# Boat for fishing Hosassa area



## markmyers (Jun 24, 2015)

Hello ... my first post here. I've lurked for a few weeks. 

I'm planning to move to Homosassa, FL soon ... probably in January '16. I'm building a house there.

I've never owned a power boat before but I plan to get a flats-capable skiff. I'm not really looking for a true "micro" skiff but rather something a little larger that can also do flats duty. I anticipate doing a lot of sight fishing with fly, spin and baitcasting tackle. I want a boat I can pole as well as operate with a trolling motor on the flats. I'll get whatever main power motor is appropriate.

I know that there are areas in the location I'm moving to in which something like a Gheenoe or similar boat are ideal, but I want something a little bigger and will either use my canoe or kayak or potentially another new boat for those areas. I also know someone in the area with a Gheenoe. I'll probably travel around to other FL destinations.

Just based on Internet reading and some communications with manufacturers I have the notion that an Action Craft 1720 would be a good boat for me, but that's "sight unseen" so to speak since I've never seen one in person; just pictures. I will likely buy new, but would not turn down the opportunity to get a used boat in really good condition.

Given where I'm going and what I want to do and the area, I'd very much welcome opinions and ideas, as well as dealers in the area.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

I fish the crystal river area about 3 times a month.  You want to be able to go way back in the mangroves and also fish the oyster bars.  When you go way back in there you need to be able to get back out with a falling tide.


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## Edfish (Jan 4, 2013)

In my opinion, it depends on what you want to target and how avid you are about doing it.  In that area, a lot of great red and snook (and some trout) can be found getting in shallow, backcountry areas.  A skiff (aluminum or fiberglass) with a draft 6" or less gives you the most access, so you can still effectively fish when winter, north/east winds, or otherwise low tides keep other people away.  Obviously such a boat will limit comfort in bigger water.
If you're more motivated by trout, mackerel, cobia, grouper, tripletail, tarpon, or are content to just target reds and snook on higher tides, I think a larger flats boat like the Actioncraft you mentioned or the Keywest Stealth work well there.  I think the former poles better and the latter has a phenomenal ride/stability.  If I wanted to target a bit of everything, I personally (not saying you should) would buy a Panga Marine 18 or Ankona Cayenne, because I like the idea of 40-60hp outboards more than 90-115's, and because wider isn't always better when the mangroves get thick and cuts between limestone veins get narrow. I think the Panga would allow more days where nearshore is a comfortable option, whereas the Cayenne might lend a little extra time to fish the falling tide. Note that west of Ozello (the ramp) south to Homosassa River mouth is *mostly* softer bottom, but north and east of Ozello and anywhere around the Chassahowitzka has a lot of unforgiving limestone. A wide-open mistake there is easy to make and can be very costly.

Any chance you can move down here, ride around with a few guides/friends and see what style of fishing suits your interest before picking out the boat that lets you do that best?


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

Don't buy a boat until you've fished here for awhile. Don't buy a new boat unless you just like to throw money away. You won't know what you need until you've actually experienced fishing here and decided where you'll go and what you'll do most. Lots of good boats on Craigslist. All this said, the two best boats I've owned for fishing, scalloping and general use around here are an 1872 Seaark tunnel hull and a vintage Aquasport 22-2 flatback.


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## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

Aluminum tunnel hull rocks it in the back country..


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

another fine skiff for the ozello/homasassa area is the microdraft/XF-20 tunnel. Floats in inches, runs in less. Stable as hell.


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

when yer talking inshore skiff's in the rock garden its not the boat so much as it is knowing the area. The Henderson micro drafts are exceptional but if you don't know your way around you can tear one up on the first outing. No substitute for local knowledge in these parts, none. Plenty of guys fish the pathy type bay boats up here and catch pretty much everything that swims around here too, check out the FS big bend forum, but most have been fishing here for a lot of years.

For an intrepid first timer a 14-16' aluminum jon boat with 15-25hp tiller would be my recommendation to learn the area. Like devrep said, anything too nice and you're going to eat it up until you start to figure things out. When I first moved up here I fished a 14' skiff and a gheenoe hisider. No catastrophes, but both ended up with plenty of battle scars. Been running a Panga 18 skiff since sep 09 and can go anywhere I need to go, but it's got it's share wounds as well. There's no avoiding it unless you stick to the main channels on high tide. Otherwise, you are going to ding up what ever you end up with. Better to start out with a beater boat. 

Beautiful place to fish regardless. Here's a taste of what to see after you survive the rocks....


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## markmyers (Jun 24, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies so far, and thanks for the pics deerfly. Lots to consider. I have fished out of Crystal River but not yet the Chaz and other areas closer to where I'll be living but I will have a chance to do that soon.


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## Les_Lammers (Feb 17, 2007)

The start with a beater boat recommendation is excellent advice. Learn the area and then get what you think will be best for you.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Great photos, thanks!


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## jimsmicro (Oct 29, 2013)

I see a lot of traditional fiberglass flats boats out there but the bottom is rocky, which seems to lend itself to shallow draft tunnel hull aluminum boats to me. The rocks are great for the fishing but hard on props and lower units. Keep in mind that winter tides will be generally lower than summer tides, so even if you can navigate around right now pretty easily in larger boats, you're going to wish for shallower draft come winter time. Some people use bayboats there as well for dual purpose offshore use but they are limiting when it comes to serious redfishing or even looking for trout in the creeks in the winter.


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## Godzuki86 (Nov 30, 2013)

> I see a lot of traditional fiberglass flats boats out there but the bottom is rocky, which seems to lend itself to shallow draft tunnel hull aluminum boats to me.  The rocks are great for the fishing but hard on props and lower units.  Keep in mind that winter tides will be generally lower than summer tides, so even if you can navigate around right now pretty easily in larger boats, you're going to wish for shallower draft come winter time.  Some people use bayboats there as well for dual purpose offshore use but they are limiting when it comes to serious redfishing or even looking for trout in the creeks in the winter.


I second this. 

It's a tough place to learn. I won't take my boat up there unless it's straight out the markers into the gulf and out to scallop. A tunnel hull john would be awesome.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

The back country guides there fish out of 20'+ flat bottomed fiberglass tower boats (barges) with 100#+/36V trolling motors that look like they've been beat with a hammer everyday. No push poles that I have seen. The DIY old timers I see fishing out of 18-20' aluminum john boats as wide as they can get. No push pole or poling tower either. This is probably because there are no grass flats that I have seen, just rocks and oyster bars.

And they are arranged so that you can never run in a straight line for more than a few hundred yards. Some of them are marked, but most of them aren't. Especially the ones nearest the main channel. I'm not alone when I say that I think this is intentional done by the locals to penalize any newbies trying to venture off the marked channels without a guide.

For example this unmarked rock is right in the middle of Masons Creek and has claimed hundreds, if not thousands of props and/or lower units. The ones just to the southeast and southwest are also unmarked.. Go a bit west and the next ones going away from the ramp are marked. But you would guess wrong on which side to run and the angle you need to take.

Gulf of Mexico
28.758187, -82.648649

And just when you think you've got it figured out there will be a wind and moon condition that will drop the water a few inches lower than you've ever seen causing you to need one a new prop and/or lower unit running the same track you've run a hundred times before.

I highly recommend you fish the back country with at least five different guides to get a feel for the area. They will probably not tell you when they are running through a 4-5' wide man made wheel ditch with rocks on both sides. Some are marked with PVC pipe, but none of them are color coded for which side to run on, nor how far away from the pipe to run. Oh and you have to get the angle right too.

I developed my own system of creating way points to navigate through those with blue circles on the entrance and exit for the line to run, and skulls on the ends of the rock bars. You can start with coordinates from Google satellite, but they are not accurate enough for plug n'play in any chart plotter for the first run through.

Lastly, no matter where you go, or how you figured out how to get there, there will be "haters (This even happens between the guides.)

And when you get a boat go ahead and get a spare lower unit, because you are going to hit a rock.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

amen. In the last 2 years I've damaged 1 stainless prop and destroyed a brand new 4 blade aluminum one. My 2014 skeg has several dings in it the size of fingernails. I have a few scrapes on the keel also. And I'm old and very cautious, usually taking it pretty slow.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

Here's my ideal skiff for the rocky backcountry.
16 ft, not over 6 feet wide (We're always going thru creeks where the mangroves are grabbing my platform and micro anchor pole they are so tight). can go very skinny (say 4 or 5 inches), tunnel hull with jack plate to keep the prop up at or near the bottom of the boat, tiller and tabs for the tight turns and a boat that doesn't slide much in turns. Trolling motor (there are plenty of grass flats but the tidal current can make it very frustrating to pole much of the time). Reliable motor for when you go way on back.


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## markmyers (Jun 24, 2015)

Circling back on this conversation.... Thanks again for all the replies.

I was in Homosassa for a couple of days. Unfortunately I was mostly preoccupied with fit-and-finish decisions with the home I have under construction. I did drop in randomly on some boat dealerships just to see what they had on the lot and what they were recommending. The only actual flats boat I looked at in the area was a new Spyder that was being prepped for a sea trial for another customer. I have a friend who has a Gheenoe and that's an interesting option and I'm sure I'll get a ride on that before long. And I checked out an Action Craft 1720 in Ocala on my way over to the Daytona area.

Drinking a few beers and watching boats go out of Homosassa one day, I noticed an amazing number of pontoon boats and darned few of what I would call skiffs. My guess is that I would have seen different at the Chaz ramp.

Anyway, while I've only see pictures and done a little reading, I am increasingly intrigued by the idea of the Panga-style boats mentioned by deerfly and tautaog636 due to the apparent versatility and efficiency. The Panga Marine 18 Evo is very interesting. I'm going to read more and get in touch with the manufacturer for pricing.

I'm not ruling out the excellent advice of getting a "beater" boat to get my feet wet; it all depends on how confident I am of what I want when I'm ready to pull the trigger.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

you dont see a lot of micros going out **** / crystal river because you dont want your azz beat up going thru a narrow channel with limestone sprinkles waiting for you to venture off your mark.
--yes chaz / ozello rivers will have more skiffs,
-- get a tinny beater and youll soon know why !
good luck.


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## Vertigo (Jun 3, 2012)

Watching boats at the ramp in Homosassa is not the way to decide on an inshore fishing boat for the local area. Once you get out to the places where the fish are you will very rarely see a pontoon boat. Those folks mostly cruise around the channel sightseeing or else anchor in deep water and bait fish. Scallop season is also a bad time to pick a boat based on the numbers you see, because these boats come from everywhere, and aren't necessarily appropriate for local conditions.

Everyone has a favorite boat, but if you pay attention to the recommendations you read here, you'll note that a 16' to 18' aluminum tunnel hull seems to be the majority choice. An Actioncraft 1720 is a great boat and will get the job done, but will suffer a lot more damage than an aluminum hull. It might be a great "next" boat after you find all the local rocks. I've looked at the Spyder but was very unimpressed with the level of finish to price ratio, plus it's also glass and more damage prone. The Panga 18 Evo is also glass, also new and expensive, and I find it hard to believe that a shallow V 18' hull that weighs 1200# all by itself will draft only 6". I wonder what a poling platform is for on a boat that size and weight? Sort of like a spoiler on a Ford Focus. Start used and start aluminum. You won't be sorry.


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## Sshea (Mar 19, 2021)

Best boat IMO is 14’ alum Jon boat with gunnels wide enough to walk on with 40hp Yamaha jet drive poling platform could actual skim over oyster bars that were exposed by a couple of inches with just the hull wake to get in back country areas where others could get. Looking to purchase another one.


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