Spot-Lock and Record-a-Track are two of the most useful walleye fishing features on your Minn Kota trolling motor.
When you think about the word “GPS” in the context of fishing, you’re probably thinking about mapping like you’d find on your Humminbird unit. Well, trolling motors are also incorporating the same GPS technology to help you improve your boat control and catch more fish.
Minn Kota’s iPilot system has a wide variety of features that walleye anglers love:
First things first, you can’t cover this topic without mentioning “Spot-Lock”. In it’s most simple terms, Spot-Lock is an electronic anchor. No matter what the wind or current conditions are, simply hit the Spot-Lock button and you’re held on that position.
Your position is based on a pinpoint GPS coordinate. The head of the trolling motor will adjust speed and direction to compensate for changing wind and wave conditions. You can enable this function (and all iPilot functions) from a handheld remote or on your trolling motor and Humminbird unit.
We use this function in a number of situations. Let’s say you just hooked up with a big fish, simply hit the Spot-Lock button at the beginning of the fight and you won’t drift off position as you battle the fish. Additionally, this feature works great when you’ve located a big school of active fish and you want to set up camp and fan cast the area with a variety of baits. No need to drop a physical anchor when you have an electric option that requires the click of a button to deploy.
Record-A-Track is another useful feature that walleye anglers use regularly. This feature allows anglers to record a given boat path. Once established, the trolling motor will take over and move you back-and-forth over that exact path. You can save up to six pre-record paths on your Humminbird to revisit later in the day or later in the week.
This feature works great for any structure fishing techniques, such as rigging, jigging, or pulling bottom bouncers. It also works great for running the edge of a weedline.
Modern electronics do more than just tell you the depth of the water. Having an intimate knowledge of everything they can do will help you catch more and bigger fish.
Minn Kota’s iPilot system, in sync with Humminbird electronics and LakeMaster mapping chips, allows precise GPS-based navigation and boat control that will improve your catch rates out on the water. Press a few buttons, and your electric motor essentially takes things over, allowing you to focus more on how you’re presenting your lure and less on controlling your boat.
