TNReb

From a little research.. it looks like it isn't that simple. Am I looking at needing to replace the prop? . Just replacing the hub?

Well, I've owned my first boat for 3 days and already screwed up! Motor is a Merc XR6 150. I was in shallow water today... being careful. I was going really slow. Not careful enough apparently. I hit a submerged log. Oops. The motor kicks I'm to gear and the prop seems to barely spin. If it's anything like a trolling motor, I suspect it has some sort of shear pin. Is that correct? I haven't had time to take the prop off and inspect it yet. Just looking for any input that may save me time.

I'm in the market for a used bass boat in the 18 or 19ft range. I am looking at these two boats: 1. 2004 Triton TR-186 Motor is a 2004 Mercury XR6 150 with tempest 23 Boat is very, very well taken care of. Garage kept, extremely clean. All service records, original paperwork, etc. Two standard seats + butt seat. The two trolling motor batteries were replaced last summer. The crank battery is brand new. Electronics are the original Lowrance units and one Humminbird 788ci (with Southeast maps, which is a positive). Trailer has new tires (including the spare). 2. 2008 Nitro Z7 Motor is a Mercury Optimax 150 (not sure about prop) Boat is also clean, but I am not positive it has been maintained as meticulously as the Triton. 1 standard seat + 1 butt seat Electronics are a Humminbird Helix 7 (SI) and Humminbird 197CDI. Sea Star Steering Hot Foot The Triton is $2000 less than the Nitro. I was originally set on the Triton. I actually have it at the marine place having the motor and everything checked over now. Assuming the motors are both in good condition (low hours, compression test ok, etc)... any reason to give the Nitro a second look? The Triton actually has significantly less use than the Nitro, despite being older. I think it would be hard to find a 2004 boat in better condition. I would plan to replace the electronics on both boats eventually, and I already have a Garmin 7SV that I can add use until then. The $2000 saved would go a long way towards that.

I'm looking for my first bass boat. Something used. Right now I'm looking for a Triton TR 186 or 196. I have found one that is pretty much exactly what I want, a couple thousand under my budget, but the motor is a 2004 Mercury XR6 150. I was hoping for an EFI motor. On a positive note, it's very low hours and very well taken care of. Original owner, garage kept, properly seviced, etc. Any opinions on this motor? I think my biggest fear is buying a boat and finding out 6 months down the road that I have to put $1,000+ in to the motor. I'm not going to be upset if I don't buy this boat - I am just wondering if I am wrong for thinking I want EFI. I don't want to pass up a good find because of my mechanical ignorance!

Thanks for the info!

I've googled, but can't find an answer. Let's say you've got a guy fishing on the back deck. You're in shallow water, but do now want to anchor down as you troll along a bank. Can you let the "pole" down without anchoring so that it's out of the way and the guy on the rear deck can cast sidearm? From what I've seen, it looks like you can lower them partially... but let's say you're in 3ft of water... are you able to get the pole out of the way without anchoring?

I appreciate the information and replies. I'm sure everyone gets tired of newbies asking the same questions over and over.... I would say my time will break down like this: 40% by myself 30% with a buddy either casually fishing, or fishing "unofficial" tournaments in the evenings 30% with the kids/wife A new fiberglass boat is not in my budget, unless I keep saving. I'd rather spend less and get on the water sooner than wait another 3 years. I glanced at a a Tracker Pro Team 195 TXW in Bass Pro the other day. At $26,845 + tax (with a 150), it's still more than I want to pay... but I did really like the size of it! It seemed like it had a lot of space. I haven't really considered aluminum boats, but it sounds like maybe I should. If they're safer for the kids (and I can see why), that'll be a positive selling point with my wife.

Towing won't be an issue. I'm just curious if there are any "on water" reasons people don't like the larger boats. I'm pretty picky about how things are arranged and think I would really appreciate having the extra storage space of a larger boat.

I'm considering buying my first bass boat... eventually... It will be something used. I haven't done a lot of fishing from bass boats. I've only been on a couple of 16.5 ft boats in recent years. My neighbor has one, and we used it a lot last summer. That started the itch for me. I have two boys - 5 and 3. I want a boat that we can all grow into together. From my experience, fishing three out of a 16 and a half foot boat just isn't much fun. Storage is not really an issue, so it doesn't matter to me if storage length is 18 ft or 26 ft. Other than fishing space, deck space, and compartments/storage... What are some trade-offs of a 17-19ft vs a 20-21ft? I've heard some people complain about the maneuverability of larger boats in the water. The majority of the time I will be using this boat on Old Hickory Lake. That lake has a lot of trash that floats around, so running 70 miles an hour down it, is not something I'm just itching to do. Sure, a nice 250 would be fun, but I'm not convinced I need anything that big. I realize that shorter boats will have smaller motors. My gut is telling me that I would not regret buying a bigger boat. I'm just wondering if anyone has any reason to argue against that.

So the people who have 2000 model boats with "structure scan add on" are just an older technology when a separate add on was available?

I'm saving for a bass boat, and just spending time thinking about what I want. I'm familiar with basic sonar - down and side imaging. I currently have a Garmin 7SV on my little 10ft boat. I see "structure scan" mentioned a lot as I'm looking at used bass boats. Is this older technology, or is it still relevant? Is it proprietary to Lowrance? Does it work with a single unit, or do you need multiple units linked together? I've Googled, but just not finding clear information. What's the realistic advantage of structure scan for bass/crappie as opposed to a standard $1,000 unit with down/side?

Yup. I wouldn't fool with moving batteries every time. The closest ones (without electric) are just 5 minutes from my house. The others are 15 minutes. Not the end of the world.

Thanks for the replies. I was pretty darn sure that I was asking a dumb question, and already knew the answer. I was just hoping someone had some magic idea I never heard of. I've been calling some of the places and asking, the ones that are closest to my house just don't have electric hookups. Some do, but they are a little farther away.

I'm tossing around the idea of buying a bass boat (eventually). I've never owned one - just my little 10ft pond boat. Unfortunately I don't have room to keep it at my house. The garage isn't deep enough and there's nowhere outdoors to keep it. I'm exploring storage options. The ones that are closest to me do not have electricity available. So... help the dumb new guy understand. Don't I need electricity to plug in the onboard battery charger (assuming I have one)? That sounds like a really dumb/obvious question. Would my only option be to bring the batteries home and charge them? That sounds like a gigantic pain for a bass boat. Anyone else in the same situation? Other ideas?

Thanks. I did exactly that!

I'm planning on a guided bass fishing trip around late March or early April. I live around Nashville, and am looking to fish Chickamauga or Guntersville. All of my fishing is done from my little 10ft boat or my neighbors bass boat on Old Hickory. I'm just looking to see a new place. Any votes for one or the other? Any suggestions for guides? I appreciate any input...

Best spot is probably on the trolling motor. Another option is on some sort of PVC that you can raise and lower.

Why do you prefer Heavy? I haven't really considered that... Just because MH seems to work fine. I don't think I've ever bass fished with a Heavy rod other than old ugly sticks growing up. An E6X 953c is one of the rods I sold. Great rod, it just wasn't as sensitive as my Mossy ack to me. My buddy wanted to buy it, so I just let it go.

I'm looking for a new rod. To quickly describe what kind of fishing I do... I fish close to cover almost exclusively - docks, trees, rock piles, and the occasional weed bed that isn't more than 10-15ft deep. There's no lily pads around. Fishing open water isn't something I've mastered. Jigs/senkos/flukes/texas rig are what I fish 90% of the time. The other 10% is buzz baits and crank baits. This means my casts are all fairly "normal" or short range. I don't have the need to throw the lure a quarter mile. I currently have a Mossyback BCR 853 (7'1, MH, Extra Fast). I use this rod the majority of the time. Am I dumb to get a 7'5 rod, knowing that the overwhelming majority of my fishing is close to structure where real long casts aren't necessary? I don't really like the feel of short 6' rods. 7' is as short as I would want to go. Am I dumb to get a rod that has almost the same specs (MH, Extra Fast) as my Mossyback? I feel like I am, but why buy a rod for some other type of fishing that I don't do? I just can't make up my mind and and curious if I can spark a conversation to push me on way or another.

When you're fishing banks with lots of trees/bushes/limbs, you need to be able to see a liiiiitttle bit or you're going to be tangled up all night.

What line do you prefer for night?

I'm fairly new to fishing lakes. I grew up fishing farm ponds and watersheds. It's still very much a learning process for me. Last year my neighbor bought a bass boat, and we fished at night quite often in the summer. He has black/UV lights on his boat, and he told me to get some fluorescent line. So, I did. It obviously makes a world of difference when fishing at night. I just can't see braid or fluorocarbon at night. However, I don't really like the fluorescent line for day fishing! For you guys who start fishing in daylight, then continue on in to the night... what do you do? I assume many of you have multiple rods, but that's tough for me. I only have two casting setups that I use. Both are pretty decent for somebody like me who doesn't fish tournaments and such - I'd hate to string one up with cheap fluorocarbon and have it sit and home every time I'm not fishing in the dark. That would also prevent me from being able to quickly swap rods at night and try different lures without having to re-tie and mess around. Adding a third rod isn't really ideal either. The neighbor's boat isn't huge and I try to minimize what I bring. Anyone have a particular fluorescent line they prefer or other ideas? Those of you who do fish fluorescent at night, do you use fluorocarbon leaders?

Thanks for the reply. I edited my original post - forgot to say that I fish for largemouth.

I have a small jon boat, and fish the lakes around here in middle TN - mostly Old Hickory and Percy Priest. Edit: I fish exclusively for largemouth. It seems that every time I go, I'll catch bass in that 1-1.5lb range - and rarely anything else. In 2014 I caught three that were 5-6lbs. Last year I didn't catch anything over 3. This year I haven't caught anything over 2. What do you do when you're having days like this? Lake fishing is pretty new to me - I grew up fishing watersheds and farm ponds. I'm afraid I'm spending too much time in shallows and not targeting areas that hold bigger fish. Our weather has been pretty mild here this spring and I wouldn't expect the fish to be hunkered down deep yet - but again.. that's my lack of experience fishing these sorts of lakes. I admittedly throw jigs and plastics 90% of the time. That may be part of my problem.

That's a good explanation, and could very well explain why I wasn't seeing what I expected. I didn't have an outboard, so I was running my sonar at about half the speed of my trolling motor most of the time - often only a quarter of the speed.