T-Tops and fly fishing

[DuffyB]

Do they go together? I have in my head that they won't, yet almost everyboat I am looking at has one.....seems that is what everyone wants....thinking of resale a bit as well. So, any of you fly guys have a T-top on yours? I am particularly interested in the answer from guys in the 20 to 22 foot range.

Thanks in advance.

DuffyB

[Brad G.]

I haqve a 21 cc with no ttop as I primarily flyfish and all it does on a boat that small is get in the way. Personally I would only get a ttop on a boat 23' or over if you flyfish most of the time. Just looking to break rods or get hung up on it while casting.
Brad

[Soundking]

Do they go together? I have in my head that they won't, yet almost everyboat I am looking at has one.....seems that is what everyone wants....thinking of resale a bit as well. So, any of you fly guys have a T-top on yours? I am particularly interested in the answer from guys in the 20 to 22 foot range.

Thanks in advance.

DuffyB


I fish a 23 footer with a pretty sizable t-top. It has never gotten in the way for me. If you can make a backcast you never have to worry about getting hungup on it, and can hit every position on the clock. It adds value in that you get some respite from direct sun and adverse weather conditions. Additionally, it provides more storage, allows for better electronics rigging, and to be totally honest looks pretty sweet. There is a giant misconception that having a t-top is a fly fishing hinderance.

[fmw]

I think the rule of thumb might be best described as:
below 23' - no t-top
23 and above - t-top ok.

[SageBoy]

I would also agree with Soundking. My new ride has a top and now that I have used the boat for a few months now I have asked myself many times why I didn't put one on my last boat.

You will get use to casting with a top. I personally have not run into any issues casting from the bow or stern. Most of the times you would cast in a boat without a top would be from the bow or stern anyway.

Being able to get out of the elements is a huge plus. Rain or shine you know you can take a break.

[JimC]

I fish a 21 w/o a top. I think the answer is "it depends". It depends on the type of waters you tend to fish. For my fishing "style", (if you can call it that) I don't think it would work out very well.

If you are fishing shoreline structure (purposely positioning the boat to work a section of cover without relying too much on drift), or fishing with a trolling motor such that you can fine tune the position of the boat relative to wind, waves and prevailing drift, I'm sure a T-top would be fine. At very least you'd have the ablity to work around the top and shortly any quirks or limitations would become second nature and disappear.

Where I fish we tend to position for long current driven drifts ,and in my case, without benefit of a trolling motor. When fishing alone, I frequently walk/cast 360 degrees around the boat on each drift in an effort to cover water. I often find myself casting with my back to the grab rail on the console. Can't do this with a top. Lord knows I still find my VHF antennea from time to time.

But at the end of the day, clear decks and undergunnel toe room are probably going to impact how well the boat flyfishes more than the t-top.

[FireFly]

You can easily adapt to the T Top but it definitely gets in the way compared to no top at all. And fishing with multiple people in the boat is limited because you can more or less get only one person in the bow and one in the stern. When my previous boat (19ft cc) had no top we could get a 3rd person leaned up against the console.

Like Jim said, it all depends on your fishing style. I don't think I'll ever own a boat without a top (hard top is the preference) but then again I don't FF much anymore.

[Smcdermott]

As stated above I think it depends. I also sight fish from my boat so having a T-Top would greatly hinder my ability to make all the casts needed. There is no way IMO to accurately predict which direction the fish will always be coming from. Although you might set up to have a cast that is made perpendicular to the boat give you a head on shot, inevitably you will need to make a cast that goes straight down the middle over the console. For this reason I have a fold down antenna. I have been doing more offshore runs lately though and have considered looking into some sort of removeable radar arch or at least a way to mount the dome that wouldn't interfer too much. The seacraft for sale looked promissing.

Sean

[TimSt]

I've given this a lot of thought, as I'd like to move up from 18' to 21'-23' and I've considered a t-top for my next boat. I like having 360 degree casting range (I almost always cast from the stern when fishing alone), and I think it would be tough for guests to adapt to a t-top if they're not used to it. Most of my fishing time is a.m. and p.m., so I'm not generally looking for shade. I will, however, put radar on my next boat, so I'd like to do it with the least casting interference. Based on what I've seen so far, I can't decide if a small radar arch on the console will get me anything over a t-top. If not, then I'd adapt to a t-top. Still need to think this one through (new boat not in the works anytime soon, that's for sure).

That being said, I have zero experience flyfishing from a boat with a t-top, so I'd like to hear from boat owners that flyfish almost exclusively, and have a t-top. I don't think we've heard from any, based on the responses so far.

[mctrout]

I wish I had a top as I wouldnt get hooked as much since people woudnt be able to cast over the boat!!!

[MarkG]

I'm with those who think that all the conveniences of a T-Top ( shade/rain protection, storage & electronics cabinets, additional rod holders ) far outway the inconvenience of casting adjustments....the 22' Mako with raised casting platform gives me all the clearance needed.

[MisterMackeral]

My experience is anything that obstructs will pose a problem casting at some point. You have to decide what is more important, being able to cast 360 or good electronics. If you plan any off shore, I would opt for saftey...

[Potter]

I have fished on a friend's boat with a T-top for years and was used to it. But this year, when I bought my used 21CC SeaCraft with a boat partner, he was EXTREMELY skeptical about buying a boat with the t-top. His old boat did not have one. In fact, he said we should consider having it removed for casting purposes--we almost exclusively flyfish unless it is blowing like stink outside. Well, that was well over a hundred fly-caught stripers ago and he is absolutely convinced that the advantages of the T far outweigh the shortcomings. Protection from sun and rain, rod and miscellaneous item storage, lighting at night, electronics, security (for holding on when blasting through waves) and monkey bars for the kids. I will say that there will be times when you will choose to release on your backcast because of the T, just like you might choose to if the wind was blowing in a particular direction or if you were dealing with stuff behind you when on shore. But it really quickly becomes a non-issue. It's pretty easy to position the boat for optimal casting in the salt.

[Fin Addiction]

Lolve my custom arch/top....Im a fly guy and couldnt deal with the top anymore so had this made....Pretty happy with it...Im in the process of making a flip up or slide out tinted lexan sheet to add shade and help with moisture run off.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jeffs/websitepictures/speedie.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/jeffs/websitepictures/speedie2.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/jeffs/websitepictures/speedie3.jpg

[TimSt]

Some great inputs; thanks!

[gerryg]

I have a 21foot seaswirl CC with a t-top. it has it's moments of getting in the way just like everything else but after three years with it, it is like it is not even there. I fish one off the bow and one off the stern with very little trouble. just my thoughts.

[Bigcat]

I don't have one on my boat. I don't see it as a big deal casting through a boat is a no... no;)