Nameless Fish

That's a tough ask, if you can't find a used one try Northwoodsoutlet. They have the best price you will find on a new X4D system, odds are same goes for just the probe. https://northwoodsoutlet.com/product/fish-hawk-x4d-probe/

I rig mine exactly like in this video. Every once and awhile I will get one that doesn't trip but for the most part it works as advertised. The only thing I do different is I double wrap the line in the rear clip, little extra security to not lose the board.

So I’m considering getting TR-1 system. The new garmin reactor kicker AP isn’t compatible with my kicker so that’s out of the question. I know the TR-1 is discontinued but that has lead to some really good pricing on it. Core pack is $1200, it was over $1800 this time last year. I do have some questions for anyone that has experience with it. I have an ez steer setup now and was curious if I would have to remove the bar to run this? Does the system had enough power to move the kicker and the io if they are connected? I know a Lot of ppl use an AP system on their main engine and ez steer to the kicker that does the pushing. Curious if I could do the reverse, al I’d like to be able to turn the AP off and hand steer with the wheel if I wanted to. Which wouldn’t be possible unless I could leave the ez steer connected.

I've never understood the hype on these high-end downriggers... all the functions are great marketing points but how many of them are practical? There's maybe one or two useful functions and the rest the average fisherman would never use. Auto-up all? Just what I want is a bunch of slack line floating around the back of the boat when I have a fish on cuz I raised all the riggers at once and didn't reel any lines in. Displaying Fishawk data is cool I guess but between your phone and the FH headunit how many places do you really need to see it? The different "jigging" modes or bottom tracking, sure sound nice but you still have to stand there and work the rod/reel or you're gonna pop a release or have no tension on the rod. $3k+ for 2 riggers is money I could better spend elsewhere when I could do the same thing with $500 worth of riggers.

My first two years doing this I ran two riggers and two dipsey divers and that was all. Caught a good amount of fish with that simple spread, since then I have added sliders, leadcore, weighted steel and planer boards to my spread. Get comfortable running riggers and divers, they are the backbone of every spread imo. Next easiest thing to add are free sliders to your downriggers. You don't need to have 12 rods out to catch fish, get a solid core spread you're comfortable with and focus on the basics of speed and temp and you will catch fish. Map cards are nice but it depends on what part of the lake you're fishing. If you're over here on the East end, there isn't much to see on maps you're just looking for depth and temp which can be done with out a map card. If you're out West there is more structure there and map card could be more beneficial.

2.2-2.4 has been working well for us recently.

You could PM "Fat Trout" he just switched to a Fishmaster 196 from a Starweld pro 20 if I remember right.

Hmm... we were out today too. Killed them in front of the plant. Ended up 19/20 3 kings the rest browns and they were big! Over half browns caught were over 10lbs biggest was 17lbs. We had a triple with 2 browns and a king as one point... don’t ask me how but we landed all 3. Had 7 rods out and they all took fish at one point. Best day I’ve ever had on lake O

If you end up buying new, check out northwoodsoutlet.com. They have the best prices on the X4 and X4d.

That's the new Garmin Reactor kicker AP, look into the previous model which is the TR-1 Gold. That one had a much larger compatibility list than the new reactor system. You can still find the TR-1 Gold systems new if you search around. Being a carb model would likely only impact the throttle control portion, which is a separate p/n on the TR-1 gold system and not even required to make the system work.

How old is your kicker? I have PA steering and use and EZ steer to my kicker with no problems? Also you could look into an autopilot for the main engine. Sitex makes a pretty simple AP setup that works with PA steering.

9.9hp will be fine on that boat, but a 15hp won't hurt either. Your more important choice is shaft length, at minimum you want a long shaft (20") but depending on how/where you plan to mount it you may want the XL shaft (25"). I honestly can't believe anyone trolls without a kicker personally, the fuel savings combined with less hours on the main engine. It's a no brainer decision imo.