I had been doing extensive research on the optional Lowrance Structure Scan and thought it would be cool to have but was not sure if I should purchase it or not then earlier this year my wife Cindy gave me the OK to purchase the Lowrance Structure Scan to go with my HDS-8 unit so I get it installed at Anglers Marine. At the same time I had them run the ethernet wire to the bow of my boat just incase I happened to get another HDS unit.

I talked about the maiden voyage of the Structure Scan unit in another post, I’ll sum it up here…. The thing is AWESOME! Now of course seeing how I couldnt utilize the Structure Scan on both the console as well as the bow without having to relocate the HDS unit… I think you know what I was thinking huh?

After some smooth talking and explaining that I needed to get another HDS unit Cindy recently gave me the green light to update my LCX-28C HD unit with another HDS unit, WOOO HOOO! After extensive research I couldn’t justify to myself the $500.00 price difference between the HDS-8 and HDS-10 seeing how the only difference between the 2 is the size of the screen.

I did a lot of web searching for the best price on a new unit so I could take advantage of the current Lowrance rebate. After selling my LCX-28C HD unit I  placed my order. A couple days later the door bell rings and its Fed Ex with package in hand!

Of course I’ve hooked them both up and played with them in my garage but as of this writing I have not used them on the water. Now if this weather would just stabilize I’ll be able to take the Champion out and give my new toys a try in the field.

The bass don’t stand a chance, HA!

Aint my wife GREAT! I said it before but I’ll say it again, She’s A Keeper!

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

You can check the owner’s manual of the boat if it is available of course. Also, the law requires that a Maximum Capacity plate be posted somewhere on your boat. Its usually located somewhere close to the drivers seat. This is the easiest way to check and verify the number of people you can take on your boating trip with you. Never exceed the specified capacity, not only for safety reasons but because of the legalities. I have personally heard of boaters actually getting a ticket because they exceeded the passenger count.

His next question was concerning life vests. How many life vests do I have to have in the boat?  As to PFD’s, Personal Floatation Device, you must have 1 for every passenger on board. I know that regulations vary from state to state or even lake to lake so be sure you check your laws. I believe in California the law states that anyone under the age of 16 must wear the PFD when under power. Personally, I feel it’s a good ideal for everyone to wear their PFD at all times but especially while under power. Every fishing tournament organization that I have ever fished in requires this as well as having a line connected to your kill switch in the event you go over board.

During the colder months of the year it is very important to wear one at all times, even id you’re an experienced swimmer for a couple reasons. First off, the water is cold. It does not take long for the cold water to make your legs start to cramp up thereby making it more difficult to climb back into the boat if you happen to fall in the drink and it does not take long for hypothermia to set in.

Next, think about the fact that chances are you will be wearing more clothing to stay warm. I konw that I personally layer my clothing during the winter, that way as it warms up I can remove a layer as needed that way I stay comfortable. If by some chance you happen to “go for a swim” the layers of clothing absorb more water thereby adding more weight, making it more difficult to climb back in.

As to which type of PDF, I like this one myself. Its a tournament grade vest made by Mustang. They are very light weight, comfortable and if you get thrown out while going across the water and God forbid you happen to get knocked unconscious they automatically inflate which will save your life.

His final question was what other safety stuff do I need? I don’t know about your neck of the woods but in California need a flotation throw cushion, some kind of sounding device like a whistle or a horn of some type and an oar. I know people that carry a flair gun but I don’t believe it’s required by law, at least in fresh water.

Hopefully I have given you some information you can use. Please be careful out there and have fun.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

During the winter it is a wise ideal to be sure to take along a fishing partner, not only to have someone to talk to but to assist you in various things throughout the day and to help you should an emergency arise.

Before we even set off to the lake there are a few steps we must take. First, remember to take along enough clothing to be able to dress in layers. You want to stay warm through out the day but at the same time you don’t want to get so hot that you start sweating, remove too much clothing and in turn the wet sweat chills you to the bone. I personally figure there is no reason to dress heavy to stay warm before you leave, that’s what the heater in your vehicle is for. Just be sure to put on the layers before you exit the vehicle. I have found from personal experience that if you get out, get cold and then put on the warm jacket you tend to stay cold.

You arrive at the lake, get dressed appropriately and now its time to prep the boat in the parking lot. First, mare sure you didn’t forget to put the plug into the boat. The water is going to be way too cold to jump in and put it in place. Don’t forget your gloves, head and ears warmth protection, something like a beanie, and some kind of face protection for when your running across the water. I like to wear a full head neoprene barcalave with a beanie on top of that followed up with a set of full face ski goggles. Yes it may seem a little extreme but I stay warm going across the water and it only takes a few seconds to remove it all upon arrival to that first spot.

The following advice I cannot stress to much, make sure you have a personal flotation device for everyone in the boat and make sure you wear them at all times, especially when under power. It could save your life. Trust me, it does not matter how good of a swimmer you are, the cold water alone will take its toll on you but due to the fact that you have layers of clothing on if you do happen to fall into the drink the wet clothing will restrict your movement as well as add extra weight, especially when they absorb water.

Nothing could spoil the day worse than having to call your fishing partners family and telling them that their loved one is in the hospital for hypothermia or worse yet that they drowned. The technology of today’s personal flotation devices, PFD, are light years beyond the old fashioned orange vests of yester-year. They are not nearly as obtrusive and they are actually fashionable.

So now your prepared to launch the boat. You notice that the ramp appears wet from the previous fisherman launching. Pending on how cold it is that water could have frozen over and really be ice so watch your step because you don’t want to slip, fall and hurt yourself. Also if it is ice you will not be able to get traction in your launch vehicle. I found that if there is a dock and its in the middle of the ramp try launching on the other side of the dock.

Launching and recovering are 2 times when its nice to have a fishing partner during the winter time because you can back the boat down to the water’s edge, disconnect the winch strap, hop in and have your partner splash you into the water and pull the truck up into the parking lot versus having to do it yourself. During the warmer months if you happen to get a little wet its no big deal but during the winter getting wet can make for a down right miserable day.

Make an attempt to get out and do some fishing during the colder winter months, you just might be surprised at the results. Have fun, enjoy yourself and be sure to be safe.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon!

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

With summer time here we tend to spend more time on the water. Today I want to take a moment to share some important tips in regard to boating safety.

First off, this one is more a courtesy issue instead of a safety one. Before backing your boat down the launch ramp pull into the parking area to prep your boat and be sure your boat is ready to be launched, especially if others are waiting. I like to remove the transom saver, disconnect the hold down straps, hook up the Lowrance, pull some rods out of the locker, place the boat bumpers in place, tie a rope to a cleat and load the boat with anything that might be in the truck. That way all I have to do is back down, disconnect the winch strap and I’m good to go.

Some things that are required while boating are as follows. A PFD, personal flotation device, for everyone on board and don’t forget to wear the PFD, especially when running across the water. If your thrown from the boat you could get knocked unconscious and with a PFD on it could save your life, especially if fishing alone. You will also need a throwable life cushion, which is required by federal law.

Next a fire extinguisher in the event of a fire you will be glad you have it. Some kind of emergency sounding device. A paddle incase something happens to your motor. A spare rope suitable for towing

While running the big motor always be sure to have a lanyard attached to your kill switch and life vest just incase you happen to get thrown overboard. Taking the time to do this will assure that in the event something happens and your accidentally thrown overboard the motor will shut off which could save your life as well as innocent people who might be in harms way. Not only that but it will stop your boat from slamming into shore.

With the warm weather people can be tempted to drink alcohol while on the water. Personally, I feel this is a very bad ideal, especially if your operating a high power bass boat. Besides being a bad ideal, I know here in California its against the law. If you want to have a cold one wait until your off the water but don’t drink and drive if your going to be on the road. If your camping, wait until you get to your camp site, if your going home, wait until you get there. It’s not worth loosing your license or your life over.

Be aware of your surroundings while on the water, especially when running across the water, watch for obstructions such as rock piles and trees just below the surface. Keep an eye on the other guy. Way to often I have seen people on other forms of other watercraft get “Tunnel Vision” and they seem blind to what’s going on around them. On one of my favorite lakes, every year, at least 1 person on a jet ski dies because they are not paying attention and get ran over by a full sized boat. I know that I would feel bad if I hit someone, even if it wasn’t my fault.

I know I didn’t cover everything and these are just a few safety tips. Be careful out there and at the same time enjoy yourself while on the water.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

Anyhow, judging from the title and the category this is in you can probably guess what this post is about. Yep, after all the years fishing out of my 1989 Champion 201 I recently upgraded my boat in a big way.

Even though there was nothing major wrong with the trusty old Champion, other than the fact it was getting old, the interior could use some help abd the gel coat was getting a little rough, it was time to step up a level. I started out looking at some used boats, went for a few test drives but nothing screamed “I’m Your Boat!” After months of searching for the one my wife finally said, “Just get what you really want and will be happy with for many years”, aint she the greatest!.

Enter Rick Grover and his staff from Anglers Marine in Anaheim CA. The boat was actually slightly used, it was Ricks Demo boat so it came with a full warranty on everything. Here are the specifics of my new boat.

It’s a 2008 Champion 210 Elite SCX with a Mercury 250 XS with a 10″ Hydraulic Jack Plate and steering. Dual Blinker control on the wheel, one for trim and one for the jack plate. Tilt wheel and the boat sits on a custom tandem axle trailer with disc brakes, spare tire, and swing tongue

For electronics it has a Lowrance LCX-38C HD on the bow and a LCX-28C HD on the console. 36 Volt 109 lb Tour Edition trolling motor w/ Recessed foot pedal. 4 Optima Batteries that sit in 4 Phillips Stainless Steel Battery trays. It also has a 4 Bank on Board Charger.

The rod lockers have custom made rod holders and between the 2 of them they can hold 24 rods and came with a Rod Lock-R-Bar

As you can see, this thing is fully loaded and I love it! I thought the ride in my 201 was smooth but there is no comparison between the 2. This thing is VERY smooth in rough water. The storage space is incredible and there is enough room to plat a football game on. The only down side to all the room is I often find myself packing way too much tackle. I’m a big guy, 6’2, 275 with a 56 inch chest and a 44 inch waist, as you can see by my pictures of me and this boat is more than roomy for me. When I sit behind the wheel I can fully extend my legs without any problems.Fishing out of it is a dream. Its very stable in the water.

Another thing that I love about it is the recessed foot pedal. My old Champion did not have this feature and I didn’t realize just how nice it was until I got this boat. I have bad knees and after a day of fishing my knees would just ache. I used to take a lot of Aleve after a day on the water but not anymore.

Yes I love my boat. The wife calls it my mistress and if I realistically think about it, I guess I cant argue with her, HA!

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

You drive for what seemed like forever because your all excited about getting on the water in anticipation of that first bite but please take the time to prepare your boat in the parking lot before you actually back down to the ramp, especially if there are others waiting to launch. That way when you get ready to back down all you basically have to do is splash the boat and go.

So you pull into the parking lot. First and foremost, don’t forget to put the drain plug in! In my tears of boating I personally have seen more than one time when people have forgot to put theirs in, it can be a humorous experience for others, just not to the boater. This is something that even the most experienced tournament angler can forget. I can honestly say that as of this posting I have yet to forget mine, knock on wood.

Next you want to remove your boat to trailer tie down straps, I have witnessed anglers in a hurry back into the water with the straps still attached and wonder briefly why the trailer wheel fenders are still next to the boat when its sitting in 6 foot of water, DOH! There is an urban legend mentioned at Snopes.com that talks about a blond that detached her brand new trailer from the tow rig and wondered why the thing would not get up on plane. This supposedly happened at my home lake, Lake Isabella CA but like I said, its just an urban legend. If you want a good laugh go to Snopes.com and type in Lake Isabella.

Don’t forget the transom saver. This is one I have to admit that I forgot to do, just once. It was during the colder months, February if I recall correctly. As I was prepping the Champion I put the drain plug in, removed the tie down straps and removed the bungee cord that secures the transom saver to the lower end then a friend showed up at the launch so we started talking and I forgot to remove the saver. I splashed the boat, fired it up and proceeded to idle out of the no wake zone. I attempted to trim down the motor but for some reason it would not go. I was thinking maybe it was just too cold and a little sluggish so I kicked it into neutral and started to trim the motor up, thinking maybe if I did this a time or 2 it would work. As the motor was trimming up I looked back and saw the transom saver on the lower end, for about 2 seconds, then watched as it fell free into 20 feet of gin clear ice cold water. I tried dredging it up for a little while then just went fishing. Now I always carry a spare one, just in case.

Now we proceed to loading the boat, I like to do this even before I leave home. Placing my rods and tackle in the rod lockers, ice and drinks in the wet storage. As well as hooking up the starting battery and trolling motor batteries. In the parking lot I’ll pull out the rods I’ll be using and tie them down on the deck. It is at this point that I attach my dock rope and boat dock bumpers if I’m fishing alone or with someone who is not experienced in boat launching.

Then I’ll attach my depth finders. I remember reading somewhere that you really don’t want to haul your boat with these in place because of the rough ride on the trailer the brutal vibration can cause issues with them. Then I tap the switch on the trolling motor pedal to make sure its working correctly and the speed is set to the amount of thrust I want.

WARNING, if you don’t do the above check you could be in for a rude awakening when you first place your trolling motor in the water and tap the power button only to be surprised that it on full power because the last trip you wore the trolling batteries down to almost nothing but with a full charge its quite the thrust. One time I ended up on the floor between the rod lockers because I didn’t take the 3 seconds it would have took to check this. The only thing I hurt was my pride. Lucky for me it was a time I was pre-fishing for a tournament and there were not a lot of people on the water,

The winch strap is next. There are mixed reviews on when to disconnect this. Me personally, I wait until I’m backed down to the water. People say the boat wont slide off the trailer but I figure the added 10 seconds it takes to disconnect it at the dock is worth it. Just don’t forget to disconnect. Once again, I speak from personal experience. When launching the boat I kept wondering, why wont the boat float? DOH!

Yes, the above may seem like allot of stuff but it really only takes maybe 10 minutes at the most. Now you proceed to back down the ramp, I explained how to do this in my previous post. If you have a capable partner you can back down, disconnect the winch strap, hop in the boat, have your partner splash you, fire up the motor and get out of the way to allow others to launch as your partner parks your rig.

If you need to tie off your boat to park your tow rig what I do is back the trailer about ¾ of the way into the water, jump out, pull the dock rope off the deck, with one side securely attached to the boat of course, tie one end to the dock leaving the slack line on the dock. The reason I lay the rope on the dock is because I don’t want it to tangle on anything in the boat or on the trailer as the boat comes off the trailer. As soon as the boat floats off I hop out, take up any slack line and snug the boat against the dock. If possible I’ll tie it off at the end of the dock. This leaves room for others to launch and tie off to the dock as well.

There ya have it. Follow these simple unwritten rules prior to backing down to the dock and it will help keep peace and harmony at the dock.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon!

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya! 

Sorry about being gone for so long but things have been going on in my life that took priority over my site and now that things are back to normal, I’m BACK!

Spring time is upon us and this is the time of the year that most anglers look forward to because we get to fish the fun baits, reaction baits, and the bass are known to cooperate but that is not my subject today.

Today I want to address a boating issue. Have you ever pulled up to a lake, prepped your boat in the parking lot and then got in line to launch only to find that the 3 people ahead of you in line have done nothing to their boat to prepare it for launching?

I have finally got to the point in life that I find it very entertaining. First off watching them back their rig down the long ramp to the water can be humorous, seeing them swerve the boat back and forth, backing down a couple feet only to pull forward several feet because they don’t have it straight or they have basically jack knifed the trailer. This is fine because we all have gone through this ordeal until someone taught us the trick on how to back your rig down to the water.

The quickest way to learn that I found is to place your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, look into your rear view mirror. If your boat goes to the left turn your hand to the left and visa versa. After a little practice you can do it like second nature and launch your rig even in the tightest places with ease. I was able to practice this even more when I would arrive home. I had a long narrow drive way and kept my boat at the very end of it.

Back to the launch ramp. Then when they finally do get their rig down to the water they have not prepped their boat in any way shape or form. They proceed to take the tie down straps off and load the boat with all of the stuff from their tow rig, which takes another 15 minutes, all the while the bass are calling your name. They finally get their boat loaded up and mom realizes that she has to go to the restroom but instead of splashing the boat they leave it on the trailer as mom proceeds to take the long trek up to the restroom.

Finally they are ready to splash the boat in the water so they back it in and pull the trailer just barley out of the water while still blocking the access for anyone else and everyone proceeds to board the vessel. Next thing you know Junior starts to scream that the boat is sinking, yep, you guessed it, they forgot the plug! So once again the trailer goes back into the water, load the boat back up and wait until all the water drains before putting the plug back in.

OK, so you assume that all should be finally taken care of, the boat is floating, everyone is sitting inside of it and dad proceeds to pull the trailer back up to the parking lot, of course they left the boat tied up right in the middle of the dock instead of moving it to the rear so more people could launch but hey, they are almost done, right? Nope!

Dad hops into the boat and cannot get the boat to start. He is cussing and screaming about how well it worked the last time but as it turns out the last time was last year at the same time. Finally after about 15 minutes he decides that maybe it will start if he puts it back onto the trailer and leaves his whole rig blocking access to everyone. 15 minutes later he finally gives up and pulls out of the way.

So there you are, sitting for almost an hour watching this guy asking yourself, “Was I ever that bad?” I for on can honestly answer no to that question. Then someone that was waiting for only 10 minutes is so impatient that he figures he can sneak in and launch before you can. BACK THE TRUCK UP BUDDY! Yes you have every right to be upset but luckily for you it upset someone else even more and your not the one going to jail for pounding someone at the boat launch.

During the battle, as everyone else watches cheering the pounder on you see your chance to finally splash your boat so you take advantage of it. You back down, have your buddy hold onto the rope, splash the boat, pull up and park your rig, run down to the water, hop in, fire her up and take off all in a matter of 4 minutes and off you go fishing.

Can you guess who the above story recently happened to? Yep, twas me. But hey, it turned out to be a good day fishing and the opening act was pretty entertaining.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon!

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

[tags]Launching the Boat, Boat Launching, How to Launch a Boat[/tags]

If you only take one piece of advise from this entire post take the following one. Take your time and do the reaserch. Don’t get in a hurry and buy the first boat you see, unless its a great deal of course. Trust me, I know it can be very tempting to get the first one, your like a kid in a candy store with $10.00, but if you take your time it could save you alot of headache. If possible buy from a friend or acquaintance in a Bass Club. I shared some of the things to look for and ask in my previous boating article.

There are always cosmetic things like carpeting, storage compartments etc but these are pretty cheap to fix or replace and they give you some leverage in the price negotiation Most of the cosmetic parts can be picked up at Bass Pro Shops and if your at least semi handy you can do them yourself. Treat buying a boat like buying a used car, the seller usually wants to sell it worse than you want it and should be willing to deal with the price.

One very major word of caution when purchasing a used boat, make sure the motor is well maintained. Ask if the impeller has been changed regularly. If not they can cause a low flow of water to run through the motor to cool it. Boat motors MUST have a good flow going through them to remain cool. A blown power head is very expensive to replace. Also, ask when the lower end oil was last changed. Ask when the propeller was last removed and if the main seal was at least checked. Fishing line can get behind the propeller, tangled around the shaft and actually cut into the main seal causing water to leak into the lower end and that is not a good thing. Bottom line, the motor is far and away the most expensive part of the boat to replace if it something goes wrong with it.

Before you purchase a used boat talk to the seller, ask questions about its maintenance schedule. If you don’t know the person ask to see copies of the maintenance record receipts. If he is honest he will not object to providing this information. The last thing you want to do is buy a boat that will be nothing but an anchor. You don’t want to be one of those who live by the old saying that, A Boat is a Hull In The Water, That You Throw Money Into.

Ask the seller to take you for a test drive, on the water of course. Make sure you arrive at the destination first. Listen to the trailer as he pulls up, are the bearings making noises? Do the trailer lights work? After you splash the boat look at the trailer. Are the bunks fully carpeted? Are they broke? Do the tires appear to be wearing evenly. Now your in the boat, pay attention to how quickly and easily the boat starts. Watch to see how long it takes for the water to start flowing through the motor and exit out the back. Note the pressure it exits at, watch the pressure gauge, at idle it wont be to high but as you motor out past the no wake zone it should raise some then at wide open throttle it should shoot up pretty good and should be spraying out the back very good.

Pay attention to how the RPM’s sound. They should sound about even with how fast your going. If the RPM’s seem to wind up way high and your not making much progress it could be a couple things. Maybe the prop is slipping, or maybe the motor is not trimmed down completely, which it should be to get up on plane quickly. Either way in my opinion its not really that bad because it’s a pretty cheap fix. Check the electronics, make sure they are working, look for moisture inside the glass. These are not deal breakers but can mean a price cut in the price of the boat.

Place the trolling motor into the water making sure it works. Note if the little arrow on top points in the direction your going. If not it is not an expensive fix so its no big work. Does the speed dial work? There is another thing you want to check but wait until your back in the parking lot to check it.

Ask him to fill the live wells and make sure they flow water as well as check to make sure the overflow works correctly. Click on the bilge pump, if water shoots out the side of the boat then your taking on some water, if not listen to make sure you can hear the pump running trying to pump out water that is not there. When your done for the day, ask him to pull the plug to see how much water it took into the bilge. On the trolling motor check, remove the propeller and see if there is fishing line around the shaft. If you notice some its really not that big of a deal, unless it actually has cut into the rubber seal. This could mean that water has gotten into the units lower end and its life may be short lived. If so this is should give you more price negotiation leverage.

If you are so inclined, ask the seller if he minds you taking the boat to a Marine Mechanic to look it over. I cant see any seller not letting you have a professional looking things over for you, unless he has something to hide. Yes, it will cost you some money to have a certified Marine Mechanic look it over for you but trust me, it will cost a lot less than if you buy a problem boat and have to take it to him then.

I’m sure I missed some things to look for but I think I’ve covered the expensive stuff. Like I said, take your time, do your homework and ask questions. It will make your purchase a more pleasurable experience.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

First off, if you finance a new boat there are finance companies that will give you a loan that have options to extend the payments over 10 plus years. This has good and bad benefits. Good in the sense that the payments can be low but bad because if you sit down and actually figure out just how much you will be paying over the term of the loan it just might shock you.

Paying with cash is always great, I don’t know about you but I don’t have that kind of cash laying around. Yes, its always nice to have a brand new, state of the art bass boat with all of the latest electronics. One that when other anglers see you on the water they drool.

Trust me when I say, it wont make you a better fisherman and let me share another secret with you, the bass don’t care if your in a brand new, high speed, fully equipped fiberglass boat or if your floating along, sitting on a lawn chair attached to railroad ties.

There are also the slightly used bass boats on the market. Boat companies usually give new boats every year to their sponsored pros. Then they sell the boats that were used for one season at a very discounted price. Not free mind you, but at least a few thousand less than a new one off the show room floor.

These boats usually appear to be a pretty good deal. They are well maintained both mechanically and appearance wise.

One thing to remember about these boats. Some of the time these boats are used very hard for that season. They can be abused and rode hard, even though they might not look it while they are sitting in the parking lot. In my opinion when someone gets something for free they don’t take care and caution when using it because they didn’t have to pay for it with their own cash.

Then there are times when these boats are well used and in great shape, so as you can see, it can be kind of a crap shoot at times.

Another option, if you fish in boater/non boater type tournament format you can usually find someone that is selling their used boat to buy a new one. This route is a great one to take because most of these type tournament organizations are a bunch of guys that know each other and you can talk to other members about how they feel the guy selling the boat takes care of it.

Another plus to going this route is you have a chance of drawing the boater before he decides to sell it and you can see how he treats his boat, how it runs, etc.  You can also become friends with these guys and get an even better price when they sale.

Then you have the aluminum boat’s, these are a good deal. They are not as smooth as a fiberglass boat but they will do just about anything a glass boat can and if you accidentally bounce it off a rock or tree you don’t ruin the gel coat and take on water in the bilge, unless of course you hit it hard enough to punch a hole.

You can always pick up a basic aluminum boat or even a john boat and modify it for bass fishing or any type fishing you prefer. Put a casting deck oh it, mount an ice chest in the middle. This can double as a live well and a place to keep your drinks cold.

You can get yourself a 20 horse motor or even a trolling motor, or just use some oars. If you get the trolling motor this would mean you would need a 12 volt battery and with that you could hook up a depth/fish sonar unit.

For a few hundred dollars you could make the ultimate bass John boat. I would not advise taking these smaller vessels out in “Open” water because it could be dangerous if the wind picked up. They are however great for fishing around structure, boat docks and smaller pond type lakes because you can unload and load them just about anywhere.

As a matter of fact, back when I fished tournaments as a non boater we had a member that had converted a 14 foot John boat into a 2 person bass boat. It just barely made the minimum legal boat length limit. His boat was usually left out of the draw because of its size unless we had an equal amount of boaters and non boaters. Lucky for me I never drew Brian. I’m a pretty big guy 6’3 275 pounds so it would have been tough fishing out of his boat all day.

You can always get yourself a Float Tube or the Pontoon type kick Boat. These can be rigged into fish catching machines as well and you get right into the action. I’ll share a story and some tips about float tuning in the future so stay tuned.

Bottom line, how much money do you want to spend or how handy are you at building things. The sky is the limit and the choice is yours.

Like I said before, the fish don’t care what your fishing out of, just your lure presentation.

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!