Lake eerie style boats down south

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BrennanClifton

New member
Hello folks,

The last year or so I began to really get into layout boats. I don't really have a "proper" layout boat, but a wide canoe/kayak hybrid (an Indian river otter with a tunnel hull).

Just curious as to who all uses the lake eerie type of boats down south. I am wanting to do some open water hunting in Mobile bay with one. Would like to kill some gadwalls and not just divers if that is possible.

I plan on building one this summer but will poke around the forum before I start firing away with questions.

Thanks!
Brennan Clifton
 
I'm in SC and used to layout shoot divers years ago here until the DNR and power company wiped out our hydrilla. We hunted out of a buddies Bankes one man layout. It wasn't a Kalash layout but it got the job done.

Not sure how it'd work for Grey ducks, they're some wary suckers, maybe others can chime in.
 
I think Gadwall in a layout will be a challenge. They tend to fly high and circle. You will need to cover up and be motionless in a layout to fool them.
 
Back in the early 1980's I had a friend who was living in Ohio. He worked with a couple of guys who claimed to do pretty well on puddle ducks from a layout boat. I think they were hunting somewhere near Sandusky Bay. If I'm remembering the story correctly, they were using strictly puddle duck decoys and were staying right along the shoreline. I don't know if they were actually keeping the boat within the shoreline cover (bullrushes, etc.) or not. Note that this is all hearsay. I never experienced it, or even met them personally. But my friend seemed to think they were on the level.

For my part, I have been layout hunting on Lake St. Clair since the mid '70's.
In all these years, we have only shot a handful of puddlers out there. Maybe 3 mallards and one or two each pintails, wood ducks, blue wing teal, and green wing teal. I don't recall ever shooting a gadwall, widgeon, or shoveler from the layout. I do remember one time when a small flock of black ducks came really really close to committing, but swung away at the last second.

Of course, my rig is entirely comprised of bluebills, cans, and redheads. No puddlers. Maybe that would make a difference?
Good luck.
 
Brennan,
As I noted in my PM the other day, I think you'd be better off building a planing hull sneak box and hunting it low profile with the spray dodger up, like many guys on the upper east coast do.
This way you can sit up under the shadow of the dodger and have also have cockpit cover.
Gadwalls on Mobile Bay/Delta get very blind shy and spookie within a week of being in the area. Like others noted, they tend to come in high and then drop into a spread at the last moment. Or not if they decide to flare off at 75 yards like they are prone to do.
I am not sure a true open water layout will work well since the gaddies will be looking down into the boat on final approach.

Another consideration is that a true open water layout is less mobile, requiring a tender to move around.
With a sneak box, you can cover a lot more water and can quickly move when you're not on the X.
And a sneakbox will weigh less & draft a lot less than layout tender, something very important when you have to cross the wide tidal flats on the upper Bay. And when you get caught out on the flats on a day the tide is lower that predicted, been there, done that!

Also a low profile sneak box will work great for the bluebills, redheads, buffies and cans.
Like I noted in my PM, I meant to build a Devlin Bluebill to use on Mobile Bay years ago, but then I got remarried, had kids, etc... If I ever move back to move Mobile, I'll definitely buy or build a sneakbox.
 
Carl, what about having a layout boat that is completely grassed so that overhead there is complete concealment? How do you think that would compare to your typical delta blind with canes/bamboo stuck in the mud?
 
It would be lower profile than typical boat blind and cane combos we used and so probably better.
But I still think a low profile sneak boat is a more mobile and versatile hull for Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound.
 
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here is the rig I used on Mobile bay from 1998 to 2011, a 1440 mv jon with an 18hp Nissan. Great rig, really should have kept the motor. Only one side of the blind is up:


1440MVCamoPaint2.jpg
On the water:


BoatBlind2.jpg

My rig from 2011-2019, 14" Smokercraft semi-v with a 25 Merc. Bought when I started hunting MS Sound more often.
Not quite as shallow draft as the 1440 but handles rough water a hell of lot better.


SmokercraftLookingForward.jpgBoatBlindonWater3.jpgBoatBlindonWater2.jpg
 
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I would agree with Carl, there are many low profile boats that would be much more verstile than a Erie Layout for open and tucked hunting. Might not hunt as big water as a layout, but without the tender you can't deploy the layout in big water either. Look at 4Rivers, MoMarsh, Wigeon, etc 13-14ft low profile boats with blind doors or lap cloths.
 
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