Thread: New to crappie fishing on a boat. Jordan Lake NC

Welcome from Sanford. My best advice to you as a first time owner of a relatively small jon boat is: Stay off the big open water at Jordan Lake when it's very windy and don't stray to far from the bank when it is not windy... as wind conditions can change very quickly and your getting caught in the big open water when the wind suddenly picks up can be a deadly mistake at this time of year. I had a 15 foot wide bodied jon boat with a 40 hp Nissan outboard and I have been caught on the open water in dangerous winds. IMO: Take your sweet time with this thing... there's safer and better weather for adventure and experimentation. You should concentrate instead on getting used to your boat and what it will and won't do... and always remember that relying on one motor in big open water can and will spell disaster should that motor knock off and you lose control of your boat in the wind and very possibly get swamped by the three and four foot rollers on Jordan. An anchor getting hung up on the bottom in high wind is another very quick way to swamp a small jon boat.

Papadave has given you some good advice... find some smaller and safer water early on. Shearon Harris Lake and some of the nearby rivers are far better and more predictable places to learn and gain knowledge fishing from a smaller boat. Finding consistency at crappie fishing requires lots of experience, knowledge and experimentation... which all require a body to live long enough to find some measure of them.

Well put Wayne.

Special K

I will follow advice you folks have given me and will stay away from Jordan until the weather is warm. Hope to cut my teeth on smaller water and get that crappie fish fry. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Jlmccarter

Special K

I will follow advice you folks have given me and will stay away from Jordan until the weather is warm. Hope to cut my teeth on smaller water and get that crappie fish fry. Thanks.

I'm not saying stay away from Jordan Lake... I'm just cautioning you against the bigger water areas of Jordan Lake in higher winds. There are many places and/or approaches to safely fishlng from a small jon boat on Jordan, but you need to understand from the outset that all it takes is one mistake or for you to get caught unexpectedly in the wrong place when the wind starts howling across some of that big water. We want to share your progress and your successes with you as you go along... not join in a search party looking for another missing person on Jordan Lake.
Good luck to you and be safe out there... whatever you do.

Thanks. Intend on staying safe. . . And dry. My boat looks like it'll need a transom mount trolling motor 30-40 lbs thrust. There is only one transom mount that I can find that has a pedal the motorguide bulldog 40 $300. I do have good experience with using the pedal and hand steer trolling motors on ponds.

Also saw something called pro control that can upfit most any transom mounts for $100. It would be cheaper in short run bc I have a small working troller motor but motorguide is built to last.

Any opinions? I know most of you have bow mount on platform. I would do bow mount but there is no platform and I'm limited on space.

ive a 40lbs thrust transom mount on my 14ft jon an it pushes the boat with 2 200+lbs guys in it

Welcome from Indiana

Welcome from the west end of Florida....