Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - May 2022

and direction. Now tell me that isn’t remarkable!

of shoreline jetties. However, the system has so much more to offer.

If you want to take control back from the computer, you can do so in several ways. You can press the FishPoint button again and then run the boat using normal joystick functionality. In manual joystick mode, pull back on the joystick to accelerate in reverse or push it toward the bow to accelerate forward. The more you push the joystick, the faster the boat accelerates. To turn the boat, spin the top of the joystick in the direction you want to turn. The more you turn the joystick, the harder the boat will turn. The joystick uses two finger operation to accomplish a lot of tasks. There is a speed limiter in joystick mode the operator can increase or decrease using the + or – button on the side of the joystick base. You can return to manual control of the boat by pressing the joystick button to disengage it or if you’re in a hurry, you can simply use the shift and throttle lever and the system will turn off the joystick. Keep in mind that when the boat is in joystick mode and you are not using it, the engine returns to a neutral center position. Running the boat with the joystick takes a little getting used to, but quickly becomes intuitive. Using automated functions like FishPoint requires almost no acclimation time. It’s still a good idea to practice various system functions before you are in an actual navigation or fishing situation, and it’s always incumbent upon the operator to be situationally aware of what is happening around the boat. The system functions used in the lighthouse scenario translate into a number of additional classic fishing situations like approaching buoys, commercial fishing highfliers, or any kind of floating structure that might attract gamefish including cobia, mahi, tripletails or other fish. You can use FishPoint to hold position in a current when fishing near bridges over tidal waters with remarkable precision, or when working the tips

Not long ago we fished for redfish in the St. Johns River Inlet in Mayport, Florida. An extensive jetty system that extends hundreds of yards out from land protects the inlet. That rock breakwater is also a fish-attracting structure, both on the inside and outside of the inlet. At certain times of the year, the rocks become a highway for redfish and sea trout migrating in and out of the river. The ability to fish those jetties effectively can make for some fast fishing. Here’s how Helm Master EX can make that a reality. In this instance, we used the system’s autopilot combined with the Speed Control function to set and run a track along the length of the jetty so we could concentrate on casting to the structure instead of running the boat. Helm Master EX interfaces with most brands of chart plotters, and Yamaha’s CL7 Multi-Functional Display is also a full-function chart plotter in addition to providing the outboard information and control unit. Using either the CL7 or your onboard chart plotter, you can set a series of waypoints using the touchscreen and save it as a trail. Once the trail is complete, activate the Yamaha autopilot pressing the TrackPoint button, then set the speed you want the boat to run using the Speed Control button on the throttle lever. Speed Control is the marine equivalent of the cruise control system on your road vehicle, but it can do some things