Inside Elite Boats

Inside Elite Boats: John Crews

Posted on
Photography by
Craig Lamb
Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Crews is in his 18th season as a Bassmaster Elite Series pro.
The owner of Missile Baits is also a longtime Bass Cat Boats owner. Here’s a tour of his rig.
Crews fishes from a 2024 Bass Cat Caracal STS. The new model employs a wide-body flow of the existing Caracal with the platform of the STS (Soft Touch Hull) design.
The Caracal hull is 20 feet, 2 inches with a beam width of 96 inches.
The Caracal STS is powered by a 250 horsepower Mercury Pro XS outboard.
Crews opts for dual Power-Pole Blades in the 8-foot model.
The outboard is rigged with an 8-inch Bob’s Machine Shop Hydraulic Jackplate.
A Russell Marine Anchor Light is mounted atop the port-side Power-Pole for increased safety and visibility.
Close up view of the Russell Marine Motor Toter for the outboard.
At the boat is a Power-Pole Move ZR trolling motor with a 52-inch shaft.
Two Garmin LiveScope Plus w/LVS34 Transducers are mounted on the trolling motor shaft. One is for Perspective view, the other for forward-facing sonar.
A Garmin GPSMAP 8612 is mounted on the front deck. The 22-inch NBT Marine Battleship Unit is set up for mirroring with the Garmin GPSMAP 8612 on the console.
The view from the driver’s seat.
Heavy-duty mounts keep everything secure for big water.
Next to the Garmin unit is a Humminbird Helix 12. The units are mounted to BalZout Heavy-Duty Mounting Brackets.
The Bob’s Machine Shop Lift Plate for the hydraulic jackplate.
The Power-Pole fob is detachable from the holder at the console. It controls the shallow anchor functions, Move trolling motor features and more.
The Bob’s Machine Shop Foot Throttle.
The Caracal STS comes with a RAM Mount for a smartphone.
Get a close look at the boat’s control panel.
The FishLung’s enhanced oxygen delivery provides optimal fish care for tournament bass.
…
The Power-Pole CHARGE Marine Power Management System is an all-in-one, charge-on-the-run, smart charger that works with multiple electronic devices to monitor battery performance on the water.
This tool rack keeps the pliers, cutters and more at hand.
Reel Glove covers protect this selection of baitcasters.
This bin is home to a large selection of soft plastics.
The boat is definitely loaded for tournament competition.
Labels on this selection of tackleboxes save time.
Even more protected rods stacked in this bin.
Multiple spaces for tools keep the important items secure.
A couple of lures hang out but stay safe from damage.
This small bin holds a number of items a professional angler may need on the water.
A couple more tackleboxes, insurance paperwork, rope and more. Every inch of space must be utilized in an Elite’s boat. Thanks for the tour, John!

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