NJBass12

What size motor? Does it come with electronics, trolling motor, etc? I would definitley get compression numbers on the motor and make sure the transom is solid. The NADA site will give you a good idea. In this market I woudl say 2,000 tops.

Best of luck. You're going to love it. I put off joing a club for years and once I did I regreted not joining one sooner. If the club is a buddy format it will be a great opportunity for you to learn the lakes by fishing with people that know them.

This is always a touchy subject. I've been on both sides. As a non-boater I was always worried about not giving the boater enough money and as a boater I hate taking money. As a non-boater I always paid the launch fees and would typically give another 10 - 20 dollars to cover fuel. My club fishes in New Jersey, the lakes are small so you typically do not burn much fuel. As a boater I do not expect the non-boater to pay for the fuel for my truck as I would be driving to the lake regardless. For me, if the non-boater pays the launch fee (typically $15 - $20) that is more than enough. Again, I fish in New Jersey and our lakes are small.

So does the motor bog down with weeds? You should try a three balde prop, if you do not use one already. Also, make sure your blades are sharp (yes, even the plastic blades). You can sharpen them with a file or dremel. This wil help them cut through the weeds.

Bass Cat Pantera II with 200 Mariner 14 aluminum v-hull with 9.9 for smaller lakes

5 - 6 rods is fine, along with a tackle bag, lunch and of course your life vest. Keeping the rods along side your boat seat is fine. One word of caution becareful not to get your hooks stuck in the seats. This can upset a boater pretty quickly. The important thing is to stay neat and organized. Don't have your things scattered all over the boat. Usually the boater will have one empty compartment for the non-boater. Talking to the boater the day before the tournament discussing patterns (how and what you will be fishing) can greatly help narrow down your tackle selection.

Yes, you should definitely join. I was a non-boater for 6 years. Being in a club is a great learning experience, especially for a non-boater. You get to fish with a lot of different people. Everyone has their own strengths, their own way of doing things and little tricks. Take advantage of the situation, you can learn a lot. The club I'm in now our tournaments are buddy draw tournaments. So it's not an individual thing but how the boat does. So as the boater I am counting on my non-boater. I think non-boaters are just as important as boaters. I've fished with some non-boaters that are great fisherman, better than most boaters. Go for it, you will love it.

The meetings are held in Denville, Morris County. For now we are holding them on the 3rd Thursday of every month, 7:00pm. This may or may not change. Seeing what works best for the majority of the members.

Our 2010 schedule is out April 11th Lake Hopatcong April 25th Spruce Run May 16th Greenwood Lake May 23rd Lake Hopatcong June 6th Greenwood Lake June 27th Round Valley Res July 11th Pompton Lake Aug 8th Lake Hopatcong (megabucks) Sept 19th Budd Lake Oct 24th Greenwood Lake (classic)

This is a place I would love to hit next year. Have heard a lot of good things.

i've pretty much started counting down the days to spring. Although the perch and crappie fishing is good this time of year.

Fished it once years back. Fishing was so, so. I thought I was going to get mugged when I was loading my boat back on the trailer. There is small lake on Ocean Ave heading towards west end Long Branch (Lake Takanakee, I know I messed up the spelling). I use to fish it from the shore. This place has some decent bass in it.

East Coast Bass Anglers is looking for both boaters and non-boaters. We are a new club, associated with the TBF. We currently have 17 memebers. We fish 9 club tournaments a year. Some of the lakes we fish are Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake, Budd Lake, Pompton Lake, Spruce Run and Round Valley. All our tournaments are buddy draw format. The goal of our club is to have fun and learn from eachother.