first_timer

Im turning a small jon boat into a mini bass boat. i have a 10 ft sears jon boat and going to deck it out. i have a front mount trolling motor with foot controls and possibly getting a 5 horse outboard for the back. i would like to throw a fish finder in. what fish finders have you found that work for you and whats the price? im looking at about 200 possibly 300 but dont want to spend a whole lot. looking to get the best deal for the money. what luch have you all had and what features you like on yours? was looking at this one on amazon garmin fishfinder looks nice never played with a fish finder though so dont know what features to look for. thanks for looking and posting when you can. -H

so i am very impressed with the forum everyone has thrown there two cents in and helped greatly. especially with the line choice and descriptions that was super helpful. i threw the lures in the water today. took my new 10 ft jon out on the water to test it out make sure it floats. had just a few minor leaks i need to repair but all in all going to be a great boat for myself and possibly my little brother. i ALMOST lost a lure today but mostly to my mistake casting. all i caught today was a fence( from over casting) a tree ( from not paying attention) a floating stick. and a few other odds and ends. but all in all it was great fun. i didnt catch anything at all even while trolling for trout. my buddy caught a little crappie but thats it. im going to respool my baitcaster and put some 10 lb line i have onto it and see if i cant get the casting part down. was fooling around in the yard a bit and had a few successful cast but all the information ive gotten from you guys is great glad i came here. i will take all feed back and keep you posted when i catch my first bass.

thanks for all the help i really appreciate it getting me a little 10ft jon this weekend from a buddy so i plan to do lots more fishing come summer time.

also on the baitcasting reel with the heavier line will it be less likely to birds nest? got any tips on the casting reel?

sounds like a plan. looks like i should just invest in some extra lures for when some go missing. im interested in trying this braided line. the combo i have is a cabelas special. its a cabelas gold label pole it is 6'6" i dont know the stiffness of it it doesnt really say. what it does say is line wt 8-17 test lure wt 1/4-1 oz and h10 at the end. its a baitcasting reel which im still trying to learn how to use. getting pretty good at pulling out birds nests. im used to spinner reels but never really done much bass fishing.

i need to research some of this stuff like a fluke? haha but i have a ok rod and reel fairly heavy. but im running 4lb line. was trolling for trout, should i use something heavier? and how much heavier? i have some 10lb in my box. i believe the cranks i have have treble hooks on them will they be ok at not getting hung up?

Ok so this is going to sound a bit retarded. but how do i avoid loosing my spinner baits and what nots when fishing for bass. bass like the weeds and stuff but around here weeds like lures. i dont want to spend a couple bucks on a lure and the loose it in the water. is this common for people or am i just barking up the wrong tree? im curious and dont fish a whole lot but am getting back into it. thanks for the help.