What we’ve found during our testing of the new 2022 Sea-Doo Fish Pro Trophy is that the Trophy is, without a doubt, the flagship of personal watercraft fishing available through a manufacturer today. BRP has put so much detail and thought into equipping this watercraft that it’s operating at tournament-level performance. In this feature, we’re going to walk you through all the features and standard equipment that comes with the Trophy, and how it compares to the lesser Sport and the entry-level Scout.
In talking about the Fish Pro, we really need to address personal watercraft fishing as a burgeoning sport. As personal watercraft have gotten more sophisticated people have been able to access places where a boat can’t. That’s a really big benefit for someone who wants to go out, kind of escape, and really have a very great personal experience that doesn’t require them to launch a big boat or have a bunch of friends. You can do this by yourself. Effectively making PWC fishing the next evolutionary step above of kayak fishing.
Sea-Doo got hip to this trend and introduced the Fish Pro back in 2019. Since then, the Sea-Doo Fish Pro has exploded in popularity and because of that, BRP decided, “You know what? We’re going for the fences,” and introduced the Trophy. Using the same platform for the GTX, RXT-X, and Wake Pro – the ST3. In designing the ST3, stability was key. They wanted to make sure that you were able to get up, move around and be stable, and not feel tippy when out in the water. So, they have these big footwells that anyone can move around the watercraft and not feel like they’re going to roll over.
Next was the Ergolock seat, giving riders a narrow saddle. Unlike other widespread seats, you sit in the watercraft, not on top of it. Another really unique feature for the ST3 is the center storage system. Instead of having to reach over the handle bars to access the front of the storage, they put storage in the middle of the craft offering an impressive 26.1 gallons of super accessible storage. And with the Trophy, it even includes netted divider so you can put drinks, sunscreen, a change of clothes, and anything else that you need inside.
One last feature is the LinQ platform. Their LinQ platform allows for optimal modularity when it comes to bringing extra gas, extra storage, or an extra cooler. The Fish Pro is unique because of its fixed extended rear deck; this isn’t so much an accessory as it is part of the Fish Pro itself. With it comes a 13 and-a-half-gallon cooler can be moved up onto these LinQ attachments, which will show a second set of LinQ attachments on the transom. Personally, we preferred the tank on the rearmost LinQ brackets because this allowed us more room to move around with the swivel seat.
For 2021, Sea-Doo introduced IDF or Intelligent Debris-Free System. If you manage to suck up some grass, weeds, or a stick in the intake grate, you don’t want to run that through the pump. Rather, you stop your engine, and the engage IDF button. IDF is going to give you prompts on the screen asking you to apply some throttle to purge the intake grate as it actually reverses the rotation of the impeller, pushing thrust forward through the tunnel to clear out the intake grate.
One of the neat feature that a lot of people have overlooked is the Fish Pro Anchor. Located high on the gunwale, the rider is able to operate the anchor with just one hand. So, while you have your rod in one hand, you can deploy the anchor. Sea-Doo has included a mesh bag with all your lead line. They even include its own dedicated cleat on the inside of the footwell, so you can wrap the lead for the anchor around that without having to reach in and grab all your rope while deploying the anchor.
Exclusive to the Trophy is the new swivel fishing seat. Simply take the back seat off, exposed a new dedicated perch. Pull out base from its mount on the Fish Pro cooler, and lock it in. Take the backrest its dedicated spot inside of the center storage, and slide it in place. This seat activates an electric signal that communicates from the perch to the dash, activating a cap on the throttle restricting the Sea-Doo to a maximum of 18 miles an hour. That is so if you’re going from one spot to another, you don’t have to take the whole seat down and put it back up again. You can just hop in the driver’s seat, take off, find a new spot where the fish are biting, get back in your swivel seat, and off you go.
Sea-Doo equips all three of the Fish Pro models – the Scout, the Sport, and the Trophy – with a Garmin Fish Finder. The Trophy receives the big fully adjustable seven-inch, full-color touchscreen, allowing the rider to toggle through all the pages without hunting for the right button. Any customer who purchases a Fish Pro gets one free token through Garmin for a high-resolution map of their local area. If you want to explore more maps, you’ll have to go to Garmin for additional tokens. The Garmin Fish Finder is paired to a through-hull transducer so that there’s no extra holes or anything hanging off the back that can get torn off.
One last standard feature is the BRP Tech Package. The Tech Package includes the BRP Premium sound system, as well as the larger 7.8-inch wide dashboard. It pairs perfectly with the sound system so that you can control your songs, your playlist, even the volume and tracks all through the controls on your handlebars. Under the seat, there are a few more things that not a lot of people shine a lot of light on, but is worth talking about. First, it’s running dual batteries. Second, it’s got a larger generator to help keep those batteries fed and to operate all the electronics on the Trophy. Inside, you also have the standard USB port so that you can plug in your phone and keep it charged in your waterproof case.
So, what makes the Trophy the flagship of the Fish Pro lineup? The Fish Pro Scout is the entry-level of the three. Based on the smaller GTI platform, the Scout comes with the naturally aspirated 130 horsepower engine. And, while it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles as you might find on the Sport, which is the middle of the three, and of course, the high-level Trophy, the Scout itself does come with a six-inch Garmin – not a touchscreen – and through-hull transducer. It also has the same 13-and-a-half-gallon cooler/tank as well as the same 18-and-a-half-gallon fuel tank so you can ride all day long, especially with that 130-horse engine. It also comes with three rod holders with mounts up front and all the way around the tank.
With the Sport, it comes with four rod holders, the same cooler/tank, same big gas tank, but with the ACE 1630 that makes 170 horsepower. Between the Scout and the Trophy, both ride on the same ST3 platform as detailed earlier with the extra LinQ mounts that you can add another cooler, an extra gas tank here, or a lot of different things. You can even have a dry bag if you’re going overnight. One last major difference between the Sport and the Trophy is while the Trophy comes equipped with the Tech Package that includes the larger screen that syncs with your phone, the Sport is not available with the whole Tech Package, but you can option it with the BRP Premium sound.
Finally, what truly sets the Sea-Doo Trophy apart from the Sport and the Scout is the new live well tank operated through this three-position toggle switch; with an on, off and timer setting. You can just turn it on or put it on a “timer,” where it will run on an interval that it refreshes the water in the tank every three minutes. It’s pumped from a input on the transom, ran through an electric pump and a filter, and fed right into the cooler. If you don’t necessarily need the live well, or if you’re cutting up bait or just washing down your ski, you can detach the live well’s feed and hose off your cutting board and your footwells. Then, when you’re done, you’ll simply pull back the lock, and it reattaches.
Ultimately, what is the 2022 Sea-Doo Fish Pro Trophy going to set you back? The lineup is actually surprisingly well balanced. The Scout starts at $13,899. If you’re stepping up to the Sport, you’re going up another $2,000 to $15,899. And then, if you want the Trophy, you’re going up another $1,900 to $17,799. It’s a really good bargain for everything you’re getting. This is easily the most well-equipped fishing personal watercraft available on the market. This is absolutely a groundbreaking machine. We’ve had a total blast on it – even though we didn’t catch anything. Nevertheless, we loved the first Fish Pro and with everything that Sea-Doo has put into the new Trophy just takes it all that much further.
