Thread: Greg, Joby

Originally Posted by J White

Hmmm. Just had a thought - have any of you who have had your hands
on an I-Pilot noticed if it has any (as of yet) unused ports, connectors, or other
appendages?

bump. Jason H?

Nothing that I can see. Below are some i-Pilot pics, pre-install as well as installed on my Terrova 101.

Originally Posted by Jason Halfen #511

Nothing that I can see. Below are some i-Pilot pics, pre-install as well as installed on my Terrova 101.

Do you find having to record a track before you "use it" a pain in the a$$?

Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Do you find having to record a track before you "use it" a pain in the a$$?

Not in the least. I typically have a pretty good idea about the types of trolling passes or casting runs that I want to make. Rather than fishing that pass the first time through, I'll activate the i-Pilot (which requires the my Terrova be deployed), and buzz the area at 5-6 mph while recording the track. Once I get to the end of the trolling pass/casting run, I'll stop recording, turn the boat around, and then follow the track back to the beginning at the appropriate speed.

i-Pilot eliminates the constant need for the angler to attend to boat control tasks. Investing that small amount of time on the front end to record the desired track allows me to devote essentially all of my attention to fishing that water productively.

I think back to my days of fishing "in the back of the boat", where someone else dealt with all of the boat control issues. The guy in the back often outfishes the guy in the front (at least in the walleye world!) because the guy in the back doesn't have to deal with positioning and controlling the boat...all he has to do is fish. i-Pilot provides that benefit to the guy who would normally have to split attention between fishing and boat control, and ultimately allows that angler to spend more time fishing and more time catching. In the end, isn't catching more fish what it's all about???

Mr Jason,

I fish the Big Sandy River in Tn. The river makes a snake trail seem like a straight line. I cannot follow the channel bank accurately at 5 mph. At one mph, it is a task. So, what would you suggest given these conditions?

Given your familiarity with the channel you're trying to target, I assume you have a set of GPS waypoints on your graph that indicate twists, turns, wingdams, timber, places you've caught fish, etc etc etc. On my favorite bodies of water, I have enough background to know when the river channel is about to turn, when a wingdam is going to appear, where cribs are located relative to my boat....without having to look at my graph. I'm certain that you have the same sort of background on your river.

My recommendation, knowing nothing about how you approach your own favorite body of water, is to deploy the i-Pilot-equipped trolling motor, start recording a track, and then drive your boat at whatever speed is appropriate to connect all of your waypoints into a reasonable-sized track. Remember, i-Pilot can record a track up to 2 miles in length. When you reach the end of your series of waypoints, stop recording, turn your boat around, dial in a nice fishing speed, and replay the recorded track to take you back to the beginning.

Once you add i-Pilot to your motor, I have every confidence that you'll quickly determine how best to use the technology to your advantage.

Originally Posted by Jason Halfen #511

My recommendation, knowing nothing about how you approach your own favorite body of water, is to deploy the i-Pilot-equipped trolling motor, start recording a track, and then drive your boat at whatever speed is appropriate to connect all of your waypoints into a reasonable-sized track. Remember, i-Pilot can record a track up to 2 miles in length. When you reach the end of your series of waypoints, stop recording, turn your boat around, dial in a nice fishing speed, and replay the recorded track to take you back to the beginning.

So what U sayin is U don't have to go back to beginning, that it will follow track from end to start also??

Originally Posted by jaxsprat

So what U sayin is U don't have to go back to beginning, that it will follow track from end to start also??

Yep

There are two ways to follow a recorded track: from the beginning to the end (track to end) or from the end to the beginning (track to start). And you don't need to be at the exact beginning or end to follow a track; i-Pilot will take you back to the nearest point of the recorded track (from up to 1/4 mile away) and then follow the track in the specified direction.

More information on the track record/playback feature can be found at the sites below:

Introduction to MinnKota's i-Pilot

MinnKota's i-Pilot in a trolling setting

Based on the "deploy before record", I guess there is a level sense device in the Ipilot circuitry.

If this be true, then could I not deploy my TM with the depth collar set at a high position as to not allow the TM in the water when recording a track? I don't like driving around with the kicker running with the TM down. I fish treacherous waters with sudden depth changes. I know my lakes well, but not well enough to jeopardize a TM.

Just processing my thoughts.