Ok all I am new here and have a simple secenerio and want to get some opinions.

I am getting back into fishing after about 22 years away. I have a six year old son and just have aquired fishing boat & motor. Current funding does not suport the luxury of both a fish finder and trolling motor.

So now the question - If you had to choose between a fish finder and a trolling motor to get first what would it be and why?

Trolling motor is more important especially if it is windy. You can buy a good lake map for $10 to see where the depth contours are. Your trolling motor will help you work through different areas and position the boat for proper presentations

Hope this helps!

I'd pick the trolling motor also, when fishing I need to hold position. And welcome to the TFF !

trolling motor for sure you can always pick up a fish finder for under 100 bucks in the future

Trolling motor for sure

Trolling motor. and you can find some good deals on used trollingmotors in the classifieds here, craigslist and on ebay. good luck

but tell us what kind of fishing you're looking to do, a depthfinder could possibly fit you better. (but for most applications a TM is more plausible)

It depends upon what type of fishing you are interested in. I like white bass and I could not catch a cold without a sonar unit.

if your bass fishing, take the trolling motor first. if catfishing,crappie, sand bass, take the depth finder and get two good anchors and rope.

I would take the TM for saftey sake, Ive had to troll back to the ramp twice because of motor problems, it is slow but at least you are not stranded!

I can't believe my eyes....nothing else matters if you aren't fishing where the fish are, DEFINITELY opt for the fishfinder over the trolling motor.

An anchor(safety and positioning) can be had for CHEAP compared to a trolling motor.

fishfinder first. unless your bass fishin, you got to find the baitfish to find the fish

Fishfinder first, not going to catch anything if you dont know where the fish are, BUT depends on the fishing you are doing. If your chasing sandbass surfacing then need the t motor first since you can see the fish on the surface and use the t motor to chase them, catfsih you can anchor in one spot but if fishing for anything else you really need the fishfinder first
mark

Trolling motor IMO. Like WLCBASS said... safety first. My big motor broke down while running about marker 5 on Falcon a few years back. Used the trolling motor to get to the nearest point on the American side. Without the trolling motor we would've ended up on the Mexican side compliments of a stiff southeast breeze. Ended up catching more fish than any of the others in our group (who ended up towing us back to the ramp at the end of the day). That being said, both are necessities for fishing. But I would go with the trolling motor first.

TM

Thank you everyone for all of your input and questions. I intentionally didn�t get too much into detail because I really don�t know what was pertinent or not.

The reason I started thread is fishing has changed so much over the years Im sure what to get first.

In my uneducated mind the fish finder was to help find fish. The trolling motor is to get me there quietly and help catch them and like �so very well previously put� for emergency motivation as well.

If it will help - Here is some background on myself and our current equipment state.
My history is I was born and raised in a small town north of Pittsburg PA near the Allegheny National Forest. I river fished a lot growing up as a kid for Muskie, Catfish & Carp. A bit up stream on the river was a huge dam and in trout season the river was swamped with trout fishermen from all over and they really didn�t take kindly to a kid Muskie fishing in �there� trout area. So I would go on the backside of the dam on the shore and fish for crappie. After time I did this more than anything else because no boats could get where I was as I fished right up against the dam wall on the reservoir side and no one ever wanted to hike that far just to fish. I was always peaceful and I always caught allot of fish.

Currently Equipment wise - I have been working every side job I could over the last several months and have saved up and recently a very unique situation presented itself where I was able to afford a new SeaArk X160CC boat. It has a new Mercury 4 stroke 25HP engine. I know it probably inst as slick as I am sure what allot of you guys have but it is new and I consider it to be dependable and durable. If some of you are wondering why I went with aluminum, as a retired Heavy Aircraft Mechanic I prefer aluminum.

I have a GPS, SPOT locator and laminated lake maps.

A few of you have asked me for what we will be fishing for.
The answer is FISH. �Optimally� Crappie as I love to eat them! HA


THE MAIN POINT OF ALL THIS EFFORT is

I just want my son to have fun and enjoy this as much as I used to and hope to again.


Thank you all and I look forward to learning things here every day