# Put a trolling motor on?



## 8loco (Feb 12, 2012)

Here is my dilemma. I am fishing more and more by myself lately as good fly fishing/skiff polers in my area seem to be sparse and I tend to fish a lot of weekdays. I have never wanted a trolling motor on my Caimen before but am now considering it as casting off the poling platform is just plain tough. The question is should I go I pilot on the bow or tiller on the rear for when I fish tarpon on the beaches. I'm stuck and need advice.


----------



## saltydg0089 (Apr 15, 2013)

I was in the same situation you are. I finally put an ipilot on my Fury and dont regret it at all. In fact I wish I had done it sooner! That spot anchor is the $hit.......

Matt


----------



## formerWAflyfisher (Sep 5, 2008)

Was in the same boat as you figuratively speaking. I went with a manual hand control and if I could do it over again def go with the Ipilot with spot lock. Or just make more friends that know how to pole. But I have to say finding people I like to fish with has been harder than getting a date with a hot girl.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

John, that last comment is too funny but oh so true.  You find that over time, you get less tolerant of guys who are whinners and basically a pain to fish with.  It's very hard to find someone who fishes like you who are actually fun to hang out during that time as well.

Anyway, what kind of tarpon fishing are you doing?  I've used a tiller type trolling motor for eons fly fishing for tarpon down in your back yard (Pine Island Sound, Charlotte Harbor, and beaches either side of Boca Grande).  Some of the tarpon fishing I do, you can't do with a pole anyways (deep water).  You just have to understand that you can't necessarily run it all the time when the fish are spooky.  I try to also use tides and winds to get me in position and then use the trolling motor to steer me and bump me into position, then turn it off and wait for them to come to me.  They will shut down if you are shallow and you get too close to them with it running.

I have found over the years that the Motor Guide is significantly quieter than a Minn Kota and has made a big difference at not spooking the fish.  

I haven't tried the ipilot yet, but sounds like it can take a lot of hassle out of trying to hold a spot and dealing with casting and line management at the same time.  However with tarpon, especially with tarpon, a Minn Kota, be it ipilot or not, if the thing is constantly turning on and off, running and bumping around in place will definitely shut the fish down.  I don't want a minnow to fart much less a trolling motor clunking on and off constantly when those fish come within 100ft of the boat.

So anyway, if it was just me, I would have it up on the bow with me, ipilot or tiller.  I think the ipilot will allow you to use a quick attach mount on both the front deck and the stern.  That way you can throw it on the stern if you are fishing a buddy.  Otherwise, make him cast from the rear or just use the remote and keep it on the bow.


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

I've been using an iPilot on the bow for almost two years now and would definitely recommend that over a manual tiller and/or transom mount.

I went with the 12V x 55# model on my 16' boat and it does fine for 95% of the situations I encounter, but I do wish I had a 24V x 80# model when I'm trying to get to cruising tarpon on open water, keep off the beach when swells are pushing the boat in, and overcome tidal currents in smaller creeks.

Forget about using it in water less than 18" deep as it will spook the fish and its easier to pole in that shallow of water that is usually calm without much current.

In deeper water over 5' the fish don't seem to care about the trolling motor and I've had big tarpon swim up to within 2' of the running trolling motor and swim off without really spooking. Just keep it under 5 without changing speed.

The spot lock is a cool feature, and will always speed up the trolling motor when it spots some tarpon nearing the boat to make sure they don't get too close. (use your anchor or stake out.) 

There is a delay in getting the remote control to wake up and actually control the motor, and sometimes I even have to smack my remote around a bit to get it to wake up. I think it is the battery connection, but the problem is intermittent.

I've had good results with the Cabelas size 22 AGM battery lasting all day, and because of its size & weight I will consider using two of them with a 24V x 80# TM when my 12V TM kicks the bucket.

I wish I could go fishing weekdays.


----------



## Snookdaddy (Jan 5, 2008)

I have an ipilot 12 volt on my Waterman 18 and it does a great job, but I rarely use it..  Generally, I try to post up where tarpon have to come within casting distance of the boat unless they want to cross a 2' sand bar..  Rarely do I move the boat to go after tarpon in deeper water, out of range.  If I do, I will pole after them..

Once I hook a tarpon, I'll come off the anchor and fight them using the ipilot to keep me in postion around the fish.. Works for me..

P.S. Mine is mounted on the bow and will eat a fly line fast if a tarpon surges under the boat..  Ask me how I know this..  

I'm fortunate to have a great group of friends that like to fly fish and all of them are damn good casters too.. My biggest problem is telling my Live Bait friends that "no, I'm not interested in going to the Glades to chuck baits"...

Feeling blessed now!


----------



## 8loco (Feb 12, 2012)

Totally agree with point of finding a good fishing buddy is harder than finding a date. I'm 32, but am more in line with those that are 50-65 than my ME generation. I'm leaning more towards the ipilot so that when I have a fly angler on the bow I can stand on the poling platform and operate the trolling motor via remote and call out shots. Right now I sit on the poling platform and operate my tiller with my feet and suck down 2 stroke gas fumes. Its all a trade off. I would prefer to have nothing on the bow, but a 40 foot pushpole would be a pain in the ass to use.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Not sure what beach you are referring to, but you don't necessarily need to be on a poling platform to beach fish, especially at first light (even the east wall of Charlotte Harbor).  You just need to know their path where they run and stage up and wait on them to come to you.  Since the sun rises from the east, you just need to be east of that path and let the sunlight from the sunrise reflect of them from behind you to spot them (looks like someone flashing a mirror at you).  Then just ease up to the path they are heading.  Sometimes if they run close to the beach, I will almost post up next to the beach shore line and wait on them coming. That is where you can use a pole to get into position or ease up with the trolling motor. 

Sometimes in deep water beaches, you can ease an anchor (like one of those clawed mushroom anchors) with a thin cord and a float to hold that position and just wait for them.  When you see them coming, if they will be within a cast from them, then just cast to them and if you get a hook set, then toss the cord and float over board and chase it.  If they are tracking further away, then toss the cord and float over board and ease up to their path with the trolling motor and cut it off when they get close.

If the school goes buy, let them go and wait for the next school to follow in their path. The next school will almost always follow the same trail, following a scent trail left by the previous school. If the school passes you and you chase them with the trolling motor, you make a big effort with little luck getting them to bite since the trolling motor will cause them to have lock jaw. Sure you can get them right up next to the boat, but 9 times out of 10, they wouldn't eat.

After about an hour after sunrise, when you can finally sight them from a poling platform, on those beaches, 9 times out of 10, they will shut down for the fly fishermen and it will be very hard to get them to eat after that (up here on the Gulf beaches anyways). The only thing I have luck with anytime after that is just after a heavy afternoon rain when everything settles down, seas and winds calm down and you get those crazy beautiful sunsets. Then the pods will pop up and eat good. Anything in between those times is a lot of work with little payoff.


----------



## 8loco (Feb 12, 2012)

That was a good read backwater. I fish from Redfish Pass to Boca Grande Pass on the outside. The trolling motor will mainly be used for positioning, and for me when I fish by myself to work mangrove lines. I purchased a Minn Kota SP with the copilot. I will try that first and if it doesn't cut it then I will purchase the ipilot add-on. Thanks for all the help.


----------



## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Splurge for the i-pilot - you won't be dissapointed.  I don't run one on my skiff - I pole or drift.  But on my center console, the i-pilot is like having R2D2 on board.

I fish deeper water and shorelines for bass around my area.  The i-pilot frees me up a considerable amount on the boat - I use the spot lock feature more than anything.  I can put someone on the nose, hit the spot lock, watch the fish finder for the suspended fish, then pin point where I want the boat. Once locked in, I can step up on the Yeti at the stern and cast off the back over the fish.  For stripers, we go as deep as 20' feet and pull them up with full sinking lines.  The spot lock has been key to staying over the fish. I can also use spot lock if a school is blowing up the surface, or working a shoreline.

No regrets getting it and I would get it again for any deeper water boat.  If I built a new skiff, I still would not get a trolling motor - I like to only pole on that.


----------



## SemperFiSH (Jun 19, 2013)

All that being said...I'll save you $1150 dollars and sell you my bow mount great white for $250.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I'm a fan of the hand control in skinny water since I'm typically standing on the nose of the boat anyways.  I think in deeper water I'd prefer the iPilot for the spot lock feature.

A friend had a good idea that might be pertinent to this thread...he installed two of the quick release pucks on his boat.  The second is aft so that once he reaches the area he'll be fishing he can move the motor to the rear of the boat and clean the front deck up for casting.

It allows him to troll into a big NMZ area before he climbs up onto the poling platform for the quiet stalk.


----------

