SnowBass23

Diesel, I'm down at Ft Rucker, in Dothan, AL. Eufala definately gets my vote. There are some BIG fish in that lake (and gators too!) everything from LMB to stripers, cats, and great crappie fishing too.

I bought a Tracker this past spring. Prior to getting it I went to 4 different dealerships, about 125 miles away from each other, and called a couple of other places. All of the places I checked were adamant about refusing to do any haggling with the price. The cost of the boat/trailer was the sticker price plus taxes. I certainly don't consider myself a lawyer with excellent negotiating skills, but each place I walked into I made it clear how much I was willing to put out for a boat, with cash in hand. I made my offer based off of what I know a few guys have paid locally for similarly equipped rigs. At every place the salesman laughed me out the door. I haven't had a problem going into a car dealership and saying what I want, and what I'm willing to pay. The instant they start to balk I walk out the door. Usually, within a couple days they'll call back ready to jump through hoops to meet your original demands. Especially on this economy, as another poster mentioned. But, at least at the dealerships I went to all I got was, "this is the price, we don't negotiate the price any different than that." Even the salesmen were pretty detached. I didn't have any issues with salesmen trying to convince me to upgrade one component or another. It was funny, because 2 of the dealerships were Tracker Marine at Bass Pro and 2 others were older family run stores. Each place the salesmen didn't even act like typical salesmen. They asked what I was interested in, showed what they had, explained any features I wasn't familiar with, and pointed at a price. So, if they are haggling down from their sticker price their salesmen are doing a good job in my neck of the woods! ;D

Personally, I would not put bream into anything smaller than a 75 gallon tank. Most bream are going to get anywhere from 7+ inches and they are messy. I would have a few juveniles in a 75 (or extremely young specimens in smaller tanks, but remember before you know it they'll need a bigger home!). The bigger the tank the better!

Like many others here, my buddy and I experimented several years ago with bass in home aquariums. I had a couple of 180 gallon setups among all my other fish (I was breeding and selling different fresh water species for a time). Personally, I'd discourage you from keeping bass. I never had problems maintaining quality for my bass, but I honestly found them to be rather boring fish. Yes, watching them eat minnows, mice, and anything else cool you can think of is certainly entertaining, but there is also a lot that goes into keeping them. For me, the payout of 30 seconds of feeding wasn't worth the expense and work of upkeep. I would really recommend getting bream, or even better: several Warmouth. Most bream are pretty tame the instant you put them into the tank. They have a ton of personality and color once they get a little older and comfortable with the tank. After about a week in the tank my bream would be tame enough that I could start hand feeding them by holding crickets and other food down next to the water. The bream would stick their heads out to take whatever food I was offering. I would constantly feed them a varied diet of chopped shrimp, live crickets, worms, meal worms, and pellet foods. They are also significantly smaller than bass and can generally be housed together. In fact, I am planning to convert an African Peacock tank back into a bream tank very soon. Good luck and let us know what you do (preferably with pics! )

Hmmm,...I would say the name comes primarily for the hunt it is designed for: Bass! They usually have a shallow enough water draw to get into very shallow water. At the same time, they have enough of a V hull to usually allow open water fishing (lake or river) provided it isn't anything crazy. An outboard motor to get places, a trolling motor for precision control while fishing. A livewell to keep your catch, and electronics to help locate it! Modern boats have been modified to accomodate fishing styles, for example high front decks with chairs so that you can pitch and flip, both tactics that are usually synonomous (sp!?) with bass fishing. Probably a lot more reasons....

Everybody else has already nailed it: a bass boat is whatever you use to catch 'em in! Personally, I'd recommend just looking at the type of fishing you plan to do and then try to find something that does as good as possible at all styles. I recently bought my first boat. Nothing fancy, just an 18 foot aluminum job. I am about 2 hours from the gulf and some great flats to saltwater fish. I really toyed with the idea of getting a flats boat that I could also use for bass. Obviously, a flats boat would get me as shallow as I want for bass and still get me onto the flats. But, anytime you try to comprimise and do two jobs, you end up not quite being ableto do both jobs as well as you could do one. For me, I knew I wouldn't be getting to the bay nearly enough to justify it (even though I'd love the option) and being out in the local rivers with their occasional chop might also be questionable. So, think about what you want and how you will use it the most. Go with what you want and good luck!

It's kinda hard to know without knowing exactly the make and model of the boat. It's just like a car, they can charge any manner of price they want. I'd check out the exact model you want (and options!) on NADA and that will give you an idea of the starting point to bargain on. http://www.nadaguides.com/SectionHome.aspx?LI=1-28-0-5000-502-578-50250&l=1&w=24&p=0&f=5601

I'd guess mid to upper 30's. Speed I mean, not price! ;D

I agree that there are several causes behind it. As everyone has mentioned, it really is hard to tell just by looking at a picture what size a fish is. Also, girth certainly plays into it, and there times when someone might be holding a particularly long, but thin fish from the side and as the viewers we just can't tell. And then there are always the pics with a cell phone where the person is holding the fish as close to the camera as possible to distort the size (whether he means to do it or not ) Personally, I generally take it with a grain of salt and simply marvel at the overall appearance of fish I see caught online. Sure, you might say 6 lbs, and I think you might be rounding it up from 3 and 1/4 , but instead of getting bent out of shape I'm just going to enjoy the look of your catch. Whether it was 3 or 6 doesn't affect me, and I can still gaze longingly at a healthy bass. With that being said, on some other websites out there I have noticed particular users that undoubtedly catch a ton of beautiful, really nice sized fish. The funny thing, is these guys never catch anything smaller than 3.5 and usually upwards of 6. And it is amazing that sometimes you can tell the fish hasn't even hit maybe 16 or 18 inches at best. So those particular people, (the few that will intentionally try to claim better than they actually got) I just ignore it and check out the fish, regardless of it's mythic weight!

It is certainly an eye opening experience to a first time boat owner as I am learning. I knew there would be additional costs beyond the payment for the actual boat. However, once you actually tow the boat home and start looking at everything you need to get it really wakes you up. It's not that anything is unreasonable, or completely unexpected, but it really does add up. Great job on the list! The only thing I HAVE to buy now is a spare trailer tire.

Welcome! Fort Rucker here. After fishing saltwater and other places, I am always amused when a saltwater guy asks why I'd want to waste time fishing for 'bait'. It's all about the hunt. And for me, the hunt for a nice bucket mouth is everybit as exciting as any other game fish.

Do a google for NADA boat values. I'm not sure if NADA.com is the actual site or not. Anyway it is like Kelly Blue Book for boats. It should get you started in the right direction.

After spending the last few years really studying the fine ART of bass fishing I have started to drastically reduce the number of times I get skunked. In fact, since geting a boat I have only been skunked maybe once or twice. My problem is more about consistency. Unless I am fishing the evening (right before dark) I can pretty much guarantee (sp?) I'll catch one bass. Sometimes I catch two, or maybe have a second or third fish that get off close to the boat. So I am working on improving my game and adding more tactics to help.

I've noticed that when I'm securing my boat on the trailer, everyone that has ever come out and asked for help started it by first coming over and asking how the fishing was. Kind of an ice breaker I guess. They ask how you did, then when you ask how they did they casually mention a problem they're having (with loading, securing, or whatever else). I'd never turn down someone who needed help when they are polite about it. I've been fortunate enough not to require help after my first time launching and recovering but I learned a valuable lesson on the importance of help from strangers!

Everyone has offered some great advice. I'll add to it in that I would recommend picking a couple of basic colors. Pick out maybe a dark green, purple, and black color. Really, most people will recommend just a few basic colors. Next,m pick out a few styles of worms. Everybody has pretty much mentioned all the top ones already. Get something with a long curly tail, some kind of stick bait (like a senko), maybe a tube worm, and some of the others out there like finesse worms, ringworms, and french fries. This way, you pick out a few different styles of worms in a couple basic colors. For most people, I think fancy colors catch us more than the fish. So by limiting your colors to a couple basic ones and then a couple styles of worms you'll have a good selection to get you started. Top it off with some 3/4 or 4/0 size EWG worm hooks or offset hooks and you'll be good to go.

I have two different ideas of newbie mistakes. The first are those innocent ones, like the guy that balls a plastic worm up beneath a bobber because he just doesn't know better. I will gladly casually mention how I rig these up and offer a few pointers. If it is someone that doesn't have experience and is trying to learn then I am always willing to help. At the other end are those 'newbie' mistakes by people who excel at every other sport and assume fishing is the same. These are the guys that use the rod upside down or get upset because a piece of junk rod keeps breaking line wrapped around lillies. Some people just don't want any help, and if something doesn't work as they expect it then it is somebody else's fault. Those people I just sit back and let them do their own thing. After all, we all need something to laugh about later. ;D I have no tolerance for rude people. A little courtesy goes a long way and makes life better for us all.

Although I have a ton of crap---erh, I mean Fishing Gear I have amassed it over time. So like others have said, I might go and spend $250 this weekend on a new rod/reel but that is the exception. I'm to the point now that I might go out and buy a couple bags of a new color or style of worm. But, for the most part I really don't spend that much per month on tackle. Now, gas for the boat and tow beast, launch fees, etc..that is a different story! :

Everything everyone has posted so far is really spot on info when you start getting close to getting your own boat. As a side bit, I agree with Jig Man. If you are buying from a private seller I would make sure you get him to take you and the boat out on the water. After all, that is the only way to make sure everything worksd as intended. But you can also use that as a valuable learning oportunity. Because other people have already written great lists for loading/unloading a boat I won't beat the same dead horse. What I will add are some things I've learned through trial and error that have some universal use. First, I always put my plug in when I am at home at the same time I unplug my charger. I also keep a spare plug in the boat just in case! Prep the boat for launching and the trip home away from the launch area. It never fails to see some idiot that decideds to do everything in front of everyone else, making life hard on everyone. As a disclaimer, I am referring to those jerks that just don't care to waste everyone else's time and hog the ramp. If you have a launch/recovery issue don't hesitate to ask a fisherman you see loading or unloading. I can't say the same for pelasure boaters, but fisherman are almost always willing to help you. That goes double if you are new and just don't know how to do something. Don't hesitate to ask! All trailers/boats are different. Some guys complately submerge the trailer all the way, and other guys don't. You will have to see what works for you. For me and my tracker I can't put the trailer very deep when loading or it leads to headaches. Generally, if you don't have side boards on the trailer, the deeper the trailer sits then the more tendency it will have to drift to one side so that it doesn't sit right when you pull it out. So for me, I only lower the trailer down until the back 1/5 of the bunks are submerged. The ribs on the hull of my boat have to line up just right for it to sit straight. So I like to just barely submerge the trailer, then use the outboard to power over to the trailer, and slide it on a bit. I check the hull to make sure it is lined up correctly. Then I hop out (or walk along the trailer to stay dry!), hook the winch strap, then winch it up. Then I immediately trim the motor up and pull forward slowly until I am out of the way to stow and secure everything. I highly recommend practicing launch and recovery! As soon as you get a boat, figure out a time to go to the ramp when it is deserted. Early in the day (especially weekdays) is a great time. Practice loading and unloading the boat without an audience. The same goes for backing the trailer up. The more you do it the better you get, also you learn to do it faster and more proficiently. Trying to launch a boat for the first time at a ramp filled with guys loading and unloading ski boats and a long line is not going to do anything to help you out. Good luck and have fun!

Thanks to RAUL for posting links to other posts on the same topic. If you do a search there are more than a few posts with this debate. Which, is also why you probably won't get many responses to this post. Seriously, the issue comes up frequently.

This isn't funny, but speaking of idiots at the launch... My wife and I went out at about 6 pm tonight to fish the 'magic hour'. We launched, knowing full well that there were still a lot of pleasure boaters out. Since we stay until after dark it usually isn't an issue (except for their constant wakes in no wake zones and right up on shore). Tonight however, while it was still good and light out a storm started rolling in. There were some clouds off in the distance and I knew they were approaching. Suddenly I saw a flash and knew it was time to head back. When we got back to the ramp there were 2 trucks backed into the water with their jet-skis setting on the trailers. Between the trailers a group of out-of-shape soccer moms and one dad were just having a good old time. I thought for sure they'd be nice enough to get out of the way when they saw me pull to the dock (I might add I could see 3 more boats coming in a few minutes behind me). So they keep talking and I go get my truck. When I pull up next to the lanes they keep on talking. So I sat patiently for a few minutes. With no sign of them leaving I finally had to go over and ask them to move their conversation elsewhere since lightning was rolling in and everybody else was trying to get to safety. After reading stories on here about how important it is to not block the lanes, and get in and out ASAP, it kills me to see people just sitting there taking their time. Anyway... Oh, and my wife outfished me. All though we had an arguement that she shouldn't count the one that jumped and threw the worm 10 feet from the boat! (she won the arguement...giving her the tie-breaker :-? )

I have yet to read any of the Bass Books by the modern pros, so I can't comment on those. Field and Stream has a series of hard back books over a variety of topics, from Panfish, Cooking & Cleaning, as well as several Bass specific books. The info in them is not something you can't find while digging around here on BR and other sites, but it makes for entertaining browsing on those rainy days. I love looking at the older pics (mostly 80's or early 90's) of the gear and stuff we still use and do today. Another resource is Bassmaster and Bassin'. Both magazines are relatively cheap for a subscription and full of ideas and tactics. I recommend taking the info (especially from Bassin') with a grain of salt however. I noticed long ago that every issue features a story about the new lure that is going to 'revolutionize the sport'. However, both sources always present new tips and ideas, and can introduce you to concepts you may never have considered before.

Since we have another twice a year boater's holiday next week I think I'll have to get the chair and watch this time. I love seeing huge ski boats with attractive ladies in swimsuits yelling "Huh?" across the marina to some sun-burnt drunk without a shirt as he yells corrections. Don't know how many times I've seen that. He screams and yells at her as she backs the truck up wrong to trailer it, etc. Then, after all that, he is sitting in the boat, and yells at her to pull him out. Then you hear the scraping as the outboard chips the pavement because he didn't trim it. HAHA

If you check out some of the kayak sites out there, a lot of guys have come up with really good outrigger designs using foam pool noodles and pvc.

Cabelas is also hawking these things. Interesting concept, although you can easily add outriggers to other kayaks for a lot cheaper than 1800.

A lot of it depends on your intent. If you always fish by yourself, then I think a kayak is the way to go. I can carry a ton of gear in my prowler 13 angler's kayak. It is a sit-on-top (SOT) so it is extremely stable. An important thing to note is that kayaks (even SOTs) are much faster than canoes. So if you happened to be paddling against a canoe with a couple of able paddlers in it, you will still leave them in your wake. A key thing to consider, is that in kayaks you are in a sitting position. Go in your back yard, sit with your butt flat on the ground, and you legs straight out in front of you, but slightly bent at the knees. You will spend 98% of your time in a kayak in this position. Because of that, it can be hard on your back after a long day. It also takes practice to get used to casting from this position, and it can be really hard to flip a bait this way. www.kayakfishingstuff.com has a ton of info. Good luck.