Category: Crestliner PT 20

2019 Recap From the front deck on my Crestliner PT20

2019 Recap From the front deck on my Crestliner PT20

2019 Recap from the front deck on my 2019 Crestliner PT20

Started the year down a at Lake Guntersville fishing the Big Bass Spash.  Many of us in our local bass club went down and I think we got 8 checks.  It’s a fun time and already have plans to return this year.

Here is some pics from our trip –CBM invades Big Bass Splash Lake Guntersville

May 5th – First club tournament was on Buckeye Lake and I couldn’t get enough bites like I had going mid-week in practice.  I only had one fish for 1.37, so I had dug a hole for beginning of 2019.

June 8th was at Rocky Fork, a rainy day overall and windy.  I only had 4 keepers weigned #7.11 and finished 11th.  A Co-Angler in our club Dale Mattox had a #18 bag from the back of the boat.  He was around the right kind of fish, his boater had #10 bag.

Rocky Fork June 8th

From Rocky Fork I made the drive down to Russell Springs KY near Lake Cumberland.  I was trading in my 2017 Crestliner PT20 for a new 2019 model which was to arrive the following week.  I later found out that my new 4 Stroke from Mercury was on back order.  So it was going to be a waiting game…

August 2nd – Picked up the new Crestliner PT20

Girl friend is back!!

This 2019 Crestliner PT20 handles and seems to ride so much better than my other one.  They also now have installed wedges on end of the transom and no need to run a foil on my engine.  This one has no porposing issues.   This new 4 Stroke engine is a Bad Ass!!  Much quicker performance than the 2 stroke.

August 4th we headed to Delaware Lake.  Tough bite as well with only two limits weighed in.  I finished 2nd place weighing in 4 fish at #7.48 all caught on spinnerbait.

August 24 & 25th we headed to Detroit River.  I found some fish in practice a couple days before and spent rest of my time running new water.  Day 1 of the tourney again I only weighed 4 fish for #9 finishing 8th place.  I lost 3 fish in the last hour that would have culled out what I already had.  But you have to catch them.

Day 1 Detroit River

Day 2 Was a better day for me, lost no fish and brought in a limit weighing in at #11.74 for a 4th place finish.

Day 2 Detroit River

After Detroit River I was able to move into 1st place in the points, but still had 3 tournaments to go.

September 9th – Back to Detroit River to fish a Ohio Bass Federation tournament.  Had #19.79 for two days just couldn’t get the big bites.  Finished 33rd place.  Love fishing up there and starting to learn more about it.

Detroit River – The Bass Federation

September 21st headed back to big water at Lake Erie.  We only have a 3 fish limit up there just to protect the fish.  I took my two sons up a couple of days early and we ran from Kelly Island shoals to Put-in-Bay.  We had a blast catching the smallies.

Always a fun time taking them to Lake Erie for some fishing fun and it helps me find some fish as well.

So day 1 of the tournament weather was great and big water was easy to navigate in I would say 2 feet or less.  So my 3 fish limit weighed in at #8.31 and I had Big Bass at #4.99 smallie for a 2nd place finish.

#4.99 Big Bass

Day 2 was a different day with wave 3 foot or less and building by 10am.  I decided to stay close and just run to Kelly’s Island.  I stayed there until 10:30 with one in the box headed back to fish main lake or East Harbor.  But the first bank I hit I quickly had a limit and then culled them out with two nice smallies.

Lake Erie Day 2 – 1st Place

Our club fishes 8 tournaments and we keep our best 8 in points.  So now after 7 tournaments in the book I am still holding 1st place.

September 29th we headed to Mosquito Lake for a one day event and our last club tournament of the year.  I really like the way this lake fishes in the spring time, but this was late fall for being the end of September and it is 3 hours north east.  In practice I really struggled finding fish.  I drove up on Saturday morning and practiced until 5:30 and really didn’t find much fish.  There was also another tournament having a two day event and they had 50 plus boats so it was fishing small.

On Sunday I hit a couple of my spots and had nothing.  I then decided to drag a carolina rig out a little deeper and soon as did I put 3 fish in the boat.  By the end of the day I had caught 14 keepers all quality fish but no big kicker.  I finished 5th with #11.23.

#11.23 5th place

Gordon Wins CBM Back to Back AOY Championships

But a 5th place finish was enough to win AOY for 2019.  I didn’t make the state team this year which was one of my goals.  Those tournaments fell in the window where I was a boater for one tournament but next was a co-angler and that didn’t help me in points.

Like to Thank a few of my sponsors, Crestliner, Unlimited Marine, Silver Thread, Quantum, Kistler Rods and Swagger Tackle.

Is Your Boat Wet Under the Boat Cover?

Is Your Boat Wet Under the Boat Cover?

Keep Your Boat Cool and Dryer

I am not a lucky guy who has a nice garage for there boat.  As you seen in my other post I use a Shed Logic canopy up at my storage location.  It defiantly helps keep it cooler and much of the elements off the cover.  For $150 it has been worth the investment.

Another thing I have always done is keep a fan blowing under the cover.  But this past year I switched to a bathroom vent fan and it seems to be getting the hot air removed and keeps it much dryer.  I take it with me when I travel as well and when I cover the boat and plug up the batteries I have the fan vented outside the boat.

Hope this tip helps you keep your boat a little cooler and dryer.  Without it we know everything inside is like in a oven just baking away.

Tuff Skinz Motor Cover Addition

Tuff Skinz Motor Cover Addition

Tuff Skinz Motor Cover

Since I had my motor repairs completed I finally got to add my new Tuff Skinz motor cover.  Let me tell you not only does it help keep your cowling nice and new looking.  But it saves me so much time when I pull my boat out I always wipe it down and this makes keeping the engine looking so much better.

I get people yelling at me around the docks telling me I forgot to remove my engine cover.  I gladly tell them this is a completely vented cover that is made for your engine and it does a great job protecting it from all the elements.

When it gets dirty you can easily remove it and put it in the washing machine and it’s like new again.

Made in the USA!  If you want to keep your engine looking good after you purchase your new Crestliner I recommend you order a Tuff Skinz Cover today!

Crestliner PT20 is a Fishing Platform

Crestliner PT20 is a Fishing Platform

Crestliner PT20 Fishability

Back in 2016 when I first began looking at the PT20 on the web I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to come out of a glass boat.  Then I had a Ranger 461 with a 150 Mercury.  I had no plans on purchasing any new glass boat for the simple reason its too darn expensive.  I was looking at several used boats but then I decided if I was going to purchase a new boat prior to retiring in 5 or so years now was the time.  So I attended the Cincinnati Boat show in January of 2017 and decided the Crestliner PT20 for it’s fishing platform would be my next boat.

My next steps was determining who I would make a purchase with.  I priced out the boat I wanted with four dealers and settled on Unlimited Marine in Russell Springs Kentucky.  I grew up in Kentucky and fished Lake Cumberland and Dale Hollow for years so driving 5 hours was not a issue.  A dealer less than 40 miles from me told me he would order me a boat but he had no plans to ever carry inventory on Crestliners.  My best deal came from Unlimited Marine who was great to work with and saved me more than anyone else on the out the door price.

I think I placed my order toward the end of January 2017 and was told I should have a build date in April.  When I got back from Guntersville I sold my Ranger the follow week.  Then found out my build date had been pushed to May time frame then early June.  But it finally arrived the week before July 4th, I recall how busy Lake Cumberland was the week while I was doing my break in.  Much easier to do it there than the little lakes we have here in Ohio.

So basically I still had a few months to get out on the water and do some fishing.  Many of the 2017 tournaments I went as a co-angler since I was without a boat for well over half a year.

2018 Tournaments has been all on the boater side.  The more I fish from this boat the more I really like it and enjoy the the space.

Delaware Lake

Above is my only keeper in first club tournament with Columbus Bassmasters of the year.  Our club has about 36 members and on this tournament only seven of us brought in fish.  Water was way up and it was a mud hole, but this fish finished 5th for the day.

Alum Creek

Second tournament of the year was only 8 miles from the house which was nice.  But tough day on the water and only managed 2 keepers for another 5th place finish.

Mosquito Lake 12.67#

Next stop was Mosquito Lake one day club tournament and we had a limit early and finished with 12.67 pounds for 2nd place finish.  This was the week before our Ohio Bass Nation tournament which was a 2 day event the following weekend.  Unfortunately I came up about 4 pounds short in that tournament for a 2 day weight of 16.75 pounds.  Limit both days but no BIGUNS.

Practice for Federation Tournament

Of course in practice you can catch the BIGUNS.

Video below was taken by my co-angler second day of Bass Nation Federation tournament.

Check out his Youtube Channel Hooked on Bassin

Indian Lake – First Place 12.03 Pounds and 4.35 Big Fish

Above was July 15th we had club tournament on Indian Lake and we had limit by 8am and finished with 12.03 pounds.

Overall this year like I said the more I fish from this Crestliner PT20 the better I like it.  With the trolling motor down it fishes like any Big glass boat.

My likes so far:

  • Big Front Deck
  • Plenty of front storage (More than my Ranger 461)
  • Handles big water very well. (Lake Erie)
  • Can get shallower than my 461 Ranger
  • Huge 42 gallon live well, so far no dead fish
  • Affordability fuel both in boat and towing
  • Half the cost of a glass boat with more room than some.

My dislikes:

  • Not many, but the switches on right side panel have had the screws work themselves out of the I call it dashboard like material  I have now put some harder plastic in behind the dash so the screws has something to screw into.
  • Boat cover doesn’t’ seem to have enough padding in spots.  It is very fine material and I have a few holes starting to show.

Over all I am very pleased with my purchase and the performance I am seeing with this boat.  If I were to have to purchase another boat it would in deed be a Crestliner PT20.

Give Unlimited Marine a call today ask for Jimmy Wilson to get a quote.  Tell him Scott Gordon referred you. 270-858-6911

Unlimited Marine