trolling motor?

hey guys, I just got a nice 10 ft pelican bass boat. what are your opinions on which end I should mount the trolling motor? ive heard both good things about mounting it on the front and the back. cant wait to get it out on the water

alot depends on what you want or are willing to spend. i got a transom mount motor guide varimax this year and while i do like the motor itself and have no complaints other than the fact that i wish i had gone with the bow mount and foot pedal i had originally planned on buying, i went with what i have due to it being almost 200 dollars cheaper than the bow mount motor guide i had in my shopping cart lol. why do i wish i had gotten that? cause i spend more time messing with the trolling motor handle to keep a decent boat position than i do actually fishing, i find myself dropping anchor alot to fish a spot for even just a few minutes cause i cant fish and control the boat at the same time ( within reasonable current anyways) on calm lakes and ponds ill just put it in reverse on lowest speed setting and kinda use it to just slow me down when im drifting with current and a foot pedal would have made life much easier and less frustrating. also do you plan on taking others in your boat with you or you fishing solo? reason i ask this is that if you plan on taking people with you then i generally like to be at the front of the boat cause you are at the fish first rather than sitting in back while the guy up front spooks all your potential fish away with his baits lol, another reason is i like to do alot of right handed side arm roll casts with bait casting gear and if i were sitting up fron i would end up hooking the guy in the back seat with almost every cast. so there are lots of things to factor in to your decision just make damn sure that if you go with a standard transom mount troller with hand controls its because thats what you wanted and not just what you could stand to afford, if you want a foot pedal bow mount motor and cant afford it save up the extra cash for it and fish happy rather than frustrated lol. good luck

alot depends on what you want or are willing to spend. i got a transom mount motor guide varimax this year and while i do like the motor itself and have no complaints other than the fact that i wish i had gone with the bow mount and foot pedal i had originally planned on buying, i went with what i have due to it being almost 200 dollars cheaper than the bow mount motor guide i had in my shopping cart lol. why do i wish i had gotten that? cause i spend more time messing with the trolling motor handle to keep a decent boat position than i do actually fishing, i find myself dropping anchor alot to fish a spot for even just a few minutes cause i cant fish and control the boat at the same time ( within reasonable current anyways) on calm lakes and ponds ill just put it in reverse on lowest speed setting and kinda use it to just slow me down when im drifting with current and a foot pedal would have made life much easier and less frustrating. also do you plan on taking others in your boat with you or you fishing solo? reason i ask this is that if you plan on taking people with you then i generally like to be at the front of the boat cause you are at the fish first rather than sitting in back while the guy up front spooks all your potential fish away with his baits lol, another reason is i like to do alot of right handed side arm roll casts with bait casting gear and if i were sitting up fron i would end up hooking the guy in the back seat with almost every cast. so there are lots of things to factor in to your decision just make damn sure that if you go with a standard transom mount troller with hand controls its because thats what you wanted and not just what you could stand to afford, if you want a foot pedal bow mount motor and cant afford it save up the extra cash for it and fish happy rather than frustrated lol. good luck

thanks for responding brooksy. I don't mind spending the extra $200 on the bow mount because I would prefer the foot pedal rather than using my hand. and yes, I plan on bringing people on it, and I do plan on on fishing up front as well so the bow mount sounds better. i just want what will be easier to control. ive seen comments that people don't have good control of direction when their motors are mounted at the front as well as other people who said the same thing about when their motors were on the back so that's what got me thinking. also what pound thrust trolling motor would you suggest? i was thinking between 30 and 40lbs

i had same problem with 12'jon boat i ended up swinging the
head on a transom mount and put it on the front spliced into wire and put in a bigfoot switch conected a homemade 360 degree
handle to shaft of trollmotor hit the switch and if you pre position motor for wind drift you can keep fishin even into wind with less hassle a keel on back keeps ass end from coming around when thrust stops just set speed of motor for wind dont forget fuse at battery good fishin

i had same problem with 12'jon boat i ended up swinging the
head on a transom mount and put it on the front spliced into wire and put in a bigfoot switch conected a homemade 360 degree
handle to shaft of trollmotor hit the switch and if you pre position motor for wind drift you can keep fishin even into wind with less hassle a keel on back keeps ass end from coming around when thrust stops just set speed of motor for wind dont forget fuse at battery good fishin

Got the same set up on my crawdad. Not as good a bow mount with a foot control. But, its a good compromise.

check the motorguide bulldog out. it's great for a small jon boat. i used to have one.

I have a bass hunter. I had 2 trolling motors. One up front one on the back. When fishing alone I wouldn't bring A seat so I could stand and fish. The rear motor was just for going spot to spot and to act as a rudder. If you only use one motor, put it up front and use your oar as a rudder by clamping it to the boat. It is way easier to control the boat with the motor up front than in the rear. Turn the head around on the motor. On minn Kota it's just one screw and takes 5 minutes. Buy the biggest motor you can afford. If you get a 40 you'll wish you had a 45. Good luck

thanks for the help guys

I might have one laya around hit me up before you go buy one Sir

check the motorguide bulldog out. it's great for a small jon boat. i used to have one.

2x

i have a 12 pelican v hull and i have it in the front - well ya i have a 15 hp in the back but i used it a while as the single engine on the boat a 55 lbs

i have two stools and i like to sit in the front - boat is more stable to manuver - also in hi wind and waves its more save

i have better weight balance in teh whole boat when i have the big battery under the seat and the rest of the stuff in the back or towards it ....

in the front its easier to glide along the banks and fish teh shallow shore '


my 0.002 cents

I used a Minn Kota bow mount with AutoPilot in my 12 foot Radisson. This had a foot control (with which I never became adept) and a wireless control that you wear like a wristwatch.

The AutoPilot would allow me to point it up the shoreline, set the infinitely variable speed control to match the windspeed & direction and leave my hands 100% free (for quite a while) to fish. At 55 lbs of thrust, it had plenty of power to move the boat quickly and front drive gives you much greater control.

The newer, GPS-based systems look even more amazing, but they are not cheap!!! All in all, I've had great luck with MinnKotas, which have never drained my battery even after a full day of fishing.