John F.

I did something similar with my Gamefisher. I strongly recommend researching everything you can about stringer / transom / floor replacement. It's not easy, not cheap and mostly an itchy dirty messy job. BUT, I can say in my case it was worth every bit of it. I spent a bunch of money ($2k+) on a $600 boat motor and trailer. And I am about to have to do half of it again. I will never be able to place a dollar value on the countless fishing trips Dad and I have made on that boat. Many would call it a pos and ugly but the fish don't care. My recommendation, figure out what really needs to be done to make the boat safe and reliable. Do that, use it for a while and then think about what needs to be changed to suit you better. (thats where I am now) You'll know more about why things need to be setup differently and more importantly you'll get to enjoy it before tearing it apart. It's hard to complete a huge project like that, easier if you can remember why you're doing it. (just my 2 cents). It took a very long time to go from here: To here:

I can cast a soft plastic hundreds of times, at structure, under it skip it into the weeds and pull it out etc... If I cast anywhere near anything with a $$ crankbait forget it. It is magnetically attracted to every bit of structure there is. Beyond that, I have lost more than one as it sails off into the distance alone. If I snag a cheap soft plastic I can drag the boat all the way to it without breaking off. Sinking / suspending crankbait, nope. I guess it's my sacrifice to the tackle / fishing gods.

Thanks for the warm welcome, I saw how helpful everyone was and that's part of why I joined. I have no idea what's lurking in my canal, besides turtles. Something even chomped my fluke right in half behind the hook. I'm guessing turtles again. My neighbors like to catch and eat them but I guess they've been slacking. I have caught a bunch of little bass but never have seen anyone catch anything worthwhile. Maybe I can change that. This is one I caught on the saltwater side of the spillway while hunting snook on the fly. Probably my personal best.

Ok the workday is winding down and I have a quick chance to post while there aren't any emergencies. I'm in the Treasure Coast area in Port Saint Lucie and I work in West Jupiter. I drive past a bunch of little ponds and canals that look promising. I'm putting together a combo I can leave in the truck so I can hit some of these spots on they way home from work. I fish saltwater alot but I can't always find the time to hook the boat up and go for a few hours. Maybe if it cools off a bit I'll even strap on a backpack and hit some spots on my bicycle like I should have done as a teenager. I discovered the SE section and the contests. I'm going to need to really work on my game before I can try and compete.

I consider my fishing time my decompression time. I work a sort of stressful job and I spend all day and many nights on the computer. I like to fish because it is a way to get away from the screens for a while. I am in the "get caught dreaming" category. I often get caught looking when a fish hits and screw everything up. On top of that, it's a way to connect with my Dad. I introduced him back to fishing and helped him learn fly fishing. Now we fish every weekend we possibly can and often spend the week thinking about where we'll fish, what the boat needs etc... Next thing I'm going to do is help him learn to (successfully) bass fish.

Hi! I'm John, from Florida. I have to say this site is awesome. I stumbled across a youtube video and heard him mention the site. I tried out the rigging / fishing tips last night and within 3 or 4 casts I had hooked up with a juvenile bass in my backyard canal / practice area. I haven't spent much time fishing freshwater because I live on the coast and usually can be found hunting Snook Redfish and Trout. I fished Lake O but didn't have any idea what I was doing and spent half the time clearing hydrilla off my prop instead of fishing. I'm hoping to learn as much as I can and take advantage of the local freshwater opportunities I have been ignoring. I am currently fishing with the same spinning combo I use for inshore and that works for me for now. I also like to fly fish and that's where my bass addiction started. I practice fly casting in my backyard canal whenever I get bored, boy was I happy when that first bass hit. I progressed to where I was catching 1-2 every night on poppers last spring. Now I am working to better understand how to locate them regardless of the season, weather etc.. Thanks for reading my intro, and for sharing all of your knowledge. -John.