Look for new trolling motor and 2 new fish finders, need help.

[Jeff Karabanowski]

Hi All,

 

I am new on here.  I have a 2006 Nitro 929cdx, 3rd owner.  I am looking to update my electronics over the fall / winter.  I am looking for a Console and Bow fisher finders (FF) with I-Pilot or similar.  I mainly fish for SM bass on the Upper Niagara River in Buffalo.  I think the I-Pilot will help me very much.  So I guess I am limited to Hummingbird and Minn Kota.  I do not want to break the bank but would like something that is up to date.  I always fish the front of the boat so I think I rather have a better FF up front.  Does anyone have a suggestion for me?  Do I need to stick with Minn Kota and Hummingbird?

 

All suggestions are welcome.

 

Thank you very much Jeff

[Scott F]

The only reason to stick with Humminbird is if you MUST have iPilot LINK. iPilot (without link) works independently from depth finders so any brand will work. 

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, Jeff Karabanowski said:

Hi All,

 

I am new on here.  I have a 2006 Nitro 929cdx, 3rd owner.  I am looking to update my electronics over the fall / winter.  I am looking for a Console and Bow fisher finders (FF) with I-Pilot or similar.  I mainly fish for SM bass on the Upper Niagara River in Buffalo.  I think the I-Pilot will help me very much.  So I guess I am limited to Hummingbird and Minn Kota.  I do not want to break the bank but would like something that is up to date.  I always fish the front of the boat so I think I rather have a better FF up front.  Does anyone have a suggestion for me?  Do I need to stick with Minn Kota and Hummingbird?

 

All suggestions are welcome.

 

Thank you very much Jeff

What are your expectations of Ipilot? This will determine if you need Link or not.

[Jeff Karabanowski]

Right now, I have zero expectations or experience with i-pilot.  I just looked it up and got more details on it.  If I need / want the extra features of i-pilot link I should get a Hummingbird FF, I guess.  Does Follow on i-pilot link follow the weed edge or shoreline?  Is it worth the extra money?  Should I get link or not?  Again I am looking for 2 new FF and a Trolling motor.  I also really want something that is easy to operate but using the top technology.  Being on a river with wind most times, I want something to keep me on course but doesn't have too much messing around with my feet of hands.

 

 

[Scott F]

35 minutes ago, Jeff Karabanowski said:

 

Go to the Minn Kota web site and get the information right from the source. 

[Jeff Karabanowski]

12 hours ago, Scott F said:

Go to the Minn Kota web site and get the information right from the source. 

I did go to that web site, that was a link to it..

 

I am still looking for suggestions...

[slonezp]

Link has follow the contour when using the Lakemaster card. My favorite part of having link is the ability to mark waypoints while idling around and then having the trolling motor return me to the waypoint and anchor. Lakemaster cards have some real nice features that go hand in hand with Humminbird that you cannot get with Navionics. Contour shading, and depth offsets come in real handy.

 

Standard Ipilot only allows you to follow routes you have created. You can follow the routes in both directions. I don't know about the newest version but you could only save 6 routes and only so many waypoints. With link, you can save thousands because they are being saved to the graph rather than the Ipilot head unit.

[Tennessee Boy]

I have a Minn Kota Ultrex i-Pilot link and two networked Humminbird Solix.  Here are some random thoughts on all of the features this set up provides. 

 

Lake Master Maps - Check to see if Lakemaster maps are available for the lakes you fish.  There are a lot of things I don't like about Humminbird but I would never consider another brand of fish finder because Lakemaster is that much better than any other maps I've seen for the lakes I fish.  

 

Spot Lock - This is available on i-pilot and i-pilot link TMs.  I use it all the time and could not live without it.

 

i-pilot link sharing -  like @slonezp said above.  It's nice being able to mark a spot on the FF and be able to tell the trolling motor to go to it.  Also,  I usually hit spot lock on the TM as soon as I set the hook on a fish.  A waypoint automatically shows up on the map screen marking the location which is very nice. 

 

Follow the contour -  I use it sometimes but not as much as I thought I would.  With Lakemaster maps and 360 imaging,  following offshore structure is as easy as following the bank.  

 

Autopilot - If I'm not setting on one location with Spotlock,  I usually have autopilot on.   With i-pilot link,  my Lake Master map shows two lines,  one shows the boat's heading and the other shows the autopilot heading.  I really love this feature and it's probably why I don't use follow the contour as much as I expected.  It's easy to tweak the autopilot heading with the remote and see exactly where it's going to take you on the map.  You must install a heading sensor for all of this to work as described.

 

 

 

 

[Further North]

On 10/8/2018 at 6:13 PM, Scott F said:

The only reason to stick with Humminbird is if you MUST have iPilot LINK. iPilot (without link) works independently from depth finders so any brand will work. 

...or...if you just like Humminbird...and because they are great units, just like Lowrance & Garmin...

 

?

[BigAngus752]

17 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Lake Master Maps - Check to see if Lakemaster maps are available for the lakes you fish.  There are a lot of things I don't like about Humminbird but I would never consider another brand of fish finder because Lakemaster is that much better than any other maps I've seen for the lakes I fish. 

I don't want to hijack, but a quick question.  Looking at the Lakemaster list it shows that my two favorite lakes are NOT High Definition Survey.  So are they going to be any better than a free Navionics chart?  There are some lakes in my area that are High Definition Survey and Lakemaster High Definition Survey but the #1 bass lake in a 100 mile radius isn't.  Thanks

[Tennessee Boy]

50 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

I don't want to hijack, but a quick question.  Looking at the Lakemaster list it shows that my two favorite lakes are NOT High Definition Survey.  So are they going to be any better than a free Navionics chart?  

It's my understanding that the high definition maps are base on recent on the water surveys and the standard definition maps are based on the same publicly available data as most of the other maps on the market.  

[Further North]

You mention windy and river (current).

 

With those variables, I'd go 36 volt trolling motor, every time.

 

I run a Helix 12 SI G2N at the console, a Helix 10 DI G2N at the bow and an Ulterra 112 with Link.  I use all the features above at one time or another; by staying with Minn Kota, Lakemaster and Humminbird it all integrates and I spend my time fishing and not screwing around with boat control.

 

You could easily swap the Ulterra for a Terrova or Ultrex depending on your preference.

 

Follow the contour is awesome...there are places where I don't touch the remote for a half hour or more as I work a mid-lake hump, reef or shallow bay...I set the speed with cruise control and I...just...fish...

 

I caught two three foot pike, a three foot musky and a 22" bass doing that two weekends ago in about a half hour. Never touched the foot pedal or remote other than to stop and restart the TM when I caught a fish.

 

Other brands are great too, don't discount them...but at the end of the day, this or that gee whiz feature doesn't catch any more fish than any other brand's. Pick what you like and what makes the most sense to you...there ain't no "best", but there is a best for you.