I have spent a good deal of my fishing life as a co-angler, you know the guy always at the back of the boat, in charge of the putting the plug in and making sure all the straps are off before launching. But rarely have I ever been handed the keys or stepped foot on the trolling motor. Yes I have learned a lot doing things this way, but now its time to move to the front of the boat, and with that in mind I finally made my first "real" boat purchase a Bass Tracker Pro TXW175.
Although many here won't consider this a big time purchase for me it was. It was only 5 years ago that I stepped out of the canoe and into my small pond hopper the Sun Dolphin Pro 120, touring small lakes with a 80lb thrust trolling motor and boating big fish all the while. So making the jump to a boat that's worth more then the price of the graphs attached to it was a big step.
I have a lot to learn, and will be spending the next week weekends adrift just getting use to driving and running the motor. I already have friends reaching out asking if i need help "backing the boat in" or asking "who is going to run the trolling motor" well the jokes on them, I have my wife all lined up for those tasks!
I have been looking at a Bass Tracker Pro series for a few years now. For me it is the perfect size starter boat and paired up with a 75hp Mercury Optimax it will still allow me to tournament fish from its deck. Sure I won't win any foot races, but its not always about who gets to the spot first, its more what you do when you get there.
As you can see form the pics Im already in the process of making this boat feel more line my own, and for those that know me that means stickers and decals, I like my boats to look as tattooed as I am, and this boat is well on its way to a body suit.
I'm extremely lucky, I bought my first boat from a buddy, so it took most of the tension out of a big purchase that might have been there not knowing the previous owner. As you can see from the images he took amazing care of it, the carpets and seats look new and any minor wear marks on the hull or sides would have been there after my first outing anyways. .
This so-called tin can is loaded with some great gear that will get me started including a pair of HumminBird graphs, a 788ci at the front and a 997c next to the driver seat, and If I'm lucky the previous owner may just have forgotten to clear our his way points. I only had one additional purchase to make and that is a butt seat for the deck, with this learning curve ahead of me there is no way I will be able to run that trolling motor all day without something to lean on
I feel like I just graduated High School and I'm moving on to college, I have a lot to learn, but this is a step in the right direction. Fishing is all about learning, and improving, Ive just done both and there is more to come.
