Electric Trolling Motor in Pool 2

Q1: Is there a forum search function that I’m not seeing?

Q2: How useful are electric trolling motors in the upper half of Pool 2?
I’m strongly considering relocating my boat from a lake up north to Watergate Marina on Pool 2.
I currently have a 12 volt 55 lb MinnKota Terrova which gets overwhelmed in wind much over 10MPH. Are there many places where this would be useful in the upper half of pool 2 and the last few miles of the Minnesota? How much more useful would a 24 or 36 volt be?
Boat= 24 foot pontoon, around 3k lb. 115hp

Thanks

I have the same trolling motor on a 17ft boat and it can barely hang at times on P2. I doubt you’ll be happy with its performance on a pontoon out there. Conditions change regularly out there though. There are times you’ll be fine and times where the current will be too strong for your setup.
If possible, I’d suggest upgrading to a 24v or 36v if you’re gonna be on the river exclusively.

A1: Search Function upper right corner of the web page next to the “Contact Us”

A2: I am at a Marina south of Watergate – 1st year on Pool 2 and love it (for the limited times I’ve been able to be on the water this year). I have an 18.5′ Lund Fisherman with a Bow mount Minnkota 80LB 24 Volt System was out both Saturday and Sunday a couple weekends back in the gale force winds and used the Spot Lock and slipped with the current and the Minnkota worked great. Guessing you will need to step up a bit to control the toon if you aren’t anchoring. Results may vary.

You’re gonna need as much as you can get to keep that pontoon moving on the river.

My guess is a 112 will hold you but not move you against the current.

I have a 19’ glass boat and with a 112 I can barely get moving upstream in some instances. 2 weekends ago with lowish current and into the wind I couldn’t troll upstream right across from watergate.

You’ll be better using the big motor I would bet.

55lbs will not being nearly enough out there if you are fighting main channel current (unless you’re going down stream). I fished pool 2 throughout college (lived 2 miles away) with a 16 ft Lund, 35hp tiller and the 55lb thrust minnkota. That trolling motor isn’t really effective out there for extended periods of time. You will burn thru a 12 volt battery pretty quick and id imagine your pontoon is heavier than my rig was. As others have suggested, a 24 or 36v system would be ideal. Another option; I’d try to get good at backtrolling with your big motor and see how slow you can troll down. If you can’t troll down slow enough, tie a 5 gallon bucket on a cleat and toss it off the bow. Get a drill and start drilling holes in the bucket until you find the sweet spot for drag.
A different option would be to get a trolling motor on the bow and stern. That might give you a fighting chance with two 12v systems.

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I should upgrade, but even then I might not be able to use my favorite features, like spot lock and auto pilot, like I’m used to on a lake.

King Pout wrote:

used the Spot Lock and slipped with the current and the Minnkota worked great.

Good comment on using the motor to slow and control the drift. We could Lindy an area and then big motor back up stream. Maybe the 12 volt could still have some value.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

If you can’t troll down slow enough, tie a 5 gallon bucket on a cleat and toss it off the bow. Get a drill and start drilling holes in the bucket until you find the sweet spot for drag.

Good idea. Maybe the drift sock would still have a purpose on the river. Might have to do one on each corner to keep the boat controllable.

Can also use the big motor for thrust in conjunction with the trolling motor for control. That’s what I do on my 20′ pontoon. I do have a 24v 80# system and wouldn’t recommend smaller, but I believe a pontoon is more effected by wind than current. Doesn’t hurt to try what you have and then make the decision if you want to upgrade to a 24v or 36v system. Do you have room for additional batteries?

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

Can also use the big motor for thrust in conjunction with the trolling motor for control. That’s what I do on my 20′ pontoon. I do have a 24v 80# system and wouldn’t recommend smaller, but I believe a pontoon is more effected by wind than current. Doesn’t hurt to try what you have and then make the decision if you want to upgrade to a 24v or 36v system. Do you have room for additional batteries?

I originally wanted to go with a 24v, but the dealer actually talked me out of it. That wasn’t too hard since I bought and had him install a Minn Kota charger and alternator along with the Terova and each component was at least 50% more for the 24v version. I’m still surprised he didn’t jump at making additional money off of me. Maybe as a pontoon fisherman he thought more than a little wind would chase me off the lake.
I agree that a pontoon may be less effected by current than a regular fishing boat of the same displacement when floating, especially if the pontoon is pointing up stream.
I have room for more batteries, but I don’t really want to sacrifice the storage space. Right now the battery, alternator, and charger are all under one port side bench. I don’t really like the idea of adding another battery in that spot, and certainly not two. However, I think spreading them out would increase the complexity of the install significantly. Maybe it could all be moved to the center of the boat under the L lounge.
I’m going to give the 12v a try. We just nailed down the details on the slip and I’m towing it down from the iron range on Monday. Can’t wait to get on the river!

Good luck and enjoy!