You can usually tap various resources to find the "best" this or that, and when it comes to vehicles of any kind, J.D. Power and Associates is one of the top marketing analysts in the nation. For this reason, when trying to determine the best bass boats for anglers to consider, you may want to reference the list provided by this company in 2005. The top seven most popular bass fishing boats were determined, and for the first time, Bass Cat was included in the judging. Sure enough, this brand came out on top.

The ratings by J.D.P. covered seven boat categories, including coastal fishing boats (17-28 feet), express cruisers (24-33 feet), small runabouts (16-19 feet), large runabouts (20-29 feet), ski boats, pontoon boats, and bass boats. The results are based on the response of consumers, totaling almost 13,000 replies. Over seventy different boat brands were considered, and customer satisfaction was measured in eight categories. The categories rated among bass boats were: quality & reliability; ride & handling; design & style; fishing ability; and value for the money. It seems that bass boats made the greatest gain in level of satisfaction. However, what were the overall results, and what do consumers consider the seven best bass fishing boats?

As stated earlier, Bass Cat came in as the favorite brand, quite a feat in the first year of consideration for the prized position. Rated 5/5 in almost every category (with the exception of design and style, coming in at a 4/5), it definitely tops the charts. Consumers prefer the way that it rides and handles, the quality and reliability of the boat, and its conduciveness to fishing. Rating it 5/5 as the best value for your money, the overall rating showed Bass Cat's superiority among bass fishing boats.

The second favorite, only slightly less preferred, was the Ranger. These boats would have been a clear competitor for the top spot, still coming in with an overall ranking of 5/5, except that the value for your money landed at a mere 3, meaning that is simply "does not really stand out". The ride and handling was ranked as a 4, which means that consumers who reported to J.D.P. felt it was "better than most", but still didn't feel it was among the top competitors. Still, this is considered one of the better bass boats you can buy, with all other categories ranked at a full 5/5.