Rookie Fisherman

1 minute ago, ErieBuck said:

super cool!  do you unplug and remove when done for the day or just leave in place?  

Leave in place. Put the hard cover shield on & then I have a canvas cover that covers the head unit & the FH

Just now, Dan M said:

amish outfitter spoon bags?

Big Al's

29 minutes ago, ErieBuck said:

Rookie, do you have a pic of your setup at the stern? On second thought maybe I shouldn’t even tempt myself haha


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If you zoom in you will see I have AP, Nav & sonar all up on the screen.

Not the best photo of it but you get the idea.

3 minutes ago, Dan M said:

Actually apparently my boat does not have hydraulic steering - cost to upgrade + autopilot etc - not worth it. Gonna go for the Element instead - now if money was no object the $1600 axiom would obviously be the choice over the $999 Element. 

If you have cable steer you may want to look at Lowrance as they have an Autopilot unit for cable steer.

4 minutes ago, Dan M said:

Thanks - gonna go for the new Axiom+ 9 this winter - so I can install autopilot next season.

👍 Once you put the autopilot in you will want to network another screen at the stern. Then you can watch the sonar/navigate & steer without going to the helm!

2 minutes ago, Dan M said:

You feel like the axiom is worth the 3-$400 difference? I love tech, and I like the sleek screen, but not sure if I can justify the extra cost.

When I rigged by boat 3 years ago the Element was not out yet so I didn't/couldn't consider it.

Yes love the sleek look! As far as cost you need to decide how much of the tech you will actually use.

Maybe with the lower cost on the Element you could consider a bigger screen (unless already looking at a 12") or possibly a second screen.

19 minutes ago, Dan M said:

 people saying that the lack of buttons was hard to operate in rougher water -

This is a valid point for sure. When running at speed, especially if its choppy it can be a little tough to operate the touch screen.

Although for us trollers we spend 95% trolling and 5% running. So for me it's not a big issue.

To answer the question yes I am happy with them.

I am running 250 Verado with 15 pro-kicker. Using the Aux kit in the photo below. However I have two group 31 house batteries instead of one. 

Installed 15 pro kicker as alternator output is 12 amp vs 6 with the 9.9. Although not putting out full amperage at typical trolling speeds anyway.

Never had an issue running down the batteries. Running Auto pilot, Downriggers, 3 Graphs, Fishhawk, Electric planers & some other small MFDs

Onboard NOCO 3 bank charger/tender is plugged when the boat sits.

3 years on this set up, knock on wood so far flawless.

The Magnum metal for the money are hard to beat. Price is right, compact design and all metal construction would make for a good choice.

I have Traxstech on my boat and wouldn't trade them for any other. They have none of the issues that are mentioned about other manufactures and many additional and useful functions. Every fisherman who has been on my boat and used them seems to agree. The big downside is the price tag.

As others have said they are all good today it just comes down to what features and specifics that are important to you.

Rumor has it there is a pair that flew off a boat on 81 yesterday

https://fishhawkelectronics.com/content/X4-X4D_Manual_Web_2-27-2020.pdf

See Trouble shooting section.

From the Fishhawk manual.

2 minutes ago, ErieBuck said:

That's awesome, thanks so much for taking the time to share Rookie.  You certainly have that baby dialed in to be able to see the probe separately and cheater spoons wow!  I'm pumped to give it another go next week.  So you are just zooming on the water column and letting it run on auto -- no manual adjustments?  

Shallower water I'll leave on auto. Deep water, deep targets I adjust on the fly. I have a screen at the stern of the boat as well as my FH & troll controller so I don't need to go to the wheel for anything. 

Fished last night from 290-350. Fish were deep. 100-220 down.

Took this shot you can see DR ball on Starboard side at 140 down and no problems marking fish.

SOG shows 1.5 but was running 2.2- 2.5 at the ball for reference. Port side rigger out of the cone at that speed/depth but at normal fishing depth it gets both balls as shown in the bottom picture. If you look at the bottom picture on the top rigger line you can see the ball and my Fish hawk probe making separated returns. When I fish cheated spoons they can also be made out as a separate return.

Having the transducer adjusted right is the key. The RV 100 marks fish and bait at speed better than any other transom mount transducer I have had. So many times while heading to a spot and I stopped or turned because of what I was seeing on the graph while running.

In 2018 the 11' Green Hornet & Green Goblin (Hot chip & Pro-chip) caught fish day in & day out all summer! It was in my starting line up everyday regardless of conditions.

In 2019 not so much, but then during stager season last year it shined! 

Glow white paddle also produces well, if I'm on top of fish as the sun goes down it goes down!

We all use glow baits, UV, chrome etc to create attraction, flash and be visible from a distance so why not a small intermittent light?

They certainly have their days as do other lures, just one more tool in the chest.

Yes use zoom primarily. Range is adjustable when in the RV sonar mode for width distance.

A-scope is in your sonar setting. Turn it on. When zoomed in on a depth range it will give a band on the side of the screen that will still show surface to bottom, anything picked up by the sonar will show in this band. 

Ill take some screen shots next time out deep if I remember.

Below is a shot in 100 fow. As you can see the depth range is zoomed in the bottom 60 fow (40' down to 100') But the band on the right of the screen is whole water column. The A-scope is partially cut off in this photo. But if you see something in your A-scope that is out of your target range on the main screen you can slide the A-scope up or down to display it on main part of the screen.

Also the deeper I am the faster I increase the scroll speed.

When fishing deeper zoom in on the depth range you are targeting and crank up the gain. 

Use the A scope to see fish out of the target range or use split screen with different ranges on each.

20 minutes ago, ErieBuck said:

Good to know Rookie, appreciate it.  It would be able to mark bottom but just wasn't marking anything.  I've had screens of blank sorrow in my day, don't get me wrong, I know a fishfinder doesn't mark fish when there isn't fish, but it was just blank all day, no bait, nothing, and yet we caught a dozen fish.  I'm thinking it was a placement problem.  After my remount, it definitely seems to be working even better in Lake Erie as I'm able to mark fish at higher speeds, 20 MPH plus. Fingers crossed for Lake O.  

2 hours ago, ErieBuck said:

I found that my RV-100 did not work in deep water (over 300 ft) during my first trip to Lake Ontario a few weeks ago, even the traditional sonar. 

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Are you not picking up bottom or not marking deep fish?

I have the same Transducer. Only use 2D for trolling deep, no problem picking up bottom offshore or marking deep fish.

Has to be angle of the transducer or placement.

I do loose bottom when running at speed in deeper water but once I slow down it comes back in.

Took these this morning. 10 minutes apart.

Summer Sausage! The future of meat fishing

Auto-Teather is another automatic kill switch.

Glad to hear everyone is safe!!

Take some solace in knowing your quick reaction to hand out life jackets saved their lives!

Im guessing different controls. The new 15HP is EFI. No choke or idle lever needed.

I would consult the Mercury dealer though.