crazy idea or not?

[albinotrout]

Got a wierd idea that I might want to add a speed sensor to my Humminbird 565 and toon. Found a good price of $32.99 at sportsmans for the accessory. I know some might say not needed for floating but I see it as a way of getting a good full use out of the FF. Might even help in setting up the screen tracking. Well it is a thought anyway![]
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[flygoddess]

I will be one to say why???? My Hubbys sonar has built it, but he only uses it to see how fast or how slow he goes, but he has a GAS motor, so he kinda needs to know. Electric only go so fast.
I don't know, up to you but that is like 9 gallons of gas[][][]
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[idahoron]

Here is my take. I would NOT get one for the fish finder. I do think that speed is very important for trolling. What I did was I have several GPS's and I keep one in my pocket. I can tell speed distance traveled and time traveled. If I get into a school of Crappie I can hit the mark button and set a waypoint. Then I can make sure I stay on top of them with the GPS. You said you can get a speedometer for the 30 dollar range. You can get a used GPS for the same money or a new one for about 100. The more expensive ones with maps are fantastic I love mine. So if it were me I would go GPS all the way. Ron
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[albinotrout]

Right electrics only go so fast. Do you know what your speed is? I can guess and that is about all. Also I can see how fast I am drifting as well when not under power. The accessory has a range of 2 mph to 75 mph. Haven't decided completely yet. But hey I can see the definite benefit from it.
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[albinotrout]

GPS I agree is a great way to go. I would definately have to buy a new one for my old one that is at least 10 years old and needs a software upgrade (it is an older magellan)and by the time that is done then it might be cheaper to buy the new one. I do like the mapping features as well. This is something I will have to look into more. Hmmmmm.......decisions decisions.
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[idahoron]

Last year I found that the walleye were biting between .9 and 1.1 MPH. Now when I went with the wind I had to slow the motor down. When I went into the wind I had to speed it up. The thing was if I just set the speed on the Minn Kota at #2 or #3 I would have been out of the sweet spot a good share of the time.
The GPS I have is the GPSMAP 60csx. I have the 24K series maps for Idaho and I also have the City maps for the whole USA. Some guys might think that it is not needed but I can tell you when I am trolling at SFCR or Crappie fishing at Strike. The GPS is with me. I never leave shore when I am night fishing without it NEVER.
There are special lake maps and the are also older fishing maps for Garmin. I have never used them. Both of my maps sets will auto route me to a location I have never been before. I have over 100 locations for Chukar in that GPS. I also have about that many locations for fishing. I would not want that GPS to fall into the wrong hands[sly].
Ron
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[2dogs]

Chukar locations you say Ron? Umm, when do you go to work- he he he[:p] and what kind of gps is it, I can always use more chukar locations!
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[cpierce]

I don't troll, but from what I understand you need to frequently go slower than the 2 mph minimum that you said the ff speed attachment registers.

If you only want it for a general idea or out of curiosity, then go with the least expensive.

A gps is very handy though!!
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[flygoddess]

I was going to suggest the same thing cpierce. From what Ron stated, for him that would have not been an aid at all.
As it warms, you could probably troll a little faster.

However, if you are into trolling, you could do it with a fly rod. For about the same price:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/59391?pi=...g&subrnd=0
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[macfly55]

as far as a gps goes... if you have a smart phone there are a ton of free and cheap apps that you can download... I dont have a need for a gps now but I do use a free app for directions to get to and from places like a tom tom... just a thought

MacFly [cool]
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[smallmouth89]

Yes,

It's a crazy idea. Unless you are way out in open water, you can tell how fast you're going by watching the shoreline. There is no need to know the numerical value of your speed especially when trolling. A GPS would satisfy your curiosity and add a lot of functionality to your set up. I have a place that I camp and fish that is accessed from a roadside culvert. After launching my kayak, I travel down the creek into two or three widenings of the creek (small lakes) before it opens up into the big lake. If I round the point and follow the shore line it leads to another creek and a smaller lake which has the campsite and good fishing.

With the waypoints marked on my Garmin handheld I could easily find this place in the dark.

I hope this example illustrates that the GPS could be a very useful tool whereas the speed sensor for you finder would be just a novelty unless you have a big boat you switch up with the finder.

God Bless,
Don
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[Jim_T]

While I'm frequently curious how fast I'm drifting/trolling, I plan to go with the GPS as well (it's at the top of my wish list). I also float rivers and I'm planning to use it to let me know how much river I've covered so I can guage my fishing time better. For some our our rivers, you think you've gone a long way only to find out you're only a quarter of the way to your take-out.

Another add-on that looks to be more useful is the external temp sensor with cord. I see on my Fishing Buddy that I have a connector for it but I'm not sure if that's just the generic one they put on all Hummingbird finders even if the software doesn't support it. You might consider adding one instead of the speed sensor to find the right depth to fish.

Jim
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[idahoron]

Safety is another issue with a GPS. I give my wife EXACT location I plan to fish or hunt. On top of that if a rescue is needed either official or unofficial your location can be given by cell phone to either a friend or official. My GPS's have bailed me out several times. I won't go anywhere without one. Ron
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[albinotrout]

[quote idahoron]Safety is another issue with a GPS. I give my wife EXACT location I plan to fish or hunt. Ron[/quote]

I hope you leave the cell phone behind.[:p] Sorry i uusally shut the phone off due to mamatrout having a need to interupt the fishing evertime I go out.[laugh]

What brand or model of GPS would you recommend?
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[idahoron]

It depends on what a guy wants but I like my Garmin GPSMAP 60 csx. I also have the 24K map set for driving anywhere and off road anywhere in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, and I have a city select map set that covers the whole USA. The 60 csx has auto routing and all the good stuff the GPS's have for driving have but it is water proof up to like 3 feet deep. In my 24k map set the lake info is good but not great. It shows shore line, camping areas, boat launches, and thousands more things. The only down side to the 60csx is the screen is small. The Nuvi has a large screen that is nice to use for driving but the internal battery is only good for 4 hours. I get over 20 hours on two AA's in my 60csx. Ron
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