I have been looking to upgrade my trolling motor on my Champion and I am trying to spend my money wisely and not regret it in a year. I have never ran a trolling motor without a foot pedal. I am wanting something with a spot lock and kinda looking towards the Minn Kota Terrova. From what I can tell, if you purchase that motor with the I-Pilot then you do not get the option of a foot control. Does anyone else have any experience in making a switch to the remote control? Is it easy to operate? I seem to be on the foot controls quite a bit while cruising the banks. It seems like it would be difficult to control and cast!

Thanks
Josh

you do have a foot control that unhooks on the Terrova. I never use mine though. i always just use the remote

foot pedal is a waste of money..remote / spot lock, game changer. I went from a pedal to remote/spot lock. Much easier. I use a Minnkota Riptide 70lb 24v..I had 45lb and 12v ...day and night

I have neuropathy in my feet so attempting to use a foot pedal is futile at best.I purchased a Motor Guide Xi3 initially..........remote but no spotlock/GPS pinpoint.I added the GPS pinpoint nav system ...............best $450 I ever spent.Spot lock and move any direction in 5' increments.Hitting the forward,back,left or right........I usually move in 15-20' increments by hitting the button of choice 3-4 times.Once it has moved the distance you requested it goes right back into anchor mode,what's not to love.BTW I still carry an anchor for emergencies but it seems like it just takes up space these days.

I have the Terrova with I-Pilot link. And use the foot pedal most of the time. Other times I use the remote. Or the phone app. Sometimes I use two of them. Just all depends on what I'm feeling like for the day. Nice thing about the pedal is, if you lose the remote, and don't have the phone app, the pedal is nice to have on board.

And the pedal and remote both, came with the unit I bought.

I’ve gotten so used to the remote, I don’t even want the foot pedal on the boat. It just gets in the way. I have spot lock though. It changes everything. If I didn’t have spot lock- I’d probably think differently about it.

Depends on your style of fishing. I’ve had an ulterra and an ultrex. The ulterra/terrova foot pedal is not very good IMO. If you fish open water the remotes are fine. In and out around docks and shore line then the foot pedal is a lot better.

I have an XI5 I bought used. It is the freshwater version and has a foot pedal. The foot pedal has never been out of the compartment it is in. I had the same reservations as the OP. I was going to buy a new saltwater version but was not sure about because the freshwater version came with foot pedal for about the same price. I have fished for crappie shallow and I chase shad along the shoreline with no problems.

I’ve had one of those also… liked the remote- but the xi5 foot pedal is not good at all imo.

IMO the whole purpose of a foot control trolling motor is to keep your hands free.

I personally dont want to be fumbling with a remote while I'm trying to fish. I love my terrova foot control. I steer with the arrows using my big toe and never look down.

I pretty much only use my remote to spotlock, or if I'm not fishing I will use the remote to guide us along while someone else fishes from the front deck if they don't want to work the trolling motor.