I just bought my first canoe. It's about 79 pounds, fiberglass (I think...definitely not aluminum or wooden), double-ended (not sq. stern), and roughly 14' long with a 500 lb capacity. These are the numbers I remember off the top of my head when I bought it, but if something looks suspect be sure and let me know so I can get clarification and offer more accurate details.

I bought it with the primary goal of taking it into all the lakes and ponds I can for some bass fishing without requiring boat ramps or trailers. However, I also wanted it to double as a saltwater craft for fishing some of Tampa Bay. This is my primary concern, since I am CLUELESS about ANYTHING related to this since I've only fished (and cursed the heavens for not having a boat) from off-shore. I've got a few general questions I hope someone can help me out with.

1)I'm looking at getting an electric trolling motor for when I have to fight currents and just for getting around. Do you think me (180 lbs), the motor, the battery, and my brother (160 lbs) could get away with the Thruster T34 (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4016522#Features+%26+Specifications)? My canoe is double-ended, so it looks like it has the transom mounting required for my boat (from what I've read, correct me PLEASE if I'm wrong) and enough thrust (34 lbs) to get us (me+brother+battery+tackle+motor+boat=~450 lbs) out of a strong current, perhaps even with a little paddle work. Am I close to the mark or way off?

2)I'm planning on fishing public-access ponds, lakes, and various parts of the Bay with this boat (strictly catch-and-release, no keeping). With these facts in mind, what licenses/permits/registrations do I need to have to keep me straight with Johnny Law for freshwater? for saltwater?

3)Regarding freshwater fishing, is anybody aware of the law as it applies to using a boat in a pond/lake? Can I use it in any public-access pond/lake I choose, or only in designated ones?

4)Finally, if anybody knows a good place to start researching all the boatable and fishable lakes/ponds in Tampa, I'd appreciate it. I found a list from FWC's site (I think) but the pages kept timing out with errors so I never saw all the light at the end of the tunnel.

I appreciate any help you can give me and look forward to contributing to this community

Good luck with the canoe... it was my first thought when I started fishing around the point but like you said, it was great when going with the tide. Put the canoe away years ago so I'm afraid I won't be of much help there.

2. Here are links to Florida fresh and salt water fishing regs. Fresh Water - Salt Water Basically for salt water though, if you can reach where you're fishing by foot then you don't need a salt fishing license. If you can't, you do. About freshwater I'm not really sure but it should be in the freshwater link above.

3. I'm sure that you can use it where ever as long is it has public access and it's not a private pond or requires that you go through private property to get to it unless you have the owners permission of coarse.

4. I'd start with Google Earth and just zoom in on the areas that look decent.