Thrust for trolling

[tony_1]

I am looking for input on the amount of thrust that I need to troll for walleye with a 16 foot aluminum boat. I am looking at the Minn-Kota autopilot series, in particular the 40lbs. thrust model. Majority of my fishing will be in the Detroit River, St Clair River and Lake St. Clair. Any and all info is much appreciated. Thanks in adavance!

[beemerman]

An electric troller is worth it's weight in gold in many situations. I use a 42lb thrust transom mount Minkota which I can back troll, or troll forward. I use it in the river and on Lake Erie and St Clair. I use a large size deep cycle battery which lasts quite a long time. I can go out a couple of times without re-chargeing it. I have considderd getting an auto-pilot, but havn't had the $ to get it so far. My brother got one for his Pontoon boat and it works really cool. The bow mount should work great on your 16 ft. If you leave the main motor down it works like a rudder at the rear and will follow the bow mount helping to counteract the wind from blowing you off course. The auto-pilot is like haveing someone to run the boat while you tend to fishing. Make sure you get a long enough shaft that it goes under the surface at least a foot or more, or els you will be "chopping" up the water when there are any waves and it comes out of the water. Good luck and see you out there.

[ESOX]

I have a 12V, 55# thrust 54" shaft Autopilot mounted on the bow of a 17'6" Deep vee. It works just fine, till I am fishing the windward shore in 30 mph winds and 3' seas. Then it has a heck of a time staying on course because the prop spends too much time cavitating. The only way to get a longer shaft is to go to the 24V, 60" shaft with 65# thrust. I don't know what type of hull you have, but if you have a good amount of freeboard at the bow, and tend to fish rough conditions, I would consider going with the 60".

[BEAGLEMAN]

tony_1,
I would go with the largest thrust motor you can afford, 40# is borderline I would think.
I have a 65# 60" Autopilot on my 19' Crestliner and it is perfect for most fishing conditions.
You will love the Autopilot feature, it makes a big difference on the river for jigging.
Tom

[tony_1]

Thanks guys for all your input. I am leaning toward the next size up from the 40# thrust. I think that I am going to use the boat a few time w/ the 25 horse and see how it handles and exactly where the water line and try and visualize what shaft size I need. Once again guys thanks for your help.