Tennessee Boy

I just noticed something on the link I posted earlier. The list has MEGA DI and MEGA DI+. Only the newer units support MEGA DI+. MEGA DI+ gives you more detail. Even though I have no intentions of replacing my 9 month old Ultrex, I am very curious as to how this is going to work.

Here is a list of compatible Humminbirds. Some units will not support the new MEGA DI function but many older unit will. https://www.minnkotamotors.com/support/compatibility/Built-In-MEGA-DI

Welcome to the forum ?

I would expect issues when you mount a traditional down image transducer on a trolling motor. Down imaging uses a very wide and very thin sonar beam so turning it will change the area you are covering even if you are not moving. If you understand how down imaging works and why you are seeing what you are seeing, it might not be a problem and might even offer some advantages. Using the transducer for 2D imaging should work fine. I've been trying to find out how the new Ultrex TMs with built in MEGA down imaging work. I would love to know what the shape of their down imaging sonar beam is. So far I have not found that information published anywhere. If the beam is wide and thin then they would have the same issues when the trolling motor turns. I would think this would be unacceptable because it would cause confusion with most users who don't understand why they're seeing what they're seeing. If the beam is not wide and thin, then how does it give you the high definition images you expect with down imaging? It's the thin beam that gives you the high definition. As for what TM you should buy. I have the old Ultrex and use the built in 2D transducer. I have 360 imaging on my TM so I don't really need down imaging. I strongly prefer using a built in transducer. It's just much cleaner. So I would buy the new version if I wanted MEGA down imaging but I would want to know how it works first.

Welcome to the forum. There are no "HORRIBLE" questions here. I agree with everything @scaleface said. It's usually not about see a fish on the screen and then trying to catch that fish. Use your fish finder as a tool to understand the water you are fishing. Marker buoys are essential if you don't have GPS. Use these tools to map out the structure, it's form, and how the bass and bait fish are relating to it. Then position your boat to catch those fish.

+1 for Ott

I love Spot Lock and use it all the time. I've always said that a good trolling motor is the best investment you can make in a boat. I don't know what TM you currently have but an upgrade will give you other benefits beyond Spot Lock like stronger thrust, AutoPilot and other things depending on what model you get and if you integrate it with your electronics.

One of the best fishing books I ever read had nothing to do with fishing. It was "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Nickolas Taleb. The premise of the book is that much of our lives are effected by random events and most people are very bad at finding causality when trying to explain these events. Fishing is very random and this book had me constantly thinking about how this randomness affects the way I think about fishing. Here's an example of how we might find false causality when fishing: A guy fishes all morning with his favorite blue worm and catches nothing. He stops at a marina for lunch and decides to buy a new color worm that's just hit the market. On his first cast with the new worm, he catches a fish and proceeds to catch a few more over the next couple of hours. The guy will probably attribute all of his success to the new worm color and may even conclude that it's because the fish have never seen this color before. The question is, how does he know the color of the worm made any difference? His success could have been caused by any number of things that changed in the afternoon that he's not aware of. Maybe the fish just started feeding in the afternoon. Maybe he was just unlucky in the morning and lucky in the afternoon. One thing's for sure, he'll probably be buying more of the new color worms.

Now that's funny and you're old. ?

I'm no expert but this has worked for me in the past with smaller outboards that haven't been started in a while. Get a can of starter fluid and spray it in the engine intake before you crank it. It will probably start and run for just a few seconds and then die. Start it again and spray some more in when it starts to die. Just keep spraying every time it starts to die until it starts running right. I would certainly give this a try before paying someone to look at it.

Welcome to the forum. I like your profile photo! I can't say anything about your boat but I can say that the Ultrex petal is not unusually large. I added an Ultrex to my Ranger RT188. The trolling motor was not an option for the boat so I ordered the boat without a TM and had the dealer install the Ultrex. The petal fits fine in the stock tray. I would be surprised if you can't find a tray that is big enough for the Ultrex petal that fits your boat.

I have to agree with Catt. Advances in electronics have totally changed bass fishing in the last 15 years and continue to change it. 25 years ago, I might spend an hour trying to find some offshore structure. Now that same structure is as easy to find as a lay down on the bank. In the past I might spend an hour driving around dropping buoys trying to map out the shape and breaks on structure. Now I have high definition maps of said structure that I can study on my iPad before I ever hit the water. It should also be said that 25 years ago if you put in the work to find offshore structure, there was a good chance you would have it all to yourself. That's no longer true today. Top five GPS Detailed maps from recent sonar surveys Side scan sonar Trolling motor/GPS integration 360 imaging/Live Scan sonar

I'm pretty sure they can't tell what I'm thinking but yeah I think they control what I'm thinking most of the time.?

Bass can't read your mind so they can't tell if you're confident or how much you're thinking. What's going on in your head has to translate into where you're fishing and how you're fishing.

80% standing 20% butt seat

Welcome!

I have two smokers. One is a big barrel smoker with a firebox on the side. With it I wait till the charcoal is hot before adding the wood and the meat. The second is a stainless steel electric. I put the meat and wood in and close it up before plugging it in.

I've owned several different types of smokers. Every smoker is different in terms of how much wood to used. Wood chips are different from wood chunks. I would start with any recommendations that came with the smoker and then adjust to your personal preferences in the future. The instructions with my current smoker suggested using much less wood than I was used to using. I ignored this on my first smoke and used twice what was recommended. It was a big mistake. Also everyone has different taste based on regional preferences. I know people in North Carolina have different beliefs from those of us in Tennessee when it comes to BBQ. I won't debate those beliefs here as it might violate the forums restrictions on discussing religious topics ?. If your wood is burning up too quickly, you might consider soaking it in water overnight before using it.

Okay, I can't believe I didn't have any takers on this. I guess you have to be at least 45 to even know who Mel Blanc is but here's the answer you've all been waiting for. What do you say as you approach Mel Blanc's dock? Answer (in your best Buggs Bunny voice): Ehh, What's up dock?

So here is a riddle for you. What do you say as you approach Mel Blanc's dock?

I should have been clearer in my previous post that I prefer Humminbird because most of the lakes I fish have high definition LakeMaster maps. These are only available for Humminbirds. I will have to defer to others on what map cards are best for Lowrance. Hope you enjoy your new FF.

I had that model boat in the 90s with a 45lb trust Minn Kota. It worked very well. You should be able to troll 3 mph.

Welcome to the forum. Nice fish. My thinking on estimating the size of a fish it that it's unfair to the fish to underestimate it's weight so I always try to error on the high side. So lets just call it an 8 pounder ?

Welcome

I have a 2018 Merc 90. Manual says 87 ethanol free or 90 with 10% ethanol. I only run ethanol free gas. There are plenty of ethanol-free stations in middle TN.