bow mount trolling motor suggestions

[hawkeye625]

Looking to upgrade my old motorguide 55 and looking for advice. I have a 19.5ft sea nymph deep v and just started fishing the lower Niagra and the bar last year. Seems like a good quality trolling motor is a must.

I like Minn Kota's autopilot and ipilot features but wondered if anybody has experience with them. Also wondered what you guys think about trolling out in deep water with the ipilot with cruise control. Seems like a good concept but not sure how long batteries would last. Also wondered if a 55lb thrust is strong enough for my boat.

Don't really want to spend $1000 on a trolling motor, but if it can double as a kicker on the big water I might be able to justify the expense.

[jimski2]

"Justify the expense?" There is no justification with a boat, just do it. It is what you want today, you just satisfy today's impulse.

[phishnphule]

I wouldn't go any less than 70lbs. I have an 18.5 Lund Tyee with an 80lb MinnKota w/AutoPilot. It's all I use for walleye trolling but doesn't cut it for big wind and waves and higher speed Salmon fishing.

[dawg]

I run the terrova 80 24v with I-pilot upgrade on a 19' Triumph cc. As for extended trolling the batteries will not last . I get about + or- 6hrs walleye fishing @ 1-1.25mph. The auto pilot feature does work good on calmer days though to control the boat with my larger motor doing the main propulsion. My top speed on the Terrova is about 2mph gps which is my lowest that my Honda 4 stroke trolls down to. The anchor feature on the I-pilot is nice when vertically jigging bait or fish that you have marked.Hope this helps

[Sean Youngblood]

Hawkeye I also have a 19.5 Sea Nymph I have the 101lbs.thrust Minn Kota Terrova on it with the auto pilot.I wouldn't fish the Niagara without it.The auto pilot really helps with boat control.The 101 has enough power to turn up stream to get snags out with out having to fire up the main engine in most drifts.My friend has the 80 pound on his boat which is about the same size and also does very well.We have also used it Walleye trolling and it worked great it's nice to be stealth in the shallow water.I have not tried it on the Big Lake yet but am looking forward to trying it on a calm day for trout and salmon.It's a big investment but it can really enhance your fishing experience.

[hawkeye625]

Thanks for the suggestions, just ordered a 70lb pdv2 with ipilot, i'll let you know how it works out.