Newbie to the structure fishing world - MN

[jdamsgard]

Greetings, folks! When I was a kid fishing was my life. We would go to my uncle's cabin on North Center nearly every weekend, fish all day, and then sit in front of the TV at night and clean fish. When we weren't at the cabin I would take my rod, a couple of lures (Buzz Bullet spinnerbaits were my favorite), and hop on my bike and pedal off to one of the local lakes to try to make some catches.

Then I turned 16 and a couple of things happened:

1) I had to start buying a fishing license, which I was kind of against but now understand

2) I got my driver's license and a whole new world opened up to me, including chasing girls

Fast forward 22 years and here we are. My buddy threw a boat my way this summer. I was originally going to just help him get it running, but it needed so much help that by the time I did get it going he told me to just keep it as long as I take him and his kid out once in a while.

We were always shoreline fishermen. We would start off in the morning and hit the shoreline with spinnerbaits. Then we'd park the boat in one of a few different bays and fish for sunnies. If we were still out around supper time we would troll this one strip of the lake back to the cabin for crappies.

After I got this boat going I started watching fishing videos on YouTube while at work. I stand at a bench and fix power tools all day and dream about fishing, the videos help with the itch. I used to watch Bill Dance and Babe Winkelman on the TV when I was a kid. I stumbled across a YouTube channel called "Structure Fishing" and another one by a fellow named Jim Duplex and they opened up a whole new world to me.

Unfortunately it would seem that the boat I have is not the best for this type of fishing, but I'm trying to make it work. I figure if I can learn to fish this way with this monstrosity of a boat, when I actually come across a good fishing boat it should be a piece of cake. I have attempted to attach a photo of said boat to this post. We'll see if it comes through.

I find myself here now, seeking wisdom, advice, and comradery. I'm almost to the point where I've acquired the proper rods, reels, and tackle (including a good pile of spoonplugs and some deep running crankbaits). I was using my car to launch the boat but one of the parking brake cables snapped so I've been having to rely on my friends who own trucks to help me get on the water. I'll probably be seeking a truck next spring.

It might be fun to hook up with someone who has more experience than I do and spend some time out on the water. I'm really looking forward to next spring.

[Team9nine]

Welcome!

Any boat is a good boat, but you'll have your work cut out for you having a "wheel" boat (steering wheel). You'll still be able to anchor and cast once you have structures mapped and know best anchoring positions, but trolling (and mapping) will be a little tricky. You might be able to handle some straight line passes, but much else could be difficult to properly control. That said, anything you accomplish will be made much easier if you later get a tiller.

Keep watching all of Jim Shell's (Structure Fishing) videos, as well as Jim Duplex's. Great stuff there. Grab Buck's Spoonplugging Book (the "green book) if you haven't already read it also. A good winter project.

We've got a few guys up in the general area, so they might be able to help out with some lakes and tips. Scan through the forum fishing reports and you might find some from your neck of the woods.

-Brian