alexofoakton

Thanks guys.

Recently, I went out with a more experienced friend. He always put the bass boat about 20-25 feet off shore to avoid spooking the fish. We were fishing the Occoquan Reservoir, casting up to shore grasses and rock walls. Yet, I see others fishing much closer to the same types of spots so that can easily flip/pitch into them. Same when they fish around docks and pilings. What is the recommended distance from the boat to the spot to be fished?

Thanks Wayne P. for the info. I am still entry-level with my sonars. I'm also stuck fishing along the shore.

Wayne, in another post and a different forum I think, you said that using side imaging sonar was like "sight fishing" for you implying that you actually see dots on your sonar that represent fish. But just now, you say that you see structure ("where the fish are---points, creeks, humps, steep drops, etc."). So which is it? I'd like to know because I have a Humminbird 898c SI installed and I see a lot of structure, but rarely (almost never) fish. Am I doing something wrong?

In late 2010, I bought a 2008 Tracker Pro Team 170 for $7500 off of craigslist. I am very happy with the boat although I have put about $5K into it to upgrade to a minnkota 80# trolling motor and two humminbird side imaging sonars. I fish small/medium lakes and small rivers, not big water (Smith Mountain lake). Its a relatively light boat and I can easily tow it with my 4Runner.

Until I sold it to my son-in-law's brother about a year ago, I fished from a Heritage Featherlite 9.5 fishing kayak (think the company has gone out of business). It's a little wider than your traditional touring kayak. I never came close to tipping it over. I can swim, but the reason I never really worried about tipping over is that I wore a life jacket at all times (I am 68 years old). So - wear a good life jacket at all time. Always fish with a friend since you can't swim. You shouldn't need stabilizers. If you do, I think you should consider another (more stable) kayak.

I bought my first bass boat, a 2008 Bass Tracker Pro Team 170, which is a little smaller than what you are looking at, off of cragslist in the fall of 2010. It came with a Mercury 50 hp and two humminbirds that the first owner had installed. I got such a good price that I don't feel bad with my own upgrades: 80# minn kota trolling motor, two humminbird SI sonars, and, recently, a replacement of the 50 hp with a Mercury 9.9 hp bigfoot. I fish mostly restricted hp or electric only bodies of water. If you're careful, you can get more for your money with a used late model. Plus, consider where you are going to fish most of the time. Remember, Trackers are considered entry-level boats: you'll wind up upgrading a lot of stuff on one.

This summer I upgraded from a Motorguide 46# to a MinnKota 80# (24V) specifically to get a little more speed on electric-only lakes. With the 46#, I barely moved my 17' Tracker and, in a wind, I was basically standing still. I am 100% happy with the MinnKota 80# (of course, with the new batteries, this change cost about $2K).

For several years I fished from a featherlite 9.5 angler, which was set up for fishing with three rod holders and an anchor that you can raise and lower from the seat. I had good luck with it and enjoyed fishing even in the most shallow arms of lakes. I bought it because it only weighs 38 lbs, which was the most that I could lift onto my roof-top carrier (I am not a young man). I gave it up for a bass boat partly because I couldn't take sitting down with my legs extended for long periods of time. Lessons learned: get a sit-on-top regardless of weight, plan on getting a really nice Fish Finder with SI, and plan on getting a trolling motor. If I had done all 3 of these things, I might still be fishing from a kayak!

Thanks for the info.

With my 17' bass boat I use a 20 lb. mushroom anchor when needed. I have seen advertisements for the "stick it" anchor pin type anchors that look like a sharp pole that you stick into the bottom and tie to your boat. They come in 7', 8', and 10' lengths. Anyone ever use this type of anchor and would you recommend it?

Thanks for the info Wayne P. You're helped me change my plan for using my new 798ci. With two mounts (and transducers), I can use it where I need it, which actually is in the front of the boat where I spend most of my time.

Wayne P - please clarify one thing. When I turn on my MinnKota Fortrex, the built-in Universal sonar 2 doesn't automatically start transmitting unless a fish finder is connected and turned on too?

Wayne P - thanks for the advice. I haven't installed my new 798ci HD SI yet. So you suggest that I get another compatible quick mount and then switch the 798ci between the mounts (which I have done with my current Humminbirds frequently). But I have a Minn Kota Fortrex with Universal Sonar 2 - will i need to disable it to prevent interference?

I just purchased a Humminbird 798ci HD SI Combo to go next to my console. I haven't used it yet. I will use my older Humminbird 587ci at the front position. My plan is to swivel the 798ci HD around so that I can see it from the front chair. Now I won't be able to read either unit when standing up and, maybe, not that well when sitting. It's a tradeoff. On a river or large lake, I think I want to have the side imaging capability next to the console.

I'm thinking about upgrading my smaller Humminbird fish finder. In this topic, people have mentioned down imaging and side imaging features. Are these really valuable features or are they part of Humminbird's marketing? The type of fishing I do is in lakes and rivers with depths of mainly 3-40' with water that tends to be cloudy.

Thanks again. BTW - Wayne P - I didn't catch even 1/10 of 2426 bass this year. I can't wait until next year.

Wayne P - I see the bass in your last post. What you are saying is that you sort of "map" the lake by criss-crossing it and marking spots where fish may be will you GPS? One final question: when you fish a spot, do you turn your fish finder off (I have heard that the pings bother the fish)?

Thanks for the great info. Wayne P. I don't see the two bass in your last post?

I keep my Humminbird 587ci fish finder in the front where I can see it from the front seat. I look for structure and drop-offs as I move along. Sometimes, I have the fish alarm on and I hear occasional alarms. My question is should I be seeing fish indications where I fish (I usually don't). I know in the summer with a lot of vegetation I'm not going to see fish, but in the fall and when I'm fishing in deeper water, if I don't see fish indications should I look for another spot?

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I may be too quick when fishing soft plastics. Some of my bites may have been crappie.

I started with a jig dressed with a white fluke using a 7 ft pool and bait casting reel. Switched to a 6'6" pole with a spinning reel with a shaky head using a 5" senko worm rigged Texas style. Later, switched to a 7" white crazy worm. I stuck with these setups because I was getting some bites.

I was fishing on the Occoquan River yesterday and had about 6 good bites in 3 hours, but didn't catch anything. I felt like I should have caught something - the fish were there. What is a realistic good number for the ratio of bites to catches?

When I have requested help on these forums, I have gotten a wealth of information from people who appear to be experts. So the huge number of responders and the depth of knowledge are what make me keep coming back.

Thanks for the help.