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| If you wanted to mount a fishfinder/GPS on the front of your boat. So that you can look at it while fishing, would you set your transducer on the bottom of your Minn kota?
Can you tell me a little more about how that whole deal works? |
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Posts: 7101
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Guest - 1/16/2010 3:29 PM
If you wanted to mount a fishfinder/GPS on the front of your boat. So that you can look at it while fishing, would you set your transducer on the bottom of your Minn kota?
Can you tell me a little more about how that whole deal works?
Though I am no expert in rigging....
-fish finder transducer needs to be in the water, facing downward (ie. bottom of the MK or on the transom). if it is not in the water, facing downward, you are not looking down into the water.
-the GPS portion of the depthfinder/GPS will be seperate from the transducer which gives you depth/underwater detail (fish/weeds/rocks/etc).
-the GPS reciever will either be a "puck" (actually looks like a hockey puck) or internal to the unit and requires no mounting.
That is the best answer this dummy w/ rigging can give.
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Location: Des Moines IA | For the most accurate depth info at the bow, you want the transducer on your trolling motor. On some steep breaks, the transom could be in 20+ feet of water, and the bow could be in 4 feet of water. Let the console sonor run off the transom transducer, run the bow sonor off the trilling motor. |
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| But when you go to a shallow spot you raise the Minn Kota and when you go to a deep spot you lower it. Doesn't that mess with the depth and stuff???? |
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| You’ll find that there are different configurations being used on different boats. Most newer depth finder display units can be daisy-chained together off of a single transducer, so that you can have one in the back and one in the front---but are getting input from a single transom-mounted transducer. But as Mike referred to, it’s only reporting from the back of the boat, so it’s looking at where you’ve been as opposed to where your going.
Other people have two complete units, and are set up something like Slamr described. Then there are those who have both transducers mounted on the transom, because they simply don’t want to mount one on the bow mounted trolling motor. (My case) But you need to be certain that the two transducer signals are not going to interfere with one another (operating on the same Khz), or you may get an occasional blank screen on one unit. I usually run one on narrow beam and one on wide beam to avoid most interference, but do sometimes still get it in water that’s less than 4’ deep.
Anyway, hopefully that’s a helpful overview.
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Location: Des Moines IA | If it's shallow enough to need to raise your trolling motor, do you really need a fish finder? If it's THAT shallow, you can probably see the bottom. I want the most accurate info I can get, that means mounting it on the trolling motor. |
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| Thanks for all your help guys. I am still a bit confused on exactly where to mount it on your trolling motor, so, if someone can.........PLEASE take a picture and post it up.
Thank You!!!! |
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Posts: 2361
| MuskieMike - 1/16/2010 4:45 PM
If it's shallow enough to need to raise your trolling motor, do you really need a fish finder? If it's THAT shallow, you can probably see the bottom. I want the most accurate info I can get, that means mounting it on the trolling motor.
Spoken like one who hasn't fished the famed "chocolate milk" conditions, and how about night fishing. And Yes Virginia, you do need a depthfinder sometimes to tell you it is time to raise the trolling motor before you pop it out of its brackets. 
Edited by firstsixfeet 1/16/2010 5:58 PM
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Location: Des Moines IA | I still want it mounted on my trolling motor, "chocolate milk conditions" or not. I might move my trolling motor up or down at most, a foot or a foot and a half, that is still more accurate than the transom mount transducer. I used the bracket supplied with my fish finder, and a heavy duty zip tie to mount the transducer to my trolling motor.. I have also drilled a hole in the trolling motor skeg, and used a spacer to mount the transducer on the side of the skeg. |
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Posts: 1460
Location: Kronenwetter, WI |
You get a kit like this...
http://www.minnkotamotors.com/products/accessories/marine/transduce...
Will look like this
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0000962012684a.shtml |
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Posts: 158
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That last pic shows it perfectly. It's nice and protected and in my opinion is after not having one up front and then getting one up front I now consider it one of those "musts" if you're going to fish out of your bow. |
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| firstsixfeet - 1/16/2010 5:57 PM
MuskieMike - 1/16/2010 4:45 PM
If it's shallow enough to need to raise your trolling motor, do you really need a fish finder? If it's THAT shallow, you can probably see the bottom. I want the most accurate info I can get, that means mounting it on the trolling motor.
Spoken like one who hasn't fished the famed "chocolate milk" conditions, and how about night fishing. And Yes Virginia, you do need a depthfinder sometimes to tell you it is time to raise the trolling motor before you pop it out of its brackets. : )
I would definitely mount the transducer on your trolling motor. Check your locator manuel to help you figure out how to use your keel offset and it will solve all your problems. Keel offset is the function that allows your front and rear locator to read 9' when the boat is in 9' of water instead of the front transducer reading 6' (because the transducer is 3' below the surface) and the rear transducer reading 8' (because the transducer is 1' below the surface). It will be helpful to mark off your trolling motor shaft with permanent marker in 6" increments, or however accurate you choose, to make figuring your keel offset fast and easy when you do adjust your front trolling motor. |
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Posts: 2361
| Ooops, I did not want to suggest NOT mounting the front depth transducer on the trolling motor, and in fact, was pointing out the very need for accurate info, especially in poor visibility conditions. Just responding to the remark that "you can probably see bottom". I would always have mine on the trolling motor for that very reason, and I am often in conditions which limit my real knowledge of depth to the trolling motor transducer.
To the question of raising or lowering the trolling motor in its mount, you will find you actually raise it, or need raise it in one condition, and that will be rough objects in shallow water. You will not need to know absolute depth in most of those situations, it will be more important to be clearing the objects in front of you.
Always mount the transducer on the trolling motor imo also. Depth is really more important relative to itself than it is as an accurate measurement, most of the time. ie, I fish some very narrow bar tops every year and it is not important to know the real depth of the top, what is most important is to know immediately when I start to go off to one side or the other. You rarely need to identify accurate depth. What you frequently need is immediate info when it starts to change. |
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Posts: 105
| Has anyone mounted a transducer on a power drive unit? What did you do with the cable, since you can't attach it directly to the shaft? |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Mount the transducer on the trolling motor using this mount:
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0000962012684a.shtml
Then, use electrical tape at the top of the motor, just below the head to secure the cord. Only thing you can do is let the cord hang free, giving it just enough room to be able to turn the motor once all the way around. |
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Posts: 1023
| How many people out there have mounted a transducer on their powerdrives? Is it working okay for you or should I just mount the ducer at the transom? I cast 95% of the time BTW.
Thanks a ton!
Landry |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Mine is mounted on the Power Drive, it works great! |
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Posts: 307
| When I had a power drive I mounted my transducer on it. Like DeVoe said you leave just enough slack in the cord to allow the unit to spin. I used a zip tie at the very top of the shaft though instead of black tape. One thing to be careful of when stowing the unit is to not pinch the transducer cord in the hinge. I learned that the hard way. |
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Posts: 1023
| are you guys taping it at the very top - like at the motor head or where the motor is that turns the shaft?
Thanks
Landry |
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Posts: 307
| At the very top of the shaft by the head. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | That is corrrect. Use black electrical tape, works great! |
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Posts: 1023
| thanks |
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Posts: 572
| I believe it was the Cabela's) Rig Rite Trolling Motor Transducer Mount mentioned above that I had problems with on my Minn Kota Maxxum 70SC Bow-Mount Trolling Motor. I ended up taking it back for a refund. That was about 2 1/2 years ago. I can't recall what the problem was, but I was disappointed. |
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Mounting your fishfinder transducer on your trolling motor??