Inside Elite Boats: Matty Wong

Enjoy this in-depth tour of Elite Series pro Matty Wong’s bass boat that he ran during the 2024 Elite Series season.

The 2024 Elite Series season marked Wong’s third year as an Elite after qualifying via his B.A.S.S. Nation Championship win in 2021.

During the 2024 season, Wong ran a Bass Cat Puma STS powered by a 2024 Yamaha VMAX SHO outboard.

The driver’s console is home to a sticker of Hawaii’s state fish – the Reef Triggerfish.

The bow of the boat is home to three units – two Garmin EchoMap units and one Lowrance HDS 12.

Wong relies on a Minn Kota Ultrex Quest as his trolling motor.

The Garmin units are used exclusively for Livescope purposes. Wong sets one Garmin unit to forward mode and one to perspective mode.

A BoatEFX Trolling Motor Pedal TRAX gives Wong additional grip under rainy conditions.

Wong shows off the spacious layout of his Puma STS.

A traditional layout is Wong’s preference with rods in the passenger rod locker, tackle in the middle compartments and miscellaneous items in the driver’s side rod locker.

Wong likes the ability to carry a ton of rods in his Puma STS.

The main center compartment is home to a variety of different hard baits as well as some light terminal tackle.

Frogs, trailers, minnows and spinnerbaits can all be found in this compartment.

Wong shows off one of his favorite boxes he owns – a Megabass Jerkbait box. The third-year Elite says that this box never leaves the boat.

This box is full of Megabass Vision 110 +1s.

Mat Shad is one of Wong’s go-to colors.

The front left compartment is home to more hard baits as well as some creature baits.

Having the split compartment near the bow of the boat allows Wong to separate tackle by category and to help weight distribution.

Crankbaits, jerkbaits and glide baits.

A look into Wong’s shallow water crankbait box that is full of Megabass cranks.

This is another box that Wong keeps in the boat at all times.

Wong shows off one of his favorite prespawn crankbait, the Megabass Super-Z Z3.

The driver’s side rod locker is home to a number of items, including his Simms Challenger Deck Boots and Simms rainsuit.

He always keeps a couple sticks of BaitFuel Hardbait Sticks.

Wong shows off a Basstrix Live Trix in a color that he designed – the Wong Shad.

At the dash, the Hawaii pro has two Lowrance HDS Live 12s on a Boat Logix graph mount.

Wong typically runs side scan on one unit and mapping on the other unit.

Hawaii represent!

A Power-Pole switch is mounted on the side of the console for easy access.

Bass Cat’s control panel is a clean look that makes it easy for anglers to make adjustments on the fly.

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Some anglers opt to carry a motorcycle helmet in the boat for making runs in brutal conditions, but Wong prefers the more stylish goggles.

The Bass Cat layout allows for easy and convenient storage for tools like scissors and pliers.

Wong stays hydrated with a number of Yeti cups in the boat. A couple for water, and one for the always necessary coffee.

A custom Yeti cup with his logo is one of his personal favorites.

The console between the two seats is a catch-all box that holds a number of items.

Wong never leaves the bank without his Vertra Premium Sunscreen products.

Under the center console is a cooler.

Bass Cat seats are unique in that they lift up, allowing anglers to store equipment under the seat. Wong caries his extra prop under the seat.

Bass Cat is notorious for having deep livewells that are extremely effective for fish care.

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Wong always keeps a Yeti cooler in the boat to store extra bags of ice as well as additional drinks.

The compartment behind the driver’s seat is home to the majority of Wong’s soft plastics. Being that soft plastics are bulky and heavy, he prefers to store them towards the back of the boat to maximize performance.

Another unique compartment of Wong’s Puma STS is the compartment between the livewell and the compartment behind the driver’s seat. This compartment features a removable tray that Wong stores his fish care goodies.

Once the tray is removed, Wong has direct access to his Power-Pole pump.

Now, let’s move to the source of all the power!

As technology continues to advance, the batteries that anglers run have become much more important to sustained success on the water. Wong relies on PowerHouse Lithium batteries.