally going out 1/2 mile in open water to grass flats for trout. I really think the backwaters are untapped by many anglers with noisy boats, and I have to get away from all of the fishing pressure on the outer points. I run about 4 miles from the boat ramp, am I asking to much out of a little boat? I don't care about getting a little wet. Looking 10-12k new that would suit this terrain, I don't mind getting a used motor but i would like a new boat.


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## 25stampede

i fish waccassasa with my hells bay guide. a buddies buddy of mine is selling his bossman that he fishes the area with its a great boat for those reds


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## ZSFishing

Be careful of the bars that litter the coast north of the Yankeetown ramp.


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