EastBayRat

AWESOME IDEA, ZEL!

Hey Jamis- I'm a recent convert to the Pontoon world. Dragging out the canoe solo is too difficult and the wife hates being dragged along, fishing from shore (for me) is generally unproductive, so I did a bunch of research and ended up purchasing a Trout Unlimited Colorado pontoon boat. Definitely NOT the lightest out there, but it has IMHO a ton of bells and whistles found on more expensive boats, making it a very good value. Brass oarlocks, motor mount, rod holder, 2 insulated drink holders, dual air bladders each side, padded seat, anchor system, TONS of storage (20, I think), stripping apron, and I found it at a local Costco for a mere $240! Took it to my local reservoir for it's maiden voyage last weekend. Out of all the previous times "fishing" that reservoir, my best pre-pontoon day landed me a 5" and a 6" whopper bass. This weekend, however, I was able to hit spots I never was able to before and get my butt on the water earlier (no wife to drag along!). The result? 3 nice bass (12", 13", and a fat 15") for the day. Talk about breaking in a new boat! Looking to add a rod holder soon....also, a fish finder and maybe a trolling motor in the near future!

Thanks for the warm welcome Guys! Back to the farm pond tomorrow morning....in addition to my usual routine of topwater and senkos there, I'm hoping to catch one with a blue damselfly on a fly rod since I always see the bass jumping to catch them! ChugBug - Yup, I live in Oakland, so I try to hit Lake Temescal, Lafayette Reservoir, and Lake Chabot as often as I can. I take it you are in the area as well?

After a few weeks of lurking around the forum and learning a ton in the process, I thought I would finally get off my butt and register! I've been fishing on and off since I was a kid (some trout farms with my dad once or twice, then weekend fishing with some Highschool buddies, then toss in only a few times a year back in college), but have recently been bitten pretty hard by the bug again. I've been going to some small farm ponds when my wife and I visit her parents, and have been doing pretty well there (usually about 10 LMB in the 2-3 lb range) each time we head out. In my own area (San Francisco Bay Area), I'm pretty much limited to shore fishing at the local reservoirs and smaller lakes, which I have had virtually ZERO luck. I plan on asking alot of questions, learning more techniques, and trying out those techniques to get the smell of skunk off me! More than anything, I just enjoy being out there. I don't know what it is exactly, but I think it just keeps me sane! From what I can tell, this is a great board...glad I found out about it!