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Posts: 1516
| Has anyone used the I pilot link to follow a break line or depth while casting? How did you like it? |
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Posts: 132
| I've not used it but fished with a guide who had it. I asked the question to him and his response was something along the lines of: I don't use it because it's only as accurate as your map and with musky fishing you need to be spot on. If your map is off by 10 feet you could position your boat on the spot on the spot without knowing.
Basically, if your map is 100% accurate, or close to it, it should work great. Maybe if you've autocharted the area it would be better. Hope that helps. |
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Posts: 400
Location: Metro | This is interesting. I have always been the one dream about the Ipilot feature but haven't done much research into it. I personally am just fine with the AutoPilot feature that a lot of trolling motors come with these days. |
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Posts: 470
| I got it last summer and I love it.
My home lake was not on the Lakemaster chip so I bought the auto chart program and made my own map. It's pretty doggone close to the depth soundings on the sonar. I set the fishfinder for a contour, set the speed and it's nothing but fishing for me. It will also correct to the contour if the wind blows the boat off course. I usually fish with 4-6 people on board so I have lots of things going on at once. Not having to be constantly steering the boat via the trolling motor is one less thing to worry about. The fact it has spot lock on the remote also means I can hold position immediately when a fish is on.
I highly recommend it, I use it constantly. Only thing I wish I had done was purchased a Helix unit so I could have the Auto Chart program live. As it is, I sonar record, take the chip out and update the map on my laptop as I go.
I am planning on upgrading my trolling motor to an Ulterra this summer, I will definately get the one with the Ipilot Link. (I may sell the old one and my 999 and buy the Helix 9 while I'm at it... )
HTH,
RandalB |
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Posts: 270
Location: SE WISCONSIN | I love I use follow the contour all the time if the depth is off I adjust it with the contour offset feature. |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | I use the follow the track feature much more. |
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Posts: 159
| I am excited to see the real world application as well for Musky fishing...
Just ordered it with two networked Helix 9s and the Terrova 80lb----on the brand new MX1825
My goal is to be able to follow contours as well....as well as autochart out my favorite casting runs---and basically be able to fish my favorite spots without constantly being consumed and worried about boat control.....
My guess is the real world application of this will fall somewhat short of the ideal-LOL
I hope I am dead wrong---
One thing for sure---they are not giving the thing away---Holy Smokes---it added over 1K to the new boat price....My thought was bite the bullet and get everything up to date and state of the art----rather than trying to add it later...which is always a pain..
Good thread ---I would love to hear feedback from lots of Musky only caster types...
Edited by Storm Strike 2/23/2016 4:53 PM
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Posts: 61
Location: Cottage Grove, WI | I mainly fish alone and the I Pilot link has been the best thing I have ever purchased for Musky fishing. I use follow the contour all the time and on the Madison lakes the Lakemaster chip has been pretty accurate. If you are off by a little bit I just adjust the offset and stay right where I want to be. Really a fantastic feature for fishing in the wind, and not having to adjust your course all the time. |
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Posts: 206
| I agree its awesome. Follow the contour keeps me pretty darn close to where I want to be. Could the map be off a little? Maybe but I don't think very much. Even if it is, in the pre-ipilot days I was using autopilot on a straight line and adjusting as I went along. Can't imagine that's any more accurate than Follow the Contour... probably worse ~
Buy it, and I think YES you can always do the autochart as well if you don't feel confident in the mapping on your favorite lake.
Spot-Lock and Follow the Contour have been the biggest game-changers for me personally in the past 10 years... even if they aren't 100% perfect, they are better than what I used to try to do manually. |
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Posts: 1209
| I have link and barely use it, for me I feel like for it to pull the boat along smoothly it has to be pulling at about .7mph. I often find myself trying to go .4 and then it kinda zig zags too much for my liking. Also ever if the map is awesome it then wants to go 5 feet in and out every10-20 feet. Now having 50 tracks recorded is a better way for me. I have went all the way around small lakes in a single pass and let me tell you how awesome it is that I don't have to drive at all. |
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Posts: 668
Location: Wisconsin | I also use the track feature, but I have not given the follow the contour setting much of a try. I need to give it a go this season. The track feature is awesome!
Edited by Clammer 2/25/2016 2:19 PM
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Posts: 206
| Fishysam - 2/25/2016 1:08 PM
I have link and barely use it, for me I feel like for it to pull the boat along smoothly it has to be pulling at about .7mph. I often find myself trying to go .4 and then it kinda zig zags too much for my liking. Also ever if the map is awesome it then wants to go 5 feet in and out every10-20 feet. Now having 50 tracks recorded is a better way for me. I have went all the way around small lakes in a single pass and let me tell you how awesome it is that I don't have to drive at all.
Just curious sam if you are in an aluminum boat or glass. Reason I ask is that I first had an aluminum boat then switched to glass and I find the tracking and following contour lines much more accurate and less "zig-zagging." |
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Posts: 159
| That is good news about tracking with the glass boat---.7 is too fast to use for casting...that would aggravate me if it zig zagged too much...and did not hold the line.. |
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Posts: 483
| i believe same thing hapened to me when i put a terrova 80 on a 14.5 foot aluminium ! not enough drag in the water spotlock and follow a track can be very erratic when windy ! i am sure with a bigger glass boat it would be much better ! and thats wy i bought that motor to use in the next boat i hope to get soon . |
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Posts: 1209
| It was on my 2090 warrior that I carried quite the payload in to squat it in the water and on my nitro z8 bass boat. When I run the terrova with link it's been buried in the water as I fish 19'. Now to give back some possible credit I have never updated my birds or link. Spot lock is awesome when there is wind or current but if it's calmish it really like to overshoot and correct a lot. I feel like link is a valuable musky application. But I feel my lakes are mapped to precisely as in the contours have to much pinpoint adjustment. The terrova does go straight down the line but I feel in clear water 30+' visibility I need to wind drift with minor motor corrections to give me the best opportunity.
Now I was thinking if minnkota would put a plus minus X feet off of the contoure to straighten out the projected path would be the cats meow.
But I also wish I could tell my cruise control in my truck not to worry about staying at 79mph on hills. But that's not going to happen. |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | The I pilot link does have contour offset. |
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Posts: 100
| RandalB - 2/23/2016 3:59 PM
I got it last summer and I love it.
My home lake was not on the Lakemaster chip so I bought the auto chart program and made my own map. It's pretty doggone close to the depth soundings on the sonar. I set the fishfinder for a contour, set the speed and it's nothing but fishing for me. It will also correct to the contour if the wind blows the boat off course. I usually fish with 4-6 people on board so I have lots of things going on at once. Not having to be constantly steering the boat via the trolling motor is one less thing to worry about. The fact it has spot lock on the remote also means I can hold position immediately when a fish is on.
I highly recommend it, I use it constantly. Only thing I wish I had done was purchased a Helix unit so I could have the Auto Chart program live. As it is, I sonar record, take the chip out and update the map on my laptop as I go.
I am planning on upgrading my trolling motor to an Ulterra this summer, I will definately get the one with the Ipilot Link. (I may sell the old one and my 999 and buy the Helix 9 while I'm at it... )
HTH,
RandalB
This mirrors my experience exactly. There's a sunken island on a lake I fish...I set the Terrova to follow the 16 foot line around it, set the speed control to the speed I want to fish (example: 1 MPH)...
...and I fish. It takes about 20 minutes to circle the sunken island, and I've hit it from every angle without having to mess around with boat control once. |
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Posts: 100
| 14ledo81 - 2/27/2016 6:43 AM
The I pilot link does have contour offset.
Yup. You can tell the Terrova (or Ulterra) to follow the contour 10 (or 5 or 15 or 20 or whatever) feet off line.
I've used it set to 60 feet off the zero line to follow a shore line. |
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Posts: 1209
| I know about offset, just wish it could take the highs and lows out by a give and take program. I also have followed shoreline 75' out. |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | I use the follow the conture all the time each lake is different but set the depth set the speed then fish only time I do anything is when I catch a fish or meet up with another boat.
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Posts: 100
| Storm Strike - 2/23/2016 4:50 PM
I am excited to see the real world application as well for Musky fishing...
Just ordered it with two networked Helix 9s and the Terrova 80lb----on the brand new MX1825
My goal is to be able to follow contours as well....as well as autochart out my favorite casting runs---and basically be able to fish my favorite spots without constantly being consumed and worried about boat control.....
My guess is the real world application of this will fall somewhat short of the ideal-LOL
I hope I am dead wrong---
One thing for sure---they are not giving the thing away---Holy Smokes---it added over 1K to the new boat price....My thought was bite the bullet and get everything up to date and state of the art----rather than trying to add it later...which is always a pain..
Good thread ---I would love to hear feedback from lots of Musky only caster types...
If it only added $1000 to the price of the boat you got a heck of a deal - They sell for twice that... |
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I pilot Link