Who has used this on a MK motor? How well do they hold position? I hear the MG Xi5 works better.
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Who has used this on a MK motor? How well do they hold position? I hear the MG Xi5 works better.
I have had both and the xi5 works way better.
I also had the MK and now the Xi5Quote:
Originally Posted by Good Stuff
Xi5 holds the spot better
But do you run bird or lowrance?
MK can i link to the bird lowrance has a connection to the Xi5 but I don't know much about it other than its $250 bucks
I just bought the 80# ipilot with everything but the I link ability.
Right now I am not that advanced with my birds.
Maybe later I don't know.
I longline for crappie and fish the saltwater flats.
Spot lock is for quitters keep moving , if Im going to set In One spot I drop a anchor cast to the marker , but I'm ADHD and OCD so I got to keep moving, I wouldn't base the decision on a anchor feature. I went with Minnkota because I'm a HB guy and it all works together I have never used spot lock other than jacking around playing or holding the boat while I back in the trailer
you didnt go wrong i like mineQuote:
Originally Posted by blindhog
I only use spot lock when I'm re-tying. This will allow me to stay close to my last spot without the wind blowing me across the lake. I'm not sure either work too great if trying to vertical jig an individual stump or small brush pile.
In the winter I use my HB to find "haystacks" of crappie on deep (35' ish) clear lakes .... when I go over a "Haystack" I chunk a marker and position the boat casting distance away and use the spot lock feature ... MK says it will keep the position within 10 feet and that is accurate based on my experience. It keeps me close enough to make my cast before moving on.
Spot lock works fine for what you will need it for. I use autopilot and cruise when red fishing creeks. When we get on to something I hit spot lock you sometimes have to let it get settled in. For long lining use cruise and traditional autopilot also. The Motorguide doesn't even compare when trolling. Their anchor maybe better, but in our area of the country we seldom fish winds over 15 mph. The MK will not hold up on the flats.
Spot lock works just fine for me, and use it often. I'm not a quitter, just not in any kind of hurry.
Spot lock works good for me, with the latest update it appears that they have improved accuracy!
Between spotlock and lowrance it has totally changed how I fish. I fish white bass a lot. I'll drive with sidescan/downscan going. As soon as I see what I am looking for I throw a marker buoy so I have a point of reference. Then I slide in and use spotlock to hold me.
Another way I do it if I am looking to get back on the school is leave my trolling motor down at very slow speeds. As soon as I find fish hit the spotlock and I am locked on.
I mainly got it for the features that I thought would be good on the flats. It just seemed to be the perfect do-all TM for where I fish and how I fish.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappielimits
And I ain't a quitter!
I've found my terrova in general is one of the best tools for taking kids fishing. I can pull up to a spot and hit the spot lock then spend all the time helpig them get tied up and catch fish and I aint gotta worry about keeping the boat in place the whole time. Even if I do have to move the boat where ever I am in the boat I have the remote so I can steer us to where ever hit the lock and back to what I was doing. I fish off the back deck a lot when I fish alone. I like to back the boatup to a lay down so that the tm noise is at most a boat length away then just stand on the back deck and work over the laydown.
I've heard pro's and con's for both. I have a terrova but I also have lowrance fish finders. I could have bought the XI5 that links with Lowrance however the reviews for how I fish are not as good as the MK. I do alot of trolling and the navigation (from what I have seen thus far) is better on the MK. The XI5 has better spot lock features. I don't think you can go wrong either way honestly
I have a fairly new Terrova. I have learned how to use the features fairly well. It isn't very hard once you try it a couple of times. I have found that I use the spot lock mostly for retying or if I am on a spot that I have thrown out a marker buoy and I am casting to the structure. I have tried it a couple times straight down line fishing but the wind was always to great and the spot lock was moving me around too much.
I've found that a lot of how well any troller works depends on how closely you have matched the unit to your boat size. I have an 80# MK on my 175 bass tracker and it may be just a bit over sized for some functions. It probably goes without saying that the more wind you have the harder its going to be for any troller to hold the spot accurately. I find that the accuracy of the spot decreases exponentially with wind speed. Just my :twocents
Very valid thoughts above. MK has a calculator on their website to size the TM correctly.Quote:
Originally Posted by yankee doodler
Spot lock is a game changer for me. I have the MK/'Bird set-up, no link. I do a lot of vertical fishing and personally I like it when the boat moves a little while i'm locked. I've sat in one hole and caught a dozen or more Specks then I move to the next spot and lock on it... no fooling with dropping an anchor and pulling it up all day. I will admit its tough to stay on a spot in high winds.
I have a 55lb riptide with ip pilot on a 16 foot aluminum. Spot lock works well for casting to a marked spot, holding position while re-tying a jig etc. It can be a real nuisance if your trying to verticle jig, especially over a specific spot in shallow water. It works but is constantly adjusting and it will move just when you get a hit and miss moving you 5-10 feet up from that spot. When I'm jigging I will start to draw fish over to me and see them on the humminbird and just then the motor will engage and pull you away, frustrating. Otherwise it works as designed and has some really cool features and powerful thrust with minimal battery draw.
I like spotlock when it's time for a nap