Stuff I Like: Mitzi Skiffs

Mitzi Skiffs are a great little flats boat made in Jacksonville, Florida. I bought a used 16 footer a few days after we came back to the States for the summer and I’ve really enjoyed it. The one I’ve got is a 2003 hull rigged with a Mercury 40 HP 4-stroke outboard. I’m a dedicated Yamaha guide nowadays but this has been a fine motor and really sips gas. I can go fishing all afternoon and burn about two gallons of gas. At $3.75 a gallon, that’s really important.

This boat isn’t as sophisticated as my excellent Beavertail B-2 that I use for charters down on Vieques but that’s not what I was looking for. My budget allowed for a used boat and this fit the bill perfectly. The Mitzi is best for two anglers in smooth water. It’s a bit tippy so you have to move around the deck carefully, but it poles in less than six inches and is dead quiet in the water. I’ve caught some impressive fish off of it and didn’t have to spend five figures. Brand new this boat would have cost about $16,000.

That seems like a lot of money for a 16 foot boat but compare it to some of the competition. A new Maverick Mirage HPX will cost around $35,000. The Maverick is a more complete fishing machine which is why they’re so popular with guides and I still own a very old one. For a weekend angler they’re ridiculously overpriced. A Maverick will get you where you want to go a lot faster and look prettier once you’re there, but the little Mitzi will pole up to the same flat a little while later and fish right alongside any carbon fiber wonder machine.

But the real reason I wrote this short review is that my Mitzi is now for sale. I’ll be heading back to Vieques in two months and will be ordering a new Beavertail when I come back up to Pine Island next year. So if you’re looking for a fun and very economical little fly fishing boat in excellent condition, shoot me an e-mail. I’m asking $8500 and that’s as cheap as you’ll find one of these boats anywhere in Florida.