Troy85

I have a 2 bank charger for my 24v trolling motor. I don't charge my cranking battery after every trip and I never have any issues. I use my boat almost every weekend, If I know its going to sit unused for more than a week, I will hook up a trickle charger to the cranking battery.

I had the same problem when I fished out of a 12' aluminum flat boat. I would use a drift sock to control my speed when going with the wind. If I had a cross wind, it tended to push the bow around. The one thing I did, that helped was I put more weight up front. I extended the cables on my trolling motor and put my battery as close to the bow as possible. I would also put most of my tackle, ice chest and anchor up front. This helped keep more of the bow in the water, which made it blow around less. Being a light hull, there is only so much you can do, but moving more weight up front will help.

I bought my first aluminum boat from a private seller, and I bought my second one from a used boat yard. I don't see any problem with buying a used boat as long you thoroughly check it out. Open every hatch, check all wiring and hoses, you can usually tell if someone has done routine maintenance or not. Take it for a test ride, this is a must, don't buy it, unless you can test drive it first. Also, if its a newer engine and its possible, have a diagnostic test run on the engine. This can tell you how many hours the engine has and if there are any problems detected by the ECM(There could be issues that the ECM doesn't detect, but its better than not running diagnostics at all). Lastly, don't get pressured into buying it if you don't love it. It can be tough to say no(for me at least), after having used up someones time doing a test run and everything, if you see something you don't like about the boat, don't buy it. As far as hull type goes, I would base that on your budget vs the type of a water you fish. If you fish a lot of big water that can get rough, you may want a hull type that can better handle some chop. That's the main reason I upgraded, I got tired of fighting waves in the 17' G3.

I'd like a Lowrance unit with StructureScan. I don't think its in Santas budget tho....aka my budget...haha

Can I ask why one would refuse to set foot in a Bullet? I'm honored just to have one blow past me on the water.

I'd start with aluminum, they are generally cheaper to buy and easier to maintain and clean(as far as the hull is concerned). They are also lighter than glass, so its easier to launch and you have more options as far as what vehicle is needed to tow it. Aluminum bass boats are become more popular and they have several different models and sizes to choose from, they don't ride as nice as an equivalent glass boat, but they will ride better than a regular aluminum jon boat.

I use Shimano almost exclusively. I have a few Shimano 200ks and I think they are great, they operate smoothly and are durable. Being a long time Shimano guy, I'd say the quality of reel is without a doubt worth the price. I use my Shimanos in both Salt and freshwater and I've never had any issues with corrosion. Troy

Thanks for the info. I will check those links and look into these lakes. I may give the salt water bass a try, never caught one before. If I went for the Salt Water bass, would it be worth renting a boat? My wife is Navy Reserve and we will be staying on base. Looks like they boat rentals available just wondering if its worth it, or would I be fine saving my money and fishing from the shore? As far as Tackle, I was just planning on buying a spinning combo kit from a local sporting goods store and getting a few basic lures.

So I'll be in San Diego for a few days in the middle of January. I was wondering if anyone could give me a couple Lakes near there that have decent bank fishing opportunities for Bass? I'll have a rental car, so I'll be able to drive outside of the city. Troy

My cousin did this exact thing to his 12' jon boat. Built a deck from the front to to the middle seat. Put a little hatch to store his battery and tackle boxes. It works like a charm and makes fishing from the 12' boat more comfortable. He used wood to build his deck, boat it still stable. He does have a Yamaha 9.9 on the back, which probably helps counter the battery weight and his weight in the front. If you didn't have a gas engine on the back, you could always put the battery in the very back to help distribute the weight a little bit.

Boat 99%. Yak or Bank 1%. Most bank fishing is done at local park ponds.

I was fishing a Texas rigged worm. I cast it out and let it sink(was in about 4ft of water) and I felt the slightest bump. I remember thinking, is that a fish, or did my weight just land on a stump. I decided to set the hook anyway, turned out to be my PB. That could have easily been a missed strike, if I hadn't decided to set the hook on what I was pretty sure was just my weight landing on a stump.

I always bring a Turkey sandwich, but I usually don't stop to eat it. I'll usually just eat beef jerky or some kind of cookies, so I don't have to stop fishing. The sandwich doesn't usually get eaten until the drive home in the truck.

I I don't know why he wouldn't hook up the cranking battery. Unless something is wrong with that charging bank.

I've been looking into getting side scan sonar. Torn between these 2 as well. I'm also curious how effective it is in shallower water? Like average depth of less than 8'?

Can't really help with the inflatable boat questions. As far as livewell goes, you can use a 50 quart ice chest(or any size you prefer). They make portable aerators that will attach to the inside of the ice chest with suction cups. I got one for my dad a couple years to use for live bait. It works well and if I remember right it only cost about $30-40.

Usually I slow roll...as best as I can haha...I tend to fish fast, I've been working on forcing myself to slow down. There are several trips I can remember from this past early spring(prespawn) when the stop and go was way more effective tho.

I bought it. So far it seems great. Thanks for all the info everyone.

My preference's are shad patterns. I like to slow roll them over drop offs and swim them parallel to grass edges.

yeah. I should clarify a little more. I don't know if google maps website has the slider, I installed Google Earth program on my computer. It has the date slider, tools to measure distance, I can put pins to mark spots. It really comes in handy. Best part is its all free.

I trust the fuel gauge about as much as I trust the speedometer. I always visually check my tank.

Here is my idea for the format. I think it will still keep you in line with what you are trying to accomplish, but at the same time be easier to regulate. 1. 3 Rod limit per angler(max 2 anglers per boat) 2. $10-15 per angler 3. Max HP 50(you automatically limit the length of the boat by have a max HP rating) 4. Draw the lake location the evening before(biggest problem is communication, you would have to know ahead of time who is coming to tell them the location, or have a Facebook page and announce it there.) 5. No Electronics Just my thoughts, I hope you can get it going. I think it sounds like a fun tournament.

That's what I will do once i get to the spot I think should have cleaner water. If its an area I not not very familiar with before I go out fishing I use google maps, it has a date slider so you can see satellite photos from different dates, I'll use that and find out what water should be clean at certain times of of the year(I use this more when fishing river deltas). Its not perfect, but it usually helps. If its an area I fish often, I kind of what what areas should have cleaner water, depending on wind and tides.

I found this slideshow a few months back when I was trying to do more research on vegetation. It gives some basic info about each vegetation type. The slideshow starts with shoreline vegetation and moves out from there. Hope it helps a little https://www.bassmaster.com/slideshow/how-id-grass-and-fish-it-effectively

Other than the tackle weight limit(mainly because would be a pain to enforce) it would maybe easier to do like a 5 rod limit. It sounds to me like it would be a fun little tournament.