Trolling motor?

[Alex from GA]

Went out with a buddy last week and he has a Minnkota with a fob control only.  It also has a spot lock feature.  I thought that was the worst boat positioning motor out there.  My boat has a foot controlled cable steered motor and it goes where I want it.  My other boat has a front hand controlled motor.  My question is why would anyone use a fob controlled motor for bass fishing?

[J Francho]

The option would be nice, but I'm with you and prefer a cable steer.

[WRB]

Some bass anglers like to launch their boats and retreive it using the remote controlled TM. Early remote controls lagged and not instantly responsive, newer models have solved most of those issues. Spot lock feature is nice fishing outside structure in the wind, you can stay put while re tying etc.

Tom

 

[slonezp]

There are other fisherman besides bass fishermen who find the electric fob controlled motors a godsend. 

[gim]

Yes I agree with slonezp, models such as the terrova and ulterra are valuable pieces of equipment in a walleye boat. I prefer a cable steer model for bass fishing myself too, however.

[cookieman]

have broken one ankle and bad knees  so standing on one leg is not possible. I have a minnkota copilot with the remotes and it has been a game changer for me. My advantage is i purchased the mounts that attach to the rod itself so can move freely any where in my boat ,can land a fish and control the boat at the same time. mounts are discontinued and wish i could get more but have worked out a way to attach them without. Works great for me

[Scott F]

If the guy

7 hours ago, Alex from GA said:

Went out with a buddy last week and he has a Minnkota with a fob control only.  It also has a spot lock feature.  I thought that was the worst boat positioning motor out there.  My boat has a foot controlled cable steered motor and it goes where I want it.  My other boat has a front hand controlled motor.  My question is why would anyone use a fob controlled motor for bass fishing?

If the guy running the motor couldn't position the boat, it wasn't the motors fault. I have a remote for controlling my TM, but I seldom use it. It also has a foot pedal that I use most of the time. The remote lets anyone run the motor from anywhere in the boat. If the TM companies could design a peddle that was flat, like my Terrova, I'd go back to using one. Forcing the boat manufacturers to cut a hole in the floor to make the cable steer pedals usable is crazy

[Alex from GA]

Scott, He tried to get a foot pedal but they didn't make one for his motor, only a fob.  I used to have a motor controlled trolling motor with a pedal and I could control it OK but the cable models are much easier for me to use.

[Russ E]

I have a MinnKota Ultrex which is a cable steer with a pedal and Fob.

I use the pedal 99% of the time, but the fob is nice if I am not on the deck and want to control the motor. 

When the wind is blowing over a point I will point the bow into the wind and hit spotlock. 

I will then fish from the stern, and control the position with the fob.

In regards to having a FOB only, that is too much work, for normal Bass fishing. 

constantly using your hand to drive the boat does not work for me.

[slonezp]

23 minutes ago, Alex from GA said:

Scott, He tried to get a foot pedal but they didn't make one for his motor, only a fob.  I used to have a motor controlled trolling motor with a pedal and I could control it OK but the cable models are much easier for me to use.

Methinks he has the Powerdrive V2 with Ipilot, and my guess an older model. Not a bad motor but it's Minn Kota's entry level electric steer. The Terrova, Ulterra, and Ultrex are miles above the Powerdrive in technology and performance. They are also a lot more expensive.  

[papajoe222]

I had a MinnKota with the fob and wireless foot pedal. Two weeks after I bought it, I sold it. I couldn't get used to the idea of turning down the power before I took my foot/finger off the control. I'd go to move and the thing would still be at max thrust. Knocked me on my keester one time an it was back to a Tour Edition MotorGuide.  I only wish they offered spot lock because I'd use the heck out of that feature.

[fishnkamp]

Pay attention to many of the top bass anglers on the big circuits.  Many have gone to electronic controlled trolling motors with both a keyfob and pedal.  To answer the question WHY anyone bass fishing would want one here you go. Most of these units are connected to the gps in their depth finders. This means they can use spotlock to "anchor" on a spot too deep to use a Talon or Power Pole. They can then just cast and cast to an area without worrying how the wind or current will affect their boat. They also can use a feature that lets them memorize a run along a drop off or depth contour. Next they return to their beggining spot, and allow the trolling motor to run the boat while repeating the run they just memorized.  They will set the power to say 30% and then just fish as the auto pilot feature handles the boat. If they snag and break off, they hit spot lock and sit down to retie. In my world I bass fish a lot of tidal water. To fish a dock I always have to adjust for wind and tidal currents. Spot lock would be a great asset. I am considering changing to a salt water RipTide version with those benefits.

 

[Elkins45]

I just spent $500 to replace the cable steered MotorGuide on my V hull with a PowerDrive. It has the wired foot control but I can upgrade it to accept the fob. For myself I could never get used to the cable steer. I eventually worked out a method where I placed it horizontally between both feet and steered that way, but otherwise every time I hit a wave it would cause me to spin the motor around as my footing changed. I hated cable steering. I think I would have chosen a fob alone over cable steering. I think even hand steering would have been better for me.

[Dogface]

I have the Terrova with the fob and the pedal. 

 

I fish for pike, musky, walleye and crappie in addition to bass.  It makes all my fishing easier and more efficient. I will never go back to a cable steer unit again. 

[sully420]

I have the ulterra, I use the foot pedal most of the time but the fob comes in handy all the time. I can steer with the foot and control speed with the fob. I can also launch and deploy the tm and spot lock it with the fob as well. I find both cable and electronic systems easy to use and don't mind either.

[Jig Man]

I bass fish 90% of the time.  I broke a couple of ribs over a year ago and they did not heal properly.  Deploying and stowing my tmotor was a killer.  I went for the one that would do that for me (the Ulterra).  I started out using the foot pedal but rapidly moved to the fob.  In order to get the most from it I bought a Humminbird Solix.  I have the I pilot link and my bird and MK are etherneted.  Not only can I control it from the foot control and fob, I can also control it from my Solix.  

 

The best function for me is to set it on "follow the contour" with a crawl speed and "cruise control" to keep the speed constant as the wind changes.  Now I can sit or stand in a comfortable position and fish without all of the contortions of the past.  I won't ever go back to cable steering trolling motors.

 

There is a learning curve.  Maybe your friend isn't very far along on it.  Was he a good boat operator when he had cable steer?

[Way2slow]

I have the Terrova  with I-Pilot, that has the remote.  A couple of years ago, the foot control messed up.  I Tried to use it with the remote and that totally sucked.  At the time they were wanting over $150 for the foot pedal.  Since I was not real fond of the motor anyway, I took it off and put my MG back on.  Well, last fall the MG started acting up so I drug out the Terrova and figured I could see if there was something I could repair.  It ended being one of the little magnets had come out.  I happened to find it stuck to one of the others in a place you couldn't see it at first look.  A little epoxy and it's back on the boat.  Still not real fond of it and still have not used the remote for but that one time I tried to use it what the foot pedal broke. 

I bass fish with both hands, and didn't have a third one to use that remote and the buttons were too small to lay it one the floor and us my foot.  Now, I can see where under certain conditions and styles of fishing it could be useful, but when you are almost constantly on the move and make a few thousand cast a day, who wants to quit casting to press a button on a remote.

[gim]

On April 26, 2019 at 9:02 PM, fishnkamp said:

Pay attention to many of the top bass anglers on the big circuits.  Many have gone to electronic controlled trolling motors with both a keyfob and pedal.

This is not true. Unless you consider the Ultrex to be an electric steer. To my knowledge, it is a hybrid because it has a cable steer in addition to features that electric models have such as spot lock. And prior to the Ultrex, almost every professional bass rig on circuit was equipped with a fortrex.

[Russ E]

25 minutes ago, gimruis said:

This is not true. Unless you consider the Ultrex to be an electric steer. To my knowledge, it is a hybrid because it has a cable steer in addition to features that electric models have such as spot lock. And prior to the Ultrex, almost every professional bass rig on circuit was equipped with a fortrex.

I have owned an Ultrex for 2 1/2 years. it is an electric steer motor, that feels like a cable steer. 

It does have a cable, but without electricity, the motor will not move.

one benefit over the traditional cable steer is no matter how fast you are going it takes the same amount of pressure to turn.

the Difference between the Ultrex and other powerdrives is the pedal feedback. 

With an Ultrex, the position of the pedal determines the direction you are moving. If you are used to the cable drive it feels nearly identical.

With other powerdrives I have used, the pedal is always in the same position. I had to constantly look at the motor to see what direction it was pointed.

[Tennessee Boy]

I have an Ultrex and can't overstate how much I love it.  I fishing off shore most of the year and never realized how much time I spent getting the boat in position and keeping it there until I started using spot lock.    

[GreenPig]

On 4/22/2019 at 8:56 PM, slonezp said:

Methinks he has the Powerdrive V2 with Ipilot, and my guess an older model. Not a bad motor but it's Minn Kota's entry level electric steer. The Terrova, Ulterra, and Ultrex are miles above the Powerdrive in technology and performance. They are also a lot more expensive.  

I have the Terrova with I-pilot link it has the big fob and foot control. I also picked up the small basic function fob. It's all digital and works great for my bass fishing jon boat. The wind would wear me out prior to having spot lock and autopilot. I can hit spot lock and fish an area no matter what the wind is doing. I can move in 5' increments just by tapping a button(back/fwd/left/right). Turn on autopilot and fish down a section of bank at whatever speed I choose. The only two benefits the cable has over the digital in my opinion is knowing the trolling motor direction without looking and precision position while fishing tight to docks. 

[gim]

23 hours ago, Russ E said:

I have owned an Ultrex for 2 1/2 years. it is an electric steer motor, that feels like a cable steer. 

It does have a cable, but without electricity, the motor will not move.

one benefit over the traditional cable steer is no matter how fast you are going it takes the same amount of pressure to turn.

the Difference between the Ultrex and other powerdrives is the pedal feedback. 

With an Ultrex, the position of the pedal determines the direction you are moving. If you are used to the cable drive it feels nearly identical.

With other powerdrives I have used, the pedal is always in the same position. I had to constantly look at the motor to see what direction it was pointed.

Thanks for clarifying Russ