Frank19

The previous owner epoxied all the rivets and says he had no leaks after that. I haven't had it in the water yet so I don't know if that is true or not.

I recently purchased a Jon boat. It's 10' aluminum. I bought it from a guy for $50 cash. I have no idea what year or model it is. I also don't think it has any Hull Identification Number. The boat has changed hands so many times that if there ever was a title it's long gone. Anyway, since I am going to be putting a small electric motor on it I have heard that I need to register it to take it out on public water. However, I've been looking through the DMV registration forms and the information they need is well beyond what I have. Does anyone have any advice? I really don't want to make 10 trips back and forth from the DMV because I am missing information. Thanks.

How much does that stuff usually run? I understand the whole "do it right the first time" deal but I only bought this boat for $50. I just want a quick fix, not necessarily something that will last for ever.

Do I still need to use an aluminum primer first with something like that? Also do you know of anything similar that I can pick up from a local store like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. or do I have to order online?

I picked up an aluminum Jon boat today. It's a little old and may have a few small leaks. I want to find something I can paint the bottom with that is thick enough to seal it up nice and tight. I know I should paint first with some sort of aluminum primer but what next? Any suggestions? I considered herculiner but I hear that it doesn't hold up well when constantly submerged in water. :-?

That unit looks real nice and I see what you mean about mounting the transducer on the back.

I'm picking up a jon boat on Monday. Bought it used from a guy in my fishing club. Now I just have to decide on a trolling motor, battery and fish finder. Any suggestions when it comes to fish finders? I want something that I can run off the same battery as the trolling motor. I guess I would be able to stick the transponder to the bottom somehow and then fabricate some sort of bracket to hold the display unit to the side of the boat.

Thanks for all the help guys. I will defiantly consider the idea of one with a trailer. 12' though is probably the biggest I would go. Reason being that on the reservoirs by me you are only allowed to have electric motors. I don't know how well an elec motor would move anything bigger than 12'. I guess I'll just keep my eye on the for sale sections of bass sites to see what I can find.

Good idea, I will defiantly check the local rules. I'm pretty sure 10' is ok though because I know other guys who have fished the reservoir with boats that size.

I've decided that I've finally had enough of shore fishing and it's time to buy a jon boat. I just want something that I can fit in the back of my pickup truck (8' bed) and slide out myself into the local reservoirs. My ideal setup would be a flat bottom aluminum boat that I can hook up an electric trolling motor and some sort of fish finder. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? What size would be best? 10'? What do you think it would run me when it's all said and done for the boat, fish finder, trolling motor and marine battery? Thanks in advance for the advice.

That is very good to know. The 4200 looks like it has the most features out of all the Fishin Buddies but all the bad reviews on Bass Pro Shop scared me off a bit.

I also know what you mean. I'm very new to Bass fishing so I am trying to learn as many lures as I can. However, I tend to get frustrated with different lures and go back to the Senko too quickly because that is where my confidence lies. I just have to force myself to use the other lues (spinner bait, crank bait, buzz bait, etc) until I gain enough confidence in them too. That way I can go to the Senko when it's the right bait to use rather than just fishing it all the time. Because yea, you will catch bass on the Senko very often however there are other baits that work even better than Senkos at certain times.

That Fishin Buddy looks to be just what I need in that it has self contained batteries and clamps right onto the boat. It worries me a little though because I read the reviews on it on Cabela's website and most guys were saying that it eats through 3 D batteries in only a few hours. They were also saying that the unit is a little flimsy and requires some extra clamping to keep it in place. Are any of these similar to your experience with the unit? I actually found that the reviews for the older models 1101 and 2202 were much better. They use AA batteries and are less expensive. :-?

That's true...I can always connect the power leads to the trolling motor battery and just use a regular fish finder and make it portable the way you described. I've never owned a fish finder before though so I don't know a whole lot about them. What is generally considered a good one in my price range? Like I was saying I would like to stay under $250 with anything closer to $150 being great.

I'm looking for a portable fish finder that I can attach to my grandfather's aluminum john boat when I go fishing at his lake. As far as a price range goes, I'm trying to stay under $250. Does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.

Not sure if this is a re-post but I came across this article on how to fish the new swim Senko and it's very informative with some nice illustrations. Check it out: http://www.cabelas.com/story-123/***_senko/92/How%252Bto%252BFish%252Bthe%252BSwim%252BSenko.shtml

I'm very new to crankbaits myself but towards the end of last season I was able to have some luck with the Rapala DT series cranks. http://www.rapala.com/products/luresdetail.cfm?modelName=dives-to_series&freshorsalt=Fresh

I haven't tried this myself but I saw it on TV the other day. The guy rigged wacky like normal and then he bent the worm around and pushed the hook in one more time. On the second time he just didn't push the hook all the way through. This way the end of the hook was still in the worm rather than exposed. Not sure how well it works in practice but I'll probably give it a shot this spring.

I went down to Gander Mountain to buy everything I needed for a Carolina rig and I got to talking with the pro staff guy there. He told me to go with an adjustable weight system instead. I wish I could remember the name...I don't have the package here at work. Basically it is a long tube weight that you put the line through and then pull a type of black rubber through the weight. It allows you to slide the weight up and down the line but it won't slide on it's own when fishing it. He said that this was the best way to fish the Carolina type rig around here because most of the water is clear enough that you don't need a clacker. He also said it comes in handy when you want to try different leader lengths because you don't have to worry about cutting and re-tying knots.

I like Senkos in "baby bass" color

That is word for word what the pro staff guy at Gander Mtn said when I bought it.

As I have mentioned in a few other threads I am still very new to bass fishing. Last year I bought a real cheap baitcaster combo just to see if I like it better than using a spinning setup. I defiantly enjoyed the experience so this year I figured I would take a step up in quality. I went over to Gander Mountain and talked with the pro staff guy there for a while. He set me up with a Shimano Cruxis 201. I don't have a rod for it just yet because the one I want is not coming in until the weekend. I just can't wait to get all the snow off the lakes and get out there fishing again to try it out

I've been reading through a bunch of other threads and you are right...I must be remembering what he said backwards. It would make sense to use 50lb braid with much lighter fluorocarbon as the leader. Sorry for the confusion.

Ok, thanks for the help

Good to know. Maybe I just heard him wrong. I could have swore he said use fluoro instead of braid. I'm still very much a newbie to bass fishing so I still don't know a lot about the differences between lines. What would you suggest then for my line setup for my first time c-rigging?