I�m just curious (as a newbie) if anyone fishes from a pontoon boat? I have a Bennington fishing model and want to know more about trolling motors that can keep it �still�. Thoughts?

Welcome to the forum!!

Minnkota's with Spotloc,..just depends on the size you need..

Which ever trolling motor you go with I would definitely get a 36 volt and 60 inch shaft. Pontoon is a beer can on the water.

We have a older Voyager 20 ft. fish model that I have a motorguide 40lb.on it . Nothing really works unless you have a huge trolling motor in the wind . I just use it in coves and around the marina .

Very happy with my ulterra (24 volt, 80 lb thrust, 60" shaft) If it's too windy for it to hold me still, I wont be out there anyway.
1999 Landau 24 footer.

iv got a 22' and love it. about 8 months ago i upgraded my TM to a Motor Guide Xi5 and love it. 24 volt .best thing i ever bought for my boat.

Thanks. Glad to be onboard.

Looks great! I�ll check that out. Thanks

@Melly I've got a 2007 G3 22 fish and cruise that I fish from. I used to have a center console before this but to be honest even though I miss the speed of my center console I prefer to fish from a pontoon just because of the amount of room and the amount of customizing you can do up front on it. I couldnt agree more with @sandblaster on a 60 inch shaft however the size and weight of the boat will determine whether you wanna run 24V or 36V setup. I used to have a motorguide xi5 36V 60 inch shaft on my center console but when I got the pontoon I put a minn kota terrova 24v 80lb thrust 60 inch shaft and it does wonders. It has no problem keeping me on a brush pile or a school of fish. It's all personal preference when it comes to trolling motors but also it depends on what kind of performance you want it to provide. In my personal opinion if you want more of a "CRISP" spot lock feature I would HIGHLY recommend the motorguide xi5 over the Minn kota's. The minn kota's do pretty well for the most part but occasionally they seem to take a little longer to dial in once you hit the anchor button for spot lock. Minn kota has way better customer service than what motorguide has but it's all up to you. I would just research some and see what'll work best for you, hope this helps some.

Don't know about your weight or height from deck to waterline but for my 18 Bass Buggy the Minn Kota 68 lb 48" motor with gps add on was perfect... Plenty of shaft in the water and more than enough power.. Several of hours of use during the day and still showed full batts. Could get 2 days for sure. Spot holds well and remote is awesome... Can lay back on the lounge and zig zag through bridge pylons while watching the graph.. Way cool.. Incredibly maneuverable. The pontoon was very fishing UNfriendly until I added the troll motor.... Changes the whole game.... Now I can quietly poke around in the trees and/or anchor instantly... If you like the toon AND fish,, you have to get one... Also look into the onboard charges.

I also recommend Min-Kota Ulterra 24 volt/80 lb thrust with 60" shaft. Watch it hold in white cap Sam Rayburn water in some of my videos on YouTube.
My channel is Greg Fenn/Camoriver Guide Service.

Get with Ernest paty

I fish from a 20' pontoon and love it. I Have a 36V 105# Xi5 motor guide. 54" shaft. Had a 80# 24V at first but wind was a problem. I prefer the Motor guide over the Minn Kota. ( I have used both) I use only the remote control. My foot control stays in the storage box. If you are in the Dallas area feel free to come look at my setup and try it out.


Two Bimini tops cover boat from front to rear.


Lowrance unit for GPS and 2D sonar, Humminbird is for 360. Would not want to be without either one.


Lowrance 12" for side scan and down scan. Small unit on console is for GPS only.



Two rear seats in rear are raised to provide additional storage and to be able to easily fish over rear railing.

I fish from the rear a lot. I can drive the trolling motor with the remote from there.


Ernest Paty
214-202-7866

I have a MinnKota Powedrive V2 24 volt 70lb thrust on mine with Ipilot. It is one of the first ones and does pretty good. I am sure the newer ones do a lot better. However, if it is too windy for my setup to hold me in place , it is too windy to be fishing.