Todd in NY

I thought about it, but then my short shaft 25hp motor eouldn't fit. I use the 25 on lakes that don't have a 10hp limit.

I love this motor. I had 2 different marinas trying to find the parts to convert it to short shaft. My local Evinrude dealer told me that he could get the parts for $500 and I told him I will have to decline his offer. It's a perfect fit for my 16ft row boat. My neighbor has the 8hp version on his 14ft tin boat and said it sips the fuel too.

I have plenty of information to digest now. There are some good units out there for sure.

No one has mentioned the Canon Speed & Temp. Are they that bad, or just not very popular? It seems to function a lot like the Depth Raider or Sub Troll. It doesn't give depth at the ball, but I keep my old Lowrance LMS339 because I can see the ball on that ff. Just thought I'd toss the Canon unit into the discussion...

Thanks Pap. I'm with you on the older motors and scarce parts. I have a nice 1973 Evinrude 25hp for my 16ft row boat and it's getting harder to find parts for it. I love that old 25. She's showing age on the outside but clean as a whistle under the cover.

You guys are killing me, holy crap . Now I have some more shopping to do. I was really shocked to see that the Sub Troll closed its doors. That was the first system I considered. There are several good systems out there that will meet my needs. I'm not a charter captain, and never will be. I just take fishing very serious. I call my boat "Fishology" because fishing is a science and I am constantly striving to learn more. All of your feedback is much appreciated!

I have an Evinrude 15 on my Sea Nymph for trolling and I love it. I use my row boat as my main boat on most other lakes, some of which require a motor of 10hp or less. This 7.5 runs like a champ. I hope I can find a replacement that runs as good as this one.

Ok, no problem and no hurry.

I'll pm you my cell phone and we could arrange a meeting place in or near Syracuse or Utica. I can take I-81 to Syracuse, or I could take Route 12 to Utica, either way works for me. Actually I would prefer Utica because I always "need" something from Bass Pro

I had a relative (distant uncle) that hunted raccoons all through the 1970's in Illinois. He used dogs to corner them and a gun (unknown caliber) to kill them. I never hunted with him, and never got into raccoon hunting, but I always enjoyed other small game, large game and different types of upland bird hunting. Congrats on a successful hunt!

I should add that I replaced the gear oil and drain/fill washers last month. I have 2 new spark plugs that are still in the box.

No need to pull the cable out. I won't be fishing deeper than 90ft with those anyway. They'll be a nice addition to my 16ft row boat. I live about 3.5 hours from you, but I can drive out to pick them up next weekend, as long as mother nature plays nice.

About 75 miles north of Syracuse, NY. Zip code is 13619, Carthage, NY.

This motor has very low hours and is in excellent condition, both inside and out. I bought a 1980 original Johnson 7.5hp owners manual and a NIB tilt pin after I bought the motor (the motor didn't come to me with a manual or tilt pin). I have less than 2 hours on the motor. Water pump works great, it has a tell-tale on the right rear. It's a 2 stroke twin cylinder and uses a fuel/oil mix of 50:1. I hate to part with this motor but my boat has a 16" transom, which makes this motor sit too low under the boat. I had no luck in finding all the parts I would need to convert it to a short shaft, so it has to go. The motor is winterized and cylinders are treated with fogging oil. The prop is in excellent shape as well. The motor model # is E8RLCSS. I'm selling it for $500, or I would consider a trade for a short shaft 8-10hp motor in equally great condition. I prefer Evinrude or Johnson, but will consider any other reputable brand. I hope the pictures load in the upright position...

I use 20lb mono on my dipsy rods, so I'm not too concerned about losing those or a probe. I like the versatility of the Smart Troll because I run only 2 riggers on my boat (its only 74" wide), so I always run 1 dipsy down the middle or 2 out wide on the flanks, depending on conditions. My riggers are the old Canon 10A from the late 80's or early 90's, so I only run 10lb balls on them. They are a little slow but they work great, to include the auto-stop feature. I know blowback has a bigger affect on my spread with 10lb balls and it would be nice to know where my baits are running. The feedback on this thread has been fantastic!

Smart Troll and Tyee, thanks for the information! I bought my 19ft Sea Nymph last July. It sat for 2 years and needed some TLC, so I spent all of last year (July thru October) getting it ready for this year. The one thing I'm still needing is a down speed/temp/depth system, which is why I'm asking all these questions. I finally have the time to pursue my fishing passion after retiring from the army, so I appreciate the feedback and discussion. 99% of my big water experience is on the Gulf of Mexico (roughly 800 fishing trips), and I never worked on a boat that had down riggers on the Texas gulf coast.

How many of what size battery fits in the smart troll probe?

Great fishing report and nice fish!

How long are the booms and how much cable is on them? I'm interested in 2 of them.

I've never heard anyone complain about it with any of the systems out there. The fact that they mention it on their web site made me curious. Otherwise I would've never given it any thought.The new X4D with blue tooth is $750-$800 so I guess it boils down to preference when they cost nearly the same. Decisions decisions...

Not going anywhere at all, just wanted to know for the purpose of gaining some knowledge. I'm still really new to downrigger fishing. I've seen plenty of tangles caused my multiple hook-ups, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. They don't always end well for the fishermen.

What is causing all of your break offs?

Is your boat an inboard, outboard, or I/O? Just wondering about Smart Troll's warning about the outdrive possibly blocking the signal between probe and transducer on opposite sides of the boat.

The Smart Troll web site states that if you have an outboard or I/O, you may need 2 transducers because the outdrive could block the signal between the transducer on one side of the transom trying to communicate with the probe on the other side of the boat. I can see that being possible at shallower depths and/or narrow boats. My boat is only 7' 2" wide. The basic kit with 1 probe and 1 transducer is $799.

Great discussion guys, thanks for the feedback. Now I have more research to do. I'm curious about the copper core rigger wire too. Yep, I saw that yesterday that Moor closed their doors at the end of 2015. No more new Sub Trolls after the current new stock is sold.