any thoughts on I troll

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olivertractor
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any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby olivertractor » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:39 pm

Have been contemplating purchasing an I troll, but was receiving some mixed reviews on it. My main purpose for it would be the anchor function, I would want it to be able to hold me in a somewhat reasonable spot so I could vertically jig in 100+ fow. Guys I talked that have it either haven't used the anchor function much or they say it floats farther off spot than they care for. Also, cons have heard that it'll get little confused with the boat moving on a pivot and gets to spinning, my thought on this is that a drift sock might help?? Any other experiences/thoughts?


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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:54 pm

Never heard of an I troll.
I pilot?

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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Tue Jun 23, 2015 12:57 pm

Just looked it up. Interesting for sure.
No help from me, sorry

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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby Singing Bridge » Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:39 pm

Have been contemplating purchasing an I troll, but was receiving some mixed reviews on it. My main purpose for it would be the anchor function, I would want it to be able to hold me in a somewhat reasonable spot so I could vertically jig in 100+ fow. Guys I talked that have it either haven't used the anchor function much or they say it floats farther off spot than they care for. Also, cons have heard that it'll get little confused with the boat moving on a pivot and gets to spinning, my thought on this is that a drift sock might help?? Any other experiences/thoughts?


I'm going to assume you mean an i-pilot with the Spot-Lock feature that anchors you in place with your electric motor. The I-troll that I am familiar with changes your trolling speed up and down and is a different piece of equipment altogether.

Anyway, it is definitely worth it in my book IF IT IS PROPERLY INSTALLED. I have an older i-pilot but my brother has the Spot-Lock feature. It is very good at keeping your boat in position for vertical jigging or even when trying to hold a position near an obstruction in a river. It is a dream com true for perch fishing as you do not have to anchor, you just lower down your perch rigs. Same goes for casting applications where you want to hold your position without anchoring.

Whenever an i-pilot electric motor gets to spinning it has likely lost its GPS signal and cannot read the position it needs to hold. Sometimes the satellites are a little off on any given day, but it is much more likely that there is a problem on the boat. The GPS receiver, the wiring throughout the system (mice chewing on wiring in the garage is always bad news) or another of the system components of the i-pilot may need to be adjusted or replaced. I highly recommend that the initial installation be completed by experienced professionals who can also make any repairs in the future.

Most of the time our i-pilots are completely problem free and what a great tool. Trolling with the i-pilot allows me to be hands free in my boat as it controls the speed and direction I gave it to troll while I tend the lines and concentrate on the fish.
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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby olivertractor » Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:50 pm

Yeh sorry I pilot

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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby olivertractor » Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:54 pm

Singing Bridge wrote:
Have been contemplating purchasing an I troll, but was receiving some mixed reviews on it. My main purpose for it would be the anchor function, I would want it to be able to hold me in a somewhat reasonable spot so I could vertically jig in 100+ fow. Guys I talked that have it either haven't used the anchor function much or they say it floats farther off spot than they care for. Also, cons have heard that it'll get little confused with the boat moving on a pivot and gets to spinning, my thought on this is that a drift sock might help?? Any other experiences/thoughts?


I'm going to assume you mean an i-pilot with the Spot-Lock feature that anchors you in place with your electric motor. The I-troll that I am familiar with changes your trolling speed up and down and is a different piece of equipment altogether.

Anyway, it is definitely worth it in my book IF IT IS PROPERLY INSTALLED. I have an older i-pilot but my brother has the Spot-Lock feature. It is very good at keeping your boat in position for vertical jigging or even when trying to hold a position near an obstruction in a river. It is a dream com true for perch fishing as you do not have to anchor, you just lower down your perch rigs. Same goes for casting applications where you want to hold your position without anchoring.

Whenever an i-pilot electric motor gets to spinning it has likely lost its GPS signal and cannot read the position it needs to hold. Sometimes the satellites are a little off on any given day, but it is much more likely that there is a problem on the boat. The GPS receiver, the wiring throughout the system (mice chewing on wiring in the garage is always bad news) or another of the system components of the i-pilot may need to be adjusted or replaced. I highly recommend that the initial installation be completed by experienced professionals who can also make any repairs in the future.

Most of the time our i-pilots are completely problem free and what a great tool. Trolling with the i-pilot allows me to be hands free in my boat as it controls the speed and direction I gave it to troll while I tend the lines and concentrate on the fish.

Thanx singing for great info, I agree what a great tool, and of course never thought of losing signal, but can see that happening for sure, thanx again

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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Wed Jun 24, 2015 12:10 am

I am on my second I pilot.
My first was the V2 and as a casting fisherman, it drove me nuts. I sold that one and just purchased the Terrova with I pilot and foot control. Love it!
The only things I can think of in regard to the spot lock feature is
1) activating anchor lock while trolling rapidly will cause the motor to spin the boat around only because of the forward momentum of the boat.
2) wind
3) as stated loss of signal.

When I activate the spot lock, there are a couple things I do to reduce the spinning. Try to spin the boat with nose to the wind prior to activating, and reduce the speed I am currently going.
I haven't had any issues with my Terrova I pilot. The feature of these motors are way more than I had visioned prior to purchasing. There is a slight learning curve, so I personally would recommend leaving the poles at home the first time you use it. And watch all the featured videos on the Minn Kota web site before taking it out as well.

Hope this helps.

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Re: any thoughts on I troll

Unread postby olivertractor » Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:35 am

dirt nap giver wrote:I am on my second I pilot.
My first was the V2 and as a casting fisherman, it drove me nuts. I sold that one and just purchased the Terrova with I pilot and foot control. Love it!
The only things I can think of in regard to the spot lock feature is
1) activating anchor lock while trolling rapidly will cause the motor to spin the boat around only because of the forward momentum of the boat.
2) wind
3) as stated loss of signal.

When I activate the spot lock, there are a couple things I do to reduce the spinning. Try to spin the boat with nose to the wind prior to activating, and reduce the speed I am currently going.
I haven't had any issues with my Terrova I pilot. The feature of these motors are way more than I had visioned prior to purchasing. There is a slight learning curve, so I personally would recommend leaving the poles at home the first time you use it. And watch all the featured videos on the Minn Kota web site before taking it out as well.

Hope this helps.

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Thanx man, for sure helps

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