I am in the market for a skiff and I primarily will be fishing West Bay, Greens and the like, with occasional trips further South. I need help picking out a skiff. I like to pole and fly fish the majority of the time. Scooter boats dont pole, bay boats need too much water and micro skiffs dont hold my family or some of my healthier fishing partners. To help me decide, what is the maximum draft I could get away with to chase redfish way back in Greens? If you have any skiff recommendations, I would appreciate those as well.
Draft for Galveston
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I think used. Cant swing an East Cape right now, but would really like a Lostmen, Vantage or Fury. Mitzi's are not too bad but was hoping to get shallower. Ankona makes decent boats, buddy has a Saltmarsh 1656. I thought about a Shadowcast which would do everything but carry my kids.
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A Beavertail Vengeance or BT3 might be a good fit for you guys.
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I was impressed with the Vengeance as well, beautiful looking boats.
What's your budget?
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I primarily fish Greens out of my BT Mosquito which drafts about 7” loaded. That is plenty shallow to get around back there - the mud back there would probably allow another inch or two of draft without a problem.
Scott Null used to fish the area out of a East Cape Fury for years as another point of reference.
Scott Null used to fish the area out of a East Cape Fury for years as another point of reference.
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Take a look at the Cayenne, pretty good freeboard on it I have one over in Bridge City if you want to look at one
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Going to be pretty hard to get an answer to your question. Can’t say I’ve ever brought a ruler back into greens with me to measure depth lol but I can tell you I haven’t had a problem going wherever I wanted to back there in my Sabine.
Tried to fish in a vantage over there a couple years back - got too skinny at the entrance to the back of greens and didn’t push past it to see what would happen. Can’t say if the tide was low or not but for whatever that’s worth
Tried to fish in a vantage over there a couple years back - got too skinny at the entrance to the back of greens and didn’t push past it to see what would happen. Can’t say if the tide was low or not but for whatever that’s worth
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Wetwork, I've measured my Vantage VHP at 9". That is the max draft for the back lakes off of West bay at normal tide height. Way back in Greens on the NE side I'm dragging and way way back in Caranchua lake it is real risky for me on a low tide. Its all really soft gooey mud so I can bump and grind out but it is sketchy. A regular Vantage is a little skinnier than the VHP. I think a 7-8" boat will do anything you need and have enough V to handle the chop. BTW- that is static draft with the boat at rest. They all run skinnier than they float and it will get you in trouble. Just bring the fam down and I'll take you all over West G bay. The wives can hang out in the hammocks and we'll roll out. Text me
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Much depends on the actual boat and how its is rigged and how much gear, fuel, anglers you are taking when fishing. My Vantage is loaded (power pole, trolling motor, jack plate). When actually fishing with 2 guys gear and 2/3 tank of gas my boat drafts 10 1/2". Best riding boat out there IMO. Poles ok for a big skiff. But I think there are better ECC options for your needs than a Vantage.
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IMHO, if you really want to get back into those marshes north of West Bay you need something that has a true, real world draft of no more than 8”. As @sjrobin said, it’s not uniform depth but any more than 8” and you’re going to be running into a lot of that area you just can’t float and it is a total ass-whipping to drag over mud & shell all day.
I’ll also vouch for the Sabines. I’ve fished on a few and went with a buddy on his demo ride. Both my buddy and I played football in college and I’m 6’3” and he’s about 6’5” with both of us well over 3-bills. While we didn’t have a ton of gear, with both of us plus Brian in his first demo skiff (50hp tiller with the camo paint) we were legit poling in 6-7”.
I’ll also vouch for the Sabines. I’ve fished on a few and went with a buddy on his demo ride. Both my buddy and I played football in college and I’m 6’3” and he’s about 6’5” with both of us well over 3-bills. While we didn’t have a ton of gear, with both of us plus Brian in his first demo skiff (50hp tiller with the camo paint) we were legit poling in 6-7”.
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Also, I've fished all over those waters in a number of different skiffs such as a Fury, Maverick HPX-T, Beavertail Micro, and HB Waterman. All of those are sub-7" skiffs and work well. Given all the oysters in our Upper Coast waters I really like the idea of an aluminum skiff like the Sabine over a glass hull. I learned to fish it years ago out of a 16' jon boat with a 25hp tiller and that area just gets really skinny in spots really quickly and you can get in trouble, especially if you've got something that needs 10"+ like my Panga - ask me how I know. 
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A sub 7" boat is probably the best route and all of the typical skiffs have been mentioned. I'm in Greens, Caranchua and West Bay every weekend. My Fury handles it with ease and has actual seating for 4. The Sabine's are also a great option, and Brian is a really good dude and local. The deciding factor for me was seating for the wife and kids.
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