# flat's boat for redfish



## elopomorph (Aug 4, 2009)

Are there any pictures of an aluminum boat that was modified to be a flat's fishing boat for redfish? Specifically, the style of boat that I am interested in has the following characteristics: casting deck on the bow, walk around gunnels, and poling platform.


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## ben2go (Aug 4, 2009)

The gunnels on a Jon are to thin to walk on.Poling plat forms are found on the 1652 and bigger jons because they make jon boats very tippy unless they are really wide.check out the mods section for decking and the link below in my signature.


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## TrackerTom (Aug 4, 2009)

I though most of our boats especially the flat bottom ones would work great for a flats boat for redfish. I was planning on trying it with mine. Am I just wishful thinking here and do you need something more specialized? I was hoping to head down there and give it a try before too much longer.

Tom


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## elopomorph (Aug 4, 2009)

Tom, 

No, I don't think you need anything specialized. I just do a lot of sight fishing so the flats boat setup will fit my fishing style. I fish with one other person and we take turns poling. One guy poles the boat looking for tales, wakes, pushes, ect. while the other guy is on the boat ready to cast. You can catch tons of refish working areas. I just prefer to sight fish if the conditions are favorable.


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## TrackerTom (Aug 4, 2009)

So you have peaked my interest. So when you have the tall poling platform to be able to see, do you actually need to use a push pole to be quieter or could you use a remote control trolling motor to do the same thing and just do it from the tall vantage point. I just added a copilot Riptide trolling motor to my boat for the purpose of going after reds. It will be great for striper fishing here, but I got the saltwater version because I really want to go after reds. Those poling platforms look pretty cool.

Tom


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## ben2go (Aug 5, 2009)

TrackerTom said:


> So you have peaked my interest. So when you have the tall poling platform to be able to see, do you actually need to use a push pole to be quieter or could you use a remote control trolling motor to do the same thing and just do it from the tall vantage point. I just added a copilot Riptide trolling motor to my boat for the purpose of going after reds. It will be great for striper fishing here, but I got the saltwater version because I really want to go after reds. Those poling platforms look pretty cool.
> 
> Tom




You could use the trolling motor.Poling allows a little more precision control.It's like those power poles used on bass boats to hold them still in shallow water.Spot a fish,give a bearing to the fisherman,while anchoring the boat with the push pole.It also helps to keep the motors up over really shallow water and pole the boat over the flats.


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## russ010 (Aug 5, 2009)

I thought poling was done because you were in too shallow of water to use the trolling motor... not to mention spooking the fish. I may be wrong, but I thought they were very tempermental fish and spook easy


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## ben2go (Aug 5, 2009)

Here ya'll go.Poling 101. https://capmel.com/poling_a_flats_boat.htm


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## Specknreds (Aug 5, 2009)

Elopomorph, what part of FL are you from? I'm spending a week on the Homosassa River Flats fishing at the end of Sept. I'm bringing my Alweld.

We redfish out of a jon boat all the time. I've won some of my biggest tournaments out of a jon before they started banning them. The biggest problem is hull slap and noise.

Push poles have several advantages and disadvantages. In the right hands, a PP is totally silent, no depth restictions, and you can anchor off. Disadvantages are they take up a lot of space, someone is pushing instead of fishing, and if you push pole long enough, your going to get wet (fall off the boat).

I only carry one in the dead of winter when there are super low tides. It didn't take me but once to fish way back in the marsh and the tide bottomed out stranding us. My boat floats in about 6" of water and it was about 5" with waist deep mud. I can push my boat through 5". I think that I'm just getting old. I believe that if you can't get there with the trolling motor, don't go. Unless there is money on the line.


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## elopomorph (Aug 5, 2009)

To be honest, I rarely fish for redfish. I live in Miami where I fish for bonefish in Biscayne bay. However, I plan on fishing for redfish a lot more in my future. My parents are retiring in St. Augustine, FL which has a great redfish fishery. I have been kayaking for redfish in the area and I realized that the oyster bars would destroy a fiberglass boat. To have a good boat for the St. Augustine area my dad and I are considering modifying an aluminum skiff. I stumbled across this website and have found it very informative. However, we are at least a year away from starting this project. 

In referece to the poling questions, you can certainly fish the flats with a trolling motor but poling gives you a big advantage in my opinion. Bonefish (and maybe redfish also) frequently change directions or can pop-up out of nowwhere. Poling gives you the ability to suddenly stop, spin the boat, or sprint after the fish. As previously mentioned, I do think that a trolling motor would hit bottom on some of the flats that I fish. 

Specknreds, can you take steps to dampen the hull slap and noise from an aluminum boat? I was looking into a modified-V hull and maybe carpeting the deck. Maybe that will help?


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## Specknreds (Aug 6, 2009)

elopomorph said:


> To be honest, I rarely fish for redfish. I live in Miami where I fish for bonefish in Biscayne bay. However, I plan on fishing for redfish a lot more in my future. My parents are retiring in St. Augustine, FL which has a great redfish fishery. I have been kayaking for redfish in the area and I realized that the oyster bars would destroy a fiberglass boat. To have a good boat for the St. Augustine area my dad and I are considering modifying an aluminum skiff. I stumbled across this website and have found it very informative. However, we are at least a year away from starting this project.
> 
> In referece to the poling questions, you can certainly fish the flats with a trolling motor but poling gives you a big advantage in my opinion. Bonefish (and maybe redfish also) frequently change directions or can pop-up out of nowwhere. Poling gives you the ability to suddenly stop, spin the boat, or sprint after the fish. As previously mentioned, I do think that a trolling motor would hit bottom on some of the flats that I fish.
> 
> Specknreds, can you take steps to dampen the hull slap and noise from an aluminum boat? I was looking into a modified-V hull and maybe carpeting the deck. Maybe that will help?



The only thing that I know you can do is hang a piece of rubber maybe 6" wide all the way across the front. I saw a guy with one across his and had to ask what it was for. He said that when he runs, it's out of the water. When he stops, it's a couple inches below the surface. The ripples hit it instead of slapping the hull. It's ugly, but works. It's the biggest problem I have with using tin boats. I have a new semi-v and it has cut the slap in half.


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## elopomorph (Aug 6, 2009)

Has anyone found a aluminum boat that does not produce hull slap or has very little hulll slap? Essentially, this would be an aluminum boat with out any chimes on it. The boat would just have the V up front and nothing else for the waterline to splash against. I am looking for a boat in the 16 ft range. I would love to hear any recomendations on models.


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## Specknreds (Aug 6, 2009)

elopomorph said:


> Has anyone found a aluminum boat that does not produce hull slap or has very little hulll slap? Essentially, this would be an aluminum boat with out any chimes on it. The boat would just have the V up front and nothing else for the waterline to splash against. I am looking for a boat in the 16 ft range. I would love to hear any recomendations on models.



Even fiberglass boats have some hull slap. I've only seen one (I'm sure there is more) fiberglass that claims zero hull slap and I believe that it was a Hewes flats boat. The only way I have been able to stop it is too turn the boat so the ripples aren't hitting the front.


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