tillers

[Bassboy1645]

97 percent of muskie guys I see fish outta bassboats and console walleyes and nearly all of them are on a bow mount trolling motor. Id do the same but I found I like to cover water with my big motor in the slowest setting and I stand one one foot and have the other on the tiller handle. works pretty slick unless its windy or you fish all day. Anyone else fish muskies from the back of a deep V tiller??

[cjac]

First off, any boat that gets you on the water chasing muskies is a good boat! Overall, tillers are a great option since they open up so much floor space that a console or windshield in my case take up. I went full since windshield I use the boat for many applications, both fishing and recreational.

Beyond that, comfort and boat control are at the center of your question. Seeing as I've had two back operations, I'm probably not the best guy to comment on comfort. I like to stand up and be able to shift weight, especially on a follow.

Boat Control: On a follow I like to be able to shift my feet and set up for which direction I'm going to spin the fish. The drawback to your situation, just based on reading, is you have a motor running. So, you have to manage the motor and the fish at the same time. So, in a split second, how do you manage both? In your situation I'd prefer to kill the motor and work the fish.

In general, I like the added height and sighting I get on the bow with the trolling motor, and the precision control.

Again, not clear on your rig, but a bow mount may be something to consider. Sounds like you like the sight-fishing approach, going to a quieter and slower trolling motor may help a lot. Few hundred bucks, depending on your rig, can put you on a nice bow set-up.

Above all, my back hurts just thinking about your one-legged stance!

[PDXFisher]

Two guides I've gone out with use tillers (Jonah Winter and Brian Jones). Jonah has a big Alumacraft and Brian uses a big Tuffy. I think it makes a lot of sense for guides to use them, but fishing one alone without electrics sounds rough.

We fished all last season out of a 14' tiller, it was fine for the small stuff with only two people. We even blew out two electrics and had to use the main motor for most of a day. I father doesn't have a bow mount in his (he mostly fishes in the Columbia for Salmon and Walleye) and we do OK fishing Tigers. I'd certainly get a bow mount if I ever had to fish by myself. Standing on one leg would get old for me real fast...I have a hard enough time standing on two all day. I just bought a tiller a couple weeks ago, but it will be a long time before I'm by myself on it and it has two minnkotas.

[SJonesi]

I ran a Ranger 620T for 2 seasons on Mille Lacs and loved it. I thought I needed more speed to cover more water so this past season, I ran a 620VS(console version). Great boat, etc., but I sold it last week and am going back to a big tiller. Aside from the space issue that Chris mentioned, boat control is the determining factor for me. I could do a lot of the same things with the console, but it was a lot more work and more complicated at times(drift socks, kicker etc.) I could turn the arse of that 620T into the wind(3'waves) and work any spot on the lake at a creep. Electrics can't even come close in those conditions unless they have an 8' shaft!Long live the Tillers! Steve

[chief]

BassBoy,

Sounds to me like you have a fine fishing rig. However, if your question is whether or not you should get a bow mount, the answer is yes. Assuming you buy one with a shaft long enough to keep the prop in the water, you'll see huge gains in maneuverability and stealth. If you're primarily a caster, you really benefit from a bow mount electric. Since you already have a "kicker", a bow mount gives you the best of all worlds.

[ole matty]

I have a 15' gruman boat with 20 hp. I was wonderin what's lb thrust for bow mount troll motor I shld get on good price? Don't want to spend a lot of moneys on troll motor as I prob will be only fishin 2 or less time a week due to workin time.

[Huey]

I had a basic 16' lund w/ a 20hp. I started out with a 42 lb thrust bow mount. That worked great except on the windiest days. Later on I put a 55 lb thrust motor. The extra power was nice at times, but not necessary.