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Who uses........ #12045115 01/17/17 06:20 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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one of the electric steer trolling motors (MG Xi5/MK Terrova/Ulterra) for bass fishing? Why do most bass guys tend to shy away from these types of motors?

A friend just installed an MG Xi5/LiftSaver TM Mount on his Skeeter and he said he loves it.



Give me your pros and cons to fishing these motors for bass fishing.

I know the MK Ultrex is out but dang, they want a lot more money for them.


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Moritz Chevrolet - 9101 Camp Bowie W Blvd, Fort Worth, TX - Monte Coon (817) 696-2003
Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045116 01/17/17 06:23 PM
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Tracker Tim Offline
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All the motors prior to the Ultrex suffer bad consequences when running into stumps at full speed. The Ultrex has the same mount as the Fortrex.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045118 01/17/17 06:23 PM
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David Welcher Offline
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Go fish a lake full of timber and tell me if he still loves it.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045119 01/17/17 06:24 PM
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mysticslobra Offline
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The head on the terrova doesn't turn as fast as a cable steer, but other than that I love it. Its just a bit of a pain when fishing docks, but I love it for everything else. Also i don't like picking it up or letting it down.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045121 01/17/17 06:27 PM
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fouzman Offline
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Originally Posted By: BlueNitro
Why do most bass guys tend to shy away from these types of motors?


Lack of versatility. Bass guys don't typically sit in one spot long and when they do, they want to control precise cast angles. That isn't possible with this motor in high winds. Bass guys also fish shallow a lot and they move constantly. They need to be able to navigate around obstacles instantly. You can't do that with these motors. Finally, response time from these motors has always been lacking. I hear MinnKota has fixed that, but haven't fished with one of the new ones. Just the Ulterra.


"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out" - Zachary Troy Schrah - a young man with vision far beyond his years.
Re: Who uses........ [Re: Tracker Tim] #12045123 01/17/17 06:28 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: Tracker Tim
All the motors prior to the Ultrex suffer bad consequences when running into stumps at full speed. The Ultrex has the same mount as the Fortrex.


So are you saying that the mounting of these motors or the gear boxes would be damaged by hitting the stumps at speed?


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: fouzman] #12045134 01/17/17 06:35 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
Originally Posted By: BlueNitro
Why do most bass guys tend to shy away from these types of motors?


Lack of versatility. Bass guys don't typically sit in one spot long and when they do, they want to control precise cast angles. That isn't possible with this motor in high winds. Bass guys also fish shallow a lot and they move constantly. They need to be able to navigate around obstacles instantly. You can't do that with these motors. Finally, response time from these motors has always been lacking. I hear MinnKota has fixed that, but haven't fished with one of the new ones. Just the Ulterra.


I used to have a Terrova and now I have the Xi5. I can tell you the Xi5 is a lot more responsive than the MK's. I also use the foot pedal at times and I feel that it is as good as the cable steer. What I like is I can hit the spot lock when I want to stay in an area, catch a fish or need to re-tie without have to worry about controlling the tm.


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045135 01/17/17 06:35 PM
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Tracker Tim Offline
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The mounts break compated to traditional motors. Look how small the mounted section above is. Here is the Ultrex mount.


Re: Who uses........ [Re: Tracker Tim] #12045152 01/17/17 06:43 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: Tracker Tim
The mounts break compated to traditional motors. Look how small the mounted section above is. Here is the Ultrex mount.


That is why he installed the LiftSaver TM Mount under it. It's 20 inches in length so it distributes the mounting forces over the same length as the Fourtrex. It also retracts to motor to save it from damage because of the overhang.

I am just wondering why they never gained the popularity with bass fishermen like with the crappie fishermen who fish many of the same areas as the bass fishermen. hmmm


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045154 01/17/17 06:44 PM
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fouzman Offline
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Blue nitro, will this motor hold your nose into the wind, without moving backwards, in 20+mph sustained winds?


"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out" - Zachary Troy Schrah - a young man with vision far beyond his years.
Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045182 01/17/17 06:58 PM
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Foot control is just better control without hesitation. I might own one if I crappie fished.


๐Ÿ˜Ž Dallas Cowboys....eventual Superbowl Champions ๐Ÿ˜Ž



Re: Who uses........ [Re: Okie Poke] #12045191 01/17/17 07:01 PM
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Jeezy Offline
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Originally Posted By: Okie Poke
Foot control is just better control without hesitation. I might own one if I crappie fished.


Same here.


โ€œThe more you know about Donald Trump, the less likely you are to vote for him. The more you know about his business enterprises, the less successful he looks. The more you know about his political giving, the less Republican he looks.โ€ - Lindsey Graham, 2016
Re: Who uses........ [Re: fouzman] #12045194 01/17/17 07:02 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
Blue nitro, will this motor hold your nose into the wind, without moving backwards, in 20+mph sustained winds?


fouzman, here is a short video of us holding within a foot of where we spot locked on this stump. The stump was at a angle and the fish were stacked up at the base of the tree. We never really moved (watch the stump out of the water/ and sat over the fish for an hour and caught fish. If you watch it until the end you can see my partners shirt flapping in the wind which was 20 - 25 mph that day.

[img]http://i1080.photobucket.com/albums/j327/rdbassing/th_20150703_073214_zpsyyamiwlp.mp4[/img]


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045332 01/17/17 08:18 PM
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lipjerk Offline
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If I can find a decent price, I will be getting an XI5 in the next couple weeks or so.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12045605 01/17/17 10:40 PM
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I used to have a Power Drive V2 with iPilot and I wasn't very pleased with it to be honest. I did like the spot lock feature, but it lacked in responsiveness and lightweight design. However, my new Ultrex is freaking awesome. I love every single thing about the Ultrex. It's absolutely incredible.


"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." - Doug Larson
Re: Who uses........ [Re: bigbass94] #12046875 01/18/17 03:25 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: bigbass94
I used to have a Power Drive V2 with iPilot and I wasn't very pleased with it to be honest. I did like the spot lock feature, but it lacked in responsiveness and lightweight design. However, my new Ultrex is freaking awesome. I love every single thing about the Ultrex. It's absolutely incredible.


I would be interested to see how well the spot lock holds from an actual user. Can you throw a buoy sometime and see how tight it stay to the buoy?


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12047401 01/18/17 07:19 PM
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Saw a guy destroy one of the new power-drive TMs just this weekend by hitting a stump. Stripped the gears right out of the drive system. Would not even stay stowed in the up position, had to used a ratchet strap. No where near as tough as the old style mounts!


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Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12047423 01/18/17 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted By: BlueNitro
Originally Posted By: bigbass94
I used to have a Power Drive V2 with iPilot and I wasn't very pleased with it to be honest. I did like the spot lock feature, but it lacked in responsiveness and lightweight design. However, my new Ultrex is freaking awesome. I love every single thing about the Ultrex. It's absolutely incredible.


I would be interested to see how well the spot lock holds from an actual user. Can you throw a buoy sometime and see how tight it stay to the buoy?


Just look at your GPS position. I used mine yesterday and it stayed within inches of the spot. Wind was minimal but I was still impressed.


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Re: Who uses........ [Re: horseplaydvm] #12047528 01/18/17 08:38 PM
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BlueNitro Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: horseplaydvm
Originally Posted By: BlueNitro
Originally Posted By: bigbass94
I used to have a Power Drive V2 with iPilot and I wasn't very pleased with it to be honest. I did like the spot lock feature, but it lacked in responsiveness and lightweight design. However, my new Ultrex is freaking awesome. I love every single thing about the Ultrex. It's absolutely incredible.


I would be interested to see how well the spot lock holds from an actual user. Can you throw a buoy sometime and see how tight it stay to the buoy?


Just look at your GPS position. I used mine yesterday and it stayed within inches of the spot. Wind was minimal but I was still impressed.


I was impressed too with my Terrova back in the day until I threw out a buoy and then realized I was anywhere from 5' off to 40'. That visual reference showed me quite a bit. I know the new ones should be better. Just wondering how much they actually wander.


LiftSaver Trolling Motor Mounting Bracket - Patent Pending and LiftSaver Transducer Pole Mount
www.liftsavertmmount.com
[Linked Image][Linked Image]
Works with MG Xi5, Xi3 and MK Terrova, Ulterra, PD V2 and Riptides as well.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12047552 01/18/17 08:54 PM
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Originally Posted By: BlueNitro
Originally Posted By: bigbass94
I used to have a Power Drive V2 with iPilot and I wasn't very pleased with it to be honest. I did like the spot lock feature, but it lacked in responsiveness and lightweight design. However, my new Ultrex is freaking awesome. I love every single thing about the Ultrex. It's absolutely incredible.


I would be interested to see how well the spot lock holds from an actual user. Can you throw a buoy sometime and see how tight it stay to the buoy?


I'll try to remember to throw out a buoy this weekend and post a my results.


"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." - Doug Larson
Re: Who uses........ [Re: fouzman] #12047573 01/18/17 09:04 PM
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
Blue nitro, will this motor hold your nose into the wind, without moving backwards, in 20+mph sustained winds?


I have a Terrova on my 22' Bay Boat. The stronger the wind, the better it will keep your boat in place.

The only time spot lock doesn't work for me is when it is too calm, and then I really don't need it anyway. When its calm it will turn on for a few seconds and you will likely drift past the "spot". It will then spin the trolling motor 180 degrees and turn on for a few seconds again. You will likely pass up the spot again.

But if you have any kind of breeze it works great.

It took some getting used to and I hated the trolling motor at first. Now when fishing tournaments if we are in my buddy's boat, I cant stand using his cable steer.

The response time for turning is the only draw back I've found, and really is a non issue for me any more.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: fouzman] #12047633 01/18/17 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted By: fouzman
Blue nitro, will this motor hold your nose into the wind, without moving backwards, in 20+mph sustained winds?


It will Chris...I was in a boat on big water last weekend and the motor held us in the same spot without adjustment for more than 30 minutes in solid wind.

I was pretty impressed.


Whether you think you can or you can't, you are probably right.
Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12048257 01/19/17 03:37 AM
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This subject is sort a like getting married , it will be the best dicision of you life or absolutely the worst. It's each to there own , my friend ran mine a couple hours on the lake last week , his boat is at the boat shop getting a new one put on it now. My son borrowed my boat a few times he absolutely hates it. Go run one awhile before you buy one. I won't buy anything but one. I have had them on my last 3 boats and there will be one on my next one.


Let's go fishing
Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12048316 01/19/17 04:15 AM
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An Xi5 is going to be next big investment for my boat


PB 10.58 Joe Pool

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12048510 01/19/17 12:36 PM
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I think it has a lot to do with how you fish and where. I'm sure shallow flippers can't stand it. I chose the Terrova, 1 because it was on sale, 2 because I fish AH and they are only in shallow timber 2 months of the year.

Last edited by tbates; 01/19/17 12:37 PM.
Re: Who uses........ [Re: tbates] #12048552 01/19/17 01:15 PM
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The Minn Kota Ultrex solves all of anyones problems, I have not mounted mine yet but i have a few friends that have them, awesome is the word.


[Linked Image]
Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12051420 01/20/17 10:18 PM
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Winds 10 to 15 on Granbury today. Approached a bouy at motor speed 10, ~3mph, cross and downwind and hit spotlock. The motor spun and stopped the boat and tracked reverse to the spot and started to settle. Once the boat settled nose into the wind (took less than a minute), it stayed within a foot or two, just making easy bow corrections when necessary until I dropped a waypoint down and tried CIRCLE mode.

Circled the bouy at 30, 50 and 80 foot circles.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12054709 01/23/17 01:35 AM
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bobrfishes Offline
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I have owned a Terrova,an Uterra and now have an Ultrex.
Sold the Terrova to buy an Ulterra. BPS replaced it twice.
Finally BPS replaced it with an Ultrex.
Everything Bad you have heard about the Terrova and Ulterra are true.
With the Ultrex Minn Kota has finally gotten everything right.
It's GREAT.

Last edited by bobrfishes; 01/23/17 01:35 AM.

STUMPJUMPER
Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12055037 01/23/17 10:29 AM
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Have a Terrova with foot control. Mounts could be greatly improved for bumping immovable objects or you can slow down when around these objects. Yes, slightly slower steering changes than cable steer but you have to look at the pros. Open water I can steer from the back of the boat. I can stay close to a spot and never touch the trolling motor while retying, taking fish off, or catching a quick siesta. I will say that I don't plan on going back to cable steer. I have learned to slow down in stump fields, which equals more fishing less moving.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12055113 01/23/17 12:55 PM
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Ultrex has spot lock, jog, follow contour, auto pilot, very quick response, and I-pilot link for Humminbird Auto Chart. Bassmaster Elites putting them on their boat and winning tournaments. I know a few of the FLW Tour guys are doing the same.

Re: Who uses........ [Re: BlueNitro] #12055253 01/23/17 02:30 PM
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I know that spot... roflmao

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