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Garmin Force

Spurhunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2008
Messages
16,093
Location
Munford, TN
I don't know how I finally talked myself into it, but I bought one yesterday and it shipped today. I will use some of the features when bass fishing. But, when it comes to spider rigging and pulling cranks for crappie this thing is going to be a game changer. I can't wait to get it installed and try it out.
 
good luck with it. i want one but itll have to wait for now. at least it comes with a remote included. and i could see myself using the point and go feature quit a bit longlining jigs.
I've been waiting and procrastinating, and I still can't believe I spent that much money on a trolling motor! I'm justifying it with I haven't had a truck note in years, haven't had a boat note in years, yada, yada, yada. Honestly I'm not sure I can justify that kind of dough for a trolling motor any kind of way. If you decide to buy one check Russell Marine Products in Kansas. Free shipping, no tax, and the same price everyone else has on it.
 
give us a little review if you dont mind after a couple of weeks of fooling around with it.

i keep hoping theyll offer one without transducer for about 2600. probably wont happen though.
 
Until Livescope I said multiple times of any piece of equipment on my boat the Ultrex has been the most valuable that I will NOT do without again!! It just makes fishing so much more enjoyable and less taxing.
When I pulled cranks, jigs with the Foretrex with a troll perfect installed it was still aggravating and I would be wore out by the time I called it quits.
Since I got Livescope and became proficient with it I have honestly not pulled or spider rigged (thinking about selling some equipment!) but my Ultrex is still a key component and makes things much easier!!
Yes they are expensive but you will be thankful in the end.
 
I'm very interested in what you think about it when you get it. I have decided that it, or something like it will be my next purchase for the boat. Being able to keep the boat heading in the right direction when I am trolling is going to be a big deal for me. Especially if I am tending to a fish or hang up.
 
I have a ghost, best fishing accessory ever. Got mine for $2750 shipped to my door. 97 lbs of thrust at 24 volts and if I want, add a battery and have 120 lbs of thrust at 36 volts. I got a remote for it, but have not had a use for it. Maybe I will one day.

Amazing how long batteries last with the ghost, for those familiar with Priest (I had an issue with my motor, so I went and fished with just the ghost trolling motor several times) I put in at midnight when hybrid fishing so I use the Elm Hill Rec area, have to pay and has a gate, and I trolled at 85 percent of power all the way to Seven Points which is just over 2.75 miles. Fished til daylight, 5 to 6 hours, used anchor lock a lot, covered a lot of water from Seven Points to Cooks and back, and trolled all the way back to Elm Hill Rec area at 85 percent. When I got home and checked batteries they still had 80 PERCENT of charge left on each battery, I use standard batteries. And when having to troll a long ways, course lock is great to, just point at where you want to go and hit the button.

It is quiet to, sat on a spot in a couple feet of water, while using the anchor lock, and caught bluegill within feet of the trolling motor while it was running.

I hate the term game changer, something about it I don't like and I never say it, but those trolling motors are that, especially when you have carried a 50 lb anchor in the boat for over 30 years.

I have live 9 on the way Don't know if I will get the active target, not sure.
 
Since I got Livescope and became proficient with it I have honestly not pulled or spider rigged
I know a guy that has Livescope dialed in. He catches the limit most trips. Honestly I'm not sure I want it. I have Panoptix LiveVu (PS22) which is the predecessor to Livescope. I bought it used to try out and I hardly ever use it. I just don't want to stare at a screen all day oblivious to everything around me. Don't get me wrong, it would be cool to limit out everyday, but I really enjoy the relaxation of spider rigging. I've been a bass fisherman my whole life, and I still am, but I do enjoy the laid back relaxation of spider rigging.
 
I got my Force mounted and took it to Glen Springs yesterday afternoon to play with it a little. With very limited time in the water I'll give my first impressions.
Pros:
Impressive engineering. Garmin really tried to solve all the problems other trolling motors have.
The dual gas cylinders for lift assist make it very easy to deploy and stow.
The feature that turns the prop off and rotates the head to the stow position when it comes out of the water is pretty useful.
Extremely powerful and fast even on 24V.
Links to my graphs very quickly with just a couple buttons.
Spot lock is awesome.
Wireless foot pedal works well and eliminates the big steering cables from the deck a traditional trolling motor uses.
The remote control is very handy, well made, and they say it floats, although I haven't verified that....yet.
The built in transducer has better down imaging than my old transducer.

Cons:
The steering is a little noisier than I thought it would be.
The plastic skeg (replaceable for $19.99) seems pretty cheap and flimsy.
The "heading hold" button is in a bad spot and you'll inadvertently hit it 1000 times a day, but it's easily disabled so that's not a big deal.

Overall, I think I'm going to love it. If it was a little quieter I wouldn't have any real complaints.
 
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