Quarry Man

my lake is 60 acres and really shallow with almost no structure. It was man made. Imagine a big rectangle with a channel that is 6-10 feet deep and the deep end of the lake is max 12' and it gets gradually shallower until the other end which is like a foot or two deep. There bottom is made up of mud, rock, and sand. Like I said, there is very little structure except for the channel, a floating dock, two boulders and a few stumps in the shallow part. I did map the lake with my Garmin quickdraw contours and can try to upload that later. Basically, the lake is pretty tough to get a real pattern on. There have been two times when I had them really figured out. Once was this spring the day before opening day when I couldn't fish and there was a school of 15-20 3 lb bass in 4'. Most of the time the fish are really spread out. I am most confident with a dropshot and swimsuit and spinnerbait, but there is a ton of milfoil that grows two feet off the bottom and in random clumps along the lake. This makes the drop shot unusable and really hard to throw those baits. water clarity varies from 2' to 4-6'. Basically, I am asking for advice on how to fish this lake and how to pattern the fish. I have only been fishing for a year or two but have learned a lot on this lake. The community is small and private so I probably know this lake better than anyone else, I just can't figure out how to catch more than one or two bass a day. There are also pickerel in the lake if that matters.

Tomorrow will be the first day of my senior year of high school. I live in South Eastern Pennsylvania and there are few, if any, bass fishing teams. My friends and I would like to start a team and compete. There are four of us at the moment, and we currently only fish local tournaments on electric only lakes. We do well there. We all have 14' boats but they don't meet the 16' minimum or have livewells. I attend one of the best public schools in the country, and our school is very supportive with stuff like this. I am not sure if they would invest money into our club, but that would be awesome. My dad is a coach at the high school, so I believe he would be able to "run the club" (he only fishes a little bit). My biggest question is, do you think my school would/is allowed to help pay for a boat? and do you have any advice for starting a club? I am considering selling my car and putting the money we get out of it towards a boat. I know this isn't the best idea considering the fact that I will be going to college for 6 years in 12 months. I am looking at an aluminum boat for anywhere between 10-20k. QM

When you are shopping for new rods and reels, do you typically purchase the same rods, just different models and the same reels with different ratios, or do you mix it up? I understand that things like brand loyalty and previous experiences come into play, but I would like to see what you guys think. I personally am on a tight budget being that I am so young. I tend to only purchase rods and reels when they are on sale for at last 50% off. I have a few brands that I like, and have 2-3 of each. I really like the Daiwa casting reels, but have other brands too.

What trolling motor are you going to use? And are you going to mount electronics on the platform as well?

I don't have a casting deck built yet. Cant figure out how to upload images. I know where to put the actual motor, but am having trouble figuring out how to make the platform.

Can I bolt it even though the bottom isn't flat?

Team Daiwa Zillion 100SHA, brand new with box and reel cover, how much would you guys pay for it? Have a friend that wants to get rid of it ASAP, thought it might be a good buy.

Thanks for the help, I meant to say that I am looking for help on building the actual mount for the trolling motor, the triangle platform at the bow, hope this makes sense

just found out that the hummingbird I was looking at is a g2, not g2n (n is for networking?) and won't work with the link. I am probably going to get the striker and then connect it to the us2 and get the 93sv later.

I want to mount my trolling motor onto my 14' Smoker Craft Big Fisherman. My trolling motor will likely be an 80lb Minn Kota Terrova with a 45" shaft. I will be using a MKA - 21 Quick Release Bracket. My boat is similar to the one shown below. It has a metal plate in the front like the picture. I removed it for the time being. I want to make a platform out of plywood and carpet it, just like the image, but leave the plate off. I also want to mount the motor parallel to the left side of the boat so it will be of the way when I am casting. I am considering mounting a fish finder or two (7" and 9" units) so I would like to have room for those as well as somewhere to tie off to boat docks. My problem is that the gunnel (I think that's the name) is not level (flat), and the bottom of the gunnel (I think that's the name) is curved. This will make it hard to bolt into place. I would like to use plywood, like the rest of my boat will be, as that will look the best, but may consider using aluminum and riveting or welding it into place. How do you recommend I do this and why?

I am going to be starting my conversion soon. I will be getting a new trailer for the 14' Smoker Craft Big Fisherman. model is 2018 Load Rite 16F1200WT want to put an 80lb mine Kota terrova with a 45" shaft and us2 and ipilot. I also want to have the batteries in the back to better distribute weight. I am planning on adding two fish finders. one in the front and one either at the back or next to the other one. I am looking at three different models. Garmin 93SV, Humminbird Helix 7, and Garmin Striker 7. want to use the 93SV for its side imaging, and have the striker or helix connected to the US2. is the Helix compatible with I pilot? I know those two companies do work together sometimes but not sure.

I have two 14' V Hulls and I use two of the quick release brackets, one on each boat. I have a 55lb Powerdrive and am going to get an 80lb terrova. Works great when I am worried about theft or want to use a cover. I think its well worth the investment.

paddle boards have very little stability. I have one that isn't made for fishing and it is really hard to use. Moving around the lake takes work, you get wet, which is not good in the winter and you can't set the hook. also you lose all of your gear when you fall in and capsize. I would get a 10' Jon boat and trolling motor.

my old trolling motor is 54" and is way too long, but the new boat sits higher off the water. I will try to find a 45" terror

I am going to be fixing up a 14' Smoker Craft Big Fisherman. It is deeper and slightly narrower than my current 14' Sea King. Do I need to worry about this boat being less stable than the Sea King? I am worried that the center of gravity will be too high when I add the casting deck on top of the benches. I want to add a trolling motor that will be used as my main source of propulsion. I am thinking an 80lb terrova 60" w/ i-pilot. I also want to add a Garmin 93sv fish finder. in my previous boat, I had trouble with the boat tracking straight. To fix this, I took the steering head off of an old 36" trolling motor that I have and use it as a rudder. I want to use it on my new boat and mount the side imaging transducer to it. I think this will work, but I have never mounted a fish finder before and am concerned that when I want to use the outboard, I may not be able to use the fish finder. As I type this, I realize that I can slide the rudder to one side of the outboard or use the front motor.

Seeing the other post looking for a trolling motor reminded me that I am looking to get one as well. Minn Kota Terrova 80lb 60" (or 45") w/ i-pilot and US2. best price I could find was a refurbished one from the factory outlet store for just over $1200.

Why can't you both just go around each other and fish the same banks that the other boat fished? You probably were't throwing the exact same baits, and definitely won't cast to the exact same spots, so you might both be able to catch fish that were missed by the other boat. The idea of bearing right sounds like a great idea for fishing banks and boating in general; however I too prefer to fish clockwise when i am not skipping or pitching (prefer counterclockwise for that) so I would benefit from a "bear left" rule mores than a "bear right" rule.

NEVER drink water straight from the source. If you are concerned with being in "a time of need" but "don't want to add too much weight" consider purchasing a titanium backpacking pot and something to start a fire with or a backpacking stove. These are designed to be light. Titanium is very useful because it is light, strong, and will heat water first. Boiling the water ensures that all living organisms are killed. I have a lifestrpaw in my backpacking gear, but have always opted to use my MSR Ultralight Backpacking Stove instead. I have never needed to find drinking water while I was out fishing, but I am knowledgeable enough to start a fire with my bare hands and boil water if I have too. In a true emergency, drink water that is not directly on the surface, as this is where the contaminants will be most abundant, and avoid drinking from places that animals frequent. Fecal matter ALWAYS carries bacteria and parasites that you don't want to risk getting. Try to find water that is fast flowing, preferably over rocks not mud/sediment and drink from the bottom of the waterfall/rapids. You can also dig a gypsy well near the shore, the carbon in the segment will purify the water but it will taste awful. Another alternative is iodine tablets, but water will taste funny.

I have a group of four friends (all of us are 17 and live in PA) that want to take a multi-day hiking trip on the 26 mile Thunder Swamp Trail in the Delaware State Forest. We are planning on hiking most5 of the day, setting up camp, and then fishing and hunting for most of our food. I have been looking into purchasing an Air Gun, or a .22 Rifle. I have shot guns before, but have never owned one. I am familiar with gun safety, and have common sense, but have not taken any hunting courses. If my dad purchases either gun for me, can I legally drive it to the State Forests (not public land), carry the gun while hiking, and use it to hunt Grey Squirrels, Ruffed Grouse and other small game? Granted, I would need to purchase a hunting license, i believe it is about $20. From what I can read online through research, it appears that we would be able to do this. http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/LI/consCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&ttl=18&div=0&chpt=63&sctn=4&subsctn=0 P.S. What is a good air gun or .22? I really like the look of the Marlin Model 60 Semi-Auto .22.

no, that's a good point. I love my Ci4+ FA so much...

almost*

Stradic Ci4+ FA 2500

there is one at that price in Berlin caba=elas bargain cave rh 8.1 same price

i think it is 5mph according to mine kota.

I fish electric only lakes so this will be my only means of propulsion. Might be overkill, so I may end up with the 80lb version. Other thing to consider with a 14' boat and 36v system is the added weight of 3 batteries and a bigger trolling motor. Hoping to get 5mph, that would be awesome!