oomph

I recently purchased a new Ulterra and don't have enough room to store two group 27 batteries in my old Lund Rebel's fron't compartment. I have always used lead acid batteries, but am considering going with AGM's for this setup. Basically, I need something with a smaller footprint that can give me enough juice to troll a good 6 hours per outing. What battery manufacturer do you guys recommend going with for my trolling motor? Preferably one with a high reserve capacity and amp rating. I've been considering the VMAXTANKS MR107-85 12V 85AH, but I suspect there are better batteries out there with a better warranty.

I bit the bullet and ordered the new (gen3) Ulterra trolling motor, it comes with a built in mega transducer. That resolved my issue with needing a transducer upfront. I plan on mounting my fish finder with a RAM Mount for quick disconnect an storage. I plan on networking it to my fish finder on the console. This maybe out of your budget, but it's certainly a good solution.

I was at the Lake this past weekend looking at all the communities, and am leaning towards purchasing on the private side. Mostly, because this opens up a nice option for me during the winter, and there is less boat traffic. Toxic, I will PM you and take you up on that offer, thank you.

Do you still guide there?

I am in the beginning process of looking into a property on Lake Anna Virginia. I've read a few posts about fishing the hot side of the lake during the winter that sound promising. My question is does it get too hot in the summer time? How is the fishing in the summer time on the hot side of the lake? I like to fish year round and the thought of fishing warmer water in the winter sounds good, but the public side of the Lake seems much larger with the added incentive of places to eat etc.

I have an Xpress stick steer and it's a great setup. Xpress makes a really solid hull. I've never gotten soaked, but I am sure that I could under the wrong weather conditions. As long as you pick your days and watch the weather you are fine. In my opinion the Stick Steer is a great setup for boats that are less than 18ft. You end up losing lots of usable space to side and center consoles, and being able to run the rear motor and deploy the trolling motor from one spot is a huge plus over a tiller. Not to mention the visibility that you gain when you're venturing into shallow water. I've set my boat up for fishing the shallow creeks that back into lily pads etc. I mostly fish the tributaries on the Lower Potomac River and it does just fine. If I were fishing the Upper Potomac, I would use an outboard jet instead of a prop, along with a UHMW bottom and a tunnel Hull to avoid damaging the hull on the rocks. It all depends on what you like to fish and where you like to fish most often. My boat fishes two people very well, but 3 people is also doable. Having an open area in the center of the boat leaves more room for a cooler, tackle boxes etc. Mine is setup with a 40HP Evinrude 2stroke, Bobs Jack Machine Hydraulic Jack Plate (for getting into skinny water) and a hydrofoil for more responsive steering. You would probably do alright with a 25HP motor, but I think 40HP is the sweet spot. I don't have a need to go any faster, nor do I make really long runs. I also use a remote control with my Motorguide XI5 steering the trolling motor. The spot lock on the Xi5 is amazing. This makes it really simple to control the boat from the front seat. I'm a multi specie fisherman, so this type of boat works great for my needs. When I crappie fish, I can stay right on top of them and easily maneuver around docks.

If you're going to use the micro anchor in a river you will want to consider how it will hold you against the current.

If you're willing to stretch your budget by $99, the Lowrance 7 Elite TI can be had for $799, which gives you the total scan transducer. Structure scan, chirp and some nice integration with the Xi5 Trolling Motor, should you ever go that route. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lowrance-Elite-Ti-Medium-High-Sonar-GPS-Combo/2181101.uts?productVariantId=4478896&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04354072&rid=20&gclid=CIas0JWt5cwCFVdahgodzKcPbQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

Another deciding factor is the size boat you plan to put it on. For example, I plan on buying an Elite 7TI for the simple reason that it will be used on my 15 FT Jon Boat and NuCanoe Kayak. I plan on mounting it with the magnetic transducer mounts from http://www.fishfindermounts.com/ This way I can easily move it from my Jon boat to my kayak. A 7 inch display is about as big as I want to go on my Kayak and it works great on my Jon Boat, which also has a networkable Motor Guide Xi5 trolling motor.

yup, I am happy with the decision. I have a Minnkota Endura Max 55, which is transom mount. I took my 15FT jon boat out on the reservoir over the weekend with it. (haven't installed the bow motor yet). The wind was pushing me around quite a bit and I was forced to give it more power than normal. I can see the advantages of having that extra juice when needed, and I also am really looking forward to the Pin Point GPS and Auto Anchor functions of the XI5. I really hate having to fight the trolling motor in the wind while I fish.

The 8M0092064 looks to be a little more expensive than the 8M0092063 . Glad to hear that it's worked out well for you. I'm really looking forward to setting up my new trolling motor.

I see that motor guide offers a few options as far as quick release mounts go. Composite - PART # 8M0092063 Aluminum - PART # 8M0092064 And the Universal Mount all fit this trolling motor. Does anyone have experience with mounting the quick release and an XI 5? The composite version seems to be the most affordable, but I am interested in hear if anyone has had any issues with installing either one.

Thanks for the feedback. I picked up a 24 volt 80lbs thrust this weekend. It's the Motor Guide Xi5 w/ the Pin Point GPS. Can't wait to try it out on the water.

I have both the portable and on board Minn Kota charges and very happy with both. The on board chargers seem to be very waterproof. I hate to say it, but I undocked my boat once without the plug and the entire unit survived being submerged for a few minutes. That said, I would not hesitate in buying another if I ever needed to do so.

I'm leaning more and more towards the 24 volt setup.