New York Mills, Minn. – Gary Roach remembers his first Lund fondly. “I’ve still got that old original Lund 315 from over 40 years ago. At the time, it was the strangest looking boat you’d ever seen. But it was the first real fishing boat. It’s why I’ve remained a Lund guy for all these years—these boats are built tough, smooth-running and incredibly fishable. And they’re made by fishing people. Heck, even their engineers fish—like Paul Zarn, who is one heck of a talented designer.”

Roach discusses the evolution from his first Lund to his current favorite—the Pro-V 2075, which is itself a legend. “We decked out that old 315 with all sorts of customized contraptions. Built the first splash guards using the mud-flaps off a pickup truck. Had it rigged out with one of the first Lowrance ‘Red Boxes’ – the Red Box actually came before the famed old Green Box. This boat also had one of the first livewells—maybe the first ever built into a boat.”

During the convening years, Roach, along with pioneers Al and Ron Lindner, traced out the design for what eventually became “Prolong Plus Livewells”—a fish and livebait care system that has been the envy of the industry for decades.

“In tournaments, anglers running other boats could never figure out how Lund owners were able to always weigh these super healthy, feisty fish,” Mr. Walleye recalls. “These fish were our livelihood. We worked hard to design a system capable of adding fresh water all the time, even while making long runs across the lake. The other boat brands could never do this.”

The secret, Roach says, lies in a specially-built water intake on the bottom of the hull. Even when a Pro-V flies across the surface, a steady flow is forced into the intake, constantly refreshing livewell water. Meanwhile, the Max-Air system infuses well water with fresh air for maximum oxygenation. The system even incorporates a livewell monitoring system for checking water temperature and water level.

Of course, the legend and provenance of Pro V runs much deeper than a limit in the ‘well. “The Lund difference,” says Al Lindner, “lies in the fact that the company has always listened and responded to our needs. No other boat company can boast a 40-year history of merging hardcore fishing with gifted boat design.”

The difference in Lund’s “hero” Pro-V is dramatic. From comfortable, super-functional fishing spaces to advanced IPS² hull design, spacious rod and tackle storage, aerated livewells and baitwells and innovative I-beam construction, Pro-V remains the boat that suffuses every angler’s dreams.

“Fishing from my 2075 Pro-V feels as comfortable as if I were sitting in my living room,” Roach chuckles. “Just wait ‘til you see what Lund has in store for anglers next.”

Indeed. Word on the water is, Lund engineers are ready to unveil a new generation of Pro V gems. You can feel the collective goose-bumps already.