Wannabe bass angler

I'm traveling from Houston to Moors Resort on Kentucky Lake. I've never traveled overnight pulling the boat. I'm looking for any advice from experienced "over the road" anglers on "fisherman friendly" accommodations. More specifically, is there certain criteria you look for in the accomodations that make you feel more secure leaving your rig parked overnight. Any other advice or thoughts on overnight traveling with your boat is most welcome as well. Thanks in advance for your responses.

Actually, that's what happened to my IPad and what got me started on this. And, you're right about the battery drain while running GoFree. I'm set up to charge the IPad while on the water. I don't have the Navionics app. I should try it. That's exactly what I've been looking at doing. I already have Snow Lizard waterproof case with a built in battery charger. It's pretty slick and mounts on a Ram mount. Now, I just need to figure out out how to make the sunshade to where I can see the screen while I'm standing at the front.

Google was a great idea. There's actually a hooded shade made for using Ipads in the sun. It looks like it might work as long as the ambient air temperature does not exceed 95 degrees. That'll be a tall order to this summer in Texas. :-(

Didn't think of that. Not sure how to make my request short and sweet. I am thinking I'm going to need to provide some kind of shade for the unit that doesn't obstruct my view too much

This is my dilemma and I'm looking for ideas. I've figured out how to interface my IPad with my Elite5Ti and it all works great----right up until it's time to use it. The IPad is not designed to be used in the sun. Hence, I can't see the screen on sunny days, and, more importantly, the IPad overheats pretty quickly in direct sunlight. I bow mounted a ram mount and I have the IPad in a Snow Lizard waterproof case, but now I need to somehow shade the unit so I can see it. Any thoughts?

I purchased a 10' rod with a nifty, rubber coated bracket that slips over the cleat on the gunnel. From what I've seen on the pertinent videos, it's going to work great. However, I tried on my Tracker Proteam 175 this past weekend with no success. A couple of factors came into play, I think. The bottom was hard and I couldn't seem to penetrate more than a foot or so. Also, when I got to thinking about the definition of shallow water, I wasn't thinking in terms of 5' or less. Long story short, you need to be able to drive the anchor in a good 4' or so to stay put and not have the anchor pull out. I've included pictures of the bracket and the rod on the boat.

Since we're talking about fish eating videos, how about fish eaten videos? My wife recorded a Cormorant sucking down a 6-8" catfish. I guess the eating part isn't much, but getting it on her cell phone was pretty cool!

Many years ago I either read or was told that, if I practice catch and release, then I should render my hooks barbless. Does anyone do that anymore, or is that just an old or ill-advised practice.

If you haven't yet figured out if the transducer is parallel with the bottom of your boat, simply hold a 2'or 4' level, or a straightedge on the bottom of the boat, extended beyond the aft end of the transducer. You will be able to tell how the transducer is positioned relative to the bottom of the boat.

I just purchased a Lowrance Elite 5-Ti to upgrade from my almost new Elite 3x. (Too bad I don't have another boat on which to use the 3x.) Aside from intending to "pair" the unit with my I-pad via Bluetooth, I have no plans to connect to other units at this time. I presume that the NMEA 0183 cable is used for that purpose only, and can be coiled out of the way for future use. Am I correct? Also, can anyone share their experience(s) with the Bluetooth pairing to other devices?

My Tracker Proteam175TF came equipped with a Lowrance Elite 3X mounted at the console. I want to add a second unit at the bow so I can see what's below when I'm running the trolling motor. At this early stage of my fishing career, I'm not looking for high end, <$500. I appreciate any and all suggestions. Thanks in advance.

I sit mostly. Minn Kota Edge 45

Thanks, Bob.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I appreciate all the input. I do stand corrected. I do have the cable steering, not electric. I thought the foot operated was electric steering . I've never had either. I have always had a tiller motor mounted on the transom. I'm sure practice will make me more proficient. With all that said, is it better to keep motor on constant or momentary?

In Texas, what are the monthly parameters for the different seasons? During what months do the spawning phases occur? Do warm water power plant lakes cause one to deviate from normal "seasonal" techniques?

Electric steer foot. In my "practice session" yesterday, I found my biggest struggle comes with setting the foot control on momentary, and then trying to activate and steer at the same time. Perhaps I need to keep setting on continuous.

J Bab, I appreciate your reply, but with the exception of the video on controlled drifting, the videos were primarily promos and how to's on the new MinnKota technology. That being said, your comment on practicing is probably the better way to learn it anyway.

Thx. I'll check them out.

Are there any videos available that can coach a bass fishing newbie on developing skills to effectively use a foot control trolling motor? I seem to spend more time maneuvering and less time fishing.