I had one for 5 years. Handles rough water great and the tracks make customizing easy. Ihad endless trouble with my trailer. I would not buy one again due to the platform in back. It makes fishing a pain. Id rather have an open back.
I had a 2011 Targa V18. Through bolt the riggers with a backing plate after taking off the side panels, which is easy. I bought these rod holders that go in the track system. They are super sturdy and you can still access the rod lockers. I dont have the boat anymore but still have 2 of the rod holders if you are interested.
Launched at TFalls. Water was mostly 38 degrees on main lake. Wasnt expecting that. Right where creek came in there was a narrow band up to 50 but no fish. Only fish we marked were 200+' down over deep water. Skunked. Should have gone to south end. There were hundreds of trout 4-6" in the marina area. I assume just stocked. Looked like rainbows.
So I just totaled the Tracker Targa 18WT that we had for the past four years and it is time for a new boat. I don't want another Tracker because I feel the platform in back really cuts down on fishing room and makes it hard for older guys to work the rods and fight fish. We also had a terrible experience with the marina we bought the boat from and had nothing but problems with the trailer....which led to the ultimate demise of the boat when the axle broke.
Right now we are considering three different manufacturers and are looking for input and experiences. Will probably bought something in the 20-22' range. We will need cover from the elements and I don't want an inboard. My wife and I almost exclusively troll for walleye, salmon, and trout on Erie and Ontario.
Lund
I've always considered these the "Cadillacs" of aluminum fishing boats. They seem to have a lot of available features, but are pricey. I've seen quite a few while trolling. The Sport Angler looks appropriate for what we want to do.
Smoker Craft
I've seen a few of these trolling and really like the design, but they seem to be bare bones without many features. The Phantoms look nice.
Hewescraft
I've never seen one of these while trolling, but a guy I know keeps one on Ontario. He loves it and the design and features look really nice. This is probably our front runner right now, although there are no dealers remotely close. They are very popular on the West Coast and Alaska.
I've also looked at Crestliners, Alumacraft, Starcraft, and a few other brands but haven't been overly impressed.
I used two clamp on Walkers when I first started with 4# weights. They worked fine down to about 50'. I could part with them for a decent price since I dont use them anymore now that I have electric Cannons.
I used a Hummingbird fishin buddy model 110 for years on my canoe, kayak, and small v bottom for years and loved it. Very durable and reliable. Just have extra batteries!
Been out the past two days. Besides the 3' waves both days, the fleas are terrible, and we havent found any kings. Made a living off browns and steelhead. Didnt go out past 140' today because of the south wind making it rough farther out.
I used them all last year on my riggers. My one complaint is that they tend to continue to spool out a few times after you flip the clutch. I previously used the regular cabelas and okuma convectors for riggers. They are definitely better than the regular cabelas reels. Im trying okuma coldwaters this year for riggers.