ball_coach_1 Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 My buddy sold me his boat about three years ago. He bought a brand new 2005 Ranger last summer. Owned it three months, and took it to trade in for a brand new 2005 20' Ranger FishNSki. Don't ask, he's a beauty. He is the guy going with me in about a month to Guntersville, and of course, he wants to take his new boat. Okay, whatever, no complaints. YET. Any of you guys actually own a fish and ski (I know, it was in the negotiations with the wife so it was a 'family' purchase)? I am curious to how the thing fishes compared to a 'fishin' only rig'. I am fairly certain it will be fine. He purchased the deck/floor attachment for more deck area on the front. I am just wondering with the hull if it gets to be a shallow water bite. Gorgeous boat, BUT, I liked the first buy better. INPUT?? (by the way, it does NOT have the storage the other has, but does have the same quality electronics on the bow and console) Quote
FlyRod Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 My buddy sold me his boat about three years ago. He bought a brand new 2005 Ranger last summer. Owned it three months, and took it to trade in for a brand new 2005 20' Ranger FishNSki. Don't ask, he's a beauty.I am curious to how the thing fishes compared to a 'fishin' only rig'. ................................................................................................. "HE'S a beauty???? :-? Ruh Roh! Did you mean "Don't ask, Don't tell"? :-X Did he name the boat "Brokeback Basser"? ;D Can you swim? OK, time to get serious... You shouldn't be much affected by the layout so long as you are fishing from the back seat/deck. You may be bothered by his cursing and moaning as he picks out yet another backlash and contemplates a windshield cracked by a 1/2 ounce jig. I once night-fished with a guy who gave in to the missus and bought a brand-new F&S VIP. All night long it was WHOOSH, CRACK! "*^%^#%!". On the plus side, the poor windshields protected ME! Most F&S are disasters to fish from, so far as the front seat goes, unless you're vertically jigging or dunking minners. I'd recommend he position the boat so that his casting arm is toward the bow, NOT the w'shields and that he not cast over the bow unless he's standing. Let the flaming begin! F.Rod Quote
Cajun1977 Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 i just bought a fish and ski havent used it yet due to the lakes being frozen but how would it affect your fishing the fish dont care if its a fish and ski or a bassonly rig Quote
FlyRod Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 i just bought a fish and ski havent used it yet due to the lakes being frozen but how would it affect your fishing the fish dont care if its a fish and ski or a bassonly rig Cajun, On most F n' S boats the windshields are wider, taller, etc, and are rather close to the front swivel seat as compared to the lower shields found on a pure bassboat. Let's just that, on most F n' S boats say they intrude into the casting arc moreso than the usual bassboat w'shields. So, one is more likely to smack a windshield on the backcast, or even briefly hang up on it. Nothing can cause a catastrophic overrun (See: Backlash) like a w'shield strike can and I've been eyewitness to at least two windshield crackings. Sidearm casters are particularly at risk. I know this all sounds like BS but the threat is real. Luckily,the misery can be avoided by being watchful and following the tips I mentioned. Enjoy the rig and I'm sure it'll work out just fine. Congrats on your new ride. F.Rod Quote
Yankee_Bassman Posted February 20, 2006 Posted February 20, 2006 My "new-to-me-last-year" bass rig is a fish 'n'ski, and all I know is, it beats the heck out of the 12' Gamefisher I was using before...... Quote
jayhawkfishin Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 the boat i fish out of is my Grandpa's. he got a fish n ski its been no problem fishing out of. It has plenty of storage and lots of power. Nice electronics and a nice minn kota trolling motor. Quote
FlyRod Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 My "new-to-me-last-year" bass rig is a fish 'n'ski, and all I know is, it beats the heck out of the 12' Gamefisher I was using before...... You betcha! Congrats! F.Rod Opinionated but fairminded...mostly Quote
ball_coach_1 Posted February 23, 2006 Author Posted February 23, 2006 Thanks for the input. Now that it has been mentioned, I can believe the point of the windshields from the consoles being an issue. Quote
Smib Posted February 25, 2006 Posted February 25, 2006 I've fished club tournaments with mine since I bought it new in '92 and have done very well. The back deck is huge so for you it will be no problem, plus your ride will be warm and dry (big windshield). The front deck is small. I use suction cups with velcro straps that run between them to hold my rods against the windshield. No. I have not cracked a windshield in my 14 years of fishing in it. I can only remember hitting the rods once. If you are half-way decent at casting you will not have a problem. Remember, the fish do not know what kind of boat you are in......It's the skill of the fisherman that counts........... Quote
ball_coach_1 Posted February 26, 2006 Author Posted February 26, 2006 Good point. Positive news for my eyes to read too. Actually, I only have been on the boat once while it sat in his garage, but with the deck-attachment I actually don't remember the front deck being that small. I am curious though with the differenct in the hull if it will be that much more restrictive in shallow water...how much deeper can the boat actually sit in the water?? Quote
Yankee_Bassman Posted February 26, 2006 Posted February 26, 2006 I can't imagine that I would take a regular bass boat any shallower than I took my Nitro F/S last summer....I had it in places where I had to hold the trolling motor up so high I was getting splashed by its prop...the biggest adjustment I had to make was learning to steer it....after years of owning v-hulls, the first several times I docked were downright embarassing ......they just don't turn at low speed like a v-hull.... Quote
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