Re: Fishing in Va/Md/DC
In northern VA I would buy something flat bottom with a small motor, 9.9 or preferably less. Here's why. I lived down there about eight years ago. And, at least back then, some of the good fishing lakes didn't allow gas motors, so it's nice to have a light boat you can pull around with a trolling motor, or in my case at the time, with oars. Hey, stop laughing. Now the reason you want a small cheap motor; many of the river bottoms down there are great cover for fish, but hard on boat motors. And the river levels are constantly up and down. I would say I probably hit at least one rock every time out. My record was three in one afternoon. But you know what, I didn't care. I had a 7.5 hp Sears Gamefisher, and ever time I nailed a rock, the pin at the prop shaft sheared, and I put another one in. Pins were cheap, I'd buy them buy the dozen. The motor would always re-start, never got stuck. That boat cost me $200 to buy, I had it for three years and never put any money into it except for gas and shear pins. Now I'm in a 60 hp deep V Tracker, it's a different world. This one costs money to run, and I would never put it into three quarters of the places I used to fish down there because I'd wreck it. There is certain feeing of freedom you have when youre not worried about prop strikes; and fishing is just more fun when it doesnt cost a lot of money.
