A Master’s Q&A

Hands Solo

Which brings us to the role of AutoPilot, one that provides hands-free operation of the front electric trolling motor and a steering system that corrects to keep the boat on course. When the AutoPilot is dialed in to 20 to 30 percent power and the kicker's in gear, the steering correction provided by the AutoPilot not only keeps the boat on course when trolling straight downwind, but also offers the ability to go crosswind without the bow swinging all over the place.

"The idea behind the trolling motor is to keep the bow of the boat from sliding around," Kavajecz says. "When you put the trolling motor down, you can keep the bow where you want it, in the direction you want to go."

A similar trick can be accomplished along structure with the new Motor Guide PTS V, a bowmount with bottom-tracking technology that has depth-seeking ability to keep the boat on a specific contour.

"If you lack an AutoPilot feature on the bowmount," says Dave Csanda, "don't despair. In calm conditions, simply sit at the bow position and run the bowmount via the foot pedal. A Minn Kota PowerDrive bowmount with a long 18-foot cord, meanwhile, is ideal for trolling when seated back at the console position, behind the windshield and protected from the elements, with easier access to your rod holders. Or, with a standard mechanical foot pedal motor, simply drop the bowmount, point it straight ahead, and tighten the pedal's friction adjustment so the motor won't swivel, set it at 20 to 30 percent power, and sit back in the console position, using the steering wheel to turn the big outboard like a rudder for subtle steering corrections. The only drawback is that you may occasionally need to run up front to shut the motor off if you snag bottom or hook an unusually large fish."

Meanwhile, if the pods are smaller than ever on the Great Lakes and every school of walleyes needs to be worked thoroughly without dead time searching for the next one, the impracticality of trolling back upwind becomes much more practical with AutoPilot. In conditions with winds of 15 mph or less, and waves of 2 feet or less, it's possible to troll upwind when you set the AutoPilot in the direction you want to go. The kicker provides the power, and the AutoPilot keeps you going without continuous adjustment with a steering wheel or tiller handle.

What's more, when the wind is blowing into a breakline you want to parallel, the AutoPilot can keep the boat on course and provide faster and slower sides of the trolling spread--one side buzzes a little quicker as the other lags behind, which is perfect when trying to control the boat and determine the speed du jour that, more and more, is as slow as you can go.