Bclark215

I asked this question partially because a smaller reservoir I have been fishing was impounded within the past 15 years, so google earth has satellite images of the reservoir before it was filled. I've found some old roads and smaller creeks but wanted to see what you guys would look for. This lake also apparently covered a spring, and I believe I have a general idea of where it's at based on the images, but haven't been able to confirm it. Unfortunately Google earth doesn't have quite enough definition to see all of those "Spots on spots" but I can still see some interesting things to check out. I've also just always thought being able to walk around the area you are fishing would be extremely cool, and wanted to see what you guys thought. As a visual and hands on learner, I think seeing structure and productive areas first hand would be extremely cool and help a lot with learning about structure and using my graph.

I've been going out and trying to work on identifying structure, and how to fish it. I've been looking at satellite images to get hints, and then finding road beds, humps, ledges etc with my graph, but it got me thinking. If you were able to visit a lake that for the purposes of this discussion was void of all water and walk around with a GPS, what kind of stuff would you mark? Then once our hypothetical reservoir was refilled, how would you fish these areas?

Also for anyone who is attempting to attach things to there boat, here are a couple tips that have helped me out. 1. Rivet nuts (threaded inserts that mushroom out like a rivet) have worked great for attaching things above the water line. 2. If you're going to glue anything to the boat, do some research on what adhesives to use before just gooping some epoxy on you boat just to have it come off the next day. Aparently very few things like to stick to polyetheline, but I have had good luck using 3M vhb mounting tape. The key is to "flame" the area where the tape will stick. -Basically take a small propane torch, and lightly pass it a few inches above the area where the tape will stick before attaching the tape. I have used this method to attach several pieces of pvc that I thermoformed and stuck on the bottom to provide wear resistance on several places that were getting scuffed when I would launch. I'm not sure whether these methods have already been brought up in this forum, but I thought I'd share anyways.

I've had my boat (sun dolphin sportsman) for about 6 months now and have loved it! I've added a 2.5 hp outboard, a 30lb thrust foot controlled trolling motor, a fish finder, a carpeted wooden deck, and a few other things. One major issue I've been having is rod organization. Theres not enough room on the side cutouts of the boat for 4 to 5 rods, and the rod I want, somehow always ends up being the one on the bottom of the pile? Has anyone come up with any creative rod organization ideas while on the water?

Hmm, I might have to call bass pro and make a quick trip to the tpwd office. I asked what documentation I needed to keep for myself/what further action I needed to take and was told "All I know is that you're supposed to pay $59 and fill out this form that I give it to the lady in the back" and of course the "lady in the back" was gone that day and couldn't clarify. I guess part of this falls on me for not knowing the registation process beforehand. As for the storage issue, I'll definitely call the manufacturer and see what they say, but it's encouraging to hear that it's been stored in a similar way without issue.

Howdy, I just purchased an 8 foot sun dolphin sportsman at a bass pro in Tx. I already had a 2.5 hp mercury outboard and a little (unknown thrust) manual deploy foot control trolling motor. I plan to build a deck and put both motors on the boat. I have lots of questions/ideas, but will try to limit it to the most pressing for now. 1. When I bought my boat at bass pro, they claimed they would handle the registration. I paid around $50 and filled out a form 143. Me and the cashier were both unsure on what the actual procedure was, but best I can tell, bass pro will send the pwd 143 form to tpwd, after which I can go get a title from the towd office? If anyone knows more on this process, please let me know. I'm more concerned about when this will happen, than if, as I was wanting to fish in the next couple days. 2. Has anyone stored their boat on its side, and if so did you experience any issues with warping? I need to be able to take up as little space as possible, and don't have the luxury if being able to instal a lift of any sorts. I was thinking of making a cart to hold the boat on its side and allow it to be rolled up against a wall. I have been through a good portion of this thread, but can't honestly say I've been through all 121 pages YET... so if these are repeat questions or have already been covered, i do apologize. Thanks.

Yes, I've been through this whole thread, I was more so wanting input on the inflatable to be able to compare the two. I found a sea eagle fold cat for $800 and these seem to have great reviews; however, I ended up just buying an 8 foot sun dolphin sportsman, primarily because it was about half the cost. I'll definitely be posting future questions within the bass raider thread. Perhaps that would have been a better place for my original post, but I do appreciate all of the responses and input yall gave. Ps, for those who are interested: For the past comments about the weight, I was a little concerned as well, but I can unload and load it into my bed with no problems. Granted, this is an 8 ft boat not a 10, and it is completely stock with no extras; however if anyone is worried about the weight of these boats, a single man should be able to load and unload a similar boat with no issues.

My plan for the sun dolphin/bass raider type boat was to have as much of the add-ons as possible be removable (gas motor, seats, battery, gear) and then do all on the ground maneuvering with a dolly under one end. The majority of the areas I'd fish have ramp access and I could basically unload it at the waters edge. For loading, I was hoping to keep it light enough to be able to throw one end on the tailgate and lift/push it up from the other side. If I ended up adding too much weight, or it got too bulky I figured a little ramp, and a small winch system would help getting it up there.

Howdy, I'm going to apologize in advance for my long first post. I've been skimming the other forums, and researching, but wanted to get some advice from anyone who has more experience with the fishing crafts I'm looking at. Anyways, I grew up fishing in a bass boat, but now that I'm in college, I no longer have that luxury, and I'm really missing being out on the water. I've rented some kayaks and been out fishing, but I seem to get blown around a lot and hated having to constantly reach for a paddle while I was trying to fish. I currently have a gas 2.5 hp outboard, and a small foot controlled bow mount trolling motor, and have been looking for a small vessel to put them on. My main requirements are 1. It must fit in the back of my truck, 2. I want to be able to install a deck or floor of some type that will allow me to use the foot control trolling motor, and 3. I need to be as frugal as possible to fit it into a college budget. I will use this on smaller lakes and ponds, but would like to be able to fish the coves and protected areas of larger lakes on occasion. I have been looking fairly extensively for the past few weeks and have decided on a bass raider style boat, or an inflatable pontoon style boat with the ability to add a deck. I can likely find a used plastic boat for under $400, but I think I would rather just get a new sun dolphin sportsman 8 for $475 to avoid any surprises or issues with buying a used boat and transferring a title, etc. I have also found a used sea eagle fold cat for around $800. My question is, what are the benefits of each of these two crafts, and is the fold cat worth the extra $200 -$300 on a tight budget and the hastle of trying to title a second hand craft? While the ease of storage of the inflatable is definitely a benefit, my main concern is fishability and safety. I have heard that the inflatables have a tendency to get blown around more; however, they sound like they will handle rough water better. I want to be as stable and in control as possible, but I also dont want a rogue jet skier to come through what I thought was a "protected" cove and swamp my plastic boat. I had also considered buying just the inflatable pontoon tubes and fabricating an aluminum and wood frame/deck myself, but unless anyone knows of a cheap place to find good inflatable tubes, I think i'd still be above the price of a plastic boat. With all of that being said, If anyone has experience with either of these crafts and could compare/contrast the two to help me decide where to spend my money I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd love to be able to get on the water and try each of them for myself, but since that's not possible, I figured I'd get the next best thing and seek the advice of those who have had first hand experience. Thanks.