Skwerl

I recently switched from a MG to a MK troller. Used the 3 rubber mounts that weren't trashed and then drilled 2 additional holes. The instructions say to use a minimum of 4 mounting bolts and preferably 6, but you have 8 mounting holes to choose from. Can't help too much on the 24 volt thing, I'm still scarred from the paper clip/ wall outlet incident when I was 7.

go with a used (or even new) 10' jon boat. It will be more stable and offer more usable space than those plastic junk things. Plastic will warp and degrade over time, those boats will be worthless in 5-6 years. I've owned a jon boat that was almost 20 years old and sold it for more than I paid for it (after using it for 2 years). I'm not even going to comment on the inflatable boat. Just think about sharp hooks. Then think about how many inflatable boats you see being used by fishermen. Sounds like you met a real good salesman.

These seem to be more popular with the saltwater inshore fishermen. I think it's because they tend to fish standing up and do more sight fishing. Bass fishermen seem to do more sitting so the foot control is more comfortable for them. I have a MK Riptide on my bow, the handle tilts but it's still too short to reach comfortably. The troller has a 42" shaft and I have it set so that the prop is about 2" under water when running. I think MK makes a tiller extension handle but I haven't taken the time to track one down yet.

Ditto!

Watermelon seed super fluke on 10 lb power pro. Reel would be a Shimano Stradic 2500 and rod would be a high quality 6'6" or 7' MH fast action. I can cast a fluke farther than practically any other lure so therefore I can cover more water from one spot. They are almost impossible to get hung up on weeds or other cover so I'm less likely to lose it. And bass will hit 'em when nothing else is working. 10 lb power pro because I can cast it further than 20 lb and it won't be broken by any normal bass like your lightweight monos.

Just got back into fishing again this year after a 5-6 year hiatus. Bought a boat and then found that all my old fishing gear was pretty much worthless. Bought about 4 rods and reels so far this year, each a little nicer than the last (picked up a Falcon Cara this weekend). The trolling motor on the bote quit working so I bought a new one. I'm not satisfied with the fishfinder so I'll be buying one of those soon as well. I've done a little work on the bote as well as some customizing touches. So far this year I'm probably at about $10K with another Grand or two anticipated before the summer is out. Gotta pay down the credit cards a bit first.

From the time I made that post until I had the name put on my boat was less than 3 weeks. Here's a picture. 8-)

OEM props have a very low pitch. They aren't designed to move the boat very fast, they are designed to be quiet. It's very easy to add a little bit of pitch and get more speed. As for me, I wish my troller had a slower speed sometimes.

Rookies... :

Raul- Roundup is a herbicide, not a pesticide. I know, I'm being picky. :

The transom mounts are going to run about $100-$150 cheaper than the same trolling motor in a bow mount. If the inconvenience of raising and lowering the troller isn't a big deal, then buy the transom mount and flip the head like Daniel suggested. Add some backing of some sort to mount the troller, such as a piece of 2X4. This disperses the load from the clamps so you don't rip a hole in your boat.

Since I'm only fishing for sport, I can see no reason whatsoever for using barbed hooks. I always knock the barb off my hooks. Makes it easier to back the hook out.

He was busy helping me yesterday. I drove over to BPS (about 20 miles) yesterday to pick up a couple of those crankbait organizers http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=62287&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=CROSSSELL and saw that Zoom plastics were all 25% off. Cool, so I picked up a couple bags of Super Flukes and also some Horny Toads. Then all of a sudden the BM jumped me from behind and I stumbled out of there about an hour later with a $225 charge on my credit card. Went fishing last night and burned through 2.5 bags of frogs, had to go back to my local tackle shop this morning to restock. Another $20! BAD monkey!

Don't rule out flats boats/ center consoles. Lots of very nice boats out there capable of handling skinny water and designed for fishing. Personally I'm not fond of the bass boat layout with the weight, nasty smell-retaining carpet, etc. I've got a 16' Scout center console that will handle anything from local puddles to intercoastal waters.

My father went on a fishing kick after he retired. He's been going to Canada twice a year to a fly-in fish camp for the last 7 years. 5 years ago he bought an Eagle portable fish finder (not sure of the model) to use on the fish camp boats which are 12' aluminum with 8-10 hp motors. His unit runs on 8 'D' cell batteries and the transducer attaches with a suction cup. He's had no problems with it and I'll tell you the model in about 2.5 weeks when we get back from Canada.

Trolling slowly 50' out from shore in about 12' of water. I was working the edges and docks with a super fluke as well (caught one dink). I would prefer to freeline them but they will just bury in the grass, so I run a bobber about 3' up from the hook. I hook them up through the lower jaw and then through a nostril. Set them out, start trolling and keep the rod within reach. You will know when a big lunker is on. The avatar is something I found online a few years ago. I am an arborist and climb trees for a living. Although I don't climb as much any more since buying a bucket truck last year. My nickname is 'Rocky J Squirrel' (of 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' fame).

Yeah, I know that 'pros' don't mess with live bait. But in the last few days the big bass have moved off the beds and into deeper water. They are also hungry. When I was out Saturday I worked the shallow weed beds for almost 2 hours before figuring out that there weren't any bass there. So this afternoon I got on the water about 5:30 and went over to a dock where I've seen kids catching shiners with breadballs. Caught 3 shiners and within 30 minutes I'd landed 24", 23" and 20" bass. Played around with some cranks and also tried out a new frog for a while but then went back and got a couple more shiners. Within 10 minutes I caught a 22" bass and then on my last shiner a small bass hit it and killed it but I missed the hookset. By then it was dark so I cruised around a bit and headed in.

I'm on a couple saltwater 'inshore' forums and most of the saltwater guys refer to bass boats as 'glitter botes'. : I guess that's why I bought a center console 'bay boat'. 8-)

If he hasn't used it in 3 years, how does he have any idea how much water it takes on? IMO his claims are worthless without a test run. I wouldn't buy it without pinpointing the leak and seeing what's involved with fixing it. If everything checks out then it looks like a $900 bote.

The other thing to keep in mind is that your adjustments will be measured in inches, not feet. A 3" adjustment will make a big difference. A 2' adjustment will throw your trailer completely out of whack. Believe me, I speak from experience. Most people want to over-adjust the first time. Try leaving the boat a few inches back from the front stop the next time you load it up and see where it needs to be in order to balance out how you want. I'd recommend about 100 lbs tongue weight for a rig your size.

Most boat trailers are designed to be adjustable at the front upright, the part that holds your front roller and winch. Loosen it up and move it forward or back to adjust how far the boat goes on the trailer.

Don't overlook the obvious- I've picked up wads of fishing line and had it wrapped up around the shaft under the prop. Amazing how much line you can pull out of there. :-[

Sometimes what you think you want isn't always what you really want. I'd suggest taking the boat out a couple times and get a feel for it before jumping into building decks. Regardless of what others say, only you will be able to determine if it's too tippy for a front deck. Also you will get a feel for where you want your gear located and how you want your storage laid out.

I finally came up with a good name for my boat today. I've had it about 6 weeks now and have been getting everything set up the way I like it. Finally got pretty much everything I need to consistently put quality fish in the bote, so now there are NO MORE EXCUSES for bad fishing days. I'm naming the boat 'No Excuses'. 8-)

I honestly believe that half the fish I catch are a direct result of bonking them on the head with a lure, and not directly related to which specific lure I may be using.