MITZI SKIFF: Affordable Performance on the Flats

boat. It really is a very nice boat, notwithstanding the price point.”

The Mitzi Skiff 17’ is a stripped-down and customizable version of the 17’ Tournament, which comes with the options Grubbs said most of his fishing customers were asking for. Both boats draft just 7 inches loaded, they pole easily, they pole straight, and they reach speeds into the 40s with a 60 hp engine.

While the 15’ is a one or two-man boat that’s at-home on the flats, the 17’ can fish three people and it’s got better range. The 17’s primary purpose is still as a flats boat, yet it also doubles admirably as bay boat.

“It’s not just a flats boats; it’s a little bit of an open water boat, too,” Grubbs said.

The 17’ features a modified V-hull with an 11-degree deadrise at transom. There’s no hull slap, and rolled gunnels knock down spray for an exceptionally dry ride. They are built for light weight to run shallow, yet they are solid and durable to stand up to long years of heavy use.

Going back to the mid-1990s, Mitzi Skiff has led the industry with no-nonsense flats boats for skinny-water anglers.

In the very beginning, Tom Mitzlaff’s intent was to design the boat he needed to fly fish the flats. He couldn’t find an affordable boat on the market with the shallow draft, clean layout and quiet maneuverability he needed, so he designed and built the original 15-foot Mitzi Skiff.

That boat revolutionized the marketplace. Mitzi Skiff became the brand for skinny-water anglers who value simplicity and functionality. A Mitzi does everything the pricier skiffs do, yet they are affordable enough for any angler to own and operate.

About 30 years later, Mitzi has expanded to offer 15’, 16’ and 17’ skiffs that all perform the purposes of the original design exceptionally well. Continued innovation has made Mitzi a boat other builders imitate, and they still come at a significantly lower price point than the competition. The 17’ and the 17’ Tournament have become the brand’s hottest sellers.

“The 15’ took the micro-skiff market by storm,” said Brad Grubbs, who owns and manufactures Mitzi Skiffs in North Carolina. “Since then, the brand has sort of evolved toward the 17’, which works just fine as a multi-purpose

From hideaway pushpole holders to flushmount hardware, Mitzi has obviously put some thought into making decks clean and fishable for fly anglers. Large, clean and stable casting decks are something Mitzi has become known for.

“Keep it simple stupid, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” Grubbs quipped. For nearly three decades, Mitzi has built skiffs for anglers more interested in fishing than in spending a lot of money. It’s a philosophy that works.

Mitzi Skiff boats are available exclusively through select dealers. For more on Mitzi Skiffs, go to www.mitziskiffs.com.

BY NATHAN RICH

I hope you found this information useful, and you get out and smash some big fish this summer. You can find much more information available on our YouTube channel “Southern Salt”. Until next time tight lines and stay safe!

Opening day of Snapper season is upon us and with that the boat ramps will be packed with anglers headed out looking to fill the decks with Red Snapper, Vermillion, Grouper and much more. This month we are going to breakdown 3 rigs that can bring huge success this summer!

The chicken rig is an awesome rig for catching your smaller species fish such as vermilion and trigger fish to name a few. I also personally use a chicken rig to catch a lot of bigger live bait like grunts and porgies. For my chicken rig I use 50-pound main line to a 120-pound power swivel, from the swivel I use 50 pound leader and tie 2 dropper loops. I attach 1/0 circle hooks to the dropper loops and a 6oz tear drop weight to the end of the leader. The best bait to rig up on a chicken rig is squid or peeled dead shrimp

The Carolina rig is my go-to rig for dropping down bigger dead baits like cigar minnows, Spanish sardines and pogies. This is an excellent rig for catching mid to large size snapper and is one of the easiest and well-known rigs to tie. For this rig I run 60-pound main line and place a 6-8 oz egg weight on the mainline. I then tie on a 120-pound power swivel to the main line and attach 60-pound leader (approximately 2-3 feet long) and attach a 6/0 circle hook on the end.

So, you want to catch big fish… well this is the rig!! The knocker rig is used for larger fish such as Grouper, AJ and huge snapper. This rig is typically used when large live bait is present. For this rig I use 80-pound main line to a 120 pound power swivel, then 80 pound leader to a 8oz egg weight. Lastly, tie a 8/0 circle hook to the end of the leader. This rig is designed to have the weight sitting directly on top of the live bait but does not allow the bait to swim around. The bait acting frantic but not able to get away is extremely enticing to larger reef fish.

YOU CAN ALSO VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL, WHERE WE HAVE SEVERAL VIDEOS GOING IN DEOTH ABOUT THESE RIGS AND SETUPS

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