kjackson

After spending too long deciding what kind of boat I need for the conditions I'm fishing, I've finally figured it out. I have three choices-- buy used, build a stitch-and-glue boat or buy a new hull and rig it. For the last two options, I need a trailer, and the options I see from dealers of the hull I'm after (basically an improved jon) seem overpriced and not what I'm after. Are there any decent sources of trailers for light boats in the 14-16-foot range? I've tried searching without a lot of luck.

For what I'm anticipating buying, a 15 or 25-hp is about it. I've been seeing a lot of Evinrudes on the used boats in Florida--which is where I'll be next week. Thanks for the info, Wrench. Basically, I'm looking for a 15- to 16-foot glass boat. A big 14 might do...

I'm in the process of downsizing/re-thinking my boat/fishing situation. I'll be selling my current boat and looking for something smaller. Because I'm cheap, er, thrifty, I'm looking at used. Can older outboards be retrofitted with tilt and trim? Can an older outboard be changed over to electric start? I don't have a particular boat/motor combo in mind, but I'm thinking Evinrude, Yamaha or Honda for power. I've also been looking really hard at the StumpNocker boats as I think one will fit the upper LOZ/Truman thing fairly well for what I want to do. I realize that a smaller boat will bring safety considerations into play, but I'm semi-retired, so I can pick and choose where and when I fish, assuming winter ever leaves. Part of the smaller boat thinking is in regards to the miserable dirt road that gives us access to our LOZ cabin and partly due to the very upper end of Truman.

Rapala's braid scissors are the ones I use. They have mini-serrations that hold and cut. Avoid the Berkley scissors... Mustad has a split-ring pliers that has a braid-cutting feature that works very well in the KVD series of tools.

I've not fished Bull, so I can't say what colors I would choose for that lake. But, it is difficult to make a bad choice in colors if you're building a bunch of spinners as most every color combo will work at some point. Silver, gold, copper, chartreuse and white blades all work. So do orange and red-and-white, blue, purple and some of the baitfish patterns. I prefer floats for bodies as I like the bit of buoyancy they provide. Colors of bodies almost mimic those of the blades. For a basic stock, I'd choose chartreuse, orange, silver and gold blades and chartreuse, gold, silver and orange bodies. Having said that, I'd also stock some of Yakima Bait's Spin-N-Glos in some of the same colors. Those little, spinning floats are deadly on walleyes.

Thanks, guys. I'll send your recommendations on to my friend.

Hey-- A friend is looking for contact info for catfish guides in the Truman Lake/LOZ areas. Any suggestions for good ones? thx

Super Spook Jr, Saltwater version...but there's a story that goes along with that intel. On my first trip to Venice, I was fishing with an older guy in Yellow Cotton Bay. The water was fairly clear, and we were looking for reds tailing. The gentleman in the bow spotted one and pointed out where it was. I grabbed the rod with the Spook and watched the way the fish was feeding. I led it what I thought would be right, cast and started working the Spook back toward the boat; it looked like everything would be perfect. The fish kept to its line, and the Spook was definitely heading for a meeting. Then Spook was in place, and the red was right there, when the world's biggest splash engulfed the Spook, throwing water feet in the air. The fish ran toward the boat, and I reeled as fast as I could but couldn't catch up to it when I noticed that something was skipping along on top of the water. It was a gafftop catfish that hit the Spook instead of the red. After a minute or so of "I thought I had him," and "I thought you did, too; what a bummer" discussion, the guy said, "I didn't tell you at first, but that was a huge red. When he passed the boat, his head was on this side (he pointed to the starboard), and his tail was on that side (pointed to port)." Granted, we were fishing out of an older Skeeter tri-hull, but it was still a big bull. And as a side note, one of the other guys the party caught a 43-8 (I think it was) on a fly rod the week before.

Here's another article I wrote for Bass Pro's 1Source e-zine. It's on the Venice, La., area and its fishing. For those who like to catch fish, Venice is a superb destination. https://1source.basspro.com/index.php/component/k2/62-fishing/4095-best-place-for-bucket-list-fishing-venice-louisiana

I tend to check the setline every couple of hours during the day but leave them in overnight. This is the first time I've had something chew on a fish. Granted, I've had hooks gone and droppers cut/broken, but I attributed this to the cats doing their twisting dance once hooked. All the turtle/snake/setline thing is new to me. I've spent most of my life in the Pacific Northwest, and living here is a learning experience...

Survey says...didn't think turtles were out this early, given the cold water, but that makes sense. We do have a largish snapper living in the area. Whatever hit the cat didn't really eat anything, just cut the abdomen. The gill and tail chewing I attributed to the little channel cats (or the dink crappies which currently live under the dock). Interesting... thanks.

No images from me, but I also caught crappies--unfortunately, none were over six inches. Then there were some catfish off the set line on our dock--but they weren't especially photo material either.

Spent some time at our place on the upper end this past week. And as I usually do, I put down a set line from the end of our dock as we still have quite a bit of water. After doing better than I thought the first day, the second morning was a surprise. When I pulled the line, there was a really nice blue cat--but it was dead. I've never had a catfish die on the line before...While that might be expected, this one was pretty well chewed on. The gills had been chewed a bit as had the tail. But the head-scratcher for me was the belly. It looked like it had been cut in three or four places, and the intestines were pulled out. I could see that a larger cat might have done that, but the cuts looked like they'd been made by a knife--very straight and not ragged at all. Are there pike or muskies in the lake? That's kind of the damage I might expect from those toothy critters, but otherwise--what could do that?

Based on the USPS calculator, a large, flat-rate box that should hold everything is going to run $18.90.

I'll check, but it's whatever the post office charges...

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can attend to business. The Garmin stuff is free to whoever wants it. BUT you have to pick it up in Clinton or pay shipping. Any takers?

I posted this in the wrong column, "tips, etc." when it should have been posted here. I have a Garmin Fishfinder 240 Blue with two transducers, one of which is an Airmar. The power cord in relatively long but cut. The unit worked well when I pulled it off my old boat, and it's been sitting in a box since. I don't know much about the unit, but the Garmin site has info. While there have been a ton of advances in marine electronics since this was produced, it's still a decent unit that would work well in the bow. If you're interested, get in touch.

Deleted

Since you're after a boot wader, shoe size is paramount...the rest of the fit is secondary, IMO.

Thanks for the info, guys. Now all I have to do is find the boat...there are a few around, but I'm likely to drive a bit. Won't go to Chicago for a boat, but may travel to Wisconsin and sponge off the relatives for a place to stay--after the snow stops, that is. Probably should work on my boat now to get it ready to sell. Thanks again!

Thanks, Wrench. The only problem with these older boats is that they're usually paired with motors of the same year--and from what I've seen, Mercury is a leader. I'm not adverse to putting a new(er) engine on one, so that isn't necessarily a deal breaker. Finding a Ranger Fisherman or Angler is not that easy, but that's the style I'm after as I may want to hang a small kicker off the stern, and a boarding ladder also is a must. Both can be added later, of course. Back to the lake in a few to see if the crappies have moved into the dock. Last time out, I hooked the largest dock fish yet--don't know what it was, but it was fast and strong and broke me off in less than five seconds. I figure it was either a biggish cat or a bass well over the three pounders I usually hit.

I'm finally getting serious about replacing my boat with something that will fit what I need a boat to do a bit better than my current boat. I've had aluminum boats for decades and might jump on the right one if it comes along. However, my mind set now is that the perfect boat is a Ranger Fisherman--that's one without the back deck and a fairly open rear cockpit--the design is more for walleye fishing than bass fishing. I'd like to get an older one because A) I'm cheap and $30,000 or more-expensive boats really don't fit the program. Do older Rangers have problems with the transom or floor? Are there certain things to watch out for in older Rangers? I don't mind doing some rebuilding or things like that, but I want a sound hull and a motor that can be fixed. Any suggestions welcome.

If you need inspiration to carry side-cutters, perhaps these images will help. If we'd thought of removing the second hook before pulling the one in my leg, then the hook in the finger would not have happened...

Al-- you may have misunderstood (or I've misunderstood your remark)-- the finger impalement (is there such a word?) was done by the second hook on the topwater. The mistake we made was leaving it on the lure when we pulled the first hook. We should have removed it or turned it around and secured it so that the tines were pointed opposite to the direction of pull. The extractions themselves were painless--just a quick jerk was all I felt. However, your point is valid on what we did on the hook that was in my finger--we definitely could have done that better, but again, it didn't hurt and is healing nicely. I should be able to get images this weekend. The takeaway I get from this is to always have a pair of good sidecutters on hand and to pick up a pair of plastic fish grips for the kayak. The times I've brought a kicking white bass or catfish into the kayak between my bare legs with treble hooks flying around makes me think it is time to get smart.

While antiquing with SWMBO, I ran across one of those glass minnow traps, but this one came with the original box--from Orvis! That was a surprise...if it hadn't been for the $175 price tag, I might have picked it up.