Nitro Z20 Bass Boat Review

When it comes to fishing shallow waters for bass, walleye and pike, there’s no more efficient or comfortable casting platform than a tournament-rigged bass boat. Long, wide and low to the water, tournament boats like the Nitro Z20 offer the stability and storage capacity serious tournament anglers need, while their sleek hulls get to the spots quickly for first crack at the fish. Little wonder they’ve become an icon on North American waterways.

The Nitro Z20 isn’t the brand’s top of the line bass boat, but it is among its best-selling models, and for a number of reasons. The hull features the company’s Vortex Technology that incorporates Nitro’s Rapid Planing System (RPS) for quick hole shots, better handling and a drier ride in all conditions. It also keeps the boat stable in the wind, providing a more secure casting environment and requiring fewer course corrections with the electric motor.

The massive bow deck is completely redesigned for 2019, and includes three enormous storage compartments — the port side one set up as a rod locker.

The business end of any bass boat is the front, and for 2019 the Nitro Z20 gets an all-new, completely redesigned raised bow casting deck that measures an almost unbelievable 42.5 square feet overall – a huge amount of space in a 20-foot boat. The deck surface is padded with an anti-fatigue mat to alleviate back strain and provide all-day comfort, while an angled 12-inch mounting pad up front provides the ideal spot to mount a multi-function display.

A step leading from the bow deck to the cockpit conceals a 62-quart insulated cooler.

Alongside the MFD pad, there’s a pedal well for the standard Minn Kota Maxxum 70 pound, 24-volt electric motor, along with a bow panel with the requisite electrical connection, an anchor/light switch and a remote trim switch for the big motor.

A rod ramp adjacent to the passenger seat provides further convenient rod storage.

Three massive storage lockers in the bow deck of the Nitro Z20 accommodate a mountain of gear, with the port-side locket set up for rod storage and able to hold sticks to eight feet in length. The center compartment is a huge, lockable storage compartment with Nitro’s Tackle Management System installed, while the starboard-side compartment is massive enough to accommodate just about any kind of gear a tournament angler would need. The standard bike seat with pedestal provides a bit of security when fishing in lumpy weather, while on top of the bow deck’s richly carpeted surface are standard port and starboard rod hold-down straps.

The neatly designed helm comes with a flush-mounted a Lowrance Hook2 5 Combo flush-mount fishfinder as standard equipment. Optional upgrades allow this unit to be replaced with a wide variety of MFDs from all the major brands.

A carpeted step (which conceals a 62-quart insulated cooler beneath) leads into the main cockpit, where large twin consoles topped with bubble windshields provide the driver and passenger with excellent protection while underway. The helm console includes full instrumentation, hydraulic steering with a tilt adjustment, and a Lowrance Hook2 5 Combo flush-mount fishfinder as standard equipment. Understanding that tournament anglers can be picky on equipment, Nitro thoughtfully offers a wide range of electronics upgrades, allowing the base unit to be swapped out for other MFD models from all of the major makes.

The standard Z-Core seating system includes Nitro’s Force Flex suspension system for both the driver and passenger seats – a thoughtful feature that’s usually offered as an upgrade on other boats. The passenger seat sits next to a convenient rod ramp with a hold-down strap. Behind the seats is a small space which makes an ideal spot to stow a landing net. Between the seats, as you head for the aft deck, is another locking storage compartment that’s ideal for valuables like your wallet, keys and cell phone. There’s still more storage space for gear in the big rear casting platform – along with two 19-gallon recirculating live wells.

A space behind the cockpit seating provides an ideal space for storing landing nets.

If the devil is in the details, then anglers will be thrilled with what they find in the big Nitro. Thoughtful standard features like LED courtesy lights, lights in the bow storage compartments, an automotive-style labelled fuse panel, a two-bank battery charger and master power switch reflect Nitro’s long experience building boats for the most demanding anglers on the water.

Twin 19-gallon recirculating live wells in the aft casting deck accommodate the day’s catch.

Still, an extensive option list with niceties like the aforementioned electronics upgrades, engine upgrades, a Hot Foot throttle system, electric motor upgrades, oxygen generators and shallow water anchors let buyers spec this rig out exactly as they wish.

The Nitro Z20 is a well designed bass boat designed to please even the most demanding anglers.

Nitro has earned a strong reputation for building high-end tournament bass boats on the strength of marquis models like the all-new Nitro Z20. Looking for the ultimate? Look no further, because this is as good as it gets.