I'm probably late to the dance here but haven't found the advice that I "want" to hear.
Your thoughts on running bass rigs in the flats:
Draft? Jack plates necessary? Salt water effects on gear and equipment? Cleaning / Flushing methods?
I don't want to have to have two boats!!

You don't have to own two boats. Just flush our your outboard with fresh water. Someone on another thread wrote that your trailer would go to snot. Mine has done it a couple of times, and it was made for saltwater.

If your trailor is not galvinized or aluminum I would take it to a car wash after fishing and wash it down well with soap and then rinse. If you have bare metal showing anywheres on it now I'd put some good primer paint before dipping it into the saltwater. Flush the motor as mentioned and wash down your rig. As for draft and jackplate ? Depends how deep ya sit. I run a 18-V-Bay BlueWave no jackplate and get around fine in the shallows. If your running areas new to ya move slow. Mud is doable Oyster reefs are trouble. Take your time and be careful.

Thanks for the info guys.
Also, are there any ill effects to bilge and LW pumps? Trolling motor?

@ Gaff - I'm guessing that I'm around 24" to the skeg. How deep does yours sit?

No way would I put a bass boat in the salt.

Reasons??

Just remember that the ol' SaltH20 is in the humidity and the midnight mist which will penetrate just about any thing or device you have on your boat. You may not see it, but it's there. Prepare and maintain your boat and its equipment accordingly.

As was mentioned, just a little TLC AFTER coming off the water will go a long way in keeping your (any) boat running in the salt. A couple of bucks at a car wash is great preventative maintenance, then hookup your motor "muff" to a water hose, start the engine and flush out the salt for about 60 seconds. That should be enough. I have an aluminum trailer, so I worry less, but wash down the wheels and hubs of salt. While at the car wash, easily rinse off your rods/reels and other tackle used. Putting up wet will mean replacement next season when the reel seizes up and rod is corroded. Salt is tough, but can be tamed with care.

There is a reason saltwater boats don't have carpet, are wired differently, have all stainless steel hardware, have hand control saltwater trolling motors, have aluminum trailers, etc, etc.
You do what you want, but I wouldn't put a 40K bass boat in the salt.

+1, No offense . . . . . . . . but for every 100 or so people that listen to sound advice, there's at least one determined to learn it the hard way!

Listen to wh2004, he's exactly right, period! If you run that bass boat in water for a few years, you'll start down a long road of equipment failure's and replacements. After a few more years, you'll have enough tied up in it, that you could have bought 2 boats. And you'll have just the one worn out rustbucket with little to no resale value.

You'd be better off buying a Center Console and bass fishing with it. At least then your not ruining it.

"You do what you want, but I wouldn't put a 40K bass boat in the salt."

+2. Had a buddy who was determined to prove he could prevent the effects of salt on his fresh water bass rig. Spent over an hour washing, flushing, lubricating, wiping, re-washing his rig every time he came home from the saltH2O. At year two, electrical connections started failing, cables started to get tight (steering, throttle, trolling motor etc...), hinges started to rust, etc. Year three, the boat was a mess and he couldn't sell it because anyone that knows ANYTHING about a boat recognized that it was only four years old, looked like it was 15 yrs old, and that it MUST have been in salt and walked away.

Rinsing down a painted tubular trailer wont help. I speak from first hand experience. Your electrical system will also go to chit prematurely from the salt air....as was mentioned earlier. Does your engine have a stainless waterpump cup and plate? It's cheaper to rent a boat down there. Look into it.

You can buy a bass boat with a saltwater package. Tracker makes them or at least used to.

I have a Tracker V18 (same boat Rick Clunn uses) that came from the factory with saltwater grade wiring, galvanized saltwater trailer and Mercury saltwater package engine.

Has to be the worst possible thing to do to a bass boat.... No matter how well you try to clean it, you'll never get the salt out of it and they're just not built to stand up to the salt...

I agree with Bill,Gaff,Scout and David.There is no boat or trailer in the world that is going to last if you do a quick rinse and then go watch TV until the next time for very long.Galvanized trailers will rust like hell,gotta keep an eye on them.Aluminum trailers? Great but are the axles and springs aluminum? No. Wiring resistant to salt water? I'd like to see that.Steering cables resistant to salt? Again,I'd like to see those too.Steel trailers in the salt? Now that is a problem but I'll tell you what I did to my galvanized. About once a year I take old motor oil and with a brush coat everything that gets submerged.After awhile your trailer gets a coating that nothing penetrates.The bottom line is a boat/trailer used in salt needs constant maintenance and above all vigilance to problem areas.But go buy a "salt resistant" boat,ignore it between seasons (or sometimes even trips) and you will be sorely shocked.