gpnfish

All, I'm looking at buying a bow mounted trolling motor for my boat this Spring and I want to get one with "Spot Lock" or "Anchor Lock". I'm looking at either MotorGuide Xi5 or Minn Kota Terrova, but I just want to confirm (via a perhaps silly question) that the GPS functions in these motors operate independent of the fishfinder. I have a Garmin Echomap UHD 93sv console mounted, but was hoping I didn't have to worry about having to interface it to the motor. Secondarily, I notice that these two motors seem to come standard without wireless or wired foot pedals, using the handheld remotes instead. Anybody have pros and cons about that? I don't want a cable driven control, even though it may be super responsive. My fishfinder is console mounted, and I'm not planning on mounting a fishfinder up front. I have a center console and usually fish from center or rear of boat, so I like the idea of controlling the motor from one of those two places. Thanks, Gary

Hi All - looking for opinions/ideas. I have a NauticStar 1910 center console bay boat that I brought with me when I moved from Houston, TX area to middle MI (Canadian Lakes area). It worked well for fishing Galveston bay and the jetties for trout and reds and the like, but I'm looking at getting it better suited for freshwater fishing for bass/pike up here. One upgrade I'll be making is adding a bow-mounted trolling motor, and that's where my question comes into play. I'll be keeping my boat in a slip on the lake, but I will not have electrical hookup there. That means that after fishing all day, and using the trolling motor, I'll probably have to get into the habit of connecting and disconnecting the heavy deep-cycle battery to bring it home and re-charge it. I've calculated I'll probably use a 12 volt motor, probably 50-55 lb thrust. The question I have - is this the only way? A heavy, deep cycle 12 volt battery, in and out on every trip? Are there any alternatives, like a different, lighter battery, or perhaps charging the battery through my outboard using some sort of alternator charger. I guess I could hook up my trolling motor to my outboard motor battery, but in my mind that might be dangerous. I'm planning on picking up a small battery like a lawn mower battery or something like that for my Garmin; just not sure to do with the trolling motor. Thanks, Gary

Remember that if you mount it on the bow (trolling motor) instead of the transom, you will have to have your trolling motor down to use it. Duh, I know, but sometimes in the heat of the moment you forget about those things. I have never had much luck zipping across the water with my trolling motor down. So (as far as I'm concerned) transom is the first transduce location, then the trolling motor!

I second checking out mud hole and I really like the CRB LZR guides. Very lightweight and I think pretty strong. Less expensive than Fuji guides. To lay all my cards on the table, I have to admit I’m not a big Fuji fan anyway. They are good guides, but I think there is a lot out that perform just as well (or better) in my opinion. Sure, you won’t be able to say “I used Fuji guides”, but that doesn’t matter in the field! Good luck on the guide replacement!

Hello all! Just joining up (again I think!) I've been living near Galveston, TX the last 5 years fishing the salt out of my 19 ft Bay center console Bay boat, but the wifie and I have decided to head back home to the Midwest (buckeye native) to Michigan to spend the remainder of my retirement years and hopefully get my two grandsons on some fish on a regular basis. It seems like a lot has changed in the last 5 years since I left Wisconsin to go to Texas, and I'm looking forward to catching up on the latest technology/techniques. Glad to be back! Gary