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Thread: The ultimate troll motor

  1. #1
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    Default The ultimate troll motor


    I bought a used 2019 Xpress Pro17 with 115hp Yamaha 4-stroke, Minn Kota 24v Fortex. I do like this boat alot but it sits stern low in the water at rest. I don't know if it weathervanes more than most but it does weathervane in wind. Mind you, if it's real windy, I am usually staying home! I suppose heavier glass boats are better regarding weathervaning just because they are heavier or is it hull design? Anyway, I would like a troll motor with spot lock. If I got one, would it work well on a boat that weathervanes?

    I am a bass fisherman, but I actually fish for what bites. Crappie, bream, even catfish. So, I need spot lock but also use troll motor when fishing through an area, bank or weedline. I am not married to Minn Kota, I am open to whatever. Is there any brand/model that you like and if you have insight on the above, let me know!

    FWIW, I have Helix 9 and Helix 7 will also be upgrading the sonar and adding some kind of Livescope sonar. Or else sell the boat and get another one!

    So, two biggies for me are going to be state of the art troll motor and sonar.
    ~~~
    Bill

  2. #2
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    I can help you on the spot lock because I don’t own one but I have a tracker 175 and when I first got it the front of the boat stuck up in the air so I started moving stuff around.. I took both my group 27 trolling batteries out of the back and moved them to the front as far forward as I could and it sits almost level in the water now fished so much better and the wind doesn’t grab the front and spin it like your talking about any more


    Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

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    If you like humminbirds then an 80 lb ultrex (with Link) would be a sweet setup. Not cheap but nothing is these days!

    Note your birds are only networkable if they have an "N" in the model name.

    Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk
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  4. #4
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    skeetbum is offline Crappie.com Legend - Moderator Jig Tying Forum
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    Most glass boats sit IN the water where aluminum boats mostly sit ON the water. That makes them behave differently in the wind. That said, only so much of your wind signature can be dealt with. I have a MK riptide with auto pilot that I bought ten years ago, maybe more. I bring this up because of its flawless service and durability. If I were to go buy new it would be another MK riptide. The riptides are built saltwater tough and the circuit boards are potted in epoxy which seals them against any issues, not so with the black models. These were the guides choice, for these reasons, when I bought mine. I should have bought an Ipilot but that’s on me. They are a little more money but I feel it’s an investment in durability. I believe that the link versions will connect with your electronics as already said. The boat you have has a good reputation for being well built and I do t see a need to replace it unless something else just grabs ahold of you and won’t let go. Good luck figuring it all out, take your time.
    Creativity is just intelligence fooling around
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  5. #5
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    Spot lock is an awesome feature. So is the auto pilot. Set it on a heading and let it do the driving. I have the Terrova I pilot of a Tracker Pro Team 175. I mainly shoot dock and do some jug fishing for catfish. I was concerned about being able to catch up to the jugs when chasing down catfish. I bought the foot pedal thinking it would give me more control. I have yet to need it. I can run the boat with the remote and grab the jug when I catch up to it. I do very little trolling, and I do not have any graphs to link to it. It does a good job for what I use it for. It is hard to find any trolling motors in stock
    The love for fishing is one of the best gifts you can pass along

  6. #6
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    If you want the trolling motor to link with your graphs, decide what you want for graphs and that will dictate the brand of trolling motor you can get.

    Garmin will only link with the Garmin force.
    Minn Kota will link with Humming bird. You will have to research what graphs and what trolling motor. I have no recent experience with Minn Kota or HB graphs.

    Not positive but Lowrance graphs should be able to link up to certain Motor Guides and the Lowrance Ghost.

    I previously had Lowrance graphs(HDS series) and a Motorguide Xi5. Had to set up a NEMA network to link them up.

    For this boat I switched over to Garmin for the Livescope, currently still using the Motor guide Xi5 but have a Garmin Force on order.

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    I have a Mororguide Xi5 and absolutely love it. I troll a good bit and its nice to set a heading, set the speed, then watch the poles. You don’t have to worry about it. You can also make trails that save on the remote. Run a route, save it and hit the button and it takes off on that track. Anchor mode is good also. It holds pretty dang close. I know some people have problems with them but mine has done great, I put it on in January and fish at least once a week. Most of the time 2-3 trips per week with zero issues

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    I have an Xpress XP-7, 17 ft. w/ 70 Yamaha. I put an 80# 48" Minn Kota Ultrex on it and run it with the foot pedal. It works great for me. I use a Garmin 1042 for livescope and a Lowrance Elite TI 2 that are not linked to the motor. 3 Batteries in the back along with fuel tank and 2 Power Poles, but havent noticed any significant "weathervaning". Troll motor works great.

  9. #9
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    catchNgrease is offline Crappie.com 3K Star General * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Yeah using spot lock will cause the bow to point into the wind especially if current matches the direction of the wind. It is no different than dropping an anchor. You just learn to use that to your advantage.

    Sent from my E6910 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

  10. #10
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    catchNgrease is offline Crappie.com 3K Star General * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Yeah using spot lock will cause the bow to point into the wind especially if current matches the direction of the wind. It is no different than dropping an anchor. You just learn to use that to your advantage.

    Sent from my E6910 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

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