Bumgarner

Forgive me in advance as this will probably be a long winded post. I and 4 other friends get together in the spring every year and go on a small fishing trip. We try to find lakes that are equidistant for all of us as 2 are coming from the Charleston SC area, one from the extreme western part of NC, one from central NC and the other from coastal VA. For a number of years we fished Lake Gaston, but it got to be too long of a drive for those coming from Charleston and western NC and the lake itself, was a beast. The boat traffic was outrageous and the main lake was so choppy and rough, we nearly capsized a few times and that was in a 20 foot deep vee so we haven't been back since 2011. We fished Badin Lake for several years and while I love the lake, it's a difficult lake to fish and wasn't producing quality catches or good numbers. We were contemplating trying Kerr Lake this year (around the Saddlewhite Point area), but was wondering if conditions there are the same as Gaston seeing as they are so close together and the same river. I really don't want to be white knuckling it the entire time I'm there, but also don't want to be confined to one cove due to rough conditions. I have a Stratos 275 Pro which has a 94" beam, so it's plenty stable in rough water but still not sure I'd take it across the main channel on Gaston on a rough day. I've also heard reports of lots of crime and theft in the Henderson NC area, but boats will be docked at the marina at Saddlewhite, so hopefully that is not an issue. We were also contemplating Hyco Lake, which I've never been to, but were sort of turned off by the outrageous ramp fee and various other restrictions on the lake such as not fishing no wake zones or around bridges. We haven't ruled out Hyco and may be leaning more toward Hyco than the others, but the fees and restrictions do seem ridiculous. The other possibility is High Rock, but not sure if we'll have anymore luck there than Badin seeing as how it is the same river channel, but High Rock definitely seems more popular than Badin. We're primarily fishing for largemouth and shooting for mid April where ever we end up going, so if anyone with more experience with these lakes than myself could chime in, I would be grateful. Thanks!

Just wanting to get others input that may have mounted on similar boats. Got an Elite 7Ti for Christmas and just want some input on where to mount the Total Scan transducer. I would prefer to mount it so I could also read depths while on plane so flush with the bottom of the boat. I understand there is a risk to having the ducer knocked off, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Top speed rarely if ever gets over 40mph as it is a heavy boat and only has the 90hp Yamaha but I didn't buy it for speed in the first place. I've read that you can mount it to where you should be able to maintain bottom if mounted correctly and speeds aren't over 40mph. Hoping someone has personal experience. I've attached a photo of the transom of the boat. Thanks for your help!

I just have some questions about setup I need for a small jon boat (12'). First of all, I don't own a jon boat and will only be using this setup when I go on vacation about 3 times a year, so I want to keep everything as inexpensive as possible. I rent a vacation home on an 80 acre lake about 3 times a year. Only electric trolling motors are allowed on the lake and the house has a nice canoe and jon boat, but only paddles, no trolling motor. The lake has some nice bass in it and I wanted to maximize my fishing experience when we go to the lake house, so I purchased a transom mount 34 pound thrust trolling motor. I have no experience with trolling motors, so here are my questions. I know that it is preferable to purchase a deep cycle marine battery when you'll be using the trolling motor a lot, but is it necessary if I will only be using the trolling motor maybe 3 times a year, 3 days at a time. Could I possibly get by just using a regular 12 volt car battery and if so, how many hours of use could I get out of each charge. Also, do I need a special battery charger if I do purchase a deep cycle battery. I have a regular 12 volt/6 amp battery charger now. Will that be ok to use? Thanks for your help.