Troy85

I grew up in-shore salt water fishing. I just got into bass fishing the past few years. I still salt water fish, but I probably bass fish more. Something about trying to figure out how to catch that little green fish just fascinates me.

4.5lb largemouth on a Carolina rigged June bug colored straight tail worm.

Thanks for the tips. I'll start off rigged with a small Jig, jerkbait, T-rig and crank bait and go from there. I don't have any spoons, do those work well tight lined or are they better for jigging in deep water?

Good Luck. You may never want to leave. I know every time I go there, I never want to. haha

Sorry for your loss Tom. Troy

Yeah, the park ranger said they stock it with Rainbow Trout during the winter. That was a nice treat, I don't catch rainbow trout very often.

LOL Sam. By Saturday when I plan to fish, the temps will be in the 60's, so it won't be to bad.

I had a 70 on a similar boat, It was good out of the hole and would top out about high 30's. I was pleased with the overall performance.

So, the winter in SE Louisiana has been unusually cold and is bringing water temps lower than I have personally ever experienced. 2 weeks ago after our last freeze surface water temps were 40 when I was salt water fishing. For the next 2 days, the temps where I go bass fishing the air temps will be in the mid 20s and highs in the 30's, finally by this weekend the air temps will get into the mid 60s. I plan on going fishing Saturday, which brings me to my question. What should I expect from bass? I'm expecting surface water temps to probably be around 40ish. Any tips/lure recommendings to helpget some bass in the boat would be greatly appreciated.

Just wondering. Like the OP I'm looking into a new finder with side imaginging.

Speaking of side imaging,do you think one brand is superior to the other?

yep, google earth application has a historical satellite imagery slider, so you can go back to different images and see low water/water clarity/land erosion(SE Louisiana). I use it mostly to look for clean water during times of year when rivers are high, you can see the month and year that the image was taken, then compare it to historical lake/river levels and get an idea of what to expect. Its not perfect, but it doesn't hurt.

I have an Aluminum Xpress bass boat. I love it, I use my boat almost every weekend. Its low maintenance and I don't have to worry about the gel coat on the glass. I'm sure it doesn't ride as nice as a glass boat, but in my case I prefer aluminum(nothing against glass boats of course, just not my personal preference).

I have 2 Lowrance Elites now, 1 trolling motor and one stern. I don't have any complaints. I've never used Humminbird but the salesmen at Basspro told me that Lowrance has better GPS(more accurate) than Humminbird. Like I said, I have never used Humminbird so I can't verify, this is only what I was told.

Trick is to find one that is several years old but not used very often. I bought my latest boat in 2017, the boat and motor were a 2009. At the time of purchase the engine only had 34 hours on it, the guy that had it never used it. There was some maintenance up front tho, having sat in his garage so long I had to remove and clean the fuel tank and just to be safe I replaced all the fuel hoses and had a mechanic clean out the fuel system inside the engine and replace a clogged injector. All that cost an additional $600ish. In the end I paid about half the price as if i had bought the same model but brand new.

I buy the $15 pairs at Academy. If I lose them its not the end of the world.

I drove up and fished Dixon yesterday afternoon. No bass, but I did pick up 3 rainbow trout. The trail around the lake is nice and the whole setup of the park was really nice. Thanks for the info everyone, I had a great time fishing this lake.

Google "plastic adhesives" and you will get a bunch of results. These glues won't hold forever, but they should last longer than double sided tape. We will see if this link works, but you could try this one. https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-5-fl-oz-Plastic-Adhesive-Case-of-6-08061/202457583

I've never used Shimano to have my reels repaired so I'm not sure. Seeing as you also live close to New Orleans, I usually get my Shimano reels services at Professional Sporting goods.

I buy Exide for cranking and trolling. I've only had a problem with one time, battery wouldn't hold a charge and it was only 6 months old. Contacted Exide, they have a 1 year warranty. I emailed them a picture of the battery and proof of purchase from my credit card statement(i had lost receipt) and they sent me a reimbursement check.

4 stroke.

I have a 2005 Mercury 5hp. I haven't used it in a couple years, other than occasionally starting it in to run it. It never gave me any trouble. When i used it regularly it always started without any problems. After I bought my new boat, the Mercury sat in my garage for about a year without being run. I had to clean the carb out to get it to start after that, but that was my own fault for letting it sit for a year.

I scout with google earth and the Navionics web app.

Hey all, So this summer, probably Late June, may be making a trip to Lake Martin. I'm thinking Lake Martin because its about Half way between where I live(New Orleans) and where my cousin(SC), right about 5 hour drive for both of us. I know its no Gunthersville, but is the bass fishing in the lake worth the trip? We would probably rent a place on the Lake for a few days. Also, is there anything nearby for the wives to do if they get tired of fishing? Troy

That hull looks nice, looks similar to the hull I have on my Xpress. It should have a nice ride. As stated above, the 20 will get you around. The closest new model I could find from G3 was the Sportsman 16, which has a max HP rating of 70. So if you aren't pleased with the 20, you have plenty of room for a motor upgrade(just check the coast guard plate to see what the max rating is if you check the boat out). Low hours on the motor are good, and its a 4-stroke, so you shouldn't have a ton of maintenance issues(other than routine maintenance). Just check it out thoroughly, leave no hatch unopened haha. Also, I don't know what state you live in, but make sure you know whats required as far as title, registration, notary rules for the boat and trailer. If your state requires a boat title, and the owner doesn't have one, the boat is worthless.