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Posts: 194
| I have a Minn Kota Powerdrive in the 40# thrust variety. I like it Ok. I have one issue with it. It might be as much the style of boat I'm in as anything. I feel like it turns left and right too fast for my rig. I turn it one way or the other and it makes the boat swing that direction too fast. I end up doing zig-zags along a structure instead of following the contour like I want. Here's the question: Is there any way to change out the gears responsible for turning the motor? Or does anyone have any suggestions as to a method for keeping my boat from zig zagging so badly. I usually work into the wind, but it really doesn't make a difference. I have a 14' Polarkraft semi-v. It's alomst flat on the bottom. I feel like the flat bottom is the biggest reason I have this problem. I've though about tying on a drift sock, but I'd hate to get a fish tangled up in it. You know when it happened it would be a monster too. Can anyone say Murphy's Law? I've also considered fashioning some sort of a rudder and attaching it to the bottom of the boat. Again, big fish lost due to entanglement / snapped line scares me. Short of buying a new boat, which I can't afford, I figured maybe slowing the turn of the motor itself might do the trick. Thanks |
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Posts: 734
| I think you may just be going to fast. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I would definitely agree with MuskJay, I think your definitely going too fast, if you want to correct that, just bump the speed up just enough to make the boat creep ahead. Might have to do it with your hand until you can get use to doing it with your foot but I know what your talking about. |
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Posts: 194
| I spose that's a possibility, but I usually like to move fairly slow. I'll try to remember to slow down some more (Daggummit season's almost over already) next year. But has anyone heard of a way to change the gearing? Sometimes I find my foot stuck on the footpedal when I thought I left it off and then things get really interesting. Boat Control is my biggest problem. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Well by chance, would you be happening to hit the constant button on the right side under the speed? It doesnt take much for that to kick on. |
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Posts: 814
| One other thing that I see all the time is people drift with the rear outboard trimmed all the way up,this causes the rear end to fishtail all over the place, keep the motor down it acts like a rudder and keeps the boats from fishtailing.... and actually you can make it point the nose of the boat in or out when drifting a weedline depending on how you have it turned hope this helps Mike |
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Posts: 734
| How fast are you going according to GPS speed. I would try to go about .6 MPH. |
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Posts: 734
Location: Watertown, MN | Kaz
Yes make sure motor is down, small boat, light boat, will tend to drift more, you also said it was flat bottom, less keel more drift. Fishing with a guy here, runs a 18' boat with transom mount motor, he can hold position and control his boat, while everyone blows by him. Boat control is a huge part about fishing, I spent a day on the water with the Griz, again using a transom mount trolling motor on a flat bottom. We out fished everyone around us 10 to 1, they were trying to hold position with a bowmount even with glass boats. Definitely play around with your boat till you are happy with your control, or it will be in your head when your fishing.
Good luck
Troyz |
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Posts: 194
| Jay- GPS speed? Good one! I don't own a GPS. Maybe some day when I hit the lottery. Oh wait, you have to play the lottery to win it, huh? Seriously, though I'm hoping to get a GPS someday.
Mike- I used to keep my motor down. That was until I had a fish get wrapped around the prop this year. She stays up now. I somehow managed to keep the fish on and put it in the boat. I can't allow that to happen again, though.
TJ- I usually use that and leave it on a really low setting. Good thought. Would you say I should set it on say 5 power or something, depending on wind, and correct between casts with a quick burst? I tried doing that but then I feel like I never get anywhere. Worth trying again though for a bit longer. Couldn't hurt.
Thanks for the suggestions, all. This is really a thorn in my side. I feel like I know what I want to do, but can't make my boat go where I want to do it. Frustrating. |
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Posts: 2323
Location: Stevens Point, WI | Kaz,
First off, not sure if you have power trim or not on your boat but Mike is totally right about keeping that motor down as much as possible! I understand the worry about getting a fish caught up in the prop but I'm telling you, that can make a HUGE difference. Because I know if that motor is up your boat, especially the size of boat you have, without that little resistance in the water that the motor can provide then it can really make your boat control even more sloppier. What I suggest is, for me, I usually have another guy fishing with me when I'm muskie fishing, so when I do get a fish on and if it does get near the outboard, have your partner give you a hand with it. Be assertive and use the rod a little more and make the fish go where you want it to go. By all means I don't mean horse the fish but you have a muskie rod in your hand not a ultra light. For me, when I do have a fish on without a partner in the boat and the fish goes near the motor, the boat is like a jungle gym, I'm all over the place trying to avoid that prop, I have yet to lose a fish on the prop in my experience. But then again, I don't have the experience like some of these guys! But then again, some people would laugh and say I'm only a college kid, I don't know much. Only been fishing since I could walk! I feel my boating knowledge is right up there with the best of them, and I can hold my own on any body of freshwater.
Now as to my comment earlier about the foot pedal. With my experience with the PD's, for me when I have used them, what I do personally is when I'm going into the wind I set the power so that it's enough to move me along but not too fast. Say your following a weedline, you have a south wind blowing into the weedline so it's pushing your boat into the weedline. What I do is like I said I set the power just enough to make that boat creep along and when I see the boat is beginning to drift to far in I then use the manuel button on the pedal to get myself back on track. I personally just keep going along like that, just making slight maneuvers or adjustments to my boat so that I can keep on that weedline so that I can work it effectively. I rarely ever will turn on the constant. And when I do it will be for short distances to get me back on track and then I turn it off. Personally I am constantly on the trolling motor, majority of my time is spent controlling a Maxum which is a cable drive trolling motor so I am very used to being on that thing a lot, which I like. Constantly making adjustment. So when I press that pedal up or down I don't have to keep looking where I'm pointed, I know where I'm going because I know where my foot is located. To me boat control is 90% of catching fish, good boat control gets you fish in my opinion. I'm constantly trying to improve and working for my partner so that he too can get a fair shot at fishing all the spots just as good as the guy in front of the boat. My opinions may vary from others but this is what has worked well for me. Let me know if you don't understand any part of this, be glad to try and clarify.
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