Amazing advances in fishing technology

This may be old news to some folks but I am completely blown away by the Minn Kota i-Pilot feature on some of their higher-end trolling motors.

The ability to press a button on a remote and have an "electronic anchor" that will keep you on your hotspot out in the middle of a lake, river or ocean. This GPS based "spot lock" feature is just slick as hell. Fights the current, wind etc. to automatically keep you on top of that spot.

How many times have you thrown a marker, anchor etc. too late and missed that honey hole?

The i-Pilot also allows you to make trolling tracks up to 2 miles long. And adjust your trolling speed down to 1/10th of a mph. You simply mark the start and end points and the boat will follow your near exact previous trolling pass over and over, back and forth.

This unit will also guide you home if you simply point the trolling motor to where you want to go. It will plot a near exact course to that place you want to be. Great for an emergency.

They have two varieties of the i-Pilot. One is just the handheld remote with GPS/trolling motor. The other (i-Pilot Link) incorporates Hummingbird depth finder units to do many other features as well.

If I buy a fishing boat down the road, it will definitely have this onboard. Too bad they don't make smaller bow-mount units for kayaks...



   

 

Motorguide xi5.  Had one of the two prototypes on my boat for a few days.  Does all the same stuff and fun as hell to run.  Will be a battle between those companies this next year!  Mine is on its way; 24v 80# thrust with all the bells & whistles including integration with Lowrance.

Bill

Bill,

I would be kind of torn because I really lean toward Lowrance on the depth finder side and Minn Kota on the trolling motor end...

The applications for this technology are just too good to pass up though.

If I move back to Minnesota after retirement, I'll be getting a 16 foot Lund with this set-up (hand-held remote and bow mount) onboard. No more swinging anchor ropes and poor positioning. Boat control is just so critical.

   

On my 18' pontoon with the 36v version, running on 24v, with Beta software in the motor, we set a point & ran a route.  Later that day we told it to go back to the buoy & the boat hit the buoy about 3' from the motor.  On beta version.  Can't wait till I can run this toy!!!  I have the 24v 80# coming for my pontoon.  The Lowrsnce integration should happen in Spring of 2014 & I still Dont know what integration options they will offer but it is the start of something great over the next few years.  Motor guide hasn't had anything new for a while so I'm excited.  Supposed to outfit my boat for a 3-day conference in Monterey early March for all the West Marine managers across the USA.

Check out Lowrance Spotlight.  Won't work with this style motor yet but its pretty cool stuff.  Waiting for my SonarHub for my Lowrance 9 touch so I'll have CHIRP on the pontoon as well.  Ho- Rah!

Bill

This may be old news to some folks but I am completely blown away by the Minn Kota i-Pilot feature on some of their higher-end trolling motors.

The ability to press a button on a remote and have an "electronic anchor" that will keep you on your hotspot out in the middle of a lake, river or ocean. This GPS based "spot lock" feature is just slick as hell. Fights the current, wind etc. to automatically keep you on top of that spot.

How many times have you thrown a marker, anchor etc. too late and missed that honey hole?

The i-Pilot also allows you to make trolling tracks up to 2 miles long. And adjust your trolling speed down to 1/10th of a mph. You simply mark the start and end points and the boat will follow your near exact previous trolling pass over and over, back and forth.

This unit will also guide you home if you simply point the trolling motor to where you want to go. It will plot a near exact course to that place you want to be. Great for an emergency.

They have two varieties of the i-Pilot. One is just the handheld remote with GPS/trolling motor. The other (i-Pilot Link) incorporates Hummingbird depth finder units to do many other features as well.

If I buy a fishing boat down the road, it will definitely have this onboard. Too bad they don't make smaller bow-mount units for kayaks...



 

I know it can be modified to use on a Hobie Pro Angler.  All of the benefits you mentioned are true, very true!

 

The 45 lb. thrust model utilizes the smaller, narrower housing.  The shaft was shortened too.



The spot lock feature keeps you on the fish.




 

Dry Bones,

Thanks for those videos.

That guy is on the cutting edge of modifications. The i-Pilot sure kept him on those stripers.