FishFinder17

Hi OFC, Still on the hunt for a new fishing rig but have some good options so far. I sold my other boat for a little less than I had hoped but now that it's gone I can get serious about finding a new one. Quick question about trolling motors, minn kota in particular. One of the boats I'm seriously considering would require a new trolling motor and I'm not sure what I would go with. I had a powerdrive v2 55lb on my old tracker and it was great so I'm considering the Terrova (70lb or bigger) but should I spend the extra bucks and get ipilot? Or could I save it and get the ipilot add-on later on? Any thoughts on the universal sonar and would I need a newer humminbird GPS to use ipilot properly? Lots of questions but everyone here has been a big help so far, hope you don't mind me asking for a little more. Thanks, FF17

Thanks vey much G.mech...just sent you a reply

I think I've seen this one on Kijiji..2001? Really nice boat but not really the style I'm looking for.

haha if you're willing to move a boat for 15 bucks I'm all ears....

Yes I did. That 115 E-tec looks nice and boat seems to be in good shape. I've sent the guy a note to get some more info. I would still prefer a walkthrough but it is a nice boat. Thanks very much for sharing, somehow I didn't see this one when doing my own kijiji search. FF17

Agreed. Beautiful boat but if I were him I wouldn't take my $15k max offer lol... Very nice setup

To be honest I hadn't even considered buying a boat in the US until the many suggestions that I do so. I've bought and sold 5 or 6 boats but have never ventured into the US market for any of them. I live in Mississauga so I'm not too far from the border and could make the drive to either Michigan or NY. I'm still pretty surprised that there are good deals to be had given the exchange rate. I'll have to do some looking to see what's out there. Thanks again for all of the comments and suggestions. Based on what's been said I know: -My preference is to go aluminum since it's going to spend most of it's time on a smaller lake and will be towed with a Mazda CX-5 to the bigger lakes -Better off in a Lund, Princecraft, or Crestliner vs Tracker (even though I just sold a 26 year old Tracker that treated me well lol) -Could be better deals in the US -It's still pretty early for GTA/Ontario listings but prices go up once the season starts Anything else I should know? Anyone have opinions on brands like Polar Kraft, Alumacraft, or others? Thanks again for all the comments, tips and suggestions - big help. FF17

Thanks for the tips. I had never really considered US for buying a used boat - figured the exchange would eliminate any possible savings. If I found the right deal in the US, is there a big process for bringing the boat over the border? Thanks,

Not in a rush at all. I'm actually in the process of selling one of my other boats that's ultimately going to pay for the new one. Pretty sure I agree with you on the Bass Boat space limitations and my 1st pick would be aluminum but if the right bass boat came along, who knows... Thanks very much for your help

Completely agree, that's why I'm hoping to get an early start so I can figure out what I really want.

Ya I definitely still think it's early as most people still have their boat in storage. For reference I bought a 1989 16ft tracker with the original 30hp johnson 4 years ago. It was on Kijiji for $5000 and I got it for $3500 because the guy had already bought a new boat and his payment was coming up. I did a bit of work to it over the years (new throttle, casting deck, electronics..maybe $1200 all in) and it served me really well for a 26 year old boat. I sold the boat this fall for $6000 which is $2500 more than I paid for it and $1300 more than I had invested after 4 years of using it. My point is no one knows how much a used boat is worth - they just know how much they want for it/are willing to pay for it. Plus everyone has different circumstances that can cause them to change their price. I'm just hoping I can find the right boat for the right price. From my experience a little hard work and hustle on Kijiji can pay off.

Already saw this one. Super nice boat but don't think it suits my fishing needs. Thanks

Would love to get the opinion of some of the members as I know there is a lot of boat knowledge around here. This spring I am in the market for a new fishing boat and my budget is around $15,000. I'm looking for something 17ft or bigger with at least a 90hp outboard. Ideally it would be an aluminum walk through (Lund, Crestliner, Tracker, etc) but I'm also considering a bass boat. The boat would spend the majority of its time on a smaller lake but I would like it to be capable of handling lakes like Simcoe, Muskokas, Kawarthas, etc for day trips. I often fish with 3 others so I'm hoping I can find a boat that will accommodate that. Trolling motor and finders are a must so if I have to buy/upgrade I will factor that into the price. Hoping to find something 2004 or newer. I'm wondering what you would buy if you were in my position? I'm going to be buying used so are there brands I should stay away from? or any I should look for? Would you recommend a bass boat or aluminum and why? Any help would be appreciated. I know I may have to sacrifice some areas of my wish list given my budget but hoping not too much. It's a big purchase and I want to make sure I buy the right boat so it spends more time on the water than in the repair shop. Thanks, FF17

Coulda been a samsquanch...

I only really fish pike and bass in my area. My go to pike lures are: -Rapala X-Rap Shad Jointed perch colour -Joe Bucher Top Raider perch colour (awesome top water lure for pike) -Joe Bucher SlopMaster in Black and Orange -Double 10/Double 12 Colorado blade bucktail spinners in gold/silver and black/orange -Storm jointed 4 inch shad swimbaits I would guess that more than half of my pike are caught on bucktails - the one in my profile picture was a 10lb caught on a silver/gold. If the tournament you are entering is early season/after ice out the top raider works great when they are still in the shallows. Hope this helps FF17

Went up to St John on Saturday. Managed 5 pike and had a great day, weather was nice. Ice was 5" black and 6" white. Heading back this Saturday... Cheers, FF17

My brother-in-law was up there a couple weeks back. said parking was okay (might not be a lot if it get's busy) and can access the lake through the usual spot. I'm heading up to little/st john tomorrow so might be able to give you more info after that. Cheers, FF17

Great news! thanks for sharing. I'm going to head up on Saturday. Will stop at Little to see how it looks and if it's a no go will continue north to St John

Thanks Steve - I saw your report on the LSMB, great video. How do you think the ice is holding up? Will you be back out there before Saturday? I'm thinking I may try Cooch or St John based on some of the reports about Little Lake Cheers, FF17

Good to know NAW - hope the ice is good for you! good luck

Thanks NAW. I've been ice fishing for a few years now but usually go out with my brother-in-law who knows the ice a little better than I do - this time I'm organizing the group so don't want to take any chances (also why I had to buy a hut and heater because I can use his lol). Based on your feedback I'm likely going to hold off unless someone goes out there and finds 6"+ of ice. I have a friend up that way who say's he's going to go check it out so if I get any info I'll be sure to share. My brother-in-law says he's going to Lake St John on Saturday so we'll see what kind of ice he finds. If Little is a no go are there any other lakes within a half hour that might have better conditions? Might be a silly question but thought I would ask. Really appreciate your response. FF17

Ya that's definitely not going to help. Forecast shows highs only reaching -7 and lows around -15 between now and saturday so hoping that will do the trick.

thanks for the info guys. I'm hoping that the cold over the next few days will be enough to give us some good ice but based on what you're saying I need to be extra careful, if I even go at all...

Hi OFC, Happy New Year! So I just bought a new hut (Clam XL4000T), heater, rod and more to get ready for the ice and I'm itching to get out there. I'm planning to go up to Little Lake in Barrie on Saturday with three buddies and we have been keeping an eye on the forecast hoping for good ice. The boys are a little nervous about ice safety (especially after this rain) so I'm hoping I can gain some insight from some who may live in the area or frequent the lake. Can anyone confirm how much ice is currently on Little Lake? Anyone planning on fishing it between today and Saturday? Because I'm organizing the day trip I feel responsible for my friends' safety, so I just want to have some confidence that there's enough ice under our feet. Thanks in advance, FF17

Find shallower (4-8ft) weed beds with steep drop-offs (20-40ft) nearby. I typically cast into the edges of the weed beds and retrieve over the drop-off. The lake I fish has warmed up to 76 also and since it has everything I have caught has been in close proximity to a big drop in depth. It's my understanding that pike prefer water close to 65 so they won't be in those shallower areas where it is 76+ I typically throw bigger buck tail spinners and have had an amazing luck this year with an ERC Jig-A-Beast (google it) and the larger Rapala jointed X-Rap. 15 pike since opener with the largest being 11lb and 37.5" Hope this helps.