Inside Elite Boats: Skeet Reese

Skeet Reese’s Ranger 521C powered by a 250 horsepower Mercury Pro XS

On his trailer, Reese has custom storage boxes by Ranger for materials like props, motor oil and tools. “It’s nice carrying all that stuff in there instead of having it in the back of the truck,” he said. “Brent Ehrler and Brett Hite got them this year for their boats, because I think they were a little jealous last year.”

Reese trolls with a Motor Guide Tour Edition 36-volt trolling motor.

Equalizer shocks and a Ram Mount Bounce Buster keep Reese’s trolling motor from bouncing around in big waves. A “Troll Perfect” trolling motor adjustment system on the shaft also gets rid of any torque when he’s on on 36 high. “The motor wont kick to the side either way,” he said. “It gives you a little bit better control over that.”

Deck lights from Rigid Industries give him a better view in low-light conditions.

A closer look at Reese’s Motor Guide trolling motor.

Reese runs two Lowrance HDS-12 graphs on the front deck. He says he can usually get away with one when he’s fishing shallow water. But when he’s fishing deep, he’ll usually have one on Down scan and traditional sonar and the other on mapping.

A special attachment on his prop from BassEast eliminates trolling motor noise.

Here’s a look inside one of the Ranger trailer boxes where Reese carries a little bit of everything.

In the left rod locker, Reese usually carries 12 to 18 rods.

He has a new line of rods called the “Pro Carbon Series” with Wright & McGill. “They’re super lightweight, super sensitive, super strong, and they’ve got a double trigger on the handle itself that gives you way more power and control than youâve ever had on a fishing pole,” Reese said.

Reese is really proud of the double trigger feature on his new rods. “Itâs gonna be cool when people start fishing the rods this year,” he said. “We have the patent on the double trigger. Weâre the first company to ever do it. Anybody and everybody whoâs ever fished has asked why this has never been done before. It really changes how a rod fishes and the control you have.” He said his new Pro Carbon Reels are also a super-lightweight, high-performance option for a more affordable price (around $125).

Reese keeps a well-stocked cooler for practice and competition.

The center box is what Reese calls the “heart and soul” of his tackle selection.

When practice starts, Reese said his boat will be full of tackle. But as he narrows down a game plan, he removes the stuff he won’t be using. “Iâll put everything in there that I even think I might need for the week and then some,” Reese said. “As we get into the tournament, I tend to downsize and take out everything I donât need in the boat. I might have 15 boxes in there and scale down to one box.”

A saw, because you never know when you might need to saw through something.

Reese said the SKT Magnum MR from Lucky Craft is his favorite crankbait. It’s one of many baits he helped design for Lucky Craft.

A handy magnetic strip helps Reese keeps miscellaneous baits corralled. “I take those strips from boat to boat,” Reese said. “It’s got little holes in there that you can hang hooks on, and it’s got magnets as well. Instead of just leaving crankbaits or jigheads or spinnerbaits or anything just laying around, I can just throw them up there and the magnets are super strong. Itâs pretty amazing.”

Reese said the Berkley Pit Boss is “hands-down” his favorite plastic bait.

A closer look at the Berkley Pit Boss.

Reese has been sponsored by Berkley and Lucky Craft his entire career. The next few shots provide a look at his tackle selection.

The Berkley Havoc Skeet’s Sick Fish Swimbait.

A smorgasbord of Skeet Reese Signature Series crankbaits from Lucky Craft.

A closer look at one of the crankbaits adorned with Reese’s signature.

Lipless crankbaits by Lucky Craft.

The inside lid of Reese’s center box features decals from his long list of sponsors.

Deep-diving crankbaits for ledge fishing.

Another soft-plastic selection from Berkley.

Reese’s spinnerbaits are kept in labeled Ziploc bags instead of traditional hanging boxes.

The Ziploc bags keep his Lucky Craft spinnerbaits in good condition.

Reese uses the middle box for his food stash. “That’s where I keep all my snacks, protein bars, Superfood bars – things like that,” Reese said. “I’ll also usually have some Trail Mix and a couple of bags of Beef Jerky.”

One of the Superfood Slam bars Reese carries with him. “They’re green, and they look nasty,” Reese said. “But they taste good, and they’re good for you.”

Skeet getting excited about a pack of chewing gum as only Skeet can.

The all-important fishing tool section.

Reese keeps his measuring board in the bottom of the boat to avoid losing fish by accident during the measuring process.

The right rod locker is for lighter items like rain gear, sweaters, hats, a push pole and spare life jackets.

Reese stores the lighter items in the right rod locker on the front half of his boat. He likes to keep as much weight as possible near the back of the boat for a better bow lift when he’s moving.

The box closest to the driver’s seat holds most of Reese’s hook boxes. “When Iâm doing tackle, I tend to sit on the center locker,” Reese said. “So I can reach right in there in the hook box without having to get off my butt and lift the big lid up.”

The box closest to the driver’s seat also has a little shelf where Reese keeps extra tools. “I like to have a backup of pretty much everything,” Reese said. “An extra set of balance-beam equipment, floats, balance beams, pliers, tools and hook files. ” He also says a dry roll of toilet paper is “hands-down, priority number one.”

Hooks and weights like these are stored in the compartment.

Hooks, weights and extra skirts for jigs and spinnerbaits.

Treble hooks in all sizes and fashions.

Hooks, blades and swivels.

A compartment near the back of the boat holds a small waterproof Plano box for Navionics chips and registration papers that can’t ever get wet. He also uses the compartment for his phone, wallet, keys and anything else he can’t afford to have soaked.

Reese uses two Lowrance Gen3 touchscreen units on his console.

Reese has his console graphs mounted on a custom mount from BassBoat Technologies.

Reese says the Lowrance Gen3 units are amazing. “They zoom in and out super fast like an iPhone,” he said. “I want as much data at my fingertips as I can get, and they give me a lot of options.”

The box next to Reese’s driver’s seat is his “quick stash” box. “That’s where I keep my culling system, pins and balance beam,” he said. “I also keep gloves, sunglasses and a 12-volt plug in there to plug in my phone and keep things charged.”

A closer look at Reese’s culling tags and scales.

Skeet Reese Signature Sunglasses retail for less than $30.

Dual Ranger live wells help him take care of catches like his 20-pound, 2-ounce limit on Day 1 of the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro.

Reese has his signature on everything – like this Skeet Reese Signature Save Phace helmet.

A utility box behind the driverâs seat holds a little bit of everything – spare trolling motor props, buoy markers, prop wrench, extra ropes, a tool box, a full socket set, wire connectors and flare guns. “I use that for any type of tool that I think I might need to do a little MacGyvering in an emergency situation,” Reese said.

You never know when you’ll need an extra trolling motor prop.

Reese carries two inflatable life vests, the newest model from Mustang and one from Onyx.

Some of Reese’s heavier tackle is kept in a box behind the driver’s seat for proper weight distribution.

Reese monkeys around with clamps used for fish care. When fish are caught from deep water, he can attach the clamps to their fins to balance them right in live well.

In the back box, Reese carries two 36-volt Lithium Pro batteries. “I’m running them parallel this year,” Reese said. “It’s a lot less weight, and they take up a lot less space. But you still have plenty of reserve power.”

Reese always carries an emergency live well bag from Trokar in case he has to help another stranded angler back to the weigh-in site. “That’s just for emergency situations,” he said. “If somebody ever breaks down, instead of handing their fish over the gunnel of the boat, they can throw all of their fish in a bag. That makes it easier to transfer them from boat to boat.”

Reese said the tow rope he keeps in his boat is a “crucial piece of equipment” he found while fishing in California’s Bodega Bay nearly 20 years ago.

Reese keeps several necessities in his back box, including his jumper cables and a spare prop.

He’s also running two Lithium cranking batteries parallel to one another this year.

Here’s a look at Reese’s custom-painted Power Pole shallow-water anchors. Thanks for the tour, Skeet! Good luck on the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series.

Inside Elite Boats: Skeet Reese

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