A word of warning...

As a new owner of an auto pilot trolling motor I'm learning a lot each trip.

I HIGHLY recommend when you install the motor you install a kill switch button of some kind near your feet. a quick step on type button. Once power is interrupted the motor shuts off until you manually turn it back on.

Here's why. When in anchor mode the motor is constantly running slowly to hold you in position. If you accidentally get your line to close to the motor and it catches on the prop it will eat 50 yards of line before you can even reach for the remote to shut it off. If your drag is not set lightly it will also eat the end of your rod. The harder you pull the faster the motor will run.

Talk about a circus fire drill, my drag was screaming, I was hanging on to my rod with both hands, remote was in my shirt pocket, my fishing partners were running for the net thinking I had the biggest fish in the lake on. Luckily I ran out of braid and the mono backing broke at the knot. Took 15 min to get the prop clear of line.

Went to Shut-up-and-fish and bought a quick removing prop nut and balancer.

I think a bigfoot button would work if I can't find a panic button.

Are we getting careless? Probably needed to replace that line anyway.

Might want to consider taking up drinking wine, or something like it. It helps get over the frustration!

Lucky you did not have anyone important with you! Could have ended in disaster!

As I tell my son, you've got the whole lake to fish and you jig right next to the trolling motor!

What is this balancer you speak of? I have seen the Eliminator prop nut and thought it would be handy to remove line when I didn't want to fish the rest of the lake, but I have not seen a balancer. I just bought a new prop for my Xi5, as I thought she has a little too much shakin' going on. I have not tried the new prop yet to see if that helps.

www.r2marineinnovations.com

I just put it on but have not used it. Guy has one on and said it was good.

LoL...My Terrova ate two rod tips of mine before I sold it. Windy day, fishing with the kids and working on their rig while mine was still in the water. A Terrova correction ran over the line and 'it was too late', time for a new rod.

Funny story Ernest I bet it was quite a scene on the 'toon'.

I replaced the 2 blade prop on my Xi5 because of the shake. The 3 blade eliminated the shaking.

Bet that would have been a great thing to have on video!

Automation gone wild!

Man I've done it 3x that I can recall. Probsbly more and clays been in it at least once! Little mans been maybe the only one that hasn't hung up in it!! But then again it's not positioned in the snack bag so he's prolly safe!!!

Lol, that's hilarious. That would definitely happen to me if I had that type of trolling motor. I seem to have similar problems with the standard kind. :p

I won't say any names, but one day 3 of us were out in some big time winds. All three of us got hung up in my trolling motor.

By the way, I have gotten pretty good at hitting the button really quickly and shutting it off. Now, the first 5 or 6 times I had that drag screaming and Ron was going for the net....

my terrova will shutoff when using anchor, if I touch any remote button, or any of the floor pedal controls.
I know,..bump a pedal I and start floating away,..but it is a good safety device.

I have one of these Eliminator prop nuts on my Ulterra. If line gets caught up in the trolling motto there is no need for any tools to pull the prop off or get to the line. The large prop nut makes easy work of it.

That's too funny, sounds like stuff I have heard my whole life. Thanks for the laugh.

Good point.

I think Minn Kota needs a disable button for the foot petal. If you are not sitting down and step on the go button the boat could throw you in the water. I'm quite often using a throw net to catch shad off the front of my boat and have had the motor nearly throw me in the water. have to always remember to put the manual speed to zero before catching shad.

I found some of those Motorguide Eliminator Prop nuts on eBay and ordered me one. This guy has 4 left now and is selling them for $24.99
here is the link if anyone is interested. Ernest put the fear in me now about getting my lines hung up.

Prop Nut

Thanks! I just purchased one.

You'll like it. I put one on my Ulterra. Shut up and fish sells them

As soon as the Eliminator prop nut came out, David told me that I ought to have one. So I purchased one form him and three things happened. My Minn Kota had less vibration, it had less noise.....and on it's first trip out, it only took me a few minutes to take it off, remove my line from the motor shaft, and put it back on . David's got em and regardless of what TM you have; you need one.

Thanks, just ordered one.

When I do something that makes me shake my head in disbelief, my wife says "when your dumb, you gotta be tough".