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Robbie Latuso travels the country with the Bassmaster Elite Series tour, and that means he needs a boat on which can depend. His choice is the Bass Cat Eyra, which he said is a perfect platform. “This is my first year running it,” Latuso said. “I’m loving it. It’s a fast little boat to drive, and it’s very comfortable to fish out of.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso uses a Minn Kota Ultrex to power him when he’s on the front deck of the boat. “I love the Spot Lock,” he said. “Minn Kota was the first to come out with it. It’s just a dependable motor. I never have any issues with it; I’ve been running it ever since they came out with the Ultrex. It’s a great trolling motor.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
The Ultrex has a built-in 2D transducer that is linked to Latuso’s electronic, but he also has a Lowrance LiveSight Sonar transducer attached to the shaft. This allows the Louisiana pro to see submerged structure and any bass holding in the area. “It’s a forward-looking view, so wherever your trolling motor is turned, you’re looking in front of you,” Latuso said. “It’s pretty cool: You can actually see your bait coming back to you in the water. It works on those big open lakes whee you can see fish out there suspended.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
The Minn Kota foot control is recessed in the deck of the Bass Cat, which makes for a much more comfortable day of fishing, Latuso said. “You don’t have to put all your weight on one foot,” he said. “You can stand more naturally.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
One of the features that really sold Latuso on the Bass Cat Eyra is the large recessed cutout on the front of the deck. “You can move the trolling motor foot pedal back more,” Latuso said. “It’s one of the main reasons I went with this boat. It gets you off the nose of the boat a little more.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Two Lowrance HDS 12 Lives reside on the front deck of Latuso’s boat. He has them stacked to offer easy viewing of both screens, with the front unit split between the lake map and 2D sonar. The rear screen shows nothing but his LiveSight display. “It gives you a bigger picture, so you can see it better,” Latuso said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The Lowrance units stand off the deck to allow Latuso to make adjustments easily and to keep them out from under his feet when he’s moving around.
Photo: Andy Crawford
His front electronics are held securely in place with Bass Boat Technologies mounts that are screwed into the recessed panel of the front deck. “They are rock solid,” Latuso said. “I never have to tighten them or do anything with them, and Bass Cat recommends them.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
His remote Power-Pole controls are tucked under his rear Lowrance. “It’s sort of wasted space, so it made sense to mount them there,” Latuso explained. “Last year, I had one mounted on either side of the trolling motor foot pedal, and I had to step left or right, depending on if I was raising or lowering the Power-Poles. Now they are both in the same area, so I can reach them easier.”
His Lowrance antennae is mounted just to the right of the Power-Pole controls to keep it out from underfoot.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The front deck of the Bass Cat Eyra is huge, offering a roomy platform from which to fish.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The deck layout includes two rod boxes and three storage compartment, so Latuso can keep all of his main needs within easy reach. “I like the fact that you have two rod boxes,” he said. “I have a little day box there in the front and the other two compartments are big storage compartments.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso stores all of his rods in the port rod locker, and there’s ample room. “I can fit about 30 rods in there,” he said. “The boat comes with a rod organizer, but I took that out so I can fit more rods.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
The key to keeping a bunch of rods organized without the rod storage system is to use rod sleeves. “That way the rods don’t get all tangled in the box,” Latuso said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
His starboard rod locker is dedicated to his boxes of frogs, hooks and other gear like a motorcycle helmet and lifejacket. “You’ve got to have a frog box,” he said with a chuckle.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso said his frogs and hooks always reside in this locker so he knows exactly where they are. “Organization is important,” Latuso said. “You don’t want to waste time fishing. If you waste five minutes looking for a bait, that’s five minutes you could be catching fish. You’ve got to be organized and be a lot more efficient.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
An extra prop also is stored in the starboard locker in case he spins a hub.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The day box right behind his fishing position is critically important to Latuso. “That’s where I keep all the baits I know I’ll be throwing,” he said. “I keep them right there and get to them easy.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso’s strength is power fishing, so his day box usually holds packs of Missile Baits plastic lures so he can change baits without having to leave his fishing position: He can just reach down, pop open the lid of the day box and grab what he needs.
Bait scents and several pairs of sunglasses — both prescription and non-prescription — also are kept here.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The bulk of his plastics are organized in plastic zip bags in the next compartment, which is large enough to hold all large quantities of his favorite plastic flipping lures. “These are the most important bags in the boat,” Latuso said. “I love (Missile Baits) D-Bombs. I throw them everywhere we go.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
This compartment is massive, holding a number of zip bags packed with various plastic lures. It also is open on the left side, allowing him to store even more lures between this compartment and the largest storage compartment in the center of the deck. “I keep it packed with lures,” Latuso said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The final storage compartment in the deck’s center is where Latuso keeps all of his hard baits.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Again, organization is critical to Latuso. So he keeps his lures in trays so he can quickly reach for them. For instance, all of his Delta Lures spinnerbait components are located in one box that is always put in the same spot within the compartment.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso has every tackle tray labeled to efficiently reach the bait he needs. Stored in this box, from front to back are topwaters, spinnerbaits and Thunder Jigs, Rat-L-Traps, and crankbaits and jerkbaits. “I’m an organization freak,” he said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The back of the deck includes a large step that makes moving from the deck to the console easy on the knees. But this area is more than just a step. “That seems to be where I’m alway heading to when I’m either changing line or tying on baits or working on my tackle,” Latuso explained. “It’s just a good place to sit.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Held securely in place at the front of Latuso’s work area are all the tools he might need: scissors, pliers and a hook file. “That’s where I keep them all the time so I know where they are,” he said. “If I pull one out, I put it right back there.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
This huge step also conceals an ice chest. The chest isn’t very deep, but Latuso said the design makes it easy to grab a drink or a sandwich without having to root around a lot of ice. “And it keeps everything good and cool in there,” he said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The larger compartment is where Latuso keeps his water and other drinks for the day, while the smaller port-side compartment of the ice chest keeps his sandwiches cool and dry.
Photo: Andy Crawford
In front of the passenger seat is a small compartment that Latuso said is somewhat of a catch-all.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Items kept in this box include a rope, headache medicine and eye drops.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso said the driver’s area of the Bass Cat Eyra is perfect, fitting him to a T. “I fit in this boat good, because I’m not a big man,” Latuso said. “The steering wheel is right there, so I’m not reaching out to hold it.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Another pair of Lowrance HDS 12 Lives sit in front of Latuso so he can see the easily while running from spot to spot. The units are linked to the ones in the front. “If I put a waypoint in back here, it’ll show up front, and if I put one in up front, it’ll show back here,” Latuso said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The right unit is split between his map and StructureScan. “If I’m totally looking for structure and I sort of know what the contour is, I’ll put it on full StructureScan,” he said.
His left unit is split between 2D and DownScan. “If you see something on 2D and it’s backed up by DownScan, it’s probably something that’s a true structure or a true fish,” Latuso explained. “I kind of use it to verify what I’m seeing.”
Also, note the hexagon-shaped steering wheel, which Latuso said keeps the wheel from slipping in your hand when making turns.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The console electronics are held firmly in place with BalZout mounting systems. “They are not moving,” Latuso said. “They are solid. The best thing to do is spend the money and buy good mounts for your unit, because vibration will absolutely make them go out or have trouble.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
On the left side of the console just beneath is electronics mount are a USB charging port, another Power-Pole remote and his T-H Marine Atlas backplate gauge.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The main control panel is positioned on the left side of the console, keeping all of his controls in a central location.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Bass Cat even includes a fold-down cleat in the console area. “That’s really helpful if you’re in a lock,” Latuso said. “You can just grab the lock rope and tie off without having to leave the console.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
A Pro Trim switch on the left side of the steering column controls the jackplate.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Another Pro Trim switch is mounted on the right side of the steering column so he can trim up his outboard without having to take his hand off the wheel.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso uses a T-H Marine Hot Foot so he can drive his Bass Cat just like he’s in his truck. “You don’t have to take your hand of the wheel to reach for that side lever,” he said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Also under the console is Latuso’s measuring stick. “I kind of like where it is,” Latuso said. “You can pull it out right there, put on that big step and measure right there, and you’re not on that top deck. So, if the fish slips lose it won’t jump out. If you measure fish on the front deck, you’re going to have a fish jump away from you sooner or later.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Each seat in Latuso’s Bass Cat contains a storage compartment, maximizing the angler’s ability to keep the decks and riding area clear.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Beneath the driver’s seat is where Latuso keeps miscellany, including two tow ropes in case of emergencies.
Photo: Andy Crawford
This compartment also stores Latuso’s first aid kit. “Just in case,” he said. “You never know when you’re going to need it.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
The passenger seat’s compartment is for rain gear.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso uses rain gear suitable for the conditions he’s expecting. “When it’s cold, I wear a Stormr suit because it’s warmer,” Latuso said. “And if you fall out, you’ll float in this one.”
Once the weather warms up, he switches out to Gill rain gear, he said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Between the seats is even more storage.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Among the items kept in the upper compartment is Rejuvenade, which Latuso adds to his livewell to keep his fish as healthy as possible.
Photo: Andy Crawford
His culling system also rides in this box so he can land a bass, head to the livewell and efficiently enter it into his Rapala cull system.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Below this compartment is a second ice chest, which Latuso usually uses simply as a garbage bin.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso said he also keeps a bottle of Dawn detergent in this compartment so he can wash his hands. “I carry it just in case my hands get dirty or full of sunscreen so I can wash them off,” he explained.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The compartment on the left side of the passenger seat is usually given over to his marshals, but he does keep sunscreen and a fizzing needle in this box.
Photo: Andy Crawford
He also keeps what he calls “my good luck charm” — a bible handed out by the Bassmaster Elite Series chaplain at the first tournament this season — in this compartment. “You can never have too much luck,” Latuso said. “You can never have too much help in the boat.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
The back deck is roomy, and includes the livewell, two storage compartments and the bilge compartment. Note the split double doors over the bilge - but there’s an even cooler feature on those compartment doors.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Bass Cat uses a unique livewell access system that includes two triangular doors and openings. “It freaks people out because it’s different, but I kind of like it,” he said. “It’s harder for the fish to jump out of. You’ve got a big deep spot where the fish always seem to get, so the first four bass are going in that deep spot. The next one just goes wherever it wants to go.
“It’s got plenty of room to get bass in and out; it’s bigger than it looks. I’ve had boats before that fish would jump out of because they had square openings.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
The livewell is a single cavernous compartment segmented by a perforated divider. That means even the biggest sack of bass get plenty of water.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The livewell lids aren’t top-locked. Instead, the company uses rocker-style locks anchored to the rear wall of the riding compartment. “You don’t have to worry about them opening up,” he said. “They are very secure.”
There’s another advantage to this locking system. “Bass Cat actually had their locks on the top, and they moved to these and the water temperature (in the livewells) cooled off a couple of degrees,” he said. “The heat was going through the lock and making the water temperature go up.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Behind the driver’s seat is where he keeps heavier tackle. Storing these lures behind the seat helps with weight distribution. “It’s kind of heavy, and you want your weight toward the back of the boat,” he explained.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Latuso keeps two large zippered bags containing tons of Delta Lures spinnerbaits and Thunder Jigs, along with Missile Jigs, in this compartment. “Delta Lures hooked me up with every color and combination in 1/2-ounce and 3/8-ounce,” he said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
His mapping cards also are stored behind the driver’s seat.
Photo: Andy Crawford
On the port side of the back deck is a second compartment in which Latuso puts more tackle.
Photo: Andy Crawford
His drop-shot tackle is stored in a tackle tray, but he also keeps swim baits, swim bait hooks and other miscellaneous tackle.
Photo: Andy Crawford
He also keeps Missile Baits packages for his marshals in this box. So, every marshal who rides with Latuso receives a thank-you pack.
Photo: Andy Crawford
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Photo: Andy Crawford
There are two doors offering access to the boat’s bilge. But there is a special feature that makes access even easier. It starts by disconnecting a strap from the bottom of the door.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Then the doors simply slip out of its hinges. “I like that,” he said. “You can take the door off and get to everything in the bilge. If you need to change a battery or work on something, you have all the room you need.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Without the doors over the bilge, Latuso has unfettered access to everything contained in the rear of the boat, including his Power-Pole pumps, his Power-Pole Charge Marine Power Management Station, his fuel tanks and batteries.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The bilge is a wide-open layout, with his four batteries stored in pairs near the center, flanked by the two 26-gallon fuel tanks.
Photo: Andy Crawford
He also has easy access to all the wiring and the tubing for the livewell system.
Photo: Andy Crawford
There’s even room in the bilge for extra storage.
Photo: Andy Crawford
This is where Latuso keeps a small tool kit and his flare gun in case of emergencies.
Photo: Andy Crawford
The transom of the boat is flanked with a pair of 8-foot Power-Poles. “I like having two poles because they will keep you from drifting,” Latuso said. “These are 8-foot poles, so they’ll stick you in 6 feet of water and keep your boat steady. With two of them, you’re to going anywhere.”
He said the Power-Poles are perfect compliments to his Minn Kota Ultrex. “When you’re in deep water, that’s when you use that Spot Lock to keep you in position,” Latuso said. “But in water less than 6 feet, you’ve got to have those Power-Poles.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
He powers the Bass Cat with a Mercury Pro XS 250, which provides all the power and efficiency needed. “I love the new Mercury,” he said. “It’s got a lot more low-end torque, better hold shot and it’s very dependable.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
He uses a DD26 Transom Saver made specifically for the new Mercury Pro XS. “It’s got little shock on it,” he said.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Once he lowers the outboard onto the transom saver, it’s reduces the strain on his boats transom by preventing the motor from bouncing while trailering.
Photo: Andy Crawford
He also uses DD26 Mean Stops to keep the motor from turning during long road trips.
Photo: Andy Crawford
A Mercury 24-pitch Fury prop transfers the power of the Pro XS to forward propulsion.
Photo: Andy Crawford
A T-H Marine Atlas hydraulic jack plate controls the vertical attitude of the motor. “You can get up in shallower water with a jack plate,” Latuso said. “And when you’re idling in shallow water, you can lift your outboard and keep it level. That prevents you from fouling your plugs as easy. You want to keep it level as possible when you’re idling for more than 10 or 15 minutes.”
Photo: Andy Crawford
Tucked next to the jack plate is a Lowrance Active Imaging transducer that allows Latuso to see everything beneath the boat in amazing detail.
Photo: Andy Crawford
Rounding out the Bass Cat’s features is an integrated ladder that can be quickly and easily extended if he ends up in the water. Then all he has to do is climb back aboard.
Photo: Andy Crawford
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