Using the Spot Lock function of the updated i-Pilot to target fall crappies

Here's a link to an article and video that shows how the Spot Lock function of the updated MinnKota i-Pilot system can be used to target some nice fall crappies on the Mississippi River. In this particular video, Spot Lock was used to hold boat position off the tip of a very productive tree, while working against a steady downstream current and a swirling wind. This application really demonstrates the true power of the i-Pilot: it will handle routine boat control tasks while you focus your time and attention on catching fish. Hope you like it!

Using Spot Lock to target fall river crappies

thats really kool. thanks

I like, Thanks for takeing time to do. Good looking crappie

Jason, youre always very simple to understand when demonstrating something. I have the older version of the I-polot and hardly ever use the spotlock for my style of fishing. Are there other features that are enhanced on the newer version other than the obvious change in the control?

There are a couple of additional functional changes that have been made to the overall system. I'll be covering those in the coming weeks.

I have been using that feature on the river for trout several times. Also use it on the lakes when the wind is constant from one direction. Variable wind direction really complicates things. The best part is when I bring my little one with me the ipilot lets me focus on teachng her.

i have a older i pilot and some times it will start turnning on its own . seams like it does it in serton places .would like to have the newer one with the spot lock and conture track . going to start saving the $$$$$$ or sell some over stocked fishing equipment .:)

Jason, I always love your info. I have the minnkota with i-pilot and love it for the record a track for trolling crankbaits but ill be honest the spotlock feature makes me so mad some times. Not to take anything from your video but that particular situation was about the best situation for the spotlock feature. I fish on lakes and when using spotlock in even a 10mph wind is a joke. Don't get me wrong, in some situations (not many) it has kept me on a spot but that is either in a situation like your in or 0-5mph wind. I do fish out of a high sided deep-v boat and I would say that it could work a little better in a heavy bass boat Matter of fact, just the other day I tried staying just close to a laydown with spotlock in approx 10-15mph wind. I would get blown approx 25-30ft off my spot and the motor would race you back, then the boat would go past the spot. It was worthless. Im glad it works so well for ya. We fished the ohio river for cats drift fishing this past summer. NOW THAT was where that thing really shined!!!!! It kept us in the "general" area and caught fish without dropping an anchor or anything. There are times that thing is nice. Other times it makes me want to pull my hair out.

You think that It would tend to do better on a bass boat than a very light deep v alum boat???

is the 2012 version available at bps yet?

i am gonna git me one soonThumbs UpHands Clapping going through my shed and having a yard sale . am 65 years old and don`t need all the tools i have and a lot of tackle . especiley the bass luers i have as i don`t bass fish .

My i-Pilot/Terrova 101 is mounted on a Deep V walleye boat (a Ranger 1860), but many of the guys in my circle run the i-Pilot on Deep V tin boats or even on flat bottoms, and most are very very happy with its performance. In my mind, the optimum conditions for using the i-Pilot are when there is a steady force trying to move the boat off position....whether that's a steady current, steady wave action, or a steady wind. Blend two or more of these together, in such a way that they are not all acting to move the boat in the same direction, and the i-Pilot has to work harder to control position. In my mind, by selecting a situation where I had steady current and a cross-current to upstream wind, I ended up with a set of circumstances where the i-Pilot its work cut out for it, and it performed perfectly.

Spot Lock is the most frequently used i-Pilot function in my boat. The most important thing I've learned is to start with the boat heading into the primary force trying to move the boat off its position....bow into the current or the wind or the waves. This tends to minimize steering corrections as the boat returns to the locked position. I still carry a traditional anchor and will use it during those limited times when the current is too strong, the waves too big, or the wind too swirly.

Great video. My fishing life has improved 500% with the spot lock function. Not always perfect, like you said, if you have too many factors influencing the boat movement it can be tough but most of the time it performs great. My only complaint is it seems that whatever direction I'm pointed when I hit the spot lock button it always goes back, turns and then comes back up to the spot. Just takes a little longer to get "on the spot." Used it very effectively a couple of weeks ago vertical jigging for eyes under a bridge with a 10mph wind swirling and jettisoning through the bridge making it improbable to have done it by my manual control but the spot lock made it a real pleasure.

i have a hard time controling my boat even if the wend isen`t blowing . it is so hard to consintrate on tying a jig bating a hook and controling the boat i am just not a multytasker . planning on gitting one soon . i hsve a auto pilot but it some times turns on its own .

Spot Lock is just one of the powerful boat control tools that the i-Pilot offers. It is a position fisherman's dream. However, when covering water while casting or trolling, the Track Record and playback features rise to the top. I will be filming a Track record piece this weekend to highlight its applications for casters and trollers, and will be sure to share that here.

i purchased a terrova with i-pilot in june and mine does not hold me like ypu showed us, what do i have to do to upgrade to that version? or can I?

Jason how do u think spotlock would work on a 22 ft pontoon with 80 lb thrust terrova

I plan to purchase a 12 volt Terrarova I Pilot early next year. . How do I determine that I am getting the newest version?
SeaRay

I've had the same problem. Spot lock is a good feature, but don't think that it's gonna hold you on a stump with the wind blowing, mine won't. It will hold you in casting distance, but not dipping distance, unless maybe you're using a 20'er. I use mine most for holding in the wind near the area I'm gonna start a pass trolling, while I set the rack and poles up. Works good for that. I still like mine, as a complete unit, plenty of power-very handy unit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jason Halfen #511

My i-Pilot/Terrova 101 is mounted on a Deep V walleye boat (a Ranger 1860), but many of the guys in my circle run the i-Pilot on Deep V tin boats or even on flat bottoms, and most are very very happy with its performance. In my mind, the optimum conditions for using the i-Pilot are when there is a steady force trying to move the boat off position....whether that's a steady current, steady wave action, or a steady wind. Blend two or more of these together, in such a way that they are not all acting to move the boat in the same direction, and the i-Pilot has to work harder to control position. In my mind, by selecting a situation where I had steady current and a cross-current to upstream wind, I ended up with a set of circumstances where the i-Pilot its work cut out for it, and it performed perfectly.

Spot Lock is the most frequently used i-Pilot function in my boat. The most important thing I've learned is to start with the boat heading into the primary force trying to move the boat off its position....bow into the current or the wind or the waves. This tends to minimize steering corrections as the boat returns to the locked position. I still carry a traditional anchor and will use it during those limited times when the current is too strong, the waves too big, or the wind too swirly.

---

great advice....still getting the hang of my I-pilot, but I have found what your saying to be 100% on....I have mine on a deep v tin boat, wind can be a pain, but made alot easier as I learn how to apply the options to the conditions im facing

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SeaRay

I plan to purchase a 12 volt Terrarova I Pilot early next year. . How do I determine that I am getting the newest version?
SeaRay

---

the 2012 model has 6 recordable tracks and 6 memory spots for the anchor spot function. Earlier models only have 3 of each.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jimp

the 2012 model has 6 recordable tracks and 6 memory spots for the anchor spot function. Earlier models only have 3 of each.

---

Is there a recognizable difference in the appearance like color or style that would jump out at you as opposed to reading the specs?? Just want to makes sure when I spend that much that I am getting the latest one.
SeaRay

You can tell right off by looking at the remote.Thumbs Up

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SeaRay

Is there a recognizable difference in the appearance like color or style that would jump out at you as opposed to reading the specs?? Just want to makes sure when I spend that much that I am getting the latest one.
SeaRay

---

I would not think there is a hugh/big difference in the appearance of the part that attaches to the top of the TM but I don't really know. As gabowman said, there is a noticable difference in the appearance of the remotes. I would read the specs to make sure you get what you want or ask to make sure.

There is no noticeable difference in appearance between the old head unit and the new one.

I have a 18 1/2' War Eagle w/ MK Terrova w/ I-Pilot. I have not seen it keep me within 5 ft of spot locked anytime I have fished. I single pole jig and staying on top of structure without a lot of movement is important. The spot lock has not done that as advertised. Maybe 20 -30 ft is more a realistic number. This past weekend fishing in 10-20 mph winds I had to manually control the boat because 5 seconds on a top is not enough and running all over the structure. I'm seriously considering a foot control again. Other than the spot lock issue it's a great TM but Minnkota needs to resolve this issue before I'm sold it's the best thing ever. IMO there are very few ideal conditions when fishing, well not in my neck of the woods anyway. Yea I know I should have taken a screen shot to show what looked like a game of pick up sticks on my screen but i didn't. Sorry to be so negative Jason but it just hasn't proved itself to me.

My experience with the I-Pilot Spot Lock is that it will not hold steady for verticle jigging straight down on a brush pile. The boat has to move before the GPS receives input that it has to correct the position. Plus you have to consider the built in government error each GPS has. It's just the nature of the beast that the boat is going to have to move before the I-Pilot starts to correct the position. How far it moves depends on the speed and direction of the wind and current. It's probably impossible for MinnKota to make the motor stay directly on top of a brushpile. The government GPS signal puts in an error and the I-Pilot has to deal with it. That said, the Spot lock is a great feature and I use it often. it works fine for casting to a brushpile, or just holding your boat in position as you work on your tackle or fight a fish etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shellback

My experience with the I-Pilot Spot Lock is that it will not hold steady for verticle jigging straight down on a brush pile. The boat has to move before the GPS receives input that it has to correct the position. Plus you have to consider the built in government error each GPS has. It's just the nature of the beast that the boat is going to have to move before the I-Pilot starts to correct the position. How far it moves depends on the speed and direction of the wind and current. It's probably impossible for MinnKota to make the motor stay directly on top of a brushpile. The government GPS signal puts in an error and the I-Pilot has to deal with it. That said, the Spot lock is a great feature and I use it often. it works fine for casting to a brushpile, or just holding your boat in position as you work on your tackle or fight a fish etc.

---

Amen! I call it the pee lock.

Genec and his wife Elaine are visiting with us now. Gene would like to try an experiment, and have anybody else interested to try the same. With your I-Pilot set up on land, whether still mounted on the boat, or a wagon or some sort, engage the Spot Lock function. Then move the I-pilot off the spot you locked onto. At the point you see the I-pilot start to correct for the movement, mark the spot on the ground. Then move it back in the direction turns till it shuts off, then mark that spot. Continue moving in different directions and marking the spot it starts to correct spot, then when it stops correcting.. When finished, try and determine the diameter what your maximum distance the I-Pilot moved before it started correcting. This should give a good indication of how it will hold on a spot for verticle jigging.

It's been my experience that that is does detect when you start moving off and I mean within 1 -2 ' because you see the head moving and stays pointing toward the spot. It's the reaction time that probably needs a little tweaking! It doesn't seem to detect or correct for speed as which you're drifting. I'm not an engineer and don't claim to be one but maybe a control knob where you can adjust the reaction time according to conditions. That's probably wish list item for future versions maybe / hopefully. Maybe somebody who has the newer version can give some input on how the reaction time is. Heck if it works better I would probably upgrade.

Just messed around in the driveway today. With the boat on the trailer, I deployed the Powerdrive motor with the I-Pilot. Turned on the spot lock feature, and within moments, without moving the trailer, the steering function moved the motor about 45 degrees. The propeller did not start. Moved the truck about 18 feet forward before the motor turned 180 degrees and the propeller started running. Then moved the truck straight back about 14 feet and the propeller stopped and the steering turned back towards the original position. So with just a straight path and reversing direction, there was about an 18 foot movement of the boat from moving off the original spot and then back to it. It's my opinion that with the built in error function with the Govt GPS signal, it's probably about as good as you can expect. I don't believe it is possible to have the spot lock feature keep you positioned over a brushpile, verticle jigging and not get hung. It's great for the Canepole pee hold function and great for casting to a brushpile, but you are going to be able to suspend a bait in a brushpile and not expect to get hung when the boat starts drifting off. Gene and I welcome anybody else to do the simple experiment of deploying your motor and setting the spot lock, then moving you truck about, measuring what distance is required for the steering or prop function to start.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shellback

Just messed around in the driveway today. With the boat on the trailer, I deployed the Powerdrive motor with the I-Pilot. Turned on the spot lock feature, and within moments, without moving the trailer, the steering function moved the motor about 45 degrees. The propeller did not start. Moved the truck about 18 feet forward before the motor turned 180 degrees and the propeller started running. Then moved the truck straight back about 14 feet and the propeller stopped and the steering turned back towards the original position. So with just a straight path and reversing direction, there was about an 18 foot movement of the boat from moving off the original spot and then back to it. It's my opinion that with the built in error function with the Govt GPS signal, it's probably about as good as you can expect. I don't believe it is possible to have the spot lock feature keep you positioned over a brushpile, verticle jigging and not get hung. It's great for the Canepole pee hold function and great for casting to a brushpile, but you are going to be able to suspend a bait in a brushpile and not expect to get hung when the boat starts drifting off. Gene and I welcome anybody else to do the simple experiment of deploying your motor and setting the spot lock, then moving you truck about, measuring what distance is required for the steering or prop function to start.

---

Thanks for the post, Ron & Gene.....Very informative...Makes me glad to have two electric anchors for jigging..

I know on a hand held GPS, one with an electronic compass requires no movement before correction. Could this be adapted over to the Spot Lock? I know on my cheaper handheld GPS the boat would have to move several feet before the GPS would make a course correction.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Don G

Thanks for the post, Ron & Gene.....Very informative...Makes me glad to have two electric anchors for jigging..

---

Good idea on the 2 anchors. By the way, did ya catch any, or did the weather keep you home?

Shellback, enjoyed the time with you and wife, thank you all. Sure hoping some will try this simple test and report it for all to see. It only take a minute in a parking lot with two people ,one in car the other outside watching when motor comes on and goes off.

Im glad i read this thread I thought mine was broke. I bought mine just for the spot lock. I even had the I pilot replaced new one reacts the same. Ive never held a 5 foot radius.