If you are looking to mount transducer to trolling motor setups on your boat, you most likely already know that having your sonar right where you're fishing is a massive advantage. Rather of looking at exactly what happened twenty feet behind your motorboat at the transom, you're getting the real-time view of what's happening directly under your feet. It's a game changer for up and down jigging or choosing apart a specific piece of cover up, but if a person don't do this correctly, you'll finish up with the tangled mess of wires or, worse, a snapped transducer cable.
I've seen a great deal of guys just slap some zip ties on their particular motor and call it per day, just to possess the cable get pinched the particular first time these people stow the motor. We would like to avoid that. Getting this right takes the little bit of patience and a few simple equipment, but once it's dialed in, a person won't have to worry about it for the rest of the time of year.
Why the trolling motor is definitely the best place
Most people start with their particular transducer on the transom because that's the "standard" method to do it. But if you spend your time upon the bow, that's not helping you much. When you mount transducer to trolling motor housings, you're putting the "eyes" of your seafood finder exactly exactly where your lure will be.
This particular is especially huge for bass anglers or anyone who else fishes around docks and timber. You can rotate the particular motor to "scan" an area before you decide to even throw a bait. If you view a brush stack off to the particular left, you just point the motor that way, plus boom—there it will be on the screen. It makes your angling way more operative and a lot less about guesswork.
Getting your gear together
Before you begin diving in, you need to create sure you possess the right hardware. Most fish finders come with a transom mount by default, to require to pick up the specific trolling motor adapter. These are usually just easy plastic or steel cradles that fit the curve associated with the motor decrease unit.
You'll also want several heavy-duty zip ties—the ones that are UV-resistant are best so that they don't get frail and snap in the sun. Some guys prefer using stainless metal hose clamps regarding the actual transducer bracket because they're more secure compared to plastic. You'll also require a screwdriver or a small socket wrench tool, some electrical video tape, and perhaps some coiled cable wrap in case you want to keep things looking extra clean.
The physical mounting process
Initial things first, you want to get the transducer itself onto the motor's decrease unit. Position is definitely everything here. You want the transducer to be degree when the motor is in the particular water, and you also certainly want it saved so it doesn't hit the propeller. Most people mount them on the very bottom from the motor housing.
If you're using a hose grip, slide it by means of the bracket plus around the motor. Don't crank it down with all your might just yet. You need it snug plenty of to stay put but loose enough that you can nudge it to make certain it's flawlessly straight. Once you're happy with the position, go on and tighten this up. Just remember, don't over-tighten to the point where you're stripping the clamp or cracking the plastic housing.
The tricky component: Cable management
This is how most people mess up when they mount transducer to trolling motor products. Your trolling motor moves—a lot. It rotates 360 degrees (sometimes more), and contains to fold upward to be stowed. In case your cable is too tight, it's going to take. If it's too loose, it's going to get caught in the motor's hinge or, paradise forbid, the prop.
The best way to manage this is to leave a "service loop" near the bottom. This will be just a small bit of extra slack that allows the motor to turn openly without pulling upon the wire. We like to run the cable up the shaft and protected it every 6 inches or so.
Pro tip: Don't simply zip tie the cable directly to the shaft. Make use of a small piece of rubber or a couple of wraps of electrical tape under the zip link. This prevents the cable from moving around and provides a bit of a cushion therefore the zip tie up doesn't bite directly into the wire insulating material over time.
Coping with the stow and deploy routine
Now, here is the genuine test. You need to manually stow and deploy your own motor several instances while watching that will cable. If you have a good electric-steer motor (like a Minn Kota Terrova or perhaps a Motorguide Xi5), the base actually slides through the mount. You can't just scoot tie the cable connection to the shaft on these, or you'll destroy every thing the first period you try to pull the motor up.
For those types of motors, you'll generally need a coiled cable or a specialized installation kit that allows the cable to slide or stretch. If you have a traditional cable-steer motor (like an Ultrex or a Fortrex), it's less difficult because the shaft stays within a fixed place relative to the particular mount. Just create sure the wire follows the manufacturer steering cables and leave enough slack at the turns point.
Staying away from electrical interference
One thing that will can really destroy your day is getting "noise" on your own screen. Trolling engines are notorious for putting out electrical interference, which appears like lots of static or lines upon your fish finder.
To prevent this, try to keep your transducer cable aside from the main energy wires from the trolling motor as much as possible. When you have to cross them, consider to do it at a 90-degree angle rather compared with how running them parallel for long distances. Sometimes, even just adding a ferrite bead (those small clip-on magnets) to the power cable of your fish locater can help cleanup the signal.
Testing it out on the water
As soon as you think you're done, don't just head to the middle of the particular lake. Put the particular boat in the particular water in the ramp and check everything while you're still close to the particular trailer. Turn the particular motor all the way to the left and all the way to the perfect. Does the wire look stressed? Is usually it drooping into the propeller's path?
Check the picture on your own screen. When it looks tilted, you might need to jump out there (or reach over the bow) and slightly rotate the transducer around the motor housing. It's significantly easier to fix this now compared to when you're in the middle of a hot mouthful and realize your "down imaging" is really looking off to the side with a 20-degree position.
Conclusions on the setup
Taking the period to mount transducer to trolling motor components correctly is definitely one of individuals small tasks that will takes care of every one time you hit the water. It's about more compared to just seeing seafood; it's about confidence. When you know your gear is usually rigged right, a person can focus on fishing instead of considering whether your transducer is about to fall off or even if your wires are getting shredded.
It might take you an hour or two to get the cable routing exactly how you would like it, but it's worth the time and effort. Make use of quality zip connections, leave enough slack for the motor to move, and maintain that cable guarded. Once you notice that first crisp image of a fish sitting ideal under your trolling motor, you'll know you did this right.
And hey, if you ever choose to upgrade your own tech—like moving to forward-facing sonar—you'll currently have the basic principles of cable routing down. Just remember to check your connections periodically, especially after a rough day around the water or hitting a stump. Things shift, and a quick two-minute examination can help you save a great deal of headache later on. Happy fishing!