J-Doc

That's a neat tip. I freeze crappie and striper all the time. No problems on my end but then again, I do not fry them. I use a cast iron skillet and blacken the fillets.

I've not even tried pulling cranks yet. Other than normal trolling with two rods. Not pulled crappie cranks on jig poles yet. Crappie bite has been very hot or miss for me. The bite is either super subtle or big thumps. Varies from trip to trip.

Wish I could attend that. I'm too far away in Arkansas to just drive up for that due to work schedule and such. Dave knows his stuff and makes great jigs. Speaking of, I need to order more!

If only people were religious about the kill switch. Sounds like driver may have drowned?

Well this thread has gone to the toilet.....

Hate to hear this. I hope someone turns it in and does the right thing.

No such thing as too long. I have a 48" because that's what I got when I ordered the boat. My Fortrex is 48" and just fine for a pedal steer on my rig. I learned after the fact that the head of the wireless doesn't like ferous metal such as the frame it's mounted on (parts have ferous metal) so lifting the shaft it performs a but better. Remote vs pedal takes getting used too. I miss my Fortrex when trying to untangle a crankbait with a bait retriever when it's windy. It's aggravating enough to just break off and go on about my day. With the Fortrex, I can do three things at once more easily. Just depends on what you want out of a TM. If just bass fishing, go as powerful as you can and go on about your business. If multi species, wireless is really nice.

That's what I did when I bought my new boat. 80lb Fortrex. Then I got the 80lb Terrova for multi species applications. And for spot lock anchoring. In this case, too much power will over correct and wonder around. Getting a longer shaft helps because you can raise the head above the mounting bracket. Ferous metal creates interference with the GPS signal. So a longer shaft is best for wireless. I learned this after the fact unfortunately. Cable steer in as much power as can be afforded is a safe bet for sure. Just don't do it if you go digital.

I hate the foot pedal on the Terrova. I though I would get used to it but I have not. It's a contact button and when you're used to a cable steer, a contact button is terrible. I keep mine in the boat but I'm to the point now that I will take it out. I can order a recessed pedal cover from Ranger that matches my boat too since I don't use the pedal anymore from my Fortrex. I have my Fortrex still and can swap them out with a universal quick release mounting bracket.

Motor guide spot lock or anchor mode is truely that.....a spot lock. Terrova....spot-ish....like a 20ft+ circle vs the 5ft circle of the MG. GPS accuracy and tracking is also not as good as MG but to me, the MK is built with better quality and durability. The plastic guards/sides on the MG are thinner and the whole thing just did not feel as solid to me. So I chose MK. I didn't like it at first. Almost hated it. Starting to really get the nag of it now and learning it's limitations, strengths, etc. I often use autopilot to keep boat pointed in a certain direction (I to the wind) vs spot lock because it over corrects itself. I have a 24v 80lb Fortrex also. It an awesome trolling motor for bass fishing and all around use. Very quiet, powerful, etc. Both are 80lb thrust 24v.They last all day even if trolling continuously. ThaThat said, get the right size for your boat. Over correction on a GPS guided rolling motor leads to over correction and you get wondering and larger diameter spots on spot lock mode. I could have gotten away with 50lb and probably had better performance on spot lock but the trolling motor would have worked much harder creating more noise which defeats the purpose of staying on a spot. For bass fishing, the traditional cable steer is super quiet and cannot be beat. For controlled trolling with live bait or lines behind the boat, digital is the cats meow. You can sit at the console watching the graph and eat a sandwich while controlling the boat when needed. Or simply eat and let the drive itself. It's very nice. Bass fishing, I prefer my Fortrex around docks and cover. Much quieter. The servo motor noise on wireless models is kinda noisy. Sometimes it does not bother the fish, sometimes it does. And it bothers me so might as well be the fish. The MK is really quiet compared to the MG lower end models. They are very loud. 12v or 24v depends on what you can afford and how much use it in a day. 12v works fine on a small vessel. Need 24v for a larger vessel.

Cool way to start the day.

This is the time of year I like most. This is the easiest time of year (for me at least) to catch bass for fun. You don't have to work extra hard just to get some decent bites. The ski boats and jetskis have not driven them to deep water yet and the water temp has them up shallow. Once it gets hot, the bass will transition to their summer haunts and go deep during the day for the most part due to noise/traffic and water temps. So will the bait. I love this time of year.

Sorry for the delayed response. I've been pretty busy lately and have to respond from a computer vs. my tablet or phone sometimes. A. While in your slip, the red is simply water temperature fluctuation. It's probably warmer on the surface for a few feet vs. below the surface (or vice versa in mid-winter) B. The rooster tail is not a problem. Set the transducer so half of it is below the transom and the other half is above the transom and level with how your boat rests in the water. Some make it flat with the transom so they are at the same angle but most boats sit a little heavy in the rear with the outboard so I tilt mine upwards a bit so it's sitting level while in use. C. You're not reading much of anything at that speeds. Sometimes you see "blips" in the white area which can be fish. The sonar signals or "arches" become vastly shorter because the signal is weaker because of the speed at which the boat is moving. Slower speeds read much stronger arches. Sitting still in one place reads as a long line for a signal unless the object is moving which makes an arch because how the fish is shaped (like a football). I suggest you buy Dr. Sonar's "Sonar Basics" DVD. It will really help you get the most out of your unit and you will gain much more confidence in what you are seeing. And hello from Arkansas!

I've heard mixed results. Depends on who you talk to. Considering the water is now green (finally), a green light will not throw as much light as a white light. Probably a minor difference and lets face it, light is light when it's dark. Fish will be attracted to it. I honestly do not know which works better but I would go with a low draw light to prevent battery draw. An LED light would be great.

Talk about giving away specifics..... LOL!

Sounds like a nice deal. Might have to get some of those soon. What's the rough cost range on RX glasses? (rough ballpark.....like $50, $100, $150, $200?)

Wrench loves Yamaha. They are his favorite. ;-)

You would need the universal mount to go back and forth between a cable steer and cordless trolling motor. Both of mine have built-in transducers so that's not an issue for me. You would need to add transducers to each unit if you do not have built in transducers.

I watched probably 20 videos or more. I just could not get the mechanics down. Then I found a video of a cute little gal in a bikini throwing a massive nethe off a dock. I figure if she can, I can. So I watched it over and over, rewinding and watching to learn the mechanics. Now I pancake everytime. I finally figured out the mechanics of it and how or why...it opens. You have to have what's called "triggers". Three points of a circle. Each point has to release before the other to create outward cast so the net is opening up and spreading out while at the same time rotating. If you flick the last trigger with your non casting hand and put a spin in the net, it's even better. I throw my smaller 6ft net different than my 8ft net. Sometimes you have to fine tune and find what works best for you.

My Terrova also roams an inconsistent circle and spot lock on the Minnkota models are not nearly as accurate as Motorguide. In my opinion, this is the only advantage Motorguide has over Minnkota. GPS accuracy is a huge advantage over one brand or the other. I have found that raising the head above the base/mount to get the head away from ferrous metal does help with accuracy. I read that in the manual, tried it, seems to help some. If it's white capping and windy, you can FORGET using spot lock. You're better off using a heading lock and cruise control for speed. That seems to hold the boat in a tighter location/spot than spot lock does. My boat has a shallow keel so it's like a sailboat in the wind. My motor is an 80lb thrust so it's also a bit oversized for my rig which means the motor overcompensates and overcorrects. Which is why the MK tends to roam around in a 15-30ft diameter circle than the 5ft circle the MG offers. The release on my MK works fine for me and its made better than the MG in my opinion which is why I stuck with MK products. I have a Fortrex that I can swap out too. I just bough the universal slide bracket that allows me to change trolling motors to fit the conditions I'm fishing. If I'm bass fishing, I'll use the Fortrex. I prefer the cable control and stealth of the Fortrex when flipping and fishing docks.

I guess no one knows.....

Short fat arches are typically bass because of their body shape. Crappie also look like this, usually a bit smaller and grouped up near structure or brush. Nice looking screenshots. I need to upload one of a group of tires I found on the bottom of the lake on side scan. Putting around on way to a waypoint and "oh look.....tires!" That or someone dropped a box of really big Krispy Kreme donuts. ;-)

I doubt it. I have a screen over my livewell inlet and do not get lines. My setup is quite similar to yours. At this point, I'd call Hummingbird. If it's under warranty, they should repair it or at the least, help diagnosis it.

Have you tried raising the outboard trim? Could be bouncing a signal off the lower unit.

I'm betting you have your sonar transducer on the left side of your side imaging transducer. If you can "stop sonar" or simply unplug the sonar transducer, I bet the lines go away. If that happens, simply move the sonar transducer to the opposite side of the boat, or further away. Should be at least 12" apart minimum.