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Trolling motor question

RUGER

RUGER

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Ok I have been meaning to ask this for a couple weeks and can't ever remember to.

My buddy just bought a new trolling motor. One of them that will self deploy & raise, has spotlock and will follow previous paths, all that fancy stuff.

He uses it while trout fishing.
What he would really like to use it for is to follow a previous path that would hold him a certain distance from the bank so he can drift downstream and fly fish the bank.
I guess my question is, for that feature to work you would have to be going forward (downstream in this case) with the bow of the boat going down first, correct?

Is it possible to do that stern first?
 
I don't believe so. The trolling motor becomes the axes of the boat. It doesn't know the boat it there the boat just follows. The only way I can see it possible is if the current is pushing hard. At that point you will be moving too fast to do much fishing.
 
RUGER":1fibbcqg said:
What he would really like to use it for is to follow a previous path that would hold him a certain distance from the bank so he can drift downstream and fly fish the bank.
I guess my question is, for that feature to work you would have to be going forward (downstream in this case) with the bow of the boat going down first, correct?

Is it possible to do that stern first?
Click to expand...

Since I don't really know anything about those motors, this may be a really stupid idea.

If you want to go stern first, put the motor in reverse.
 
TNCharlie":2d25onbx said:
RUGER":2d25onbx said:
What he would really like to use it for is to follow a previous path that would hold him a certain distance from the bank so he can drift downstream and fly fish the bank.
I guess my question is, for that feature to work you would have to be going forward (downstream in this case) with the bow of the boat going down first, correct?

Is it possible to do that stern first?
Click to expand...

Since I don't really know anything about those motors, this may be a really stupid idea.

If you want to go stern first, put the motor in reverse.
Click to expand...

I thought of that too but it is all automatic when you put it in whatever mode it is to stay on a track, you never touch it.
Motor spins 360 degrees and does whatever it has to do.
 
I dont see how Ruger, like stated above the motor is just going to the points its referenced to, no allowance for the boat just GPS waypoints making the trail. I will say the new Ultrex is the bombdiggity for Bass fishing, I absolutely love it!
 
Winchester":2i61af8f said:
I dont see how Ruger, like stated above the motor is just going to the points its referenced to, no allowance for the boat just GPS waypoints making the trail. I will say the new Ultrex is the bombdiggity for Bass fishing, I absolutely love it!
Click to expand...

I will say, I wish I had one for sure.
Fishing with my buddy that thing is amazing for sure.
I can't wait till he launches his boat and forgets to turn it on beforehand though. :D
 
RUGER":3hhft13f said:
I thought of that too but it is all automatic when you put it in whatever mode it is to stay on a track, you never touch it.
Motor spins 360 degrees and does whatever it has to do.
Click to expand...

I see. Anther stupid from me. What is the problem with going bow first?
 
I have a MK Ulterra and love it. I love the ability to easily self launch, and it's cheaper than a divorce having the wife back a trailer!!! I have yet to go swimming but make darn sure it's on when I slide my empty boat into the water.

Why not just go downstream and fish back up using the NAV feature ? Maybe that doesn't appeal to you but seems easier on the system. Of course it's is dependent on the amount of flow.
 
That 3 ft of drag chain works pretty good for that, holding you out from the bank at about he same distance as you drift down river.
I would use the trolling motor more for holding me in one position to fish behind a big rock or other area that needed hitting more than the one on the go like we do. I want one of those trolling motors on the new bass boat and I'll probably have one.

I liked my idea of the power pole on the front end of the river boat for over there.lol probably tear that sucker off.
 
It will keep the front of the boat upstream but it has a remote so he can fish from the back of the boat and still control the trolling motor.
 
RUGER":vo0ssnwl said:
Ok I have been meaning to ask this for a couple weeks and can't ever remember to.

My buddy just bought a new trolling motor. One of them that will self deploy & raise, has spotlock and will follow previous paths, all that fancy stuff.

He uses it while trout fishing.
What he would really like to use it for is to follow a previous path that would hold him a certain distance from the bank so he can drift downstream and fly fish the bank.
I guess my question is, for that feature to work you would have to be going forward (downstream in this case) with the bow of the boat going down first, correct?

Is it possible to do that stern first?
Click to expand...

If he has I-pilot link and has everything communicating through his electronics running a map card he should be able to do as you stated. I am not familiar with the Ulterra but I-pilot link is the same on them all.

With my Ultrex and electronics linked I can run full throttle (big motor) to plot a path and then tell the TM to follow the path back or go back to the start and begin from there.
Or with the mapping cards I can tell it to stay in a certain depth/contour or set an offset distance and tell it to run 2 feet off the five foot depth contour. Or if you have several waypoints that are in a line so to speak I can tell it to start at A then on to B then C etc etc etc.
It is amazing the features that the electronics and TM's have these days...darn near impossible for them to hide anymore but one thing about it ya can't make'm bite!!
 
sounds like the Ulterra. I-pilot Link lets you control your motor from your Humminbird graph, has the ability to follow depth contours, save and retrace your Humminbird Current Track, and return to waypoints.
 
I think it will work going upstream, but not downstream. When you record a track, it establishes a "Start" point and an "End" point. The TM is going to want to always aim toward the End point. If your End point is downstream, obviously the boat is going to get pushed by current, probably faster then you want to go.

However if you record going upstream, TM will always point into the current. You can likely adjust your TM speed so you will proceed VERY slowly upstream and stay on track. But I just don't think that will be possible on a downstream heading unless the current is VERY slow
 
Why can't he use the trolling motor to slow him down against the current, bow upstream? He'd just have to set the travel speed slower than the current. Does the trolling motor know which way the rest of the boat is facing? That's how I used to do it fishing for stripes below Cheatham when the water was on but I was running it myself.
 
MickThompson":2pzzlprl said:
Why can't he use the trolling motor to slow him down against the current, bow upstream? He'd just have to set the travel speed slower than the current. Does the trolling motor know which way the rest of the boat is facing? That's how I used to do it fishing for stripes below Cheatham when the water was on but I was running it myself.
Click to expand...

You can definitely do that in manual mode. Were you doing the same thing trying to follow a recorded track?

I'm really not sure. I used recorded tracks commonly in the lake trolling for crappie, but I've never tried it drifting downstream in river current.... but will soon. Ruger has me curiuous.
 

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