trolling motors electric or cable ?

[wacky jig]

i 'm in the market for a trolling motor and have some Questions

i like minn kotta i want 80 pounds thrust and 24 volt
but not sure about electric or cable ?

if i get cable i can't hook it up to auto pilot right?
electric isn't as good in the slup hard on the electric motor ?

do a mix of river fishing and back lakes
multi spieces fisher man

thanks for any feed back

[riverdog]

Is there a foot petal thats easy to use as Wacky jigs co-angler has 2 left feet!

[mikemicropterus]

I would recommend that if you are doing constant postioning and you have room at the front of the boat ie deck space, go with the pedal, less issues all way round, able to steer quicker and no beeping electronics to fowl up.....

[fisher]

I had a cable steer and hated it, constantly had to keep my foot on the pedal to track straight otherwise it had a mind of its own I could only use it when I am up front, traded it in for a power drive with co pilot and couldn't be happier, it tracks straight, the pedal comes with 20' cable and also has a wireless remote so I can use it from anywhere in the boat. I like the convenience.
I don't fish for bass too often so quick response or working the slop is not an issue for me, its a personal preference I guess.

[IanD]

Take a look at a bow mount tiller. I've been using one for a long time and love it. Excellent control with one of the available extension handles. You can rig a small foot on/off switch. A lot of pros Stateside have started using them for the extra control.
http://sites.mercurymarine.com/portal/p ... ema=PORTAL

[eye-tracker]

Just another option on the cable steer...
To hold a boat in current or on a spot the cable steer is the best control as it gives the user feed back. You can tighten the tension screw and get it to hold straight when you take your foot off. I switched back to cable after using a Terrova and Power Drive for many years because I could never get it to hold me on a spot in heavy current or strong winds as the steer motor was to slow to respond.

I often troll with my cable steer by tightening down the tension screw and point the bow mount straight ahead. Set the speed and then go to the back of the boat and steer with the wheel by using the big outboard motor as a rudder.

-sheldon

[wacky jig]

thanks for the feed back it will make my friend river dog finally believe me and stop doubting me....................................

[DropShotr]

My boat came with a Minkota Auto Pilot. It was nice when new but got old and problematic too quickly. I purchased a no bell or whistles Minn Kota All Terrain with cable steering & 5 forward speeds. As eye-tracker has stated, once you tighten up the cable tension screw properly on the foot pedal the motor stays where its pointed.

When I up grade it will be 80lb 24v with cable steering and variable speed.

Hope this helps & good luck,

DropShot'r