Saltwater flats fishing is one of the most challenging, exciting, and rewarding styles of fishing today. Flats fishing has been rapidly growing in popularity among anglers and the mainstream fishing outlets. As a result, the flats boat industry has been booming with more and better boats that constantly push the capabilities to the next level. Today there are a wide range of boat sizes and styles that are geared toward not just flats fishing, but also toward particular sub niches within the flats fishing genre. What style boat you need will heavily depend on the style of fishing you are doing and the waters in which you fish. Every boat has it's tradeoff so there is no perfect boat for all, however you should be able to find the best boat for you.
Many people commonly ask, what is the difference between a flats boat and a technical poling skiff? The flats boat is a category of boat that is designed around fishing shallow waters referred to as flats. These boats are generally light weight and can float in minimal amount of water. The technical poling skiff is a subcategory of the flats boat that are smaller, narrower, and lighter and are designed to be easily poled through shallow waters.
Selecting your next flats boat can be a very tough decision. There are many things to consider including how much you fish, how many people you fish with, the type of water you are in, and your budget. This article will outline some of the differences between the various styles of flats boats to help you narrow down your search to a manageable few boats.
Flats Boat
Flats boats, or flats skiffs, are a category of boat identified for their design to fish the shallow water flats. Generally, flats boats have a low draft when compared to bay boats and offshore fishing boats. Over the years, as flats fishing has gained popularity, the flats boat design has been optimized to get into skinnier and skinnier water. As a result, an offshoot of the flats boat category emerged as the technical poling skiff and even the microskiff.
Flats boats range in length from 15 feet on the low end on up to about 22 feet. These boats are intended to be poled in shallow waters but also can take a trolling motor very well for those fishermen who prefer to take a motorized approach. The larger flats boats can fit up to about 5 passengers while some of the smaller flats boats, which we will read about later on in this article, will only have a capacity of 2 or 3.
Flats boats typically have shallow deadrise ranging from 0 deg (flat bottom) up to about 13 deg on the high end. The higher the deadrise, in general, the smoother the ride because the higher deadrise makes it easier for the boat to cut through choppy waters. On the other hand the shallower the deadrise, or flatter the hull, the shallower the boat can float because there is less of the hull protruding down into the water. Most flats boats will float in 12 inches or less of water which will cover 90% of the waters most fishermen reguarly encounter. Selecting a flats boat with the optimum deadrise will greatly depend on the style of fishing, typical depth of water you are fishing in, and your ride comfort tolerance.
Another attribute you will notice on flats boats are the flatness or flushness of the deck. You will notice there is typically no lip around the edges of a flats boat, just flat deck right off to the edge of the boat. This is to give the fishermen the most amount of surface area to fish from without obstruction. Flats boats also generally have very wide gunwales which allow fishermen to easily walk around the boat when chasing or fighting fish.
Take a look below at 5 of the top general flats boats on the market.
Hewes Redfisher 18
- Length: 18′ 10″
- Beam: 95″
- Draft: 10″
- Weight: 1900 Lbs
The Redfisher 18 is very likely the most popular flats boat of all time. This versatile, mid-sized skiff has been the choice of top backcountry anglers and guides for decades for its speed, range and famous ride. The newly redesigned Redfisher 18 has all that and more with a new dedicated anchor locker, a new console for flush-mounted electronics up to 12” and a new, clever cushion setup.
A true backcountry 18, this iconic boat is now built using vacuum infusion (VARIS), for an even lighter, faster and stronger hull that is well balanced with either 115 or 150 horsepower. In addition, a new, optional backrest/step integrated into the poling tower makes those long early-light runs deep into the backcountry a safe and comfortable experience. The most popular and versatile backcountry boat is now better than ever.
https://www.hewes.com/2022-redfisher-18/
Yellowfin 21 Hybrid
- Length: 21′ 9″
- Beam: 93″
- Draft: 13″
- Weight: 2,525 Lbs
With incredible acceleration, fuel economy, and eye watering top end, this rocket will push you past the competition in any condition. There is not another boat that will push you across big windy bays as the 21 Hybrid. Why Hybrid? The ride and performance of our 24 Bay combined with a traditional flats boat layout will push you past the fiercest redfish competitor. Constructed like its big brother, you can be assured of having the highest quality in the industry. You will be hard pressed to find another boat in its class with as many standard features and storage as you will find on the 21 Hybrid.
https://yellowfin.com/boats/21-hybrid
East Cape Vantage
- Length: 19′ 2″
- Beam: 79″
- Draft: 11″
- Weight: Unknown
The big water king — a thrilling hybrid that combines the light weight, poling capability, and design details of a technical skiff with the ride and performance characteristics of larger flats boats.
https://www.eastcapeboats.com/east-cape-vantage/
Dolphin Boats Back Country Pro
- Length: 17′ 10″
- Beam: 91″
- Draft: 10″
- Weight: Unknown
The 18′ Backcountry Pro known affectionately in the Florida Keys as “The Pride”, with its Deep V hull, is the most versatile backcountry boat in the world. It rides better than many fishing boats over 20′ and yet drafts 10” of water. The Everglades Park Rangers comfortably run their 18′ Backcountry Pro’s over 55mph in a 3′ chop!Tarpon guides from Jupiter to Key West have been recommending the 18′ Backcountry Pro for well over 40 years. Its stability in open bays and inlets allows anglers to walk around the gunnels easily. Fishermen will appreciate being able to pole the flats in the morning, and pick up the family to water ski or dive the patch reefs in the afternoon.The 18′ Backcountry was designed to be the best all-around near shore boat, and has won its place in the Flats Boat Hall of Fame.
https://dolphinboats.com/18-back-country-pro/
Beavertail Lightning 20
- Length: 20′
- Beam: 82″
- Draft: 11″
- Weight: 1200 Lbs
The Beavertail Lightning took over a year in the making, and we knew from the get-go that this project was not one to be rushed. We would need to seek the expertise from the ‘performance boating’ sector, collaborating with one of the industries leading race hull designers. Our combined focus was to create the ultimate flats fishing platform with a guaranteed comfortable, dry, fast-yet-predictable ride not seen to-date in the flats boat class.
The Lightning features a step in the hull design, which reduces the wetted surface area on an already proven fast hull, increasing the boat’s efficiency, speed and fuel economy. The step has also in-turn delivered our much sought after incredibly stable and predictable ride. We retained our signature Carolina flared bow to guarantee a continued dry ride at lower speeds, with no hard waterline transition in order to assure a silent, no-hull-slap boat at rest or under trolling motor power.
https://www.beavertailskiffs.com/models/lightning/
Action Craft 2020 Flats Master
- Length: 20′ 2″
- Beam: 96″
- Draft: 11″
- Weight: 1305 Lbs
The 2020’s advanced design combines the ultimate in fishability with more comfort, convenience, and versatility than ever before, with many new design innovations never before found on any builder’s skiff at any cost. A fold-down rear deck extension becomes a full-width bench seat with a back rest and storage underneath. A 21-gallon, round live well is located in both forward and aft decks. A 42″ release well is one of three aft wells which are fully insulated for optional use as coolers. There’s even a compartment for a removable 72-quart ice chest. Clean unobstructed decks provide great fishability, snagless flycasting, and simple cleanup.
https://actioncraft.com/2020-flatsmaster/
Technical Poling Skiff
The technical poling skiff is a subcategory of the flats boat for those fishermen who want to get into sub 10 inches of water. These boats are light weight and built for poling around in super shallow waters. The idea of the technical poling skiff was to build a boat that could get into shallow waters like a flat bottom jon boat but get there with a comfortable ride while being dead silent when polling around. Skinny like a jon boat, smooth like and quiet like a fiberglass boat.
Technical polling skiffs are typically 15 to 21 feet long with a beam between 58 and 82 inches. These boats are very light weight ranging anywhere from 300 lbs up to about 1500 lbs at the high end. This light weight design along with the relatively flat bottom allows these boats to get into some really shallow waters with drafts ranging from 3 inches on up to about 11 inches.
When compared to larger flats boats or bay boats, these technical poling boats are relatively minimalistic and will only have a few seating options, a moderate amount of dry storage, and will sometimes include add on features such as live-wells, trolling motors, and power polls.
If you are looking to fish more than three people regularly, are more inclined to cruise the beaches looking for tarpon, and/or prefer trolling in water a couple feet deep over polling, a technical poling skiff may not be the optimum boat for you. However, if you need to poll in sub 10 of water where you regularly chase easy to spook fish then the technical poling skiff is probably your ticket.
Take a look below at the top 5 technical poling skiffs to learn more. All of these skiffs are expertly designed and constructed with the best manufacturing practices in the industry. Click on any of the links to go to the manufactures website to look at additional specs on each boat.
Hells Bay Professional
- Length: 17′ 8″
- Beam: 73″
- Draft: 4.5″
- Weight: 625 Lbs
Considered the ultimate in versatility for fishing a wide variety of conditions and elements, the Professional™ represents a beautifully blended combination of shallow draft, dry comfortable ride and innovative design. Developed for guides, hard-core enthusiasts as well as the tournament professionals, this skiff has become the choice for no-holds-barred angling performance.
https://www.hellsbayboatworks.com/skiffs/stealth/professional/
Yellowfin 17 Skiff
- Length: 17′ 4″
- Beam: 80″
- Draft: 6″
- Weight: 600 Lbs
This technical poling skiff is built with the same principles as our offshore products. A full vinyl ester resin infusion process wrapped with kevlar is used to ensure you are getting the quality you deserve.
Ergonomically laid out to suit anglers needs from fly fishing to live bait, this skiff is designed to capture the fish of a lifetime. The stability while poling is unmatched, especially in tough windy conditions. You will feel effortlessly your way across the flats in search of tail'ers with inches below your hull, while equally holding your position in deep water chasing schools of tarpon.
https://yellowfin.com/boats/17-skiff
Maverick 17 HPX-S
- Length: 17′ 8″
- Beam: 6′ 2″
- Draft: 6″
- Weight: 1,175 Lbs
The revolutionary skiff that has cracked the code of sacrificing running comfort, range and poling performance for the sake of getting super shallow. The 17 HPX-S’s one of a kind hull combines the knowledge of the most experienced skiff designing team in the business, the latest in CAD designed naval architecture, and advanced aeronautic technologies. The result is a skiff that floats in less than 6″ inches of water, drives like a sports car while keeping its occupants exceptionally dry and comfortable, and poles with precision and complete stealth. Sounds too good to be true? It was until now.
https://www.maverickboats.com/2021-maverick-17-hpx-s/
Islamorada 18 Legacy
- Length: 18′ 0″
- Beam: 80″
- Draft: 8″
- Weight: 650 Lbs
The Legacy utilizes the highest quality materials including 4 types of carbon fiber and a special high density racing core to give the best possible weight to strength ratios in the best design in the flats boat world.
This skiff is truly the finest boat that can be built today, but there is a downside. In this case, it is the expense and the difficulty of this type of construction. The materials cost is far greater than conventional boat building material and the craftsman doing this type of construction have to be highly trained and skilled. It takes a lot more time to build this way; the process simply cannot be rushed. We believe the end result is well worth it. For professional guides, owners of sportfish boats with a skiff on the bow and serious anglers worldwide, Chittum Skiffs has taken the state of the art of the shallow water skiff to the highest level possible.
https://chittumskiffs.com/snake-bight-edition/
East Cape EVO X
- Length: 17′ 9″
- Beam: 79″
- Draft: 7″
- Weight: unknown
An ocean-side skiff with flood tide draft — expansive decks, huge wells, and extra freeboard for chasing tarpon, combined with the poling capabilities and stealth to target belly-crawling redfish.
https://www.eastcapeboats.com/east-cape-evo/
Microskiff
The microskiff is again another subcategory to the technical poling skiff and is reserved for the smallest and most minimalist of skiffs. There isn't a hard line on the definition of the microskiff as it relates to length and width. However one aspect is very clear which is that the microskiff is minimalistic.
These boats are really meant to be fished by one angler but some may be able to fit up to 2 at the most. These boats usually have minimal storage compartments on board and are powered by small outboard engines usually 30 horsepower and below. These skiffs are intended to get into waters once only assessable by small craft such as canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards.
Further elaborating on the minimalistic nature of the microskiff you will typically not find accessories on board such as trolling motors and power polls. In most cases you wont even find a console but instead just a simple tiller steer outboard and maybe a grab bar. When I think microskiff, I think hull, small engine, polling platform, casting platform, and thats it.
When it comes to pole-ability, there isn't much that can complete with a microskiff. These boats are easy to push around, can stop in an instant, and spin on a dime. Their small size and typically more narrow beam means there is much less surface area in contact with the water which makes them very maneuverable. This light weight, however, does come with a negative which is that the microskiff will not perform very well in open choppy waters.
One huge benefit of the microskiff is their relatively lower purchase price and cost to operate. Due it its small size and no thrill build up, there isn't much there to add dollar signs. Small hull with less to keep up and there is hardly anything that is there to malfunction other than engine. Even with the engine, the small outboards are relatively cheap to buy, operate, and maintain. Finally, to top it all off, microskiffs are small enough to fit into most garages which can take away the need to pay for storage costs which can be pretty pricey.
If you like to fish with a crew or fish in open waters with some chop, perhaps a microskiff isn't for you. However, if you like to fish in super shallow water chasing tailing fish; like to fish alone or maybe with one other person; love the idea of a minimalistic boat; and want to keep purchase and ownership cost down, perhaps a microskiff is a great option. Take a look below at 5 of the top microskiffs on the market today to lean more about each of them.
Hells Bay Eldora
- Length: 16′ 4″
- Beam: 69″
- Draft: 3.5″
- Weight: 350 Lbs
Designing the Eldora brought us back to our roots. Simplicity combined with an uncompromising build approach is the Hell’s Bay legacy. The Eldora incorporates our patented hull design derived from over 20 years of on-the-water experience. Since our creation, materials have advanced significantly, and combining our proven hull designs with advanced composites has lead to even better performance. The Eldora is no exception. The result is an extremely shallow draft and dead quiet boat that poles with ease.
https://www.hellsbayboatworks.com/skiffs/stealth/eldora/
East Cape Glide
- Length: 17′ 0″
- Beam: 58″
- Draft: 5″
- Weight: 370 Lbs
A minimalist micro-skiff for skinny-water purists — a light, quiet hull stripped to the fundamentals for minimum draft, maximum poling performance and superior fishability, all at a great value.
https://www.eastcapeboats.com/east-cape-glide/
Beavertail Micro 16
- Length: 16′ 8″
- Beam: 60″
- Draft: 5″
- Weight: 400 Lbs
The 16’8″ Beavertail Micro takes its DNA from the legendary 17’6″ Strike, one of the most popular technical skiffs on the market today, and distills it down to the purest technical fishing platform Beavertail has ever built. With a true 5″ draft when fully loaded with anglers, fuel, and gear – the Micro will take you to places that only kayaks could previously reach and bring you back with our signature dry ride.
https://www.beavertailskiffs.com/models/micro/
Ankona Shadowcast
- Length: 17′ 11″
- Beam: 58″
- Draft: 5″
- Weight: 400 Lbs
Designed from day one as a tunnel hull — rather than adapted tunnel from an existing design — the ShadowCast 18 runs shallow right right out of the box without the need for jackplates or other modifications. With a pronounced “V” entry, the Shadowcast 18 offers a surprisingly smooth ride in chop, and — most importantly — world-class poling performance.
http://www.ankonaboats.com/shadowcast
Dragonfly Emerger 16
- Length: 16′
- Beam: 69″
- Draft: 5″
- Weight: 490 Lbs
Emerger Technical Poling Skiff – We were talking about making a light skiff for one or two anglers. A skiff that wouldn’t beat your brains out “getting there” but at the same time would easily access the high flats skinny. Hence, the Emerger. It’s different and simple too. Available in either tiller or center console (your choice). The Emerger is designed with a unique bottom configuration so you’ll be in the whisper zone before you know it.
https://www.dragonflyboats.net/models/technical-poling-skiff-emerger/
