What is the cheapest type of boat to fish the Mississippi River?

It's been a long time since I've been on the river near Burlington, but my family used to have a cabin on Otter Island just upriver from the town. My dad had a 16' V-hull aluminum boat with a 25 hp outboard that was plenty adequate for fishing and running between the cabin and town. We used to put a camouflaged cover over the boat and used it for duck hunting in the fall, too. Some friends had bigger boats for water skiing, but you don't need a lot of boat for just fishing.

In boating, cheap can be a dangerous term. You get what you pay for. The type of boat I would recommend is a typical John boat. These have a shallow draft, are wider and sturdier than a regular small v-hull boat, and good for fishing, etc. You can probably just get a small aluminum boat too with a regular v-hull, like a 16-18 footer. I'd go with a John boat though, with a reliable outdrive, say a 50 hp or so.

Ive never boated on that part of the Mississippi River . I was always much farther South. From what I can see, the river is fairly narrow in that area, with few access points. In the spring I would expect flooding/fast flowing waters. So, I'm thinking you would need a larger, rather than smaller, Aluminum Work boat. Which is essentially a very big Jon Boat. Something with high free-board, modified bow, pretty wide for stability. You'd need 40-50 HP outboard for safety. This would be easily trailer-able and make a stable platform for running trot-lines etc. I'm thinking something about 20' long. See: http://www.loweboats.com/jon-boats/l1852mt-jon/ I've owned a Monark but they are now SeaArk boats. In this case Cheap is relative. If you go much smaller, it's just not going to work. I've fished the White River in Arkansas for Catfish, using trot-lines baited with Gralnoba worms, they are a lot like a grub, but are leaf eaters found in elm trees. They stink, at least to catfish, which they attract. You find them in the Fall in huge numbers, We would put them in jars and refrigerate them. We always ran out, but we got a lot of fish. It wasn't unusual to have several hundred pounds of fish on board as we returned to the dock, so you need a boat that will have a crew/motor/gear/fish capacity of 2000 lbs. When I mentioned free-board, it's relative. You need to be low to the water in order to work the lines, yet have the capacity for rough waters. Passing barges can throw a big wake, and you'd have no place to hide. Even with a used motor, your looking at $4000 and up for the rig.

Cheap is a rather vague term - as what is cheap to you may not be cheap at all to someone else. However, I've spent a great deal of fishing time on the Mississippi near Cairo and on the Illinois, and I see most 2 man fishermen are in boats under 18 and 20 feet. Furthermore, if you are either patient or lucky - you can get a great used 25-50hp outboard for under $1,000. Richard is right about the Lower Mississippi - in fact, there are only two Marinas between Cairo and the Gulf Coast ICW. . . tons more barge traffic, and it is much more difficult and different on the Lower Mississippi then where you are. But, if I were you, and had the questions you have, I would simple go hang out at the most popular boat ramps on Saturadays and pay lots of attention to what other fishermen are doing, and what they are doing it in. Every fisherman is willing to talk about his boat. So, ask some questions, like what would they buy or do different next time. But I'm tending to go with Capt John on the 16 footer rather than Richard's 20 footer, as I know your winter weather. You can get a 16 footer with or without a trailer in a garage if you want, you can't a 20 footer, and a 40 or 50hp motor vs a 35hp isn't really a "safety" factor. You are always your own and only safety factor.