I feel your pain (doing my best Arkansas governor impression). Usually I have an intern bring me a cigar after a bad day.

If you are going to fish bigger lakes, like Cedar Creek, yes you might want to get a bigger boat and I have to agree with you about the fish finder making life a whole lot easier. I just bought a new trolling motor battery, you are right about some trees not holding fish and I often chuckle quietly to myself as I drive past a perfectly good fishing lake (usually more than one lake) while I'm on my way to another Ketchn adventure at a "new" lake.

But before you talk yourself into a big yankee style fishing boat, a $2500 fish finder and a multiplicity of blue top AGM batteries stop and think about the real reason you weren't catching any fish. Purtis Creek has plenty of crappie in it as do most of our area lakes. You weren't catching because you weren't fishing where the fish were.

Most of the guys who catch crappie regularly don't even need a fish finder anymore. They just go out to the same few spots they know are holding fish at this time of year and they do it every year. I've only fished Purtis Creek a half dozen times and it took some searching to figure out where the fish were. Thankfully it is a small body of water and the best part about it is that the entire thing is no wake. Even so, the last time I was there it was tough going and we only caught a few. But other times it was a Ketchn frenzy.

If you don't know someone willing to tell you where they are, what you need is time on the water. Heck, even if someone tells you that they caught them at the big stump off the point on lake x yesterday you can still go out the next day and not find them. So spending time on the water and learning the body of water you are fishing is very important.

By all means, get yourself the equipment your heart desires, because life is short and we don't get to fish as often as we like. Just be careful not to become one of those guys with more boat and electronics than sense. Otherwise you'll have great equipment and still not be catching fish. Although, being very comfortable on the water makes it much more tolerable.

I am one of the yank's with gear. Get sidescan if you can.....helps eliminate water in a hurry!

1. I need a bigger boat
2. I need a depth/fish finder
3. I need a new back up trolling
motor battery
4. Just because there is trees does not mean there are fish.
5. Dont pass up the first lake

I feel your pain (doing my best Arkansas governor impression). Usually I have an intern bring me a cigar after a bad day.

If you are going to fish bigger lakes, like Cedar Creek, yes you might want to get a bigger boat and I have to agree with you about the fish finder making life a whole lot easier. I just bought a new trolling motor battery, you are right about some trees not holding fish and I often chuckle quietly to myself as I drive past a perfectly good fishing lake (usually more than one lake) while I'm on my way to another Ketchn adventure at a "new" lake.

But before you talk yourself into a big yankee style fishing boat, a $2500 fish finder and a multiplicity of blue top AGM batteries stop and think about the real reason you weren't catching any fish. Purtis Creek has plenty of crappie in it as do most of our area lakes. You weren't catching because you weren't fishing where the fish were.

Most of the guys who catch crappie regularly don't even need a fish finder anymore. They just go out to the same few spots they know are holding fish at this time of year and they do it every year. I've only fished Purtis Creek a half dozen times and it took some searching to figure out where the fish were. Thankfully it is a small body of water and the best part about it is that the entire thing is no wake. Even so, the last time I was there it was tough going and we only caught a few. But other times it was a Ketchn frenzy.

If you don't know someone willing to tell you where they are, what you need is time on the water. Heck, even if someone tells you that they caught them at the big stump off the point on lake x yesterday you can still go out the next day and not find them. So spending time on the water and learning the body of water you are fishing is very important.

By all means, get yourself the equipment your heart desires, because life is short and we don't get to fish as often as we like. Just be careful not to become one of those guys with more boat and electronics than sense. Otherwise you'll have great equipment and still not be catching fish. Although, being very comfortable on the water makes it much more tolerable.