i live in eastern washington on the columbia river and i am in the market for my first boat. learned what little i know about fishing from my late grandfather, parents werent too into fishing so we never owned a boat worth fishing from, ski boats mainly. would love a bass boat, family friend owned an early 90's nitro, loved it but he never took me on the columbia, usually just small rivers and lakes. idealy i would like a bass tracker or nitro since i love bass fishing more than anything, but with the columbia being a quite large and very fast river with more than the occasional windy day, would a bass boat be a smart choice or should i look into a deep v? i am by no means experienced and the columbia can be unforgiving for a novice. i just want to make the right decision on my investment and dont want something impractical.

thanks.

I have fished the Mississippi river for 40 years from glass bass boats with no problems. this spring I purchased my first aluminum. Crestliner VT19. boat is enough for any river. one advantage is I can get into backwater areas that I could'nt with my glass boats. for any large river, either type of bass boat would be fine. if going with a deep multi species type boat, there are going to be places ( backwaters ) that you may have problems, but I see both types fishing all parts of the river.

Not familiar with the Columbia but heres my 2cents worth. 'Glass will give you a better ride. Tin will be more forgiving when you hit bottom. Tin boats tend to catch wind and blow around. They sit higher in the water and tend to be lighter. I have a 17' tin boat and the addition of a MinnKota iPilot has helped dramaticly, especialy in river and current situations. If shallow water and a hard bottom is a common occurence, tin is probably your best bet.

Look fo a boat with enough storage for your needs. Enough HP to get you where you want to go. Don't skimp on the trolling motor and better electronics will make your job easier.

If you consider a “tin” boat then Xpress with the Hype Lift Hull is the only option, none of the rest will handle rough water as easily.

The only advantage of a “tin” boat is less horsepower is required so forget what they tell you about a “tin” boats hull will take a beating better. I fish stump infested Toledo Bend and while my ’96 Stratos has its battle scars it does not have any serious damage. If someone puts a hole in a glass boat it’s usually operator error.