Ultrex vs. Ghost vs. Garmin

[Stone]

Just wanting some feedback. Wanting to upgrade TM's. I need something super quiet but thinking about staying with a cable steer. The application that I need it for is stagnant backwater swamps with a max of 6' depth where fish are SUPER in tune with the movements of their environment.
A friend of mine has an Ultrex. I noticed that the unit has a "mechanical" sounds when the head turns. We even had his rig in this environment and I noticed a significant drop in the numbers of bites. I figure that the sound of the unit has to be traveling down the shaft and contaminating the environment. Another friend just bought a Ghost. He hates it and says that the unit makes considerable noise when changing directions. He actually wants to return it. I actually cant run my MG Tour higher than 2 - 2.5 without seeing my number of bites drop considerably. Seriously sticking with a cable steer TM to not have to deal with extra noice in the water.
Anyone used the Garmin unit yet? Hows the sound?

[Hez]

[Champ187elite]

Any trolling that is not a true cable steer is gonna have some noise from the directional head. If that is where you fish the most you may want to look into powerpole/talons, probably get way more benefits from that in extremely shallower areas then any benefits from the new trolling motors.

Ghost and Garmin are both brush less so they should "in theory" be quieter underwater then a ultrex.

[1bluemcm]

To my knowledge, no one has tried to look at how much sound from the motorized heads actually translates into the water, either directly through the shaft or through the air. A lot of times, sounds like that are attenuated at the water surface and don't carry into the water with any significant intensity. Through the shaft, possible, maybe more as a vibration into the water. Whether or not its annoying to hear while fishing may have no correlation to sounds translated into the water.

If the fish are that spooky, maybe paddles or a push pole....seriously.

[Dirtyeggroll]

Canoe with oar

[Mullins057]

Doesnt have minn kota but does have garmin, motor guide and lowrance.

[LTZ25]

Just wanting some feedback. Wanting to upgrade TM's. I need something super quiet but thinking about staying with a cable steer. The application that I need it for is stagnant backwater swamps with a max of 6' depth where fish are SUPER in tune with the movements of their environment.
A friend of mine has an Ultrex. I noticed that the unit has a "mechanical" sounds when the head turns. We even had his rig in this environment and I noticed a significant drop in the numbers of bites. I figure that the sound of the unit has to be traveling down the shaft and contaminating the environment. Another friend just bought a Ghost. He hates it and says that the unit makes considerable noise when changing directions. He actually wants to return it. I actually cant run my MG Tour higher than 2 - 2.5 without seeing my number of bites drop considerably. Seriously sticking with a cable steer TM to not have to deal with extra noice in the water.
Anyone used the Garmin unit yet? Hows the sound?

Get a push pole .

[ttranger]

Personally, I would wait for a year to see how all these motors do in the field. Naturally, the pros that get one for free will rave about them, but the rest of us have to pay for them and we don't have the benefit of a factory service crew at all the places we go fishing in case they don't work. All the hi-tech features they put into them will inevitably lead to problems, and they will be "updating/upgrading" them for the next 2 years to get all the bugs out. The Ultrex has been out for several years and there are still some glitches.

[1bluemcm]

[rangered]

Why would you play music on a Video when your trying to tell people how quite the trolling motor is?
Shouldn’t you let the video tell the story by listening to it operate.

[Bassman25]

Trolling motors today are like boat brands and truck brands. its all in what brand you like and then go from there. The new Garmin, Ultrex and Lowrance units are all super nice. We sell them all and customers are happy. Its a choice, no one can make it for you. I personally run an ultrex, love it, but I run humminbird and Minn Kota products all around.

[grout-scout]

If you want truly quiet, stick with a cable steer.

[buster502]

Canoe with oar

i was thing the same the or a long casting rod and reel

[catch5]

If your fishing 6 foot or less most of the time, I’d probably scar myself some money and just buy a new fortrex or the new motor guide tour. Most of the spotlock ones are going to be noisy.

[fishin couillon]

If you are constantly in 6' or less, get some poles (assuming you dont have any).

Ultrex and quite dont go together.... Motor guide says their new Pro Tour has cable steer, check it out.....AND to muddy the waters a little more, supposedly Power Pole is coming out with theirs this year......

[Smokeyr67]

Ghost and Garmin are both brush less so they should "in theory" be quieter underwater then a ultrex.

Unless a brushless motor has rocks for bearings, it’s going to be a magnitude quieter than a brushed motor.

Im prepared to bet my left testicle that Minn Kota will release a brushless TM within the next 18 months or so because they are so much quieter and more powerful.

[JHelms]

There is a very good article by Mark Hicks in the current issue of Bassmaster magazine. It compares the various features of the new trolling motors. Minn Kota, Lowrance, Garmin and MotorGuide.

[James john]

If your fishing 6 foot or less most of the time, I’d probably scar myself some money and just buy a new fortrex or the new motor guide tour. Most of the spotlock ones are going to be noisy.

Negative. Zero effect on it. I fish shallow water and will spot lock stirring mud and still catch fish with all kinda noise

[RazorCat]

The video from Bass Resource doesn’t bear out the theory that brushless is necessarily quieter. The MotorGuide was quieter than the Lowrance from what I could hear. None of them were super loud, but non-cable steer brushless motors certainly aren’t noticeably quieter than the MG brush motor with cable steer. I’ll likely go with MG because of the cable steer and metal pedal.

[grout-scout]

The video from Bass Resource doesn’t bear out the theory that brushless is necessarily quieter. The MotorGuide was quieter than the Lowrance from what I could hear. None of them were super loud, but non-cable steer brushless motors certainly aren’t noticeably quieter than the MG brush motor with cable steer. I’ll likely go with MG because of the cable steer and metal pedal.

And that motor on that video was a prototype, the released version is different.