RockvilleMDAngler

I would reccomend a Lowrance X96 in your price range. It will show you everything you need especially in a private pond. If you were fishing large lakes and needed GPS it would be a different story but for what you need the X96 would be great. I have one on my Sea Eagle and it rocks.

Awesome boat! Congratulations! Man I can't wait until I have the $ for one like that.

Before I got my Sea Eagle I used to rent aluminum jon boats at my local lakes and I came up with a way to use a fishfinder that should work well for you. Get a 7"x7" wooden square (something like a floor tile or just a square of plywood), then mount your depthfinder to the square; take the transducer and mount it to the bottom of your trolling motor (most depthfinders like lowrance and humminbird make trolling motor-specific transducers you can get for $50-$70) and connect the power leads to your trolling motor battery and you are good to go. You might have some wires hanging around so you can zip tie them to the trolling motor shaft.

I have an SE-9 with the fishermans dream package and I mounted a winch on the center bench seat. I wrap the anchor line around the winch and then attatch it to a 10lb. mushroom anchor. It works great but I sometimes wish I had a second anchor in the back so the boat wouldn't spin in heavy winds, then again if I got snagged I would have to deal with raising 2 anchors in order to get over to my bait so I think one works best.

I'll second the buzzbait, I have fished it early in the morning/late in the evening/ and everywhere in between but have never been nibbled. I also have never caught a fish on a chatterbait and i hear the helicopter lure has never caught a fish. Although I do slay with Gulp sometimes

What kind of rod are people using with this technique? I have a St. Croix Avid ML 6'6" rod that I use for drop shotting, will it work for shakey head fishing? At what depth does this technique work best?

Unless you are a master with pipe bending I would just buy the Sea Eagle mount and make your own floorboards. The tubes that attach to the boat have to fit very precisely in order to support the motor without damaging the boat. I agree though that making your own floorboards would be the best option. BTW: Get the Sea Eagle 9 if you can, the extra size is definitely worth it. JMHO.

Wow great job!

Yup, I look at a purchase like this as an investment. Its not something you buy everyday unless your Raul. IMO a GLX is something that you will have to take care of. Its not a knock around rod. If your good to it it will be good to you. This is how I look at purchases like this. If I buy quality once I dont have to rebuy things over and over. I dont belive in upgrading in most aspects. I just save up and buy it the first time around. Cheaper in the long run. The best quote on this matter is "Buy top-of-the-line and you'll only cry once"

I have a Sea Eagle SE-9 and it rocks. I have a fish finder, trolling motor, wooden floors and seats, rod holders, cup holders and it EASILY sits 2 people with 6 rods and a lot of gear and of course my dog. It is very stable and VERY hard to puncture, I have treble hooks galore smacking the material and it does not pop. Even if it sprung a hole it has 5 different air compartments so you won't sink and will be able to get to the ramp. The only bummer with it is wind, without an anchor you will get pushed around like crazy if it is windy. I have an anchor so it isn't a big deal but I have to anchor while guys with real bass boats are able to troll along and cast. I tried fishing out of a kayak and I wasn't a fan since I couldn't flip or pitch, didn't have room for a cooler full of beer and food, and couldn't bring any buddies but there are a lot of people who love it.

I put in an internet order on January 6, 2007 and it has still not been filled.

After reading this post I ordered this set and it arrived today. For under $40 this is a phenomenal deal. I have been looking through the tubes and they all seem to be high quality. While I am hesitant about the idea of a lizard tube, the "lizard" part is just a hard head which would make for easier rigging. I can't wait until the dog days of summer when I can give these tubes a good test run.

Wasn't Roland the first one to endorse the Helicopter lure? I can't stand watching him peddle gear on his show but I do watch because of how hilarious he can be interacting with guests. He always claims to have the biggest fish of the trip and he will make snide comments when the guest catches a big one. It's great when he gets someone on the show that he has nothing in common with (like the Asian fiddle player he had on a week or two ago) because he will act like they are the best of friends but he won't let the other person get a line in unless it is about how "cool" his sunscreen/trolling motor/BPS shirt/frogg toggs/Spro lure/sunglasses/hooks/boat are. It is one of the unintenionally funniest shows of all time. I love it when he calls polarized glasses "polaroid" (like they are gonna snap a picture or something) and when he calls gamakatsu "gamagatzoo."

I have a good arsenal of spinning and baitcasting tackle and I use both regularly. I agree that smaller lures/techniques work best on spinning tackle but I tend to use my baitcasters more than anything because I can use bigger line and I don't have to worry about line twist.

I think Silver Buddy went out of business. The site was down for a few months and when it came back I put in an order and it never arrived (over 2 months ago) and nobody returns my calls or answers the phone.

I use a Loomis cbr843 (7' M action crankbait rod) with a Curado 101D 6.3.1

You also forgot: "My doctor says I am cancer-free and you know why? Because I use this sunscreen every two hours, it keeps my skin cancer-free! I also use these Ohno "polaroid" glasses that help me see in the water and these Ohno's have these "readers" that help me tie knots.... Oh and when it gets rainy I put on these Frogg Toggs..... and I think I need to put some megastrike, just a bit on my finger then I rub it in, on this Yamamoto Hula grub...." Don't forget the "Breathable Bass Pro Shops Shirt" : That has an SPF factor built in!

You also forgot: "My doctor says I am cancer-free and you know why? Because I use this sunscreen every two hours, it keeps my skin cancer-free! I also use these Ohno "polaroid" glasses that help me see in the water and these Ohno's have these "readers" that help me tie knots.... Oh and when it gets rainy I put on these Frogg Toggs..... and I think I need to put some megastrike, just a bit on my finger then I rub it in, on this Yamamoto Hula grub...."

What a find! Put that stuff to use!

My first baitcaster was a Daiwa and I hated it. A year later I bought a Curado 201 BSF and never looked back. 3 more BSF's and a 201D 6.3.1 and a 201D 7.0.1 later I am a Shimano man for life. I have used some Quantums and they are pretty sweet but for bang-for-the-buck performance and reliability the Curado cannot be beat.

The saying goes "Buy top of the line and you only cry once"

I fish out of a sea eagle 9 and it is a very solid platform for small lake (under 1000 acres) fishing. I have a Lowrance X96 depth finder and a Minn Kota trolling motor and it gets me to every inch of my local lakes. The boat fit in the back of my old BMW 328i and EASILY fits into my new Chevy Equinox. There are still times when I wish I had a real bass boat but I catch plenty of fish in my sea eagle.

I use an MBR843C IMX for nearly all jigs and worms with a Curado 201D reel. I also have a 7' All Star rod as a backup (unsure of model number) with a Curado 201BSF.

I fish Loomis and St. Croix but I went to a fishing show last weekend and saw a Kistler rod that seemed to be as light as a feather and I want to give it a try.

Wow I was the one who asked Marty Stone since his light-line flipping technique sounded like it could work with an Ika IF the weight could get the Ika to fall straight down.