Madhouse27

Husker I think you're on to something with your Dick's Sporting Goods theory. I agree that the place is just so mediocre that the bait monkey really can't get his groove on in there. Had you pulled into the parking lot of BPS or Cabelas I think you would be giving a very different report.

Darrick, do the right thing and go buy yourself a license. This more than just the fact that it's against the law to fish without one. It's not about avoiding fines or even the fact that the money goes to the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. To me it is about respect. Respecting your quarry enough to keep your end of the bargain if you are going to pursue them. Respecting your fellow fisherman enough to play by the same rules that we all do. I'm sure you are a fine person, but when I pay and you don't I can only assume that you consider yourself deserving of some special treatment. On here we're all just guys that love to bass fish. We're all the same. Now, if it's a money thing my brother we'll pass the hat right now and fix you up.

If you love bass fishing then you've certainly come to the right place. Welcome aboard!

I think what I would do at this point is to pick a technique or two and kind of run with them. Choose a couple of things that play to your strengths and that you enjoy using. Stick to just two. An example could be that you rig one rod with a diving crankbait and one with a senko. Doing this will remove a bunch of options, clear your head out a bit and help you focus. Keep the gameplan simple. Maybe six feet deep and under you throw the senko, seven feet and over throw the crankbait. As you begin to master these two presentations your confidence will grow and you will begin to build your foundation with a couple of solid skills. Along the way you'll better understand cover, structure and bass behavior and all that stuff. That will come with experience and time on the water. Take your scaled down plan of attack and make some good casts to likely looking spots. Remove the clutter and information overload from your brain. Keep it simple, relax and get in the zone. Once you get into the zone the magic is going to start happening for you. Good luck

My current fishfinder situation could be called "Electronics on the cheap". I have a Humminbird 535 w/temp. I have a base unit at the console attached to a transom tranducer. After the pic was taken I installed a base with a tm mounted tranducer up on the bow. The problem is that right now I only have one head unit so I have to move it back and forth between my bases ;D I've been looking on ebay for either a 535 or 565 head but so far no luck. I bought one of the older Humminbird Wide model heads but it took a different transducer. I put it back on ebay with a good pic and description and actually sold it for almost twice what I paid for it. I also sold the old Lowrance XB25 that came on the boat. If I can't find what I'm looking for soon I'll probably just break down and order something. A color screen would be nice....

Cajun, I think the boat monkey is even worse than his brother

Here's a quick shot of the front. This the that black rubber matting I posted about before. I ended up getting a sheet from Cabelas.

Here's my 1998 Skeeter SS17 aluminum with a Yamaha 40hp on the back. Just got my Minn Kota AT65 moved over from the last boat. I'm definately looking forward to recarpeting the thing but other than that it's been a great little fishing machine so far. Tows good, goes good.

Bassbum, maybe you could get the best of both worlds and get yourself a cool aluminum bass boat. You and your bro could use it in rivers and other places he'd rather not take a glass rig. It might be a better compromise for you during those times you are fishing alone or with someone else and still want a decked out ride. There's alot of good ones out there these days.

I think I'm with North on this one. When buying an older boat the original purchase price is just part of the equation. In many cases it ends up being the smallest part of the total money your going to spend on it. I've done it with boats and I've done it with vehicles. Jumped on a cheap starting price. Put a bunch of money into it. Put some more money into it then ended up way upside down and lost money when I finally sold it. Be careful. The $1000 you might be spending on this could turn into $4000 real fast. Then you'll wish you had spent the $4000 on something newer.

I have that exact same trolling motor and could not be any happier with it. Mine is now a little over three years old and is on its second boat. The thing still looks new and operates flawlessly. I think the Minn Kota/Motorguide discussion is like the Ford/Chevy thing. Everybody has their own opinion. I've owned two Minn Kotas and two Motorguides. I'll be sticking with Minn Kota

I believe that is the same bottom paint I used on my McKee Craft. Do your prep work first and plan on a couple of coats. I rolled mine on. If there is bottom paint on the boat right now be careful removing it. The stuff is extremely toxic. I would recommend wearing a good mask with the screw in type filters before I started sanding the old stuff off. I was under the impression that bottom paint was really made more for a salt water environment so there may be a cheaper alternative if you are only going in fresh water. Maybe someone else will chime in with some more information.

Did he have to be home early so he wouldn't miss Oprah?

The Wardens up here in Maine are courteous but take their job protecting the resource very seriously. Often times they work with a partner. It's not unusual to have them board your boat during a routine license check. The first thing they want to look in is your livewell. Unfortunately, illegal stocking has taken it's toll on many waters that were once exclusively brook trout and salmon fisheries. While pike and musky are the front page news problems, there have been plenty of illegal stocking situations involving bass. In some ways it has tainted the bass fisherman's image up here. Another thing they are looking for are people operating boats under the influence of alcohol and drugs. On one lake in particular I only allow three beers apiece for me and my fishing partner because I know we are going to get a visit.

My last decal removal turned into a two day affair. I used a heat gun to get the actual decal off. Then I used Goo Gone to get rid of the residue. I would put it on a side. Go put it on the other side. Come back to side one with a terry cloth towel and work on it for a bit. Repeat procedure until it's gone. I've also heard that using WD-40 helps break down the sticky residue but I didn't try it.

I did my now departed McKee Craft center console with interlux paint. I could not have been happier with the results. If I remember correctly I got it at West Marine.

Good advice Mudd

I recently switched trolling motors between boats. My Minn Kota 65lb thrust 24v tm seems to be suffering with reduced performance since being moved to the boat that formerly had a 12v tm on it. I'd like to lay out my system and hopefully have someone identify my weak link(s). 2 Batteries with a 4 gauge crossover wire between them, Minn Kota 60 amp circuit breaker, 8 gauge wire (stock wiring on boat...blah), Marinco plug and receptacle that says 12/24 on it. I am guessing my problem is the plug/receptacle, the 8 gauge wire or the size of the circuit breaker. Maybe it's a combination of all three. Hopefully it's the plug as I have a new one I had bought to install on the other boat. I appreciate any help.

Congratulations on the new boat. Sound like a real steal for 400 dollars. You'll have a good time customizing it. I'm thinking that a 46-52 lb thrust trolling motor would probably work good with your boat. The boat really looks like it's going to have alot of possibiblities as far as decks and storage goes.

NBR, Can you fill me on the reason for switching out the plug.

I'm with Cart. Haul that thing to the lake and thoroughly check it out on the water. See how it handles, how the outboard runs at different rpms, walk around the thing, open and close the hatches... be a pain the butt. Take a good look at the trailer while the boat is off it. Anything that doesn't seem quite right is certainly cause for a conversation. You may also want to look for subtle quirks that you can live with that might be good negotiation tools when it comes to knocking that asking price down a hair. Get a price quote from one of the NADA type sites. I like Nitros but as a rule they don't hold their value quite as well as some of the heavyweights in the industry. Good luck with the process.

Bassbum, I'm not sure if there is a formula on what percentage of income could or should be used on a boat. I'm a save and pay cash type. If it were me I would live on gruel for a few months and save up 3 or 4 grand and get into a used entry level boat. I know that's not very popular these days so here's another thought. Take a hard look at your monthly budget. Make sure that it is completely accurate. Calculate your disposable income after all the bills are paid and you've had something to eat. From this amount I would try to determine what percentage you would be comfortable having spoken for every month in the form of a boat payment. Depending on your price range you may be better off getting an unsecured personal loan.

This sounds like one of those projects that is going to start out very cheap and end up very expensive. By the time you get the boat ready to roll I have a feeling you are going to have more time, effort and money invested than it's worth. I would definately pass on this one.

If you are on a budget I'd go to Wal Mart and get an Everstart Marine deep cycle battery. Buy as big a one as you can swing. They are probably in the 45-65 dollar range. While you are there you can get an Everstart automatic deep cycle battery charger for around 20 bucks. A good rule of thumb is to charge your batteries as soon as you get home from fishing.

I usually like to go out and get on the board first. It kind of gets me in the zone and works the kinks out of my gear and shakes off the work week rust. Then I start fishing deeper water targeting bigger bass. Sometimes I will go to an area I know is infested with smaller fish if I am working on a new technique.