mheichelbech

Is that for the whole boat? I wonder what it’d be if you just wanted to have a different color stripe or something.

You are season with that. I’m probably in the minority but I don’t like you tube videos. I don’t have the patience for it most of the time. I much prefer reading. I have watched a few and they are helpful. So did you wrap it in the fiberglass mesh product and paint resin over it? Or just use a resin product and paint it on? If so, what kind?

So I am doing research on building a deck for this 12 foot jon boat I got. It seems the best way to go is to use aluminum to build the support structure. Where are guys getting the material and how are they making the trusses? Are they typically having a sheet metal shop make these for them or can you buy and cut to desired dimensions?

Thanks everyone for the advice on the batteries. Like I said, it's been a while since I have had a boat and I pretty much have forgotten most things electric related.

I have researched most of the posts on this topic and hadn't seen one yet that applies to my specific situation. I just got a 12 foot aluminum boat and trailer to fish some 20-40 acre private lakes and a few public electric only lakes around me. It has been a while since I have done this (like 25 years) so I am out of touch with all the new stuff. In order to avoid buying the wrong trolling motor, I bought a used MK 45 pound thrust 12v foot control ($95, thought that was a pretty good deal) and a newer 35# tiller control came with the boat. I plan on using the tiller model on the transom, mostly as a keel. Once I feel all this out, I plan to sell those and upgrade the trolling motor. I also plan to put a deck on the front of the boat, and carpet the whole thing with 2 seats. I will mostly fish by myself with a partner some times. I will also be running a small LCR that I got from my brother....plan to upgrade if needed. My question is, would I be better off with 1 large 12 volt batter at the highest amps, projected run time, etc. OR....get 2 12 volt batteries that I hookup in series? I expect that most of the time I would fishing for 3-5 hours max. It isn't that windy around here so that is not too much of a consideration. Also, highly unlikely to be fishing anything with current. Given those circumstances, I am hoping to get some recommendations on 1 vs 2 batteries...whether I should get one say..Group 31, 100AH battery or 2 Group 27s at maybe 80AH each. I am thinking one Group 31 100Ah would be best as I could get by with a normal battery charger and not have to by a 2 bank charger. Also, with the one battery, I would only need one set of extension cables in order to put the battery in the back to equalize the weight distribution. One other thing, I had also recently purchased a Coleman Crawdad....12 foot. Wondering if anyone has experience with both, the Crawdad as well as a 12 foot aluminum boat and how they liked one over the other and why. My plan is to try both and sell the other...I am thinking the aluminum boat will be the keeper simply because it appears to be easier to put a deck on.

My thinking was equipment in general. Even boat engines for that matter. I knew of guys that used false engine cowlings to coverup for an overpowered boat or 150s bored to be bigger, etc. If i were to do another custom rod it’d be by you/Del Valley for sure!

One thing I believe is that these guys really are the best. I try to fish with guys better than me as much as I can and have learned a lot doing that. I have fished with the same exact everything, lure, line, reel, rod and gotten spanked simply because they could fish better than me...the way they dropped a jig in the water and detected bites or the way they fished the very same jerkbaits. I fished with a guy that caught 22lbs in 5 fish over 8 hours. Those were literally the only 5 bites we got the whole day. It taught me a lot about fishing and being patient. I didn’t feel too bad as 10 pounds was 2nd place in that particular tournament. As I have improved, I have tried to impart the knowledge I’ve gained into those less experienced. Becoming good at fishing isn’t any different than any other sport. It takes a lot of time on the water and dedication. Although I still love fishing small ponds and lakes from the bank or a Jon boat, there’s a big difference in stepping up to fishing big lake tournaments. What really amazes is how the old guys like Denny Brauer, Mark Davis and Rick Clunn keep at it. Professional level fishing is very hard on the body! My experience with guys fishing the old Red Man tournaments, some of whom made it to the bass master series level. All of the guys I knew were constantly trying new types of bearings, handles, rod guides, guide placement, etc. They might start out with off the shelf but it’s not what they ended up with. I have have had custom rods made to enable me to fish better and recently looked at getting a rod made just for skipping. If I’m doing it and guys at the mid level tournaments are doing it, I’d surely think the top level pros are doing it. I don’t think custom rod building could be a business if everyone was happy with off the shelf.

You never know what they do to their reels inside. These guys are detail fanatics and I’d guess he has modified them big time. You never hear about that part of it.

That Sierra site had some nice rods on it.

I read something about Dobyns selling refurb and demo rods, do any other rod companies do this?

These are rampant on Craigslist and Facebook around my area. They are getting more sophisticated in their pricing as well.

Looking at a 94 Ranger 488 VS which comes with a 94 Mariner 200. From pics the boat appears to have been well cared for and garage kept. Wondering if anyone had experience with mid 90s Mariner outboard which is my only concern about the boat. Price is $8,900 currently. Any experience appreciated!

This is what I’ve been leaning to. Looks like they can be had for $10k or even less. With the early 2000s closer to 15k depending models/options.

Have thought about doing that. However, my thinking is if I’m going to buy a boat out of warranty, is there a lower level of risk for a newer vs older bass boat? I’m thinking as long as I don’t buy something with a wood transom I should be on fairly equal footing boat wise. It’s too bad you can’t apply a formula to measure the risk of buying a used boat like there is with purchasing stocks and bonds.

Yea I found a 2006 Ranger for $14,000, just too far away. It had the electronics as well. Very good deal. My main question is, are older boats such as a late 90s-early 2000s, a worthy investment at the right price or a maintenance nightmare...in general. I realize there will be outliers in each end of the spectrum.

Tournament and pleasure fishing larger lakes. I am open to other makes of boats but not having a lot of experience with different manufacturers, that seems to be the most well regarded.

Looking at boats and have set my budget to be around $12,500 for which I’d go up or down a couple thousand depending on the deal. Was wondering if you guys would be looking for an older ranger (looking like 1998 to 2003ish) or more towards a newer aluminum boat or a newer but smaller glass boat with a 115 type engine. I mainly would be looking to do some tournament fishing, taking my soon to be wife and daughter and her friends out fishing/swimming/tubing, and of course a lot of pleasure fishing. I am so far just looking at trying to find an older, well cared for Ranger with a 150-175 hp engine but not sure if I’d just be buying a lot of future maintenance. I already have a Jon boat to do smaller lakes with.

I saw them on sale at bass pro for $119 I think it was...that’s what piqued my interest.

I don’t know about for IPads b for my IPhone I use a Lifeproof case. They are waterproof and I believe offer a 1 year guarantee on the phone if it gets wet while in the case. Also, I had used mine for about 4 years and basically wore the case out...they sent me another case for just the cost of shipping. Best case you can buy IMHO.

So the contour mapping is to show you the topo lines?

As noted, am thinking about getting one of these LCRs for my jon boat to fish small trolling motor only type lakes and private lakes I can access. This LCR seems like a good cheap option for that. Wondering if anyone had used one. Reviews online seem to be a bit mixed but not sure I can trust the negatives due to possible operator error.

An area I fish on the Ohio River, what I have seen is the bass seem to turn on and off throughout the day. The key to me is, as mentioned earlier, knowing an area well which can be difficult to learn if you aren’t fishing at least every week.

Not sure why but it seems like with spotted boss, at least where I fish, just turn off and on like a light switch. I’ve pulled up on areas that I knew held fish in tournaments that guys were already there and hang back until they leave due to not catching fish, I moved in and fish it for an hour and they turn on and I load the boat. Seeing the guys at the tournament and they thought I was lying about where I caught them!

If you have been in an area catching fish, and they stop biting, how do you judge whether to hang out, maybe change up your presentation or wait until they turn on again or to move to another similar area on the same pattern? I have had times in tournaments where I was fishing a marina and catching them then they turn off but an hour later they turn back on and I catch them again. Then I’ve had times when I stayed and didn’t catch them again and I should have moved. Are there any tell tale signs you use to help figure out what to do or is it just your gut based on circumstances?

I wonder what would the ruling be if you were throwing a bait where part (buzz bait or spinnerbaits) ran in circles or just with a regular hook you inadvertently hooked a line with a bass attached and reeled it in. Is that a scorable catch or need to be released? Is that akin to snagging?