Good to hear the crawlers are working. Most bait shops don’t even have leaches now and if they do they are spendy.

I’ll be listening to that tourney at work today. Nice tip! Thanks.

I’m certainly not going to overlook the tip!

We’ll have a Helix with side imaging along. I will definitely be taking some shallower passes to see what I can see.

We’ll probably fish shallow with the kids too. They’ll love even little bass.

Looks like water will be in the mid 60’s. Here’ my plan:

Smallies:
-Plastic tubes, plastic worms, and bobbers for the kids up shallow.

Walleyes:
Game plan will be to bring bottom bouncers & Crawler Spinners, Cranks, Jig & Minnow, Drop Shot rigs with plastics (leeches are $10/doz), and Some slip bobber setups, and a jigging rap because it seems to work great for youtubers for deep fish even though it’s never panned out for me.

Saw a report that eyes were in 25-35ish feet of water.

ADMINS – please delete, this is a duplicate

Thanks Dutchboy, Really that shallow? What’s pulling the fish in there in early september? I’d have guessed they would be deeper (15-25′) out on structure. But I don’t know the fishery.

Bringing this back from the dead! Yamaha’s Helmaster EX works with single outboards and can talk to Garmin units. I’m feeling like a profit. DEC in a Yam T9.9 and Garmin force trolling motors and voila, we have integration ala Yamaha and Garmin. It’s not there yet, but it could be in the future!

After looking some more I basically came up with the same idea as munchy. Drop it off at a machine shop and let them make me something custom.

I found Mirrocraft has a model called the Outfitter that is 18′ 7″, 76″ beam, is sort of a bench/utility, and has track gun wales. 585 lbs.

The Alumacraft is getting closer. I wish it were an 18 and lighter weight. I’d be perfectly happy to lose the carpet, live-well, and and the side storage and just make it wide open. I could lose the pedestals too and use box seats. That’s all save a little weight and maybe make it something I could turn upside down for winter.

The aluminum is pretty thick at .140″. That’s about as thick as I’ve seen from a midwest manufacturer.

I’ve looked into bolting in risers an 2×4’s and I don’t really want to make a narrow boat feel that much smaller.

Kind of looks like what I’m looking for doesn’t exist yet. There is a place called miller marine that make a different sort of track system. Kind of the reverse concept of what traxtech does: https://miller-marine-products-llc.mypinnaclecart.com/rail-system

The have a weld on track designed for 1″ tube that could work on the round gun-wales of any old bench boat. Thinking the DIY route may be best. There is a lund S-18 with a 60 on it near me for 2k.

Here’s an idea, install a couple sets more sets of oarlocks and make a track bracket that drops into those pinholes, maybe a bolt w/nut or cotter pin/lock to insure they don’t pop out.

SuperDave, initially rod holders but I’d want the ability to use riggers down the line. Modularity and customization are kind of the beauty of the tracks as opposed to hard mounting.

I think the L bracket would work but be kind of heavy to not flex. A vertical riser takes up space in a little boat. Traxtech makes custom claims for Lowe boats. It’d be sweet to get some of those for the round gunwale on the lunds.

I think manufacturers are happy coasting, but it just takes one to upset the apple cart and make it a race.

Right now I think most joy stick control is intended for dual outboard setups and really just intended for docking.

The system above looks like it’s incorporating a lot of the boat control that I’m imagining is available. I want the main outboard, kicker, bow and stern trolling motors all on the same system. I also want the system to know which ones are in use or perhaps suggest which systems to use base on conditions. (if TM is not enough, suggest use of main motor instead of running down batteries, shift to battery power if outboard is shifting to much)

Who knows, maybe dual motors with a joystick becomes more of a norm on walleye rigs. No more steering wheel? Joystick tiller console like the old Lund Mr. Walleye boats?

Garmin’s live scope is getting close to what I think might be possible with sonar. More processing will allow for better clarity. I could see dual transducers creating a more 3D like image. That might make species ID, weight/length possible. It’ll be a while before you could troll over a school of bait fish and have each fish’s stats pop up. It would also take a fair bit of calibration to make it work correctly.

The DNR might like to have the species data if that became available. Having big brother know what you’re doing in your boat probably isn’t the best for your freedoms though.

With regard to the Tesla, There would be some yahoo riding in his boat down the highway while his Tesla drives. Then we have to start crash testing boats and their prices double overnight.

It might free up the launch if all the vehicles know how to load/unload their boats. I’m sure we’ve all seen somebody with no idea what they’re doing.

Good to know there are other dreamers out there.

SuperDave1959 wrote:

Technology is making fishing like going to a pro sporting event, unaffordable! People are now paying north of $2,000 – $3,000 for a fish finder? Boat costs as high as a lot of us paid for a house? I’d like to be the guy that invents the app to control all this stuff.

I can’t find a decent house for the same price as a boat, but if you bought your house in the 70’s or 80’s then yes, valid grievance.

I own a 14′ V hull bench boat that I fish out of. I’d like to buy a new to me early 2000’s 20′ tiller and rig it to the nines but $$$ is an issue. I also refuse to finance a what for me is a toy. If I was a guide it’d be different.

Deuces wrote:

The learning curve on these will be greatly reduced in years to come. Couple that with the fact these newer generations of fisherman know how to work electronics a bit better than old timers with their dial turning vexilars.

There’s no argument that a guy who’s on the water everyday is going to outfish johnny come lately with a bunch of fancy gear he has no idea how to use. Also, the marine environment is so variable that a captain will always be required. (Resorts won’t be sending out drone boats on LOTW any time soon).

all this gear has a learning curve, and that manufactures are going to make it easier and easier to use. with that, new uses that don’t yet exist are going to come about.

Also, there are more and more fisherman who’s day job has them in front of a computer all day. That’s my case, and why I was thinking about networking all of this equipment.

One particular thing that all this control would be great for is in any trolling or drifting application. Set your speed (relative to ground or to currents) set your path, set your orientation (bow/stern/gunwale to wind) and regardless of pulling a spread on the great lakes or dragging a spinner with drift socks on Mille lacs, you let your electronics figure out the rest. (I’d still own a tiller, but for room more than control at that point.)

It’s going to be spendy and have beta issues to overcome, but man, the tech has grown by leaps and bounds in the last decade or so.

Anybody else have hair brained ideas of what might be possible?