nathanhooper

Got out late last night. Saw a ton on the sonar, but nothing took. We didn't spend much time out though. The heat just drains people this time of the year. Next year will be better. Ton of fish 30'-35' by the dam. Saw some good marks deeper when doing turns. Might make it back out tonight, we shall see.

You guys made my day! I'm sorry, long story short is that I have not been on the water since last time I posted. Early April? But this weekend we finally are getting out to do some family camping and I'm loading the boat as we speak. It's been so long that I needed to refresh my memory of what I did last year this time and I signed in to look at some old posts. I'm feeling pretty stressed today for a number of reasons(not least is that my boat battery is dead) and when I saw my name it made me smile to think that I was remembered. Lol. It's the little things in life. So I'm going out this weekend and I'll give a report back. I know it's no excuse to quit posting for so long but I've been focused on a number of other things in life right now. I'm hoping next year will be a better one.

I hear you. I will for sure, looks like next year though. I am seeing some transom mount motors going for well under $100 and figure it would be worth it for this summers fishing with live bait. I remember thinking about how I could make the experience easier on my last year.

Good to know it will work like that. The main use of the electric trolling motor, right now, is for when I am pulling Alabama rigs for whites and live bait drifting for stripers. Both methods keep me in relatively deep and 'clean' water. So avoiding rocks and trees are not issues for me really. My boat is 16', drafts very shallow (4" I think). The bow mount I have is only 30lb thrust and it pulls it fine, most of the time only staying on 2-3 speed depending on wind, maybe in high wind getting up to 4. I would think that it might take a bit more umph to push than pull, but 45-50 lbs should be fine.

My only thought that what I am thinking about might not work is the whole steering of it all. If the trolling motor being on the back will steer the boat one way or another when turned then I think it would serve my purpose. But if the boat will just want to keep going forward, or drift one way or another, when the trolling motor is turned then I would rather not fight it like that.

Problem with this approach is the maneuvering of the outboard into the right position and also the desire to be able to stop the motor without having to go all the way up front. Good idea though.

I wish, oh how I wish, I was not a titewad(or an idiot). I watch an auction site that gets "returns" from online retailers. They had a minn kota with I piolot and copilot, and the whole shebang come through. I am not sure what the max bid was on it, but I watched it go for $530. I watched another come through before that, which would have let me upgrade like you suggest, but had not really thought about the want at that point. The last fishing trip has got me really considering now. Plus I am really wanting to stay as low as possible. I see some transom mount motors going for fairly cheap and that's what prompted my question.

I have, but I am looking more for the quiet approach and there is not much room on the transom. I actually have one, a 4 hp sea king(I think) but just do not see putting it on. Maybe I'll sell it to fund my other approach. Looking for something to get me moving very slow for trolling live bait, and quiet.

Most of my fishing, if not almost all (99%), is trolling of some sort. As I am finding out what I like, and how I like to fish, thoughts hit my head about how to improve the 'fishability' of my boat. One of the top improvements is when I completed my center console last year. Made a huge difference. But now, with how I have my sonar setup and rod holders, I am beginning to see the need for a change in my trolling motor. I have a bow mount that has a foot control attached. Very old, but still works. The problem is that its on the tip of my boat, great for pulling where I want to go, but not so great for rod control and watching the sonar. My first thought is I would love to replace it with a newer model that can be controlled wirelessly. But I do not have the cash to drop on them at the moment. So my next thought was a transom mount one, with a little extension handle so I can control it from my console. The console sits close to the back, more so than most bass boats anyways ( I do have a small section I can stand on and fish from) so a extension handle would not be too bad. I really like this idea because it puts me into the position that is most comfortable and works great when running my outboard. But the only thing that I am unsure of is how effective a transom mount is at pushing the boat vs a bow mount pulling. Would it be a constant fight when making turns and such? Or would it be like running my outboard, just slower? Just curious if anyone has done it this way. I would leave the bow mount on for those times I do use the casting deck, and maybe one day will be rich enough to buy a fancy remote controlled unit I can use from the console anyways.

Yum! I am going for a mixed bag on Sunday. Crappie are on the menu. I will have to remember to put my down imaging on board. I remember, probably the last time I caught crappie, that I went over a big brushpile/tree and then switched to DI and told the guy in the boat with me that there were some fish hanging right above the brush. Sure enough, pulled up a slab.

I resemble this remark....

I've been catching and releasing them sticks for a while now. I figure they ought to go back for such a good fight. If you ever find one that swallowed one of my cranks I'd gladly come get it from you. Glad you had a good day hope this Sunday produces for my brother and brother in law. They don't get out much.

Just because I like you Terry, I am going to stay at work today and let you have the lake.... lol

I think that would be the only way I would feel comfortable doing it. But then my luck is the fish would get tangled in it and watch supper swim away.... lol

I actually put one on last year. A friend did not need his at the time so I figured I would try it out. It works, very well, almost too well, but in order to get up past a certain speed - but below the idle speed without - you have to rev the engine way high. Makes for a very noisy trolling trip, not to mention very fuel inefficient.