Bill, I absolutely love your boats. I like even more that you are a local builder and can customize to everyones liking. However, I think your line of boats (As well as Parker and even Jones) lacks a TRUE light tackle boat appropriate for the mid-upper chesapeake bay.
As an obsessive light tackle fisherman who logs well over 100 days of fishing per year, there are a few things I would NEVER buy a boat I was planning to strictly use for light tackle in my area without:
1. A forward casting deck
2. Trolling motor capability
3. A fishbox
4. Storage
5. Rod holders galore
6. Cooler
7. Livewell
The 1st photo above is a picture of an Action craft - coastal bay front deck. Lets start with the floor and work our way up to the deck. Standing on the floor of the boat allows a fisherman to fish from within the boat. From this fishing position you can also still reach the trolling motor with an extension handle if you wish. This would be a good place to fish from if it were choppy conditions as well. The left hatch is a rod locker / storage. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH DRY STORAGE. And having a place to store and LOCK 6 rods would be sweet. The right compartment is an insulated fish box / dry storage. Every once in a while I like to keep a mess of fish. (I'm aware most boats have a cooler under the leaning post but i'd rather that be the place for my livewell and have the seat forward of the console be a cooler for drinks)
Notice the casting deck is lowered 3-4 inches. I like this a lot, simply because it allows the fisherman to feel more IN the boat rather than standing on it. Most true bay-style boats you see down in georgia, florida etc tend to have decks that are not lowered much. There is also another huge storage compartment in the middle and also and anchor locker. This forward deck is also a great spot for the ladies to sunbathe when not fishing.
The next photo shows a trolling motor. I think in certain situations a trolling motor is invaluable. When winter fishing at brandon shores the fish move around a lot. Stealth can be the most important key to success at this location. Same goes for Domino Sugar and Hanover street. Ever fish topwater at the sewer pipe (eastern shore) or poplar island around the rocks? Staying "in the strikezone" is critical, especially at the pipe. Livelining and jigging the bay bridge pilings is also a great place to utilize a trolling motor. I almost forgot to mention the most critical place to have a trolling motor in the bay- susky flats grass beds casting topwater. There are many many other uses for a trolling motor but you get the point.
A light tackle boat is not complete without lots of rod holders. Five holders on either side of the console is what I would like to see from a light tackle boat without a tee top. It is not uncommon to have two friends fishing with you who each bring 3-4 rods and having them against the console and not behind you on the leaning post is best. Under gunwale rod storage doesn't hurt either.
I would like to see an insulated cooler under the front seat of the console. If this space was a removable cooler with pad seat so you can load drinks at the house and bring the cooler with you would be even better.
I really, really, really like the looks of this leaning post. IT FUNCTIONS! Personally, I think the best place for a livewell is behind the leaning post. For one, it puts the weight of the filled livewell more forward than further back at the transom where you already have a heavy four stroke sitting. A LOT of people who light tackle, including guides, enjoy livelining. Especially when the light tackle bite can be tough. This leaning post also has tackle storage which I think is the best feature. I like to carry a lot of tackle and being able to access my jigheads and baits quickly and easily is great. I'm assuming the seat folds forward and there is also dry storage under the seat. 4 more rodholders is also very nice.
Here is where I think the "parker" part of a light tackle boat shines. Behind the leaning post there should be no raised deck, this should be fishing space all the way to the stern with a small side seat / step / storage box on either side of the stern (like the parker). When you come across fish on the meter and shut the motor off to fish, where is your first cast? ALL of the people I fish with make their first cast off the back, starboard, or port side WITHIN VIEW OF THE FISHFINDER. Everyone wants to fish the back of the boat so they can see the graph.
The last thing I would note is to not power the boat with a bracket. IMHO the bracket only gets in the way. For one, it sucks trying to fight a fish around the back of the boat with the motor sticking that far off the back. Secondly, I have a tendancy to whack the motor cowling with my rod tip when giving it a good "kimbro" whip. Remember, this is the area that will be fished MOST of the time.
As far as the console is concerned, I don't think having a "head" inside is really that important. I would rather have a smaller console and more fishing deck space than a bigger console with storage. Remember there is plenty of storage up front under the casting deck.
I would also like to see Judge produce a boat inbetween the 22' and the 27'. I think that would be the perfect size "all around" light tackle boat.
This is my personal opinion on what a light tackle boat for this area should be. If you built a boat like this at a the right price, it would sell, as a TRUE light tackle edition "chesapeake".
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