Leaderboard

You might convince a new one?

In my opinion you want an 80 lb thrust

Hi all, Got out with my pal up from Minnesota for the weekend, it was kind of slow… we were out for a good 5 hours and got 16 crappie, 5 small walleye, a few pike and assorted dink saugeye and perch… oh and it was freekin’ cold , shelter was toasty though.

Have to agree with all above. I had a 46lb on a Bass Tracker 190 (mod v so probably about the same weight as yours) and it was terrible. On calm days, it was fine but with any wind, I could barely troll against the wind. I went to a 80lb terrova which would be a 24V system and it was night an day. When I switched boats to a 19 foot glass, I did not even bother trying to get away with the 80lb even though I knew it would work. I put a 112/36V one on. Spend the money up front now instead of buying, regretting and buying again. Yes, it is a bit more now but it will save you in the long run.

80lb Terrova and be done with it. I assume being a bow rider its a glass boat to the extra power will be nice. You can buy a single 24V Lithium battery but most applications you'll need 2 12V batteries in series. New there is only a $350 difference between a 55 and 80. If you're making the investment, always go bigger if you can.

Minnkota makes a few power steering models. the power drive, Terrova and Ulterra. the power drive has weird issues with design and durability, the Terrova will still have issues but not nearly as many as the power drive. these are all trolling motors that have GPS/ipilot. if you don’t need that and just want a trolling motor to move around, the only option I would look at would be the Fortrex.

Yeah but then I can’t afford to move if she takes half of everything damn catch 22

There is a reason you're seeing 70lb Powerdrives for sale online and not Terrova's.

I'll first go into reliability. I have had one Motorguide Xi5 gps head unit crap out on me. Motor worked fine, but GPS died 6 months outside of warranty, fortunately it was the one and only time I've ever had an extended warranty on anything (bass pro) and they made it right. I've also killed a Minn Kota Terrova GPS head unit. That one wasn't under warranty, and I got lucky with a Canadian Tire clearance deal when they were still carrying the ipilots and I replaced the head and remote for a few hundred, otherwise the repair would've been in excess of $600. My Terrova is currently at Aikman's Sporting goods getting the brushes and seals replaced because it sounded like someone wash beating on dog squeaky toy with a hammer every time I turned it on. Minn Kotas, even the Terrovas aren't bullet proof by any means. I've had many issues with pedals, head units not turning, replaced a board on one once etc on Minn Kotas over the years. They all have issues. The Xi5 was a pretty sweet motor for the 3 years I had it. The replacement got moved on with my old boat. I guess if I had to pick it would be a Minn Kota. However Aikman's just told me that the last gen pre Bluetooth the motherboards have been discontinued now. Keep that in mind when buying used. As for your boat, a 55lb will work, but yeah wind will occasionally be a pain in the butt. If you troll a lot and use the motor to steer, you'll kill even a group 31 after about 6 hours. Flat dead, and the more you do that the shorter lifespan of the battery. I used to get about 2, maybe 3 seasons of heavy use on a 31 series with a 55lb thrust on my 16 footer with constant trolling. If you can swing it weight wise, I'd try to go 24 volt. Just my 2 bits.

That's a lot of bait @CrowMan! HH

those 70’s are some of their crappier line of motors like the traxxis and edge, and power drive. Also speaking from experience, do you want a motor that won’t ever die like the terrova or do you want problems lol

Some nice fish there. Cheers. BM

Nice here the ice wasn’t thick enough to run my side by side for the short winter we had and you are still driving trucks on the ice i just can’t convince my wife to move up that way

Speaking from experience, You could definitely survive on a 55lb thrust in a pinch but I’d personally recommend an 80 as well. On a windy day that 12volt 55 is going to be an issue. You will need two 12 volt batteries wired in series to create 24v which will allow you to push the 80lb thrust motor. a 55lb thrust will only require one twelve volt battery. There is some consideration there for the fact that the two batteries set up is heavier, and more expensive and the 80lb thrust motor will also be more expensive. All for you to figure out. as far as brands go, stick with minkotta for sure. I’d never go motorguide unless it’s an old motorguide tour cable steer motor. Which for your application is almost most certainly not what you are looking for. a used minkotta terrova will be the perfect motor for you. then you have some decisions to make about whether you want spot lock or not.

SO would that require 2 12 volt batteries?

A subject that I always get nostalgic about. As a kid, I would go with my Dad and Uncles to the Bronte Pier when the run was on. We would leave home after dark and often fish into the wee hours...one of the few times as a young lad that I could stay up late. It was a real 3 ring circus. The Portuguese guys in town went all out...they had motorized cranes on wheels with dip nets on a hoist...crazy stuff. Needless to say, there were always some drunken fights and often someone ended up in the water. One year, we caught an 8lb + Brown Trout in our net...of course as a kid I wanted to keep it, but my Dad (knowing the reg's) let it go...I think I cried..lol. We only kept what Smelts we would eat fresh...my Dad never did think they froze well..."just not the same". Later on when I was dating my wife (she's from Niagara Falls), I would go with my future brother-in-laws down to Queenston to get a bucket or two. Again, a party atmosphere with beer, weed and boom boxes. Once I had kids, we bought a place up on G Bay. I would take them up to the Seguin in spring to create memories for them. Those days are long gone. I still get a feed of them when we go on our annual Steelhead trip up to Superior in early May. Still good runs up there...also see them in the North Channel of Huron and the Manitoulin tribs. We always bring a dip net with us...the Smelt run usually coincides with the Steelhead run. In fact, there's a couple of local diners on hwy 17 that offer them as a dinner special in the spring. There's also a few lakes in eastern Ontario that have a really good populations that I still occasionally fish. On these lakes the cottagers encourage folks to come and fish the Smelt because they have over-run the lake to the detriment of other species. Message me if you're interested. The Cottage Association hosts a Smelt fry every year. The one thing about fresh caught Smelts that is burned into my memory is the smell...for some reason they smell like sliced cucumbers. Anyway enough reminiscing...when the water temps are 42 F or as my Dad would say "when you first start hearing the frogs sing" is the time to go...a bright moon after a warm rain is ideal. The run only lasts a week at most. The photo is from eastern Ontario last spring...they're always looking for volunteers to help clean them...LOL

Simcoe whities snatch this blood worm tie. I run it 18" up from my bottom bait.