Boat Size

Just had a question about boat sizes. I am currently looking to buy a smaller fishing boat to serve as my main boat. Just sold my share of a larger boat because I don’t have time to make it to bigger lakes enough to warrant the cost of the boat. Most of my fishing is done in our farm ponds here in Iowa and the smaller state park lakes in Iowa. However my inlaws have a cabin in Wabasha, MN and would like to use the boat in the backwaters on the Mississippi. Would a 12ft boat handle the backwaters or would I be better off with a 14ft. I can get either size into our ponds fine but just want to make sure I get the right size to handle that backwaters.

Farmpond- welcome to IDA! Good to see a fellow Iowan! I would recommend going with the 14′.

Yes Welcome. I think if it was just the farm ponds 12′ would be fine but being the Mississippi is also in their I think the 14′ to be the overall answer.

On occasion I fish Lake Michigan and the Miss., so have an 18′ deep V. If I were to fish just farm ponds and and the Miss, I would have a WIDE 14 or 16 ft Jon boat with a 20 or 25 H. four stroke. Add some electronics and a good foot comtrol trolling motor and your set.

Welcome to IDA farmpond.

I would suggest the 14′ also.. 12′ is just too small and often not seaworthy.

I simple 14′ v Hull and you can go just about anywhere without getting swamped, if you do go with a jon, be sure its deep and wide if your fishing the miss backwaters, it can get choppy.

12′ Jon on the Miss can get a little hairy…trust me

I have a 14 ft fairly wide and deep Lowe jon boat which works great for the Mississippi River back waters. I have a 9.9 Johnson 2-stroke motor but suggest you get atleast a 15 hp motor.
Thanks, Bill

I might have a nice little 12′ w/ a 6hp Johnson and trailer if you’re interested, however this boat is probably better for puddle jumping.

I have a 14′ Lund with a Yamaha 20 hp for fishing the Rainy river and the smaller lakes with limited access in Canada and it’s about the right size. I would also highly recommend a 20″ transom too, to handle the bigger water of the Miss. A side note – the 4 stroke 20 was a new design for Yamaha in 07 that weighs 113 lbs. and outperforms my ’89 Evinrude 25 by 4-5 mph but trolls down to .5 mph so I don’t use a trolling motor anymore.

I had a Lund WC 14′ with a 9.9 two smoke on it. Boat was light and easy to use. My wife didn’t like it because it was tippy in comparison to the Lund 17′ Explorer. But that 14′ is good for just about any small to medium water.

I always thought it was not the size of your boat but how you use it!!!!