One of the most useful tools a game fisherman can have is a trolling motor because it is great to use in the middle of a fishing trip as it can allow you to power a small boat without much difficulty. However, when you are out fishing, you would need to keep yourself in place if you found a good spot. That is where a spot lock comes in. So, which trolling motor has the best spot lock?
The Minn Kota Ultrex is the best trolling motor that has spot lock. There are plenty of different players in the trolling motor industry today but, when it comes to spot lock, not all of them can actually stand up to what Minn Kota has to offer from an overall standpoint and when it comes to its tech.
With the advancements in technology today, trolling motors are becoming more technologically advanced as more and more of them come with spot lock features. However, when it comes to this feature, Minn Kota is usually the best in the industry even as there are now more players that are entering the spot lock playing field in the trolling motor market.
What trolling motors have spot lock?
One of the many different best friends a fishing enthusiast can have is a trolling motor. That’s because trolling motors are easy to carry around and are strong enough to propel a small boat such as a kayak or an inflatable boat if ever you want to go on a quick fishing trip during the weekends.
But if you are fishing, you would need a trolling motor that will allow you to stay in place. This is great if you have found a good fishing spot that you think is going to give you the best catches during the entire trip. In that regard, that is where a trolling motor with a spot lock comes in.
So, what is a spot lock? Spot lock is basically a virtual anchor that uses your GPS location to control your trolling motor and to make it allow you to stay within a few feet away from your spot. As such, you are basically using your GPS location as an anchor, which forces your trolling motor to keep you in or close to that spot.
In that regard, which trolling motors have spot lock? Minn Kota trolling motors are some of the best ones that have spot lock as this company is one of the pioneers of this technology. The Garmin Force Pro, which comes from GPS watch giant Garmin, also has similar technology. And while there are more other players that are beginning to incorporate this technology into their trolling motors, names such as ProNav and Haswing also have their own versions of spot lock.
Nevertheless, Minn Kota tends to be the leader in terms of spot lock or virtual anchor technology as more and more anglers and fishermen prefer to use this brand’s trolling motors whenever they are looking for something that has spot lock.
Which trolling motor has the best spot lock?
If you are looking for a trolling motor with the best spot lock, then we recommend the Minn Kota Ultrex. You can check it out here if you want to learn more about this trolling motor or if you want to purchase it on Amazon.
The main reason why we love the Ultrex is that it comes with the most advanced and responsive steering system in Minn Kota’s lineup of trolling motors. It also comes with automatic boat controls that are powered by GPS so that you can easily control it without any stress on your part whatsoever.
On top of how it is powered by GPS, it has an intuitive and easy-to-use spot lock system that will keep you within a close distance from your spot with just a push of a button at the pedal. This allows you to easily use the spot lock system even if you are a few feet away from the trolling motor as you can simply use the pedal to engage the system and keep you in a spot that you feel like will give you the best catch of the day.
But what we really love about the Ultrex is that it comes with its trademark i-Pilot GPS trolling system, which can easily allow you to control the boat without any difficulties as you are now relying on the GPS to track paths, control your speed and steering, and to use the spot lock feature.
The Ultrex even has the ability to help you find the optimal fishing spot by making use of its sonar so that you can use its GPS system to take you to that optimal spot and keep you there by using its advanced spot lock feature. All of those features can make fishing a breeze for you.
Can you add a spot lock to a trolling motor?
If you have an older trolling motor without a spot lock feature, you might be wondering if you can add it to your older motor. Well, it depends on the model of your trolling motor because there are some trolling motors that are too old and outdated that they are not compatible with spot locking systems.
So, for example, if you want to use Minn Kota’s spot lock feature, you can only add i-Pilot to models that are capable of handling Bluetooth. If not, then you won’t be able to add spot lock to your trolling motor.
For some companies that also have similar spot lock features, it may also depend on the specs and features of your trolling motor as there are some trolling motors that may be too old to handle the newer tech.
What is the cheapest spot lock trolling motor?
So, if you want to replace your old trolling motor with a new one but you can’t afford the best and most expensive trolling motors that come with spot lock, then you can try the Minn Kota Powerdrive 45_BT. It is a lot more affordable than the Ultrex but it is just as reliable in terms of its capabilities and performance even though it obviously isn’t as advanced and as powerful. The Powerdrive 45_BT comes with spot lock but it isn’t as easy to use and to engage as the one that the Ultrex has. You can check this trolling motor here.
Sources:
https://www.minnkotamotors.com/learn/technology/trolling-motors/spot-lock
