go devil

[stam34]

i was thinking about buying a go devil boat motor so when the river gets low i will still be able to fish with out ripping my lower unit off and filling my motor up with sand. i need some info from the readers let me know the pros and cons if any on this motor . thanks

[only-eyes]

they are amazing for duck hunting, when your trying to get through the typical 1" of water/4' of much situation. i would assume they would do pretty well on rivers, they have a prop guard that deflects the blade up and over hazards.

[Kevin Turner]

Have you checked out Beaver Tail? They are in Avon, MN, and build a quality unit. Kevin...

[korn_fish]

A coupld of CON's are that you have no reverse and they are very loud.

I need the ability to get in and check really close to snags sometimes and to do that, I need reverse and the ability to turn sharp.

[Dennis Steele]

I checked that style of motor a few years back.I never did drive one.
Pros:
Go anywhere.Muck,weeds,shallow water.
Great for duck hunters in swamps.
Cons:
They are not very manueverable.You need a lot of space to turn the thing.
They are on the slow side.
For best performance you need to outfit your jon with "pontoons" at the transom,extnding your planning surface.A beaver tail,go devil rig also is unstable with out them.
The motor hangs way back.I can't imagine fighting a cat and trying to getyour line around the motor.Plus when the boat swings in the current your line will be swept into the motor.

[LuckyFish]

There is another option. It's called a Mud Buddy. Not to sure I can put the link up here though.

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Good Luck & Good Fishing. Lucky

[LuckyFish]

Can everyone view this? I had an email saying they couldn't see the pics.

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Good Luck & Good Fishing. Lucky

[This message has been edited by LuckyFish (edited 06-14-2004).]

[This message has been edited by LuckyFish (edited 06-14-2004).]

[LuckyFish]

It's not as long as the Beaver Tail or Go Devil. Looks like it would work in sand or muddy situations but rocks could prove to be tough on it.

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Good Luck & Good Fishing. Lucky

[goose pit]

Mud Motors do have there ups and downs. Like others have said they are a real pain to turn if your in a tight space, and yes they are noisy. The no reverse thing can be a major pain. A sand bottom is the number one enemy of these motors. you will not get going if you are too shallow. I would say your best bet would be to get a jet motor for fishin the river.

[LuckyFish]

If you do get a jet make sure it matches the boat your going to use it on. An under powered jet will not get you up on plane. You also have to watch your load if your too heavy or the load isn't balanced right you'll have problems too. One more thing to watch for is you don't want to start out in very shallow water with the jet, or you'll be sucking up the bottom and not get to far before ruining the impellar on your water pump. They do side slip a bit when turning and they don't back up very well. One other thing weeds will clog them very quickly, and debris in the water will hamper the jets performance. Other than that they are great! (Of course I'm talking outboard jet here. I doubt any of these issues apply to the River Pro)

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Good Luck & Good Fishing. Lucky

[This message has been edited by LuckyFish (edited 06-17-2004).]

[Dennis Steele]

Jets are the best for the river in my opinion.Even the smaller outboards will get you through most anything.If the water is deep enough to start out with a prop you can deduct 6" for a start in a jet and run through about 6" of water if your weight is balanced properly and your not over loaded.Staying light is important with jet outboards.
The River Pro is a whole different story.They do not clog nearly as easily as an out board jet and if it does its an easy fix.Just shut her down while on plane and coast.Intake is cleared...no problem.I have only once clogged the RP where it would not get on plane,and had to get wet to clear the intake.I ran through about 400 yards of thick matted leaves on the surface in the fall.I have run her through milfoil patches and she just ate it up and spit it out.
They are the shallowest running boat I know of,other than a fan boat,It is pretty tough to fish out of the back of a fan boat though!
Starts are no problem in most situations.All you need is 3 boat lenght of 12" of water and your on your way.

[Dennis Steele]

Hey Rob.
Good to see your still scanning the site now and again.
Yup,I made a small intake rake that I keep in the boat for those two weeks when the leaves are really bad in the fall...Just in case.No more swimming!
They do make what they call a "stomp grate".Its a lever you push to clear the intake.Its an option on the RP's,but I don't think its neccessary.I only clogged it that one time and if I had been clearing the intake by coasting more often it would have not happened.

That Mud Buddy, sure is a strange looking motor.Any one see it in use?
I wonder how it sits in relation to the transom?

[rushing]

hahahahaa!
Dennis I remeber that day!
Did you ever figure out an intake rake?
That sucked!

Rob

[This message has been edited by rushing (edited 06-18-2004).]

[rushing]

Ya I am still around I just have been busy. Flathead fishing was great before the rain. I even got snapped using 65lb powerpro! If You ever wanna try the kato area again let me know! Been trying to set up a trip with Dragonmaster up in his neck of the woods.

Is there goona be another Kato Cat Gathering?
I'm sure alot of people would show up for it this year.

rob

[This message has been edited by rushing (edited 06-21-2004).]

[stam34]

thanks for the info you guys you were very helpful it looks like i will just keep my outboard because reverse is pretty inportant. also let me know if you have a catfishing get together sounds like a good time to me.

[Flashman]

there's a catfish gathering coming up in Crookston on the 10th of July, check out the catfish forum for more up to date info on it.