Rigging
Your Boat Walleye Style.
By:
Roy Vivian
Date Posted: July 19, 2011
This
spring I purchased my dream boat, a 2011
Lund Pro V 1975 with a 225 horsepower
Mercury Verado. Picking the boat and
motor was easy where the work began was
rigging the boat to fit my needs.
When rigging a boat the most important
thing is to rig your boat to fit your
style of fishing. If you only fish
rivers, your boat will be rigged much
different then someone who only fishes
inland lakes. Someone who only fishes
the great lakes will rig there boat
differently from the person who fishes
inland lakes and rivers. Because I fish
walleye tournaments on rivers, in-land
lakes, reservoirs and the great lakes I
have to be versatile and be ready for
totally different presentations.
Here is how and why I rigged my new Lund
Pro V:
Electronics
This is probably the most important and
most expensive decision you will make
when rigging your boat. The advancement
of technology in the last ten years has
been unbelievable. These aren’t your
dad’s depth finders or flashers. A grey
scale Lowrance unit that I bought in
2002 looks as out of date as a black and
white tube television. Today’s units
have GPS, map overlay, side-imaging,
down-imaging, mapping etc.
I chose to go with a top of the line
Humminbird 1198C for the dash and a 998C
for the bow unit. Lowrance also makes an
excellent product with similar features
and benefits. These units allow me to
search for fish at speeds up to 20 miles
and hour, which is extremely important
especially on the great lakes.
The GPS and map overlay data allow me to
stay on the fish I found with military
precision. The new side imaging gives
the best detail, of what is going on
below the boat, we have ever seen. The
side imaging allows you to see structure
and fish up to 200 feet to each side of
the boat.
Another great feature is you can hook
your locator up to your computer and use
the lake maps to scout the body of water
and even place waypoints on areas that
look promising. There are many other
features that are extremely helpful. The
benefit of all of these features, if
used correctly, is you will catch more
fish!
The good news is you don’t need to have
the top of the line locators.
Humminbird, Lowrance and others make
affordable units that fit your fishing
needs. I recommend that you do get the
gps and overlay mapping (many come with
these) if nothing else for safety.
Finding your way back to the boat
landing or around wing dams in a fog or
rain storm can be close to impossible. I
have been saved many times by the gps
and will not own a boat without one.
Mounting
If you are going to spend $4000, or
more, on electronics make sure to buy a
mount(s) that will support and protect
your locator. I made the mistake of not
using the proper mount on my last boat.
I had a Lowrance 110C that would
sometimes slip while traveling. On
several occasions I was traveling over
50 miles an hour and the unit would
slip, hitting the steering wheel. I
would have to take one hand off of the
wheel and push the unit upward often
hitting the windshield. I easily could
have damaged the locator and, even
worse, put my safety at risk.
I chose Stabil mounts for both of my
units. They are more expensive but the
extra cost is worth it as my locators
are safe and secure!
Mounting the transducer on the transom
is extremely important. If it is too low
the transducer is at risk of hitting
something and breaking or flipping up at
high speeds causing inaccurate readings.
If you mount it too high inaccurate
readings are likely. If you have side
imaging you have to be careful that the
side view is not obstructed. If you do
it yourself read the directions
carefully. I chose to have my dealer,
Pharo Marine, do mine. For the bow I
chose to buy a trolling motor that has
the transducer mounted in the unit. If
you choose this route, side or down
imaging features cannot be used.
Trolling Motor
If you are a river fisherman and
primarily jig a cable steer trolling
motor is the way to go. The cable
steering reacts immediately allowing you
to keep your jig vertical. This is of
utmost importance when fishing current
breaks and eddies.
The most versitle bow mount trolling
motors are the wireless units. These
units can be steered remotely or they
can be put on autopilot using a gps to
stay on track adjusting for waves, wind
and current. You can also record a track
up to 2 miles long and can be used to
immediately retrace your path. You can
also save this path for a future trip.
Some even have an anchor feature which
allows you to stay on a spot without
having to use an actual anchor.
I chose the Minn Kota 101 I-Pilot. For
jigging it is adequate. If fishing an
area where the current is constant it is
great as you can set the autopilot to
match the speed needed to keep your jig
vertical. Where this trolling motor
excels is when trolling or rigging. When
trolling in rivers I use my kicker motor
for power and use the remote to steer my
boat. This allows me to fish with two
hands free allowing me to move around
the boat as needed. This is also great
for netting fish.
When fishing lakes I will use the
I-Pilot to troll spinners. This is great
when fishing shallow or when the
walleyes are high in the water column
allowing for a stealth approach.
Regardless of which trolling motor you
buy do yourself a favor and buy the
quick release plate, which is about $50.
I had a trolling motor deploy at 30
miles an hour and I did not have the
quick release plate. The shaft was made
of graphite and splintered which meant I
could not slide it back up to a secure
position. I had to slowly motor over to
shore and take off the trolling motor in
30 degree temperatures. You won’t have
that problem with the quick release
bracket!
On-Board Charger
If you have ever gone to a boat landing
and tried to tilt your motor up only to
find out you have a dead better then you
know the importance of an on-board
charger. I chose the ProMariner 4 bank
charger. Three of the leads are hooked
up to the trolling motor batteries and
one to the starting battery. This
charger is pre-rigged, waterproof and
charges batteries quickly. Just plug in
your charger after a long day of fishing
and you will be sure to have fully
charged batteries in the morning.
Rod Holders
Lund has a neat feature that allows you
to mount your rod holders using their
sport track system. This allows you to
move the rod holders as needed, just
slide it along the track.
I mounted Scotty rod holders to the
sport track brackets. I also use rod
holder extensions, which allow me to
spread my lines out with fewer tangles.
Wisconsin allows three rods per person
when trolling. I have three rod holders
on each side in the back of the boat and
one on each side in the front. If you
use planer boards I recommend that you
have one more rod holder on each side
than you do rods. The great thing about
the sport track system is you can remove
and store them easily.
Guages
If you are buying a new boat or if you
want to upgrade your existing boat, I
highly recommend getting the smart
gauges. With my Mercury Verado I can
turn down the rpm’s slow enough to
troll. With a push of the button I can
see how much gas I have left, how many
hours on my motor, trim height, optimal
rpm’s for fuel consumption and how much
gas I am burning per hour just to name a
few.
Access
If you own a boat 17’ or larger you know
how tough it is to get in and out of
your boat. Some step on the spare tire
others step on the wheel wells of the
trailer. Both can be dangerous
especially if moisture is involved.
Launching and loading your boat is also
a chore as there is no easy way into and
out of your boat.
After several close calls I put EZEE
Steps on my trailer. Now, getting in the
boat is a breeze. These steps are custom
made to fit your trailer and are made of
stainless steel. The steps are graded to
that prevents slipping. To learn more go
to
http://www.ezeestep.com/.
The only right way to rig a boat is the
way it best fits your fishing needs.
Hopefully this article will help you
when making rigging decisions. Please
feel free to post any questions or post
your rigging tips at
http://www.facebook.com/RoyVivianProWalleyeAngler.
One last thing, don’t forget the net!
Article as-seen in Issue-5 of
Fishing-Headquarters Magazine
