I am from New Jersey and have developed a serious addiction (and LOVE) to fishing in Minnesota.

In order for me to be prepared for fishing Muskie, Smallies, Pike and Walleye I am forced to travel with a lot of different tackle and gear. I am finding that this is getting more and more expensive and cumbersome thanks to the airlines and rising fuel costs.

I started thinking about renting a small storage space in the Northwoods - but then i thought if i get a fishing boat, i could just store my gear in the boat. This would allow me to travel light, cut out the cost of fishing boat rentals and provide me with some storage for all of my gear. At some point in the near future - I would be looking to spend approx. 3-4 weeks per summer up in Minnesota.

I would like to store my boat on the Big V - but i'd also like to travel to Lake of The Woods, Rainy, Leech, etc...

Not being from that neck of the woods - I'm not sure what type of boat would be best for these waters? I typically rent a Crestliner or Lund aluminum which have been really nice so far. I'd primarily be targeting Muskie and Smallies -with some good Pike and Walleye thrown in for good measure. I have even thought about entering some Muskie Tournaments at some point...

I would love a nice Ranger fishing boat - but I'm not sure i'd want a glass boat in and around the rocky structure that is so prevalent up there??? Also - since this would be my 1st boat - i'm thinking i should buy a nice used boat to get used to the drill and save a bit of cash.

Any advice/input you guys could share would be much appreciated.

I'm also looking to meet some folks that would love to meet up and fish some of these waters in the future...

Let me know your thoughts. Thank you Thorne Bros for having an amazing shop and great site.

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Any advice/input you guys could share would be much appreciated.

I WOULD PERSONALLY GO WITH AN ALUMINUM 16-18' LUND OR HOWE BOAT. DEEP HULL WITH AT LEAST A 150 HP MOTOR. LEECH LAKE LIKES TO MAKE 3-5 FT WAVES AND WHITE CAPS. A LONGER, DEEP HULLED ALUMINUM BOAT WILL DO RIGHT FOR ALL AROUND FISHING. MAYBE A MID 90'S LUND FOR ABOUT $5,000.
P.S. GREAT MUSKIE FISHING CAN BE FOUND IN THE TWIN CITIES AREA AS WELL IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA. I.E. LAKE MINNETONKA, WHITE BEAR LAKE, FOREST LAKE, BALD EAGLE LAKE.