Days so I got me the best green lite amazon has[man that thang is brite] and a Makita work lite for baiting hooks and finding my way to the beer cooler, Im gonna try nite fishing I got me a garmin fish finder[ I dont know how to use yet] and so if nuthin else it will be cooler and hell who knows I might get lucky and catch one................................Best/joe

That`s why it`s called fishing JS1947 cause you never know.Just the same be safe out there even at night & GOOD LUCK capt.

I am determined to make a fishing boat outa my pontoon, I need a trolling motor, boat weighs about 2500lbs. Man if I coulld get away with a 70 lb. thrust it would save me some money, but I hate to pinch pennies and not be happy.
Im thinking I need a 80 ? I already have new seats coming for the front and have a Garmin in the dash, Now im wondering if I should get the sonar model Min Kota and a humming bird for the front or stick with Garmin and side veiw ?
best/joe

Can't help much with electronics. Pontoon can make a great fishing platform just not as fast or flashy as a go fast bass boat. I'm probably lighter than you at about 1500 dry, an 18 Bass buggy with a 68# Minn Kota, works great. Thinking about making the change to lithium .

Getting those pontoon boats on a trailer in the wind can be tough,, make sure your trailer is set up really well, with side boards so you can get it on the trailer easier.. ive seen folks fighting like heck to get them on the trailer.
one in the boat driving and 3 in the water trying to push it on..
also water is low everywhere right now, you have to back up far to get the boat to float.. too far and your back wheels on your truck start floating, then your screwed.. luckily I have 4X4 and always put it in 4 wheel drive when I back up my rig.. be smart, be safe...

You're correct about not pinching pennies..........get the Minn Kota with I-Pilot(spot lock among its other advantages over a standard trolling motor is a complete game changer)and sonar.Been rigging a new to me Blue Wave 220 Classic,purchased a MK Riptide Powerdrive 24V 70lb with I-Pilot less the sonar,looked for a month and could not find the whole package.I-Pilot was my priority.........wish I had the sonar equipped version but I'll make do.

Yes nothing like 4x4 for those slippery ramps........................joe

Joe i hear that! i have one green light. fished some last summer, from 8;45 to round 12;30 It was more comfortable & was usually a breeze to go along. Only tried 2 areas in bout 20 fow . The amount of shad circling the light was huge. Reminded me of yrs ago night fishin with colemans & a floatin sealed beam. And with DAD. Best of Luck

Im hoping I can get some shad/minnows around the light and net a few and fish the shadows of the lkight.
Best/joe

a front wheel drive mini van aint bad either. something else I notice is it can be harder to get the front of the boat into the roller because the angle of the trailer is changed with low water. its like the bow of the boat wants to go under the roller, instead of on top.

we used to use a triangle net.. it looks like a large crayfish trap but has small mesh.. we rigged up a cantilever set up, on a pole. we would set the net abt a foot below the water and when the shad or minnows swam over it, we would quickly lift the pole with the triangle net attached.. they used to sell them at academy, not sure if they still do.

I fish at night all summer. The one advise I could give is everything is 100 times harder at night. Replacing a hook will take 10 times longer even with a light. Better really, really know your lake well if you are going shallow. Better watch out for the other guy, as people totally lack common sense when in a boat. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on plane in PK and when I occasionally shine my spot light to see if there is a Jacka$$ out there with no lights on, boom there he is, or even worse, no lights and swimmers in the water! Once I nearly ran over a teenager on a jet ski out at night with no lights. Lucky for me, he had just mad a big splash while driving in circles and I saw the splash in the dark.

As for crappie fishing with a green light, it may work some places but it does not work at PK. I do catch crappie at night but normally where a big mercury light or dock lights that are very bright and illuminate the water, bringing in ghost minnows. It might be that at PK the crappie are fearful of striper schools and avoid the light. I've caught huge LM Bass in the green lights and they will take the crappie too.

Be careful out there. My thoughts are night fishing is no more dangerous than fishing in the daytime heat, but be aware. A good headlamp is a must.

Thanks All, for the advice, yes I have a good light Makita 18 volt............................Best/joe

PKfishin VERY VERY VERY Valid Point that can`t be emphasized enough!! Happened to me once on JP. Going to a favorite BP to fish the New Moon phase and just barely caught the glimpse of something ahead of my boat in the water, Sailboat with no lights on AT ALL just sitting there!! Chills went thru me !! Luckily for me I wasn`t up on the screw or I might not be around to make this statement... " A GOOD Flood lamp is IMPERATIVE" to have on the water at night with all the Idiots out there trying to get dead!

Thankfully we can buy good flood lites nowadays, Im impressed with the new 18 volt lites.
Best/joe