Carmen J Bernardo

Here's some more info about the truck that'll be carrying the boat: Chevrolet Colorado (with extended cab) Bed Proportions: (L) 6', (W) 5' The truck has the wheel wells molded into the bed, so I'll have to find some way to prop up the boat to prevent scratching the paint on the wells. Also, any of the options that I've seen so far will overhang at least a few inches behind the truck, even with the tailgate open (an additional 21 inches). I'm thinking of building some sort of frame to support the boat and keep it off the paint, so long as it's well-fastened and doesn't slip off. I am open to the jon boat option, though. It'd still be tight in there, rubbing up against the wheel wells but I think I can manage with a 10-footer hanging its aft end a couple of feet behind the truck. The 8-foot foam/plastic boats are preferable because of not having that much exposure to the tailgating idiots out there...

Good advice, Marty. Even that 230-acre pond with lots of shallow flats near my house can get pretty choppy with a steady wind blowing SE or NW. I used to put an 11' Coleman Crawdad in there and putter around with a trolling motor, but spent most of one day having to weave my way back from one corner of the pond into a headwind that threatened to push me back into that corner if the battery drained out on me. The same should apply to any small, light boat. As for Fishbone's offer, 11 Grand is still a bit steep for what I'll be willing to pay (Thanks for the offer, but...). I'd be better off with the option of buying the jon boat. Still, I'm waiting for an answer to the types of boats mentioned in the starting post. The truck I'll be transporting this thing in will have a slightly shortened bed (about 6' or so), not including having the tailgate down.

I've recently begun searching for a portable boat which would replace the inflatable pontoon boat that seems to be more of a hassle to take apart and put back together again when I drive it over to a launch site at the nearby lakes and ponds. Since I fish on days off as a hobby and don't have much of an income to begin with, I've been looking at various options I consider within my means. Bass Pro Shops has a couple of different makes and models to choose from: Uncle Buck's Pond Prowler series (8', 9' and 10') Bass Hunter series (Bass Baby, EX and Ultra) The main means of transportation will be a midsize pickup truck with a 6' bed (Chevrolet Colorado XT), so I don't want to get a boat which is too large for it to safely carry. I may be able to load the boat onto a frame set into the bed and roll it off to be wheeled down to the launch site. I can use some old trolling motors which still seem to work quite well with it (a 30 lb and 36 lb model). The width of the truck bed is probably just shy of 6', so I may be able to load at least the Bass Hunter EX or 8' Pond Prowler without much effort. My question is this: Which would you consider the better value for its price (between $600 and $700 USD)? Most reviews that I've read on BPS have been positive with only a few minor quibbles. For that reason, I need some better information before deciding whether to chip in on one. It should be obvious that I couldn't take it out on a river or a large lake, but what would you consider a threshold for "large lake"? Most lakes in my area do not reach 200 acres or get much deeper than 6 feet; only one or two that I've been to exceed that depth. I'm more likely to take it out on shallow water anyway. Any responses are appreciated

I appreciate the clarification, Simp, although maybe I could've made things a little simpler myself by giving more details on what I usually aim for and which rods I need to keep. As it is, your latest reply helped me narrow it down quite a bit. There are quite a few redundancies in my current selection, it seems. I don't really need that many ultralights since the Renegade does its job well and will be complemented by the 7-footer I just brought for those days I choose to go panfishing out at the local ponds. The medium and heavier rods need more sorting out, though. Between the David Fritts caster and the Quantum model, it's a choice of just which one feels better to me. The others could have just enough nuances to make it possible to choose between specific presentations such as jigging in deep water or working a topwater across shallow flats. In time, should I be able to save up enough to go for a better quality rod and reel, I may even be able to narrow down the selection even more and find something even better for my style. Nearly all of the remaining rods may get a replacement reel and new line still, though that may take me a few months to complete. Again, I appreciate you guys coming through.

Per Simp's advice, I should say that I'm primarily fishing freshwater lakes and streams with a little upper bay and river tidewater action thrown in whenever the opportunity presents itself. While I'm aiming for bass, the crappie and panfish action isn't bad either. This is really more a hobby than a profession for me, as I just like getting outside more than I used to and fishing seems more rewarding than sitting here cooped up in front of a computer all day. The bodies of water in the area within my reach (a short drive away from my house) includes primarily tidewater with a few large clearwater streams flowing out of the Piedmont hills to the north of me. There are plenty of flatland reservoirs in Delaware with a few Piedmont reservoirs located in Pennsylvania and Maryland within a few hours' drive. Structure on the lakes generally consists of blowdowns and a few points near expansive flats; the Piedmont lakes can add some rocky ledges and outcroppings to these. The same would go for streams. As for getting the expensive rods and reels, I'd love to pay for a few but the finances now are extremely thin for me. I'm not working in a job which allows me much in the way of disposable income right now and have a modest pile of debt that I'm going to be paying off within the next few months. Also, I'm not so confident of selling rods (though it's possible that any poor "noob" would love a cheap rod in this economy). Instead, I can always take the extra rods and reels (at least those which still seem to work) to the local Goodwill store -- just as acceptable a means of clearing out the clutter for me. Once that debt gets paid off, I might go and check out those models and combos you guys are suggesting.

Thanks for the quick replies. Now that you've said it, I am thinking of narrowing down the selection quite a bit given how I'm not really using all of them. I've actually gone out and brought a light combo from Cabela's on sale today: Cabela's "Gold Label" GLS7022 - light/fast action spinning rod w/ matching reel (6:1 ball bearings, fits lines 8# to 12 #) The Gold Label combo seems like a decent start. The reel winds smoothly and has the continuous anti-reverse that I'm starting to appreciate in the newer, better models. Many of the older reels that I'm considering getting rid of lack that, which may have contributed to much of the slack and birds' nests that set in as much as the aged and worn mono on them. However, I'm still getting good performance out of some of the older rods -- they just need good new reels and respooling with new line. The selection will at least be trimmed in half. I could still keep at least one of the ultra-lights for small stream and panfish action, but many of the other rods in the top half can go as roadwarrior suggested. Since most of my freshwater fishing will likely be from a boat on the local lakes and ponds, the 6'6" combos he's suggested will fit perfectly. Again, I send my thanks. I should be able to get started on the refitting soon (the new Cabela's combo will be my go-to tackle in the meantime as the weather permits).

Earlier today, I went through a general inventory of a collection of fishing rods while getting set up for the winter refitting and came up with at least 15 (!!) rods of different sizes and power ratings. All of these will be getting new line and some will get a new (better) reel appropriate for its respective characteristics. Although I have a general idea of how each rod could be used, I'm still unclear as to what each is best used for. Each rod is listed below by increasing size or power rating: Shakespeare SP 348-1UUL 4'8" ultra-ultra-light spinning Shimano RX2500 5'6" ultra-light spinning Berkeley H21 5'6" light spinning Zebco GBC562ML 5'6" medium-light casting "Gatorback" Zebco ZRC56M 5'6" medium casting "Rhino" Renegade RTS 602UL 6'0" ultra-light spinning Johnson JFS-1 6'0" medium-light spinning Shakespeare SP2660-2M 6'0" medium spinning Quantum QXLC 60M 6'0" medium casting Shakespeare SP 860-1MH 6'0" medium-heavy spinning Berkeley 6'6" medium spinning "Lightning" (model #s not legible) Browning 6'6" medium casting "David Fritts Special" St Croix GS66M2 6'6" medium spinning Quantum EC66M 6'6" medium casting Quantum QCS66MH 6'6" medium-heavy casting Daiwa "Legacy" casting rod (model #s, size and power rating not legible -- looks to be a 7-footer with a fairly fast tip) I'm looking to replace the Johnson with a longer medium-light model from Cabela's tomorrow. The rest of the year will be spent getting new lines (I'm thinking primarily monofilament with a few braid lines for the heavier rods) and reels to replace older reels of lower quality or which no longer quite work as well as they used to. The whole process of refitting my tackle should take me through the winter to complete. What has me confused at this point is the exact use for each of these. I've had a fairly good general use out of the light and ultra-light rods (specifically, the Renegade 6-footer), and the medium-power models (especially the St Croix) worked well in both clearwater stream and lakeside casting situations. If I were able to get out on the water more this season, there's a chance I'd have found some use for the stronger rods, especially in heavier cover or deeper lakes. That being said, what are your suggestions for these old boys?

Nice. I'd love to know where and how to get 'em where I live, because I see one every now and then while fishing for other panfish.

I've caught a couple of 'em in a local flatland pond in my home state while panfish fishing. They took 1/32 oz spinners that usually hook me some sunnies in that pond. Elsewhere, I've heard people say that you can catch 'em in the big rivers (the Delaware and Susquehana). I haven't been able to do that yet, but I plan on trying it as the weather cools down.

Up here in the mid-Atlantic coastal plain, I've found that spoons can be good year-round, especially in some of the smaller clearwater streams coming out of the piedmont. I've caught both sunfishes and creek smallmouth bass on a micro-spoon rigged with a trailer hook. There was a local outfitter who'd put these things together using a small longshank hook sodered to a small leaf blade, dressing the trailer with a bit of feather or metallic filament. They called these "Willies". My method is to add a small grub or worm to the trailer hook and that seems to trigger a lot of strikes. On light tackle, that's a winning combo. With the Willie producer switching to a narrower blade, though, I've had to look for replacements. Hildebandt puts out a shad spoon that's just a bit larger than the bigger Willie, but I can always add the trailer hooks myself if I find one at the right size (usually one or two sizes smaller than the hook attached to the blades).

I know how you feel. There have been days when I just start getting hits like firecrackers and I just have to be back home to be ready for work the next day. "One more cast!" just sums it up.

I'm sending this introduction from the Newark area, to be exact. I just joined this forum after searching around for a suitable place to discuss my fishing and boating hobbies when the cold weather sets in. I've been dipping lines since about 1991 when I joined the old BASS organization as a subscriber to their magazine, picking up where my brother left off (he got into motorcycles instead of motorboats). Although I've been just about everywhere you can go fishing in this little state, I'm still basically a landlubber with the exception of a pond-jumping pontoon boat that I now own. My fishing activity this year has been more or less restricted to the streams and a couple of local ponds in New Castle County, plus a few spots that I could get shore access in northeastern Maryland. The majority of the bite has come from the usual panfishes (Yellow-Bellies being the most common, although I caught a couple Black Crappies and White Perches in a local pond), but I did land a few good stream Smallmouth Bass this year. The Largemouth Bass bite in local ponds and streams has been all right. One thing that I missed out on was getting away from the shoreline and putting myself out where I could try for a different approach. There was one outing on a local state park (Lums Pond) on the old Colorado pontoon boat, but I never did get the thing set up right and actually spent more time rowing than casting lures. Next year, I plan to make a better rig for putting the boat out on the water and fishing from it (The homemade rig I had my dad make is a rickety thing which couldn't handle the full weight of the boat plus a trolling motor, battery and a big tacklebox without breaking!). A rod-holder or two would also help when needing to switch from the light to the heavy tackle. I'd love to get a better boat. The old Coleman Crawdad may be shot and I no longer have the truck that I used to tow it along with. My dream boat is actually quite modest: a 16- or 17-foot aluminum mod-V with a 25- or 30 HP motor, outfitted for fishing on both the ponds and in the big rivers around my home state. I envision using this thing in the Delaware, Susquehana and upper reaches of the bays (so long as there isn't too much wind or cargo-ship traffic). I have all winter to get prepped for next year. Some reels need replacing. All the fishing line needs replacing (spool memory set in). I may even buy a couple of new rods to replace old rods which got broken. Generally, light or medium-light tackle for the ponds and streams. Next year, I intend to add Pennsylvania back to my fishing range. Although there's a bit more restriction on where I can fish from shore, I don't think I'll have a problem getting the pontoon boat out on the state park lakes if they're permitted. In Maryland, I might even plan a couple of long trips out west of the DC area to fish the Potomac. Delaware has some ponds which I haven't been to in a while, so I might try some of the flatwater south of the Canal. I may even get a New Jersey license to check out some of the ponds and the banks of the Delaware River up that way. Anyway, that's all I have for now. Happy fishing!