Electric trolling motors for fishing

By John Willis

Electric trolling motors have revolutionised fishing techniques in recent years and are now moving into a world of complete power options for entire vessels.

They began as basic little units with tiller steering and manual tilt, bolting onto a bow or transom, but are evolving rapidly – while especially popular for fishing, electric powerplants are also a terrific propulsion alternative for kayaks, roof toppers, tenders and inflatables.

Certainly, it’s no longer just small tinnies on protected waters. Nowadays, remote control technology and GPS interfaces have greatly advanced the range of applications, while the popularity of large, dedicated sports fishing rigs see a remote-operated unit fixed to the bow on the greater majority of inshore and offshore outfits. And for good reasons. 

Electric trolling motors are almost silent, allowing you to approach schools of fish or likely structures without spooking the prey. They are incredibly efficient, providing quiet manoeuvrability and a complete alternative power source or auxiliary.

They offer instantaneous torque for precise position and direction control, especially when bow mounted, as well as great performance in weedy and shallow waters. In fact, the latest releases offer virtual anchoring and programmed course control when teamed with GPS and sonar technology, usually via NMEA 2000 links.

Whether the batteries are internal or external, they can be charged via various alternatives, including solar, wind, generator, an outboard/inboard motor, a battery charger from mains power, or even via a direct link to your towing vehicle or shore power.

Early units were often connected to a car battery, and such simplicity still has applications for lightweight units for personal watercraft right through to powerful, fully automated units with self-deploying capabilities and remote operation via a handset, joystick or foot pedal.

I have owned several different brands over the past three decades, from big brands to the obscure, and found them all exceptionally good. It’s generally advisable to deal with the larger, more established brands to ensure warranty and backup availability, as well as resale value if required.

The bow of my humble plastic paddleboat has a very cheap (around $120) Watersnake. It is activated by a simple on/off switch from the battery and steered via the unit’s rudder configuration. It works very well, although I often assist the thrust with the paddles.

I also have my beloved Savage 3.5m Jabiru tinny fitted with a weather-beaten, much-used and abused transom-mount 54lb Watersnake that still serves me well. Thinking back it is probably about 15 years old.

There are an ever-increasing array of manufacturers, including Garmin, Navico (Lowrance/Simrad), Minn Kota, MotorGuide, Watersnake, Newport Vessels, Striker, Torqeedo and more.

Variations can include voltage, thrust, saltwater compatibility, shaft length, mounting style, as well as the range of features that may now include GPS compatibility plus innovative ‘spot lock’ or ‘auto-anchor’ ability, as well as those that can navigate to and around marks/waypoints, trails and courses/tracks.

Automated control with spot lock/auto-anchoring is one of the greatest innovations in marine development for many years, especially for fishers. Essentially you can ‘anchor’ without the risk of fouling or hauling heavy, wet, often muddy, and messy anchor, rope, and chains aboard.

Spot lock also allows you to pick the perfect spot to cast or bottom drop onto a school or structure. The technology greatly benefits our developing offshore deep-dropping techniques, where the slightest drift can often rule out a fishing mission. There are further benefits when picking up traps or jigging/casting lures to moving schools of pelagics.

The remote control benefits are sensational. Whether docking, fishing, automatically running a GPS course or track, or simply freeing up both hands for other activities, the precise control adds a multitude of benefits. 

Imagine the ability to set a troll course along a depth gradient, perhaps set up a grid trolling pattern, automatically run to a waypoint, or use it as an autopilot, especially when short-handed and setting up a trolling spread of lures or tracking while fighting a rampaging pelagic.

I also love the automatic deploy features, especially with larger saltwater units, where extended shaft length is essential to keep the propeller well submerged from high bow mounts in choppy or rougher conditions. This avoids having to manually activate the unit from the bow. 

There’s an electric trolling motor for just about every application these days, with shaft lengths ranging from around 24in (61cm) through to 96in (2.44m) and thrust varying from 18lbs to 120lbs. The small engines are mostly 12-volt, larger engines are often offered in 12-, 24-, 36- and 48-volt configurations.

Most link their 12-volt batteries in series to boost the supplied voltage, while others will sometimes link in parallel to maintain 12-volt power and boost the capacity. Many rely on lithium batteries for greater useable capacity, appropriate care being required for the charging units.

As technology improves, many of the larger companies have now developed lithium batteries designed specifically as devoted power units for electric trolling motors.

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