staying on course

[amateurfishing]

was out to mille lacs for first time sat am trolling for 3 hours....personally had a heck of a time attempting to stay on any course with trolling motor, between very little wind & really no bad waves, i was suprised by how much "normal" wave action was constantly swinging the back of the boat in different directions. all my equip is original '84 to boat. do i just need to learn how to control trolling motor better or is it because of my equip and i have what i have and that will happen? dont have i pilot or any stuff like that for precise trolling, just follow my graph and try to point trolling motor in right direction & acct for wind n waves or just a very big learning curve compared to water of backyard lakes? thx

[TruthWalleyes]

Do you have autopilot?

Bow or Transom?

[amateurfishing]

bow mount foot pedalg.....dont know what auto pilot is so doubt it

[CAMAN]

Did you leave the outboard in the water? And was it straight?

Keeping the outboard down and straight helps a TON in bowmount boat control.

[amateurfishing]

motor was down & for most part straight though i do know it can "wiggle" a little bit on its own

[Kyhl]

I think it just takes seat time to get used to how to handle the natural drift that the elements create.

It's just getting a feel for the angle of attack that moves you along your desired path with the least amount of trolling motor (I want my batteries to last all day).

[amateurfishing]

yea, pretty much going into slight wind/waves all morning, maybe i just need to be smarter & go further on big motor and let wind/waves bring me back

part of problem im sure was did not have a game plan, just learning & testing lake & see how i did out there. live n learn

[TruthWalleyes]

Without any kind of autopilot to keep you going straight, you'll just need to be very attentative and constantly adjust the foot pedal to keep you on course.

Auto pilot will keep the TM pointed in a direction, as wind and waves push your boat, the trolling motor will adjust to keep the same heading. You can get an auto pilot for a pretty decent price.

You could also step into an I-Pilot, much more expensive, but will keep you on course.

[SkunkedAgain]

I've got an older Powerdrive with the foot pedal as well. Trolling into the wind can be very frustrating because you need to constantly correct your direction. A trolling motor with autopilot makes a big difference, but they also make a big dent in your wallet. I'm currently saving up so that whenever my current Minnkota fails, I'm able to upgrade to an Autopilot model (or whatever else is cool at the time)

[bobbymalone]

I know my '82 17 and half foot alumacraft came with a 30lb motorguide and it was impossible to operate in anything more than a 5mph wind. and that was about as much thrust as you could get in 82.

if you have a original 84 trolling motor, might want to think about getting one with more thrust. My 55lb minnkota PDv2 does a LOT better with a bit of waves and wind.

[CAMAN]

Bobby brings up a good point. What motor do you have on there?

[amateurfishing]

28 lb thrust motor guide "L" series... assuming from the '84 era

[bobbymalone]

That is 95% of your problem right there.

[amateurfishing]

That is 95% of your problem right there.

could you plz define "problem", too small? too old? technically it is 100% working order & works just fine....what should i have or do i need?

[CAMAN]

Too small, I don't recall seeing the size boat you have, but if assuming around the 16 foot size, 28lbs of thrust is about half what I would recommend as a MINIMUM. I'd recommend around a 45-50lb minimum, but always go with the biggest you can logically afford.

[Ufatz]

These fellas are dead on correct: motor is too small to do much of anything except push around a very small light craft. You are going to need to move to something with about TWICE that thrust to maintain any semblance of control with your boat.

Have fun!!

[bobbymalone]

yep, by problem I mean not enough thrust. I wouldn't be surprised if that 30 year old motor isn't quite throwing down 30lbs either.

My boat sat in my dad's shed for almost 15 years before I gave it a second life. The 30lb trolling motor annoyance became an issue the first time I used it when the water wasn't dead calm. I asked my dad how he lived with that thing for so many years. He just said it was top of the line at the time LOL.

Almost $700 later, I can almost ski behind that the 55lb 'kota

if you are on a budget, I might try HSO classified or greg's list.

[amateurfishing]

where would i start looking to research a decent bow mount trolling motor possibly with remote operation?

what features are recommended in a trolling motor these days if i look into a 55lb thrust?

[JohnMickish]

where would i start looking to research a decent bow mount trolling motor possibly with remote operation?

what features are recommended in a trolling motor these days if i look into a 55lb thrust?

Here is where I would start to look. http://www.profishingsupply.com/trollingmotors/powerdrivev2.htm

Pro Fishing Supply, site sponsor, the best prices out there and great to work with.

What features are recommended? At a minimum I say

1 Universal Sonar

2 Auto Pilot

3 Co Pilot

If it is in the budget, a Terrova I Pilot is a good as it gets.

If you are thinking of upgrading, do some research on Minnkotas and Humminbirds HSOforum, they have some new stuff coming out this fall at will allow you to integrate your trolling motor and some of their sonar units together. The good news about the new stuff coming out, it could put the current stuff on clearance this fall.

[Farley]

A new bigger trolling motor will help a ton, but for now you can just use the wind to your favor by drifing breaks running the same direction of the wind. Toss out a driftsock to slow you down enough and so your boat stays perpinduclar to the wind\break, point the trolling motor either straight off the bow or directly in reverse and use it to keep the boat in your target depth. After the first couple passes it will be easy.

[amateurfishing]

Here is where I would start to look. http://www.profishingsupply.com/trollingmotors/powerdrivev2.htm

Pro Fishing Supply, site sponsor, the best prices out there and great to work with.

What features are recommended? At a minimum I say

1 Universal Sonar

2 Auto Pilot

3 Co Pilot

If it is in the budget, a Terrova I Pilot is a good as it gets.

If you are thinking of upgrading, do some research on Minnkotas and Humminbirds HSOforum, they have some new stuff coming out this fall at will allow you to integrate your trolling motor and some of their sonar units together. The good news about the new stuff coming out, it could put the current stuff on clearance this fall.

[JohnMickish]

LOL. Nobody said fishing was cheap! Unfortunatly this is case where "cheap" is going to get you just that. All of the bells and whistles that make fishing easier and/or more fun drive the price up.

Autopilot is a must have IMO. It is a great feature when fishing in a crowd and you hook into a nice or multiple fish. You can just point it out away from the crowd and not have to worry about running into another boat and/or lines while you land the fish. Co-pilot just lets you control it with a remote. Ipilot is even better but it sounds like that is going to be a hard sell.

I feel the universal sonar is also a must have because it cleans up the trolling motor. I do not like having the extra cable running down to the head. It gets tangled up and I have seen where if your not paying attention it will wrap itself around the TM and pull the cable out the transducer, wreaking a $65 part and ruining the rest of the day.

By the way, tell her you want the 101 Ipilot Terrova and you will settle for an Autopilot PD55!

[amateurfishing]

i started taking my boys out shore/dock fishing and sold the golf clubs thinking fishing would be simpler/cheaper/funner over the long haul....not sure if that was the right choice anymore after a boat, updated fish finder, & now this possible scenario.

my boat is a '84 16ft crestliner nordic explorer which i paid $3000 for, at what point am i putting to much $$$$ into the boat without getting return value someday if decide to upgrade?

[aanderud]

I say as soon as you buy ANY brand new motor for occasional fishing on a 30 year old boat, you've overspent. Because any size/shape motor you want can be had used for 1/2 the price (or less). You're fishing with a used trolling motor now, so buying a different "used" one seems to make the most sense as your primary intent isn't to gain newness, but instead is to gain thrust and options.

You can always look on the c list or the auction sites, or garage sales, and get a motor from someone else who upgraded theirs to the new fancy $1000 model (probably on a newer and more expensive boat where that expense would be more justified). I got that >$1000 model in 2005 or 2006 (24 volt auto pilot v2 with universal sonar, 80 lbs thrust, 60 inch shaft), and I can honestly tell you that I've seen the EXACT same model (same year, same thrust, same shaft) sell on c list or fbay for under $400 this summer. I see the 55 lb models have been listed in the MSP metro area for like 250, 325, etc. as recently as last week. Keep your eyes open.

[CAMAN]

IMO the money spent on fishing gear and equipment is separate from that of the boat. Even if you spend $10000 on a new trolling motor for a 30 year old boat you can ALWAYS remove it when you sell it and place it on another boat or sell it separately. I have a 30 year old boat myself with $1500 sidefinder, $1000 MinKota, and a bunch of other stuff I plan on removing when/if I get rid of the boat. Its repairs and such you put into the boat and will likely never get back you should watch closely.