Fish Finder or Trolling motor first, or neither?

[AustinHellickson]

Hey guys I have been trying to figure out ways to catch more fish. I haven't bank fishing all my life and I am trying to get my canoe better suited for fishing. I am thinking of getting a fish finder or a Trolling motor. Any thoughts? The fish finder all in would be about $100 it is a hummingbird matrix 17. Or Minn Kota Endura C2 30 for all in $260 ish. Please tell me what you are thinking and pros and cons

Have a good day!

 

 

[NHBull]

Since there are charts and the Navionics app, I would go for the motor

[riverbasser]

Are you currently rowing the canoe? If so then my vote is trolling motor. You will eventually probably have both but getting the trolling motor first saves you a lot of rowing

[Raul]

Unless you're a lover of animal powered vehicles or some sort of fitness maniac I would go for the trolling motor.

[AustinHellickson]

1 minute ago, NHBull said:

Since there are charts and the Navionics app, I would go for the motor

 

Just now, riverbasser said:

Are you currently rowing the canoe? If so then my vote is trolling motor. You will eventually probably have both but getting the trolling motor first saves you a lot of rowing

Ok, I had been talking to my dad about this as well... He doesn't want me to spend the money and then not use the motor. He doesn't think I will use it a lot ... If I had gotten the trolling motor, battery, and battery box ($250 about) and worse case if I didn't use it re sell it? Maybe only lose $50 with <1yr old stuff?

[slonezp]

Ill answer you hear rather than in the PM's

If you are going to get off the shore and beat the banks, then maybe the trolling motor is the way to go. If you think you will want to fish water more than 4-6ft deep then it's a toss up. I'm not actively selling that graph so if you buy the trolling motor now and save up for the graph later, if I still have it, it's yours for the same deal   

[AustinHellickson]

2 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Ill answer you hear rather than in the PM's

If you are going to get off the shore and beat the banks, then maybe the trolling motor is the way to go. If you think you will want to fish water more than 4-6ft deep then it's a toss up. I'm not actively selling that graph so if you buy the trolling motor now and save up for the graph later, if I still have it, it's yours for the same deal   

I currently only fish on the banks, I would get a canoe wheel set to take to the lake whenever... I want to be able to skip docks and not just be stuck on the bank and be able to actively fish.

[XpressJeff]

M*** K***

 

Hint!

[slonezp]

21 minutes ago, AustinHellickson said:

I currently only fish on the banks, I would get a canoe wheel set to take to the lake whenever... I want to be able to skip docks and not just be stuck on the bank and be able to actively fish.

What I mean by "beat the banks: is when you are in a boat or canoe or kayak and just cast towards shore. More guys beat the banks than not, throwing their lures towards docks or shoreline structure/cover. Offshore fishing would be using the graph to find weedlines and fish cribs and structure like humps and creek channels.

[AustinHellickson]

6 minutes ago, XpressJeff said:

M*** K***

 

Hint!

Lol

[Catt]

I would opt to be mobile ?

[ClackerBuzz]

hands down the motor.  it can keep you entertained and learning for 2-3 seasons before you crave a fish finder.  

 

now i wouldn't consider buying sonar unit unless it has side imaging.  it's the difference between trying to look at a lake thru a pinhole (standard sonar) vs 180 degree panoramic vision hundreds of feet each side. i made the mistake of wasting $300 on a unit that didn't have side imaging and was bored with it in less than 3 days.

[AustinHellickson]

15 minutes ago, ClackerBuzz said:

hands down the motor.  it can keep you entertained and learning for 2-3 seasons before you crave a fish finder.  

 

now i wouldn't consider buying sonar unit unless it has side imaging.  it's the difference between trying to look at a lake thru a pinhole (standard sonar) vs 180 degree panoramic vision hundreds of feet each side. i made the mistake of wasting $300 on a unit that didn't have side imaging and was bored with it in less than 3 days.

I think I am going to get the motor early spring

[slonezp]

18 minutes ago, ClackerBuzz said:

now i wouldn't consider buying sonar unit unless it has side imaging.  it's the difference between trying to look at a lake thru a pinhole (standard sonar) vs 180 degree panoramic vision hundreds of feet each side. i made the mistake of wasting $300 on a unit that didn't have side imaging and was bored with it in less than 3 days.

Spoiled are we? 

My opinion is no matter what unit someone buys, he/she needs to learn what they are looking at. One misconception of SI is people think these units will magically find fish. This couldn't be further from the truth. If there's no fish or structure in the area, a $3000 graph s no better than a $300 graph.

If you have never done deep water jigging with 2d sonar, you don't know what you are missing. No better feeling than being able to see your bait put right in front of the fish and feeling the tug on your line. Makes me feel like I had more to do with catching the fish than just plain dumb luck. 

[K_Mac]

Without question the trolling motor. With a little use you won't know how you got by without it. 

[WRB]

The canoe needs to be trolling motor ready, meaning a motor bracket, battery, battery box, battery charger. If the trolling motor is front or bow mounted, then you need some type of rudder in the rear or stern to keep the canoe running in a straight line.

I agree with Catt being able to go where you need to or being mobile is better an knowing what is underneath your boat. 

I learned bass fishing as a shore angler, however trolling motors and sonar units didn't exists! Today I need a boat, a trolling motor for boat control and sonar to determine what depth to focus my fishing in. You have a boat, the TM would be next followed by a sonar unit, all this after you have the needed tackle and knowledge to catch bass.

I don't have a scanning or side imaging sonar unit only a down looking unit because that is all I need to determine how deep bass, bait, thermocline and depth is. 

Tom