I am an outdoorsman and have always loved being on the water...not "in" the water, but "on" the water. I love boats and kyacks and floating and drifting and moving and speeding. I just absolutely the peace that the water brings into my soul. So, as a result, I love fishing. I love sitting in a boat and trolling a lure up and down a lake for Walleye and Yellow Perch, and I enjoy fighting a trolling motor and casting to structure for bass. I love worm fishing for bluegills. I just love fishing and eating while fishing and drinking while fishing and swapping stories while fishing and discovering wildlife while fishing. I don't even need to catch fish in order to enjoy the experience. I am a "on the water" fanactic, touring now in a 12' jonboat!

Wow! That’s huge and you have two! I would need someone to take me out in their boat and really school me on the usage of fish finders and why they are so important, before I would feel sufficiently motivated To spend hundreds of dollars on outfitting my boat with one. I understand why I need a really nice trolling motor to move my boat around but I’m still questioning why I need a really nice fishfinder to help me enjoy a day on the water.

Thank you for sharing your experience and advice!

Ok…Good advice!

I realize there were some great deals to be had at the Christmas season but I had just finished a series of modifications on the new boat and was completely out of money. I had to make a decision as to whether or not to go ahead and purchase on a credit card or just wait until next spring to begin again. I opted to wait until spring since my wife was applying some pressure based on the amount of money I had already spent on the boat. Thanks for your suggestions. I will take them to heart. Beavertooth

Hello lunker hunters! I have written to you about my little 2021 Lowe Johboat before and have asked your advice and have always appreciated your kind and helpful answers. You have been so helpful that I thought I would ask once again.

First off, I am looking for a budget friendly fishfinder…something in the $200-$300 range. I think I will mount it on one of my rod holder mounts that I can see from the rear seat while I tiller control the 9.9 Mercury Motor. I think I will glue a transducer mounting block to the transom of my johnboat so that I do not have to drill any new holes below the waterline.

I’ve never been big into fishfinders. I don't really understand all the technicalities of fish-finders. My main concern and need is to read water depth and temperature and to be able to see where the fish are, so that I don’t spend quite as much time fishing over unproductive water. I don’t need “fancy” and do not want to put a lot of money into a big computer screen that might be worth more money than my boat.

I have already searched through the YouTube videos and have seen what various Vloggers have suggested. Surely some of you have a smaller fishing boat like mine and you’ve purchased something for your boat, so what would be your suggestion???

I’ll attach a picture or two so you can see what sort of a boat that I will be adding the fishfinder to…. THANK IN advance for your able assistance! Beavertooth

Thank you so much for your reply! Until late this year I had spent the last three years fishing from a kayak after disposing of a big 20 foot bass boat with a 200 hp motor. My rule for kayak fishing was that if the wind hit 10 mph, I would not go out in my “paddle-only” kyack. I couldn’t even retrieve one cast before my kayak had gone cockeyed. I was beginning to think that I was a bit of a wimp, because I likewise do not enjoy going out in my little John boat if the wind hits 10 mph or higher, which it certainly did today. I am gratified to see that you agree. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Anyone who has ever read one of my recent posts, knows that I am the new owner of a 2021 model, 12’ Lowe johnboat with a brand new Mercury 9.9hp, that I have done a few modifications to in hopes of making it more comfortable and useful.

I live in the Branson, Missouri area and fish primarily on Bull Shoals Lake and occasionally on Lake Taneycomo. I completely stay away from Tablerock Lake because it is too big and pressured by huge pleasure and power boats. Its too ruff!

Today on Christmas Eve, I was fully planning on taking my two daughters out in the Jonboat for an afternoon of fishing on Bull Shoals Lake in 70 degree weather. Then I stepped outside and realized that the wind was between 11-15 mph with gusts up to nearly 30 mph. The American flag on my neighbors flag pole was flying perpendicular to the pole.

In recent days, while getting used to the new Jonboat, I have found that I don’t really enjoy being out in my little boat on windy days. If it’s windy I spend an incredible amount of time and effort working on controlling the boat. The wind in the wintertime also brings with it some cloudy days and uncomfortable temperatures. I cant stand cold weather!

Even though the wind is not so high as to cause danger and prevent me from going fishing strictly due to safety issues, I find that my level of “enjoyment” suffers greatly if I head out for a day on the lake in windy conditions. I also am launching and loading on a concrete boat ramp that has no boat dock, which is always a thrill to navigate on a windy day. Lol. Additionally, after loading my equipment and hitching up the boat, I have to drive about 30 minutes on a two-lane, very narrow winding/twisting Ozark road to get to the boat ramp. You definitely have to be in the mood to make the drive, even though it is only 30 minutes away.

I just love being on the water on a calm day!

So I thought I would pose the question… What is your personal limit for wind as it relates to your “overall enjoyment” of the day? I’m not referring to safety issues which might cause your boat to swamp or capsize, but rather how much wind can you tolerate before you begin regretting being in the boat?

Is going to be even windier tomorrow on another 70° day so it is unlikely I will have my johnboat on the water again before the end of the year.

Merry Christmas to all of you and may you experience a wonderful holiday season with family and friends! God bless you all! BeaverTooth

I did read that they were a fit for a Scotty rod holder so I gave it a try before I sent my Scotty products back to Amazon. They do in fact fit into the Scotty mount. The stealth rod holders that I have are not the least bit stiff or difficult to release. The rod pulls free from rubber cradle very easily. It does not require allot of effort. My models are the Q1 which are apparently the correct size for just a normal bass fishing rod. They also make a heavier model which I believe is called the Q2, which is designed for more heavy duty setups.

Isn’t it nice when something actually does what it’s advertised to do?!

I have been pleasantly surprised by the STEALTH rod holder, model QR1-MM…$25.43 on Amazon, combined with the Stealth DUPIVEXT Dual Pivot Rod Holder Extension…$18.93 on Amazon.

These rod holders are advertised… “The Stealth QR-1 allows you to just grab and pull. The same motion that releases your rod sets the hook!” It’s absolutely true!

They are quite unusual looking because they have a rubber cradle that holds and firmly grips your rod handle. All you have to do is grab your rod as if you were going to set the hook and it pulls free from the rod holder. Your rod also doesn’t roll around inside a plastic holder that’s too big for it. The rubber cradle firmly grasps the rod, so that it stays put until you place your hand on it and pull it out of the holder, which is exactly the same motion you would use to set the hook. They are absolutely fantastic! Even my daughter who knows nothing about rod holders, loves how easily this product works.

I bought one extension arm for myself which gives me about a 10-12 inch extension that puts the rod holder within my reach while I am operating my tiller controlled mercury 9.9 hp motor.

I had purchased Scotty rod holders (a great product) and had already installed two of them on my johnboat. Then I noticed the stealth model and began to research YouTube videos on this product. I was so impressed that I ordered four of the stealth rod holders and replaced the Scotty brand and returned them to Amazon. (I am totally in love with how easy it is to return items to Amazon if you are not fully satisfied.)

I am not receiving any sort of reward from Stealth to promote their product. I am just one very satisfied customer that thought I would pass along my good fortune and newfound knowledge about rod holders to my fellow fisherman on FishingStage.com.

Here are some photos of what the rod holders look like on my little 12 foot johnboat. Let’s go catch some fish… And if none are biting, then let’s just have a fun day on the water! Beavertooth

I started an exchange regarding modifications I had done to a 12 foot johnboat. That began an excellent conversation between several Jon boat owners that were very insightful. Some asked that I would post a photo now and again of our fishing success.

Here are a couple of photos from yesterday’s excursion (Dec 10) on Bull Shoals Lake, in Branson, Missouri. I have never fished during the month of December! We have had several days where the temp has hit 70°, so I have hit the water with my daughter.

Everything is in short demand today and kayaks are at the top of the list. I live in Branson, Missouri and we have a local kayak shop that handles some of the nations most popular brands. It is my opinion, after having shopped for kayaks for quite some time, that it is easier for me to spend some time calling around to the various shops that handle the brands that I’m looking for and simply take an opportunity as it arises, as opposed to putting in an order and waiting for that order to be filled and delivered.

The kayak manufacturers say that they are doing the best they can by way of delivery, but I believe that the wait time is absolutely ridiculous.

Oftentimes a kayak shop will receive a vessel it was not expecting or a customer will back out of the order before it is fulfilled. There are times when your local kayak shop has the perfect kayak on hand and all you have to do is gather the information and go make your purchase. Some kayak shops have no idea what they are going to receive in shipment the next week. Kayak show up that they were not expecting and I think that is an excellent way to make a purchase.

If I were you, after five months of waiting, I would go to that shop and demand a refund and start again.

Thank you sir for this very kind response to my post. You have been exceedingly complementary to an old guy who was never taught by his father to work with his hands. Working on this little John boat was a real challenge for me. It is amazing all the mistakes you can cover up with camo CVA foam! Lol. I tried to keep it light and keep myself down in the boat rather than perched up on the top rail. The boat seats you commented on were the ones that came with the boat. They’re certainly not very attractive, but they are very wide. There’s a lot of room in these seats and since we are required to carry a flotation cushion in the boat, those cushions make for a nice padded seat, so I agree wholeheartedly with your recommendation. I plan to continue using these seats because they are functional, fairly comfortable and pretty indestructible.

Here is a photo of my daughter with a Walleye caught from our Jon!

Since you mentioned Motor Guide, let me ask you a question. When I go to Bass Pro in Springfield, MO and ask them about the Motor Guide brand (eyeball to eyeball in person) the sales people strongly recommend that I do NOT purchase Motor Guide because they are no longer dependable and the company does not stand behind its products. They say...purchase only MinnKota! Now since you have purchased the XI 5, what is your opinion on the subject? Are you happy with your purchase. Motor Guide is considerable cheaper than MinnKota. Thank You!

Thanks! I do understand that bow mounting is the best alternative. I have decided to purchase the Terrova with auto pilot and stop lock and of course mount in on the bow. I do however have a small boat, small bow, small deck and these trolling motors are huge. My question actually was what is your experience using a stern mount trolling motor...not the Terrova in the rear, but any of the MinnKota Stern drives...are they workable...are they enjoyable, useful? If the answer is NO, then I continue with my plan of purchasing the nice Terrova bow mount. I just wish they were not so expensive! Thanks for your reply!

Today a fellow boater gave me his opinion of a stern mount trolling motor on an aluminum boat and I thought I would pose the question to everyone on the forum to get their thoughts on this issue as well.

I have a 2021 model, Lowe 1248 Jonboat that I have modified, powered by a 2021 Mercury 9.9 hp motor. After three years of kayak fishing, I am really enjoying being able to sit back and relax while trolling with some nice Stealth rod holders.

Up until now, I have always been a bass fisherman and had planned to install a bow mount trolling motor on my 12 foot johnboat. You can see from the attached photo that I have built a front deck that does not extend all the way to the first bench seat. I had planned to mount a MinnKota Terrova, spot lock with remote control that you can hold in your hand so that I could operate it from the backseat. This motor in a 45 inch model, 55 lbs thrust, will cost me about $1600 from Bass Pro shops.

As an alternative, I am wondering if it is possible to mount a nice Minnkota stern drive trolling motor next to my gasoline motor? My intent would be to bass fish and I’m wondering if it would be possible for me to do so while still having to control the trolling motor with one hand? What are your feelings and or experience with stern drive trolling motors for bass fishing and casting Lures. Thanks for the input! Beavertooth