martintheduck

This is exactly why I went with the columbia pants. I hate zipoffs normally because the zipper will get in the way or press into the knee. I found the columbia ones have the zipper higher on the leg, went and tried on a pair, and yes... the zipper is higher. standing up the zipper is about 4 inches above my knee.

I'll tell you - I really enjoy flipping jigs. ALOT. I love flipping docks, trees, and stumps. I don't know how to describe it, but bass seem to just love to pound a falling jig.

Used crappy electronics forever and with the new boat purchase, I'm looking to get into some better electronics. I prefer Humminbird. Can any of you point me to a good unit with side scan capability? $ limit somewhere around $1500. Many thanks.

This is clearly the best solution to your problem.

For hot months, I snagged a pair of $70 Columbia pants (with zip off legs). I use them as shorts until bugs get bad, then toss the legs back on. Got them at Dick's. They are made of that slick under-armory material. Should be able to look at the tags and it will say "quick dry" on the specs. They cost a little bit, but it was the best purchase I've ever made for yak fishing. During the cold months I just wear normal cold gear with a pair of frogg togg pants over them.

Also, I'd like to mention - you might very well have a heart attack when you hook a 15lb redfish. Bass fishing, I hear people say "he hit it and almost ripped the rod from my hands!" When I hear that I think quietly to myself "You must have never hooked a red!" It's an all too common occurrence to have one LITERALLY rip a rod from anglers hands. Here are some pictures from a trip we took the first weekend in June. Went out of cocodrie.

My favorite fishing is frog and c-rig. Just find some brush piles, rocks, logs, stumps, whatever.... and drag that sucker through there. Pop it. Lift it and drop it. Drag it. Snap it hard. I really like how when c-rigging, you're constantly feeling something along the bottom.

In the bayou up here in NELA, it's not uncommon to be running frogs and get a sweet topwater bite from a gator. I've never managed to get my name drawn for tags though. cant imagine why... to heck with this "good ole' boy" network!

Born in NOLA and didn't leave till I was 21. Let me drop the knowledge for you.... You will want to go salt water fishing. Do no concern yourself with bass fishing in New Orleans. Find a charter out of any of the following places: Venice, Port Sulphur, Dulac, or Cocodrie. All are a decent drive from New Orleans - maybe 2 hours at the most. A good option, and the closet of them, will probably be a little spot called Myrtle Grove Marina in Port Sulphur. If you haven't experienced it before, I am telling you, you MUST go fish for some speckled trout and redfish. Specks are the best eating around. Super clean fish. (Better than perch -or- crappie as the yankees call em'). Limit 25 per person. They school in HUGE numbers, so at any moment it can turn into every cast catching. You'll be able to keep 75 if you charter a boat and have cap't on board. A 5 lb redfish will feel like a 20 lb donkey bass when it takes you on a run. I love my bass fishing, but nothing, I mean NOTHING compares to hooking into a red. Also DELICIOUS eating (so long as when you clean them, you cut the bloodline out of em') I'm just going to go all in right here and tell you - don't waste your time on bass in New Orleans. Charter a trip for reds and specks. You will not regret it. This state isn't called "Sportsmans Paradise" for no reason. Any true Southern Louisianan will agree with what I'm saying. I stake my life on it. If you are really interested in finding a good charter around NOLA (for bass or specks/reds) check out saltycajun.com forums. A ton of SELA folks on there that will be MORE than glad to give you better information than anyone can on here. Be sure to take pictures and tell us all about it.

Just came to me a minute ago and got me wondering... what techniques are you guys least confident in? For me it would have to be deep diving crank baits and dropshot. I have never landed a fish on a deep diver. As for dropshot, I'm just ignorant to everything about it and never really looked much into it. I really want to learn more about dropshot. I mean REALLY want to get effective with it.

I've gone through all kind of setups being the co-angler fisher and the bank fisher. Use hunting bags, tackle bags, and backpacks. As for a specific fishing backpack, I can't help you. My two favorite setups are any standard backpack (I use my northface day hiking pack) stuffed with planos and softs AND a $24.99 Academy Sports tackle bag.

I've wanted my OWN boat since I was a kid. I grew up fishing from everyone else's boat in the gulf saltwater and from the banks of various bodies of water. I decided at a young age... one day I'll buy my own boat. Well now I'm 24 and the money situation is all lined up so it's time to make that purchase. Should be pretty simple, right? Shop around, find something you like, go check it out in person, put it on the water, if need be take it to get checked out by a mechanic to make sure I'm not getting the run around. If it all checks out, finance it through the bank (b/c it's a darn good chance to boost the credit profile), handle the paper work and that boat is finally mine! Easy, right? NO NO NO!!! For 3 months I shopped around on craigslist, boattrader, classifieds, and ebay. I requested brochures from every manufacturer I could. I pondered the various questions: glass-vs-aluminum, what brand motor, horsepower, wants-vs-needs, price, individual-vs-dealer...etc. I got a feel for the market in my state and what was really AVAILABLE within my various needs. Ultimately I decided the following --- I need to buy used - heck, I might not really be keen to boat ownership. I decided my best option is to purchase something used for SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than new, learn about boating and ownership, and if I become serious about boating I can upgrade while only losing a minimum amount of $ when reselling my boat. Aluminum is for me - I've fished from glass my entire life in salt water. Handling a boat in open vast bodies of salt water is COMPLETELY different than in smaller shallow bodies, backwaters, rivers, and the stumpy bayous. I do not feel comfortable at this point handling a glass boat in anything other than the open seas. My price range began at $15,000 or less... more on that later. I feel comfortable with Yamaha or Mercury. Those are the only outboards I've ever know someone to own. I've heard SUBSTANTIALLY less horror stories from those brands compared to say Evinrude or Suzuki. Horsepower was never something I factored in as a MUST HAVE. I went in with an open mind - If the boat has a 50hp and it will power the boat well enough, I'm game for a 50hp. If it has a 150hp, heck thats fine too. I labeled HP as a "want" rather than "need." At the moment anyhow I'm only comfortable pushing a boat about 40-45mph. (Safety first. I've always been pressed to NOT push the limits in a boat. Having known 2 people who have died in boating accidents, I heed this warning). My only "need" is a boat that is ready to fish. I am NOT partial to buying a boat I would need to outfit with new carpet, seats, trolling motor, batteries, etc... I DECIDED I WANT TO BUY FROM AN INDIVIDUAL AND NOT A DEALER. In Louisiana, person to person sales within the state are required to only pay taxes on the trailer. If I purchased from a dealer I would have to pay sales tax on boat, motor, and trailer. I made this decision to simply save some money. With all that said I can continue the saga. After 3 months of looking I began to feel confident in the market and fair prices for the boats I was interested in. It came time to jump in head first!!!! First boat I go to check out in person is an 08' Tracker 170 w/ a 50merc. For $6500 I felt it was a fair price. Had brand new minn kota 55lb trolling motor and Lowrance mid-grade electronics (in the $500 range). Carpet and all seats in good shape. SOLID boat. I go check it out, looks great, guy tells me he rarely fishes it and everything works fine(he is a friend of a friend). Well he lets me take it out and I put it on the water. When I put it in gear that sucker justs GRINDS!!!! I mean literally felt like it might blow up when I gave it gas. The pee stream was non-existant too. I gave it a bit of gas to try and get it on plane and the motor refused to trim up. It was odd because at standstill the trim worked just fine. So I trimmed up at idle, gave it gas, and the motor just fell straight back down. I didn't get good vibes with what was going on. I put it right back on the trailer, brought it back to the guy, explained about it and yada yada yada... told him I'd pass and he was understanding. Said he knew about the pee-stream, but never had that problem with the trim. Maybe a bad motor? Fluid? Heck, I don't know, but I quickly absolved myself of that boat. Second boat I had arranged to go see later in the afternoon this same day. Drove 45 minutes to see it. An 01 xpress 20ft with a 90merc for $7,000. As soon as I was close enough to the boat to see it, I knew it wasn't what I was looking for. Shady amenities, rotten seat covers, and a flat bottom hull I was NOT expecting. Instantly knew it wasn't for me, but I did stick around and talk to the guy for a solid 30 minutes about duck hunting. It was worth the drive out there for the scoop he gave me on some of the public land up here (which I never knew existed till talking to him). I stayed pretty depressed after that day because I REALLY liked that tracker boat (aside from the issues). It was a good size, price, condition, and I felt it would be a good first boat. My good buddy reassured me don't sweat it... something else will come up. I gritted my teeth and forced my heart to let go of it. Fast forward another week. Third boat time. I told a few people to keep their eyes peeled around town and a buddy tells me about 30 minutes away is an 06' tracker 190 with merc90. I go check that out. $7500. Brand new 45lb minn kota (just a LITTLE underpowered IMO...haha) and stock graphs. Carpet and seats in GREAT shape. Now the hull made it apparent...boat had obviously been fished QUITE a bit. I'm still interested because, frankly, the man was insistant he fished it often and kept it in great working order. We meet at the boat launch and he's brought another guy along to ride too. He claims this guy wants the boat too. Let me stipulate, each time I've talked to this gentleman about the boat he has come across as sketchy. So we go out in the boat, he shows everything off. We go back to the dock and I get out and other guy gets in to go on a ride. They come back, he lets me take it on a spin while he goes to back the trailer in. BOAT RIDES GREAT! Everything worked perfectly. Well we load the boat back up, I tell him for sure I want it while the other guy is kind of wishy washy. I tell owner I want to take it to a mechanic to get checked out -- seeing how it's an 06' engine that has only been worked on by "a buddy who isn't licensed, but knows what he's doing." The owner got REALLY hesitant about it. Gave excuses. At this point we were ratcheting the boat down. I leaned down and pulled the plug out the boat and BAM water just POURED out. A heavy flow for a solid 10 seconds. I got an instant knot in my stomach and really felt there MUST be a hole in this hull somewhere. This wasn't just water from stopping the boat and getting backwash. After watching that water pour out I told the man I'd think about it and call him back. I called him 30 minutes later and told him I would pass. At this point I am INCREDIBLY DISTURBED. I just want to buy a decent friggin boat! Is that so much to ask!?!?!?!?! I suddenly remember when a few weeks prior I had seen a 2011 17ft xpress w/ yamaha90 for $13,000 on craigslist. I frantically search the CL ads and eventually find the ad. I call the man up that afternoon after I've settled down a bit. "Hey bud, do you still have that xpress boat for sale!?" "Well, maybe? A guy is driving in from Florida tomorrow afternoon to buy it, but it's possible he'll back out. I'll call you tomorrow if it falls through?" "DANG! Okay man. It's so hard to find a decent aluminum boat for sale around here! Know anyone else selling something?" "(laughs) I hear ya man. No sorry I don't know anyone selling something else. I'll call you tomorrow though if he doesn't buy it." "Okay. Thanks. Bye" I just feel like a broken man at this stage in the game. For the past 3 months I've researched everything in my area. These tracker boats I believe are exactly what I'm looking for in a first boat. My researching has showed me that when one pops up on craigslist that is in good shape, it sells INSTANTLY. I just muscle up and conclude I must just stay on the hunt. Two days pass and nothing happens. I think back on my research and I only rarely saw any boat come up between the $10,000 to $15,000 range. Rephrase that - I saw a BUNCH of 80's & early 90's glass boats come up for sale, but that is not what I need or want. I start mulling over in my head being younger and being with my dad as he purchased 2 different cars. He brought me along to experience the whole car buying process. I'd asked him both times "why don't you just buy a used car and save some money?" His response was "because you never know what you're getting into. You might be buying someone else's problem." I COULD NOT APPLY THIS LESSON TO MY BOAT BUYING. I'm dead set convinced buying a new boat is a terrible idea for me, but I go to the local Xpress dealer and look at their stock. At that point I REALLY decide I don't need a new boat (for $24,000 before tax) What I decided is maybe, just MAYBE, I can allow myself to increase my budget and get into some better condition boats? (I can afford to, I just cringe when I buy something more expensive than a package of gum! ) I decide to go all in at this point. I'm sick of talking to people on the phone who have boats with issues for sale. I'm broken down from these two deals that haven't panned out. I decide EXACTLY the following: I will up my budget to $20,000 ONLY to be spent on a mint condition boat that is still under warranty. I'll be dang if less than 48 hours later, a mint condition 2011 H18 Xpress with a Yamaha vmax 150 pops up on craigslist for $19,500. He posted the ad at 3:30 P.M and I called him at 6:00 pm. He had just barely posted the ad. On the other end of the phone was a very kind man who I could tell was older based on his tone and the story of why he is selling the boat. We talked for about 5 minutes and setup a time the next day to take it out on the water. I drove 45 minutes to his home the next day (Monday) and was SHOCKED/FLOORED/DUMBFOUNDED by the condition of this boat. I instantly felt comfortable with this deal. The home was a large home on a rural property. Fine cars in the driveway. An f-250 king ranch hooked up to the pristine Xpress boat. Out walks a 65 year old soft-spoken insurance salesman who apparently has made quite a living doing so. He gives me a firm handshake, we chit chat for about 2 minutes and I can't contain myself. I blurt out "If this sucker floats, I want it." He laughed and started telling me the story of how he ended up buying it. Always fished, lifelong dream to buy a nice bass boat, finally convinces wife it's a good idea, buys it, fishes it maybe 5 times and keeps it in his garage. He tells me the worst thing to happen to this boat is that it's sat up unused for 1.5 years. I ask if he's put rabbit ears on the motor and run it while it has sat in the garage. He looks at me with this look of "are you and idiot boy?" and replies "of course of course. I really don't want to sell it, but my wife has been pestering me to and frankly it just sits here not being used." He invites me to ride with him in his truck out to the lake (20 minute ride) and we small talk the whole ride there. He's just a genuine gentleman who has lived in the area his whole life. We discuss when they built the lake and damed everything up, discuss careers, families, and talk about all of our self proclaimed professional bass angling buddies. We get to the launch and drop in. I explained to him beforehand, I'm nervous as all get out because the lake we dropped in at is NOTORIOUS for disgustingly large ninja stumps. He assures me he knows his way and we'll be fine. We toss on lifejackets, push off the dock, and off we go. He guns it once we get into the channel and we top out at 58mph. He switches places with me to give me some wheel time. I ask him where to go, he points me the right way and I give her some gas and get on a nice plane around 35 mph. I trim up a little bit to make sure everything is working. I bring her back to an idle and tell him "I'm in. I want it." So we test the electronics quickly, trolling motor, pumps, well, etc... and head back. Pack everything in. Ratcheting the boat down I bring up the finalized price again. "So I want this boat. I'll give you $19,000" He asks if I can meet him in the middle. I say $19,000 I believe is a fair price. I thought about offering you less to begin with, but basically it's a nice boat and I'll pay for it. He reluctantly concedes and mentions "Heck, it hurts to sell her, but after taking you out today I believe I'm just going to keep it if you don't buy it." I genuinely felt great. In shock and utter awe I just agreed to this purchase and the gentleman is on board for the same price. It's a PRISTINE example of Xpress boat. Still under warranty. The trailer is in mint shape. The tires treads look BRAND new even! I'll be honest here - it did not even cross my mind to have this boat checked by a mechanic it was in that good of shape. Plus it is still under warranty. I'm super pumped up, the financing paper work was completed this afternoon (Wednesday) after banking hours, so it will go through on Friday. I should have my new boat in just a few days. Most of you probably won't read the whole story and that is okay. I really just wanted to write this story to give my experience and ultimate victory during my boat buying experience. I want to send many thanks to the folks who post in this boating forum and all other forums to help out the somewhat less experienced. Y'all are awesome. Cheers fellas!

I usually try to match colors, but it's too hard to keep all of them in my tackle boxes. My go to is a black unless I can match colors.

WAIT WAIT WAIT - HOLD EVERYTHING!!!! A fluke as a trailer!?!?!?! What is this sorcery!?

3/16oz... Go with the black.

This post made me laugh.

I use a 5/0 offset worm on normal flukes. I jump up bigger on magnums b/c the 5/0 doesn't go far enough back to the tail. I feel I lose fish on a short bite.

Yak fishing is wayyyy different than boat fishing. Its a really fun time, especially when you land a donky! I wouldn't buy anything shorter 12ft. Space is already tight on a yak, and every 10ft I've seen is TINY TINY TINY. (I own a NuCanoe Frontier 12)

I bought some low grade spinner baits a few times and have been let down everytime. Most recently I bought the low grade SK dicks sporting good brand... might have been the 4th or 5th on the lure and it TAPPED into a tree... the blade broke off. SO ticked! I quit wasting my money on low end spinners. Having said all that - Worst thatll happen is you're out $5. And possibly you'll lose some fish in the process.

I've been looking on craigslist and ebay daily for the past 3 months. It's given me a really good idea of prices and what I should be paying for what I want. About a month ago, I started asking my fishing buddies if they knew anyone selling anything, and I actually got two SOLID leads. I went and looked at a Basstracker 170 in really good shape and an xpress flat bottom boat. Ended up passing on both, but I DID get a chance to take both boats out and feel more comfortable with the actual "person to person" buying experience. This boat deal is quite different than buying a truck (in my opinion). I actually posted a few threads on this site asking about boat buying and I've read a bunch of threads too. I ended up going out on an 06' basstracker 190 today, and passed on it because of what I was told on this site - The seller was real hesitant to let me bring it to a mechanic before buying. He felt really pushy. It FELT weird. So I told him I'd pass. Guess what? This afternoon an Xpress H18 popped up on craiglist! Going to take it out tomorrow. I know what it's worth and know it's a good deal. I know what to look for when we get on the water. So long as the engine cranks tomorrow, I'll be buying it. I'm excited.

Came here to say: Nice profile pic Brandon. Crushing mallard souls!

Yep. 7/0 EWG hook or offset worm hook. Watermelon seed. I've caught dinks and donks. Ideally, bigger bait = bigger fish, but I haven't much noticed a difference. I will say, I like the action of bigger flukes better.

Out of all my confidence baits, a purple-ish worm is my most confident bait. Could be purple with purple flake, or translucent purple, or solid purple. Don't ask me why or how... When ever I throw a purple worm, my mind can easily commit to the bait, and I have the thought "fish will eat this." Love em'.

I can't speak on the rod, but the black max reel is awesome. I've dogged mine since I got it, banging it around, fishing it in salt water, actually losing my rod in the lake (while catfishing, a blue cat took it on a run and I watched it shoot straight off the boat). I threw a bare hook and caught my pole, retrieved my whole setup, and the fish was still on the hook! I love my black max man.... has a special place in my heart.

It hurts...bad...when you can't find "that one lure I NEED, I MUST HAVE TO CATCH FISH!" If they discontinued blue flake power worms I'd be heart broken! I imagine pros handle the discontinuance's a lot better than us... since they are usually sponsored and don't take a hit in the pocketbook every time they need new bait. They probably aren't as afraid to try something new when they get it for free. I'm hesitant to spend $5 on a package of plastics I've never used before or $15 on a crank bait I'm not confident in. I've had good success with talking to other fisherman in the area, find out what they have had success on, and force myself to buy that lure and USE it - not just let it sit in my bag. Maybe you can start trying hand painting hard plastics? I know it's a bit of a long shot to make this comparison, but - I hand painted my duck decoys this past hunting season and I got a LOT more looks after I hand painted them. I imagine hand paint lures would go the same way - give them something they haven't seen before and they will give it a look.