Fish finder and trolling motor opinions please..

[Troylee]

Got my new boat well not new but new to me lol....got a family ride 18ft 4 winns it's pretty clean and nice.. Now I need to rig it up for fishing don't tell the misses haha... What's a good fish finder and trolling motor to mount on this beast???



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[wolfs4evr]

Congrats!

I couldn't live w/o my Minnkota Terrova with I-Pilot (GPS)!!!! 80lb/24v and a pretty long 60" shaft which is nice when it gets windy. The TM doesn't come up out of the water when the lake gets rough having that longer shaft on it. You can also get a quick disconnect plate for it so when one of those days comes along for just a family trip you can pull the pins on the quick disconnect and remove the TM for more room, etc. I hardly ever use the pedal for my Minnkota. The remote is always on me and how I control my boat 98% of the time. Auto pilot, cruise control, spot lock, etc, etc. Pretty darn nice trolling motor.
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[Troylee]

Thanks for the heads up... New to this whole fishing boat thing... Owned boats in the past but never fished hard core off them.. I'll check into that one.. Just looked online and there decent priced so that's nice...80lb thrust would be good for this boat?? It's a 18ft like 1720lbs iirc... How long is your battery life with that set up??? Any advice on a fish finder haha...
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[Erawk]

Congrats Troylee, I know you've been dying to get that. Enjoy!
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[Troylee]

Thanks bro.... March couldn't come fast enough haha... I wouldn't be here posting if it had tags lol...A
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[wolfs4evr]

That trolling motor would be plenty. Only place to go up from this one is a 36v system. More for it, more for 3 batteries, more for a bigger charger, etc, etc. My batteries last all day long goofing around in all the bays. Only time I get them low is when I use the TM to troll 2.5mph for hours on end then the batteries only last till after lunch. Still a long time.

I am partial to Humminbird. What I have. 2 of them on the boat. Both side imaging. For just one and being price conservative I would go with a 700 series. Either a DI unit (788) or SI unit (798). I prefer the 798 on my boat over the bigger 898 due to the type of screen on it. The 700 and 1100 series both have LED backlit LCD screens. Night and day difference over the tft displays on the 800 and 900 series. Way more detail and brightness. Bummer on the smaller screen though. Then add in a Navionics chip for all the lake details.
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[Troylee]

I was reading the birds are the best anyways.. Is the 798 user friendly??? I'm not one to read 500 pages of instructions haha... Like I read if it's not user friendly it prolly won't get used
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[wolfs4evr]

I never really read the manual either. Here and there to have a idea of what did what but that was it.
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[Troylee]

Sweet!!!! Looks like a little trip up the street to bass pro is in store.. Hoping they have both the motor and finder there... Almost positive they have that finder saw a hundred of them..[fishon]
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[Troylee]

Wolfs for the win haha.... They didn't have that trolling motor the 80lb thrust they had didn't have the i-pilot which looks really cool... So I just got a anchor, rod holders, and the hummingbird 798ci si fish finder... That damn thing looks so cool I don't know if I'll ever catch fish since I'll be watching and playing with it haha...

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[wolfs4evr]

Lol

Did you get the Navionics west chip also? 100 bucks or so for it. IMO mando for Lake Mead.
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[Troylee]

No I didn't know they sell it there... They have them at bass pro?? Oh yeah I racked up so many points on my rewards card my new fishing license was free haha.. Fully loaded 2 rods, trout, and Arizona stamp... Wife wants to go back tomorrow and take the kids to a fishing seminar there having.. I guess they will be fishing for blue gills.. I'll have to grab one...
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[wolfs4evr]

Before they moved the counter in that department they were in a glass case on one side. I don't remember a glass case at the new counter... They have them somewhere. Where I got mine. Just ask at the same counter that you bought your 798 from. If you ever decide to go to a bigger unit down the road you can still use this one since it is Ethernet capable. I have both of mine connected via a Ethernet cable and they share waypoints, Transducers, etc, etc all via Ethernet. Pretty cool stuff.
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[wolfs4evr]

If you are going to be taking that unit off when trailering it or storing it they also sell a little rubber boot that slips over the quick detach base to protect the connections, etc from the elements. Nice item and not too spendy.

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[wolfs4evr]

I was down there for a bit today talking to the vendors, etc. Both of my daughters caught a couple bluegills out of the tank before the line started getting long.
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[Troylee]

Cool I'll grab one tomorrow.. I know the shorelines from king man wash to Overton since I have fished them for years but don't much being on the water.. I always stayed right around the wash and Hemingway... Can't wait to get out there.. Just might have to call in sick one day this week lol... Next weekend is a eternity away.. Should be good fishing thou if it's not to choppy shows cloudy and a chance of rain...
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[Troylee]

Yeah it's coming out as soon as the boat is out of water.. It's to expensive to leave in there.. Boats in the driveway for now until I move into my new house in a couple months.. Then I'll have rv parking..
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[wolfs4evr]

That lake is down right scary! One end of the boat is in 100 foot of water while the other is in 2 foot. I was supprised the first time out there. One needs to pay attention and be on their toes at all times when the boat is on the move that is 100% for sure. I live on my nav screens when I am moving at all times. That Navionics chip can be a life saver on that lake. Mohave is the same in some areas but overall not as dangerious imo.
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[Troylee]

Got a question... Been trying to figure the best place for the transducer and I only have one option... It's almost right next to drain plug which means its behind the impeller.. A good 20+ inches back thou... Is that gonna cause problems with my bottom readings?? I can't move it up and out or the out drive blocks the side sensors 180* view..: are turning into a real pain haha.. My dash is so tiny I really got to get creative and replace a cup holder with the hummingbird... It's kind of good and bad.. It's gonna have to be permanent I won't be able to remove it since the windshield is in the way.. Only other option is to mount it down below the shifter which kind of sucks down to low... Hmmm still brain storming on head unit placement... Got any thoughts if my transducer will be okay here?? Not really worried about a bottom reading at 40mph it will be used more at cruising to trolling speeds... Here are some half ass pix I took...
I have read for 2 days and can't find anything really helpfull...




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[gnelson651]

I assume you read your instruction manual. My Eagle Cuda manual states:

"If the transducer is mounted on the transom, make sure it doesn't interfere with the trailer or hauling of the boat. Also, don't mount it closer than approximately one foot from the engine's lower unit. This will prevent cavitation (bubble) interference with propeller operation. "

I can't tell from your photos if this is the case. Have you considered mounting the transducer on the trolling motor?

You may be able to move the transducer over and up but still stay below the water line. Here are some recommendations:


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