Thread: No warm water but first trip with i-Pilot

Stayed close to home and fished a small lake. Found no water over 40.5 degrees and had wind around 10mph. Longlined while using the new i-pilot and caught 6. All fish were small, the color that was best today black/pink tail.

The i-pilot worked great :D Spot Lock is like having an anchor out the front of the boat. Cruise Control, set it the speed you want to go and hit the button Auto Pilot, point the boat the way you want to go and it will keep you on the heading. Layed down a Track about 1/4 mile long, with the wind blowing the trolling motor took me right back to where I started the track I never lost the GPS all day and the i-pilot worked great. The only thing I don't like is the speed control settings. It goes to a setting of 10 by 1/2 settings. Working with it a little more and I will be able to put it a the speed I want to fish.

Biggest fish of the day. It looks like a 1/2 pound white crappie but it's really a two pounder :D:D I am kidding, it's a 1/2 pound fish

Great news about the new I-pilot. Just wondering...did you fish out of the front or the back of the boat when trolling?!?:D:D I thought you said it was windy....but looking at that pic it looks dead calm. BTW, did you give that new drift sock a try today? Congrats on the 2#er.

I went over to the park today to finish sinking what brush I had to sink. Now Ive always thought that below Ruckersville Rd bridge the water stayed pretty clear. It was very muddy two weeks ago...but that was expected from all those creeks and rivers getting WAY out of their banks. Well, today it's still as muddy as it was 2 weeks ago at the ramp and hardly ANY visibility in the water there. Looks like the lake level has been lowered 1 1/2 - 2 feet, looking at the boat ramp dock, but that didnt pull the mud out. Now I'm really wondering what it's gonna take to clear the water up some. I did ride out to the Savannah and it was clear though.

Good deal bout the I-Pilot. great day to be on the water. but that 2 lb. fish....?:D:D maybe you got real long arms and it is a far distance from the len's. good post.

When the pic was took the wind had died down, it always does when you get ready to go until you try to load the boat. I fished 4 rods off the back and 3 off each side. All the fish came off the back. I set on the front of the boat and watched the rods. Didn't have to look forward much, just to see where the boat was heading.

Originally Posted by ofishlbizzness

Good deal bout the I-Pilot. great day to be on the water. but that 2 lb. fish....?:D:D maybe you got real long arms and it is a far distance from the len's. good post.

If I had posted on the main board it would have been 2 pounds I need to get a set of scales like they use.

is this i-pilot an add on to your minn-kota or is it a whole new motor and system in one? got a co-pilot on mine and that thing sounds nice.

My unit is a add on. I don't have a foot pad anymore so it will take some getting us to. I tried a few times today to use my foot. On spot lock the wind was pushing the back of the boat and I had to cut it off once because the motor was turning to the left and got my transducer cable caught. I guess the motor was going the shortest way around. Something to watch out for.

Ronnie...what colors, size jigs, double jigs, single jigs, speed, etc., etc.?!?

Originally Posted by gabowman

Ronnie...what colors, size jigs, double jigs, single jigs, speed, etc., etc.?!?

I have been pulling two 1/16 jigs but changed up today to just one 1/16. With a good throw out and the boat moving at .08 the jigs were down to 10' deep, the reason I know the depth is I went over a 10' flat and my rod tips were jumping, never got hung up but the jigs had weeds on em when I checked em.
The color that the bites come on is a Southern Pro hot grub, black and chartreuse head with a pink curly tail and was tipped with a small minnow.

Originally Posted by gabowman

Great news about the new I-pilot. Just wondering...did you fish out of the front or the back of the boat when trolling?!?:D:D I thought you said it was windy....but looking at that pic it looks dead calm. BTW, did you give that new drift sock a try today? Congrats on the 2#er.

I went over to the park today to finish sinking what brush I had to sink. Now Ive always thought that below Ruckersville Rd bridge the water stayed pretty clear. It was very muddy two weeks ago...but that was expected from all those creeks and rivers getting WAY out of their banks. Well, today it's still as muddy as it was 2 weeks ago at the ramp and hardly ANY visibility in the water there. Looks like the lake level has been lowered 1 1/2 - 2 feet, looking at the boat ramp dock, but that didnt pull the mud out. Now I'm really wondering what it's gonna take to clear the water up some. I did ride out to the Savannah and it was clear though.

Beaver Dam has been muddy all winter, don't think it will ever clear up. Hope the crappie can smell in mud LOL. I would think that if you only fish about 5' deep the crappie will find the bait.