[FLCSJ16]

I'm new to boating, new to saltwater fishing and ready to learn from people in this group. Here is a link to my new (to me) 1999 Carolina Skiff J16 with a 2013 Evinrude Etec 25HP. It needs a little hull work, but I'm excited to ocean fish and learn little by little about this boat and fishing the gulf coast.

Any advice is welcome.

Here is a video to see my new boat:

 

[GaG8tor]

Welcome. Nice boat. Looks very clean and well taken care of. What part of the Gulf Coast do you live?

 

[FLCSJ16]

Welcome. Nice boat. Looks very clean and well taken care of. What part of the Gulf Coast do you live?

Thank you! It definitely has a few hull cleanups to do on the bottom.

I’m in Sarasota, FL. How about you?

 

[GaG8tor]

Georgia coast. About 30 miles south of Savannah. I used to live in Fort Myers. Snook fishing was fabulous down there back in the day. Fished the Panhandle quite a bit but never near where you are. Best advice I can give is seek out advice from a local bait shop. Those guys want your business and will point you in the right direction. Also study charts and learn the tides. Know the limitations of your boat and just fish areas that look fishy. Ask yourself , If I were a fish would I want to live here? Watch the birds. Birds eat bait. Find the birds, find the bait. Find the bait? You guessed it. Find the fish. I’m sure there’s a few folks on here in your area that will chime in and give you much better advice than I can. Most important, just get out there and enjoy yourself.

 

[FLCSJ16]

Georgia coast. About 30 miles south of Savannah. I used to live in Fort Myers. Snook fishing was fabulous down there back in the day. Fished the Panhandle quite a bit but never near where you are. Best advice I can give is seek out advice from a local bait shop. Those guys want your business and will point you in the right direction. Also study charts and learn the tides. Know the limitations of your boat and just fish areas that look fishy. Ask yourself , If I were a fish would I want to live here? Watch the birds. Birds eat bait. Find the birds, find the bait. Find the bait? You guessed it. Find the fish. I’m sure there’s a few folks on here in your area that will chime in and give you much better advice than I can. Most important, just get out there and enjoy yourself.

thank you!! I really appreciate the advice and hope to meet some people on here to chat with as I learn the fish. I caught my first 2 snook on Sunday when I went out on my first adventure, so that was awesome even though they were little. I really need to learn the cast net to get those bait fish also.

 

[Czech_Mate]

I love my 2009 J16. It has been up and down the SC/NC coast.

 

[FLCSJ16]

I love my 2009 J16. It has been up and down the SC/NC coast.

awesome news! How long have you owned it? What’s that black wire/rope hanging off the front.

 

[fishgunner#1]

nice ride , a friend just got a Carolina skiff , he is happy with his

 

[fishnpreacher]

I fish a 16ft CS, center console. Great for fishing, not so great riding in rough water. Mine was born in the salt and transplanted to NE Ga. But It will get reacquainted with the salt water in a few months. Good to have another CS owner around.

 

[hipshot]

A suggestion: if you have deck-mounted sidelights, as in the photographs above, along with a trolling motor up front, your lights are not in compliance. If you are involved in an event where the visibility of your lights is an issue, you’re screwed. You need to get them above the trolling motor; they must be visible from dead ahead to 112.5 degrees back. You also need to make sure your white 360 degree light is at least a meter above the sidelights.

 

[dranrab]

Welcome to the forum. I ran a J-14 for a long time and caught a ton of fish in it. Enjoy!

 

[Czech_Mate]

awesome news! How long have you owned it? What’s that black wire/rope hanging off the front.

I have had it for about 8yrs. That’s my black anchor rope.

 

[Czech_Mate]

A suggestion: if you have deck-mounted sidelights, as in the photographs above, along with a trolling motor up front, your lights are not in compliance. If you are involved in an event where the visibility of your lights is an issue, you’re screwed. You need to get them above the trolling motor; they must be visible from dead ahead to 112.5 degrees back. You also need to make sure your white 360 degree light is at least a meter above the sidelights.

Thanks

 

[Backflow]

Hey, sweet CS J-16, congrats! I have fished out of one for 4 years and its perfect for learning , as well as stable and a great boat to learn to do repairs/glasswork.
A lot of people will say they are a wet,bumpy ride, but with some time, and if its not super rough, you learn to drive her without rattling your teeth out. Best of luck , enjoy!

p.s- If you plan on learning how to push pole this boat make sure you stick just a tad of the lower unit in the water to help you somewhat "Track" as you pole,if not you'll be doing the frisbee