Blindb9

I kinda forgot i started this thread... Glad i remembered as there is lots of great tips here. Thanks all, gonna start looking through all the suggestions. One other question, seeing as florida seems like a good destination. My parents own a place in Florida near sarasota,i could save myself the lodging fees if there was something near them that is worth fishing. Anything in that area? Thanks again for the help

roadwarrior, by one day i mean 24 hours... 2 of us going and we can take shifts driving. I can make it to florida in 20-22 hrs

Hey all, I am looking into taking a few days to drive down south somewhere for a winter bass fishing trip. I would like to go at the end of march and drive down south for 4 days, 2 days for driving and 2 days for fishing. Wondering if you guys could give me some ideas as to where I could go. I live around Toronto, Ontario and would like to maximize fishing time so the less driving the better. Warm weather would be nice, but I dont mind if its a little cool, just need open water. I will probably drag my own boat which is a 20' Javelin bass boat so a lake that is not hard to navigate would be nice. Looking for large or smallmouth bass. Any help or tips would be great. Thanks

So, I am seriously considering buying a 2006 triton 211-sf come this spring. Just wondering if anyone has this boat or has been on one? Any idea what size rods will fit in the locker? What size will lay down on the front deck? How is this boat to fish from? Thanks for any info!

Brian, you make a great point. I know the boat will be used mostly for fishing, mostly on Lake Erie. But the ability to take my whole family out for the day on the boat is something I really look forward too as well. This is a really tough decision for me, I grew up doing a lot of boating, tubing, & skiing as a kid and loved it. I want to be able to do that for my kids, so I think a fish and ski is the best bet for me, with a multi species boat coming in close behind. The fact that the wife loves boating also makes it tough to get a boat that we can't all fit on. As far as F&S boats, I think the triton is the best I've found so far at giving me the best fishing boat that still works for my family. A reata would probably work too but a big 2050 reata is probably a little out of the budget.

Loving all the tips here guys! Ranger 620vs is looking pretty nice as well. To be honest, if I can get around 60mph out of a boat I'd be happy. I don't expect much more then that out of a big family friendly boat. Would I like 75? Oh heck yes....

Thanks for all the help here guys, the more I look at the triton 21fs, the more I like it. It seems to have 2 decent sized casting decks with a centre Rod locker, can be found with 225 and 250hp and should be abke to seat 6 behind windshield with more room on the front deck with bow cushions. Plus, I have found a few online for the 25000 dollar range. Not too sure about tackle storage or live well system though. Anyone have any more input on this boat or k of of others like it?

Thanks for the replies everyone. If I had to pay more then 25000 to get the boat that I want then I would certainly look into it, might be able to go to 35000. I'm thinking something like a triton 21fs, reata 2050, or stratos 326xf would fit nicely. Not sure if I could find any of them for under 35000 though.

Thanks for the response. I realize i might have to sacrifice something, just trying to find something that gets the closest to giving me everything I'm looking for. For instance a Triton 21Sf comes very close to meeting all the requirements, just hoping to find a few more options to compare it with. I have looked at the walleye/multi-species type boats as well but don't know which models would be best to look at.

First time poster, long time lurker... I will be buying a boat in the spring, the wife is finally giving me the ok to buy whatever i like up to around $25,000. I am pretty sure I will end up in a fish and ski boat but just cant quite make up my mind. I have a young family of 4 kids and we have been out a few times on friends boats and the family (especially the wife) loves being on the water, so a boat that i can put a ski pole on would be great. That being said, i would guess the boat would be used 85 percent of the time for fishing, so i want a boat much more geared for fishing then for family. I do a lot of Smallmouth fishing on Lake Erie, so a big boat is a must. I am pretty set on buying a fiberglas boat, just like them better then the aluminum. A few things that i consider a must on the boat is: GOOD rod locker with room for at least 7' rods, but the bigger the better. Good livewell system as boat will be used in tournaments. (yup, I'll be that guy...) Room for tackle- I'll gladly give up ski storage for tackle storage. I love big motors and going fast, so I think I would be unhappy with anything other then a 225 or 250 Family room- Need to have room to fit the whole family so seating for 6 is a must. Also would like to have a front deck that is long enough to lay rods down the side and strap them down so I don't have to keep digging through the rod box. I have looked a bunch at the triton 21sf, seams to be well setup but maybe more of a ski boat then fishing boat. What are my options here? Would love to hear from you guys!