How to Buy a Trolling Motor for Fishing
When oars aren't enough, but an outboard motor is too much, or not allowed, an electric trolling motor is just the thing to move a small boat on a small lake or provide precise control of a larger boat around stumps and over underwater drop-offs for effective lure presentation. Here's what to look for when buying a trolling motor.
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Instructions
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Determine how much you can afford to spend on a trolling motor. Buy one rated for as many pounds of thrust as you can afford; you'll need at least five pounds of thrust for every 350 pounds of weight moved, including the boat and everything in it. For a 12 foot boat, this means at least 30 pounds of thrust, while for a 20 foot boat, you'll need at least 74.
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Look for a dependable unit from a reputable manufacturer that will give you plenty of service. Minn-Kota and Motor Guide are two reputable manufacturers; some outboard motor manufacturers, such as Johnson and Mercury, also make trolling motors.
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Plan to buy a separate battery for your trolling motor, preferably a deep-cycle battery designed to be drained of power and recharged repeatedly, which the battery that powers your car or boat's starter is not. Allow for the battery's weight when figuring the amount of thrust you need to move the boat, and be aware that some trolling motors require two or even three batteries. You'll also need to buy a charger for the battery.
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Determine whether you want a foot-controlled or hand-controlled unit. Foot-controlled units are usually mounted on the fronts of boats, typically bass boats, and pull the boats along. Hand-controlled units are typically mounted on the transom and push the boat along, unless you use it for backtrolling.
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Choose a steel over a plastic prop if you can get it and definitely look for a stainless steel shaft. Also, look at how the propeller unit is attached to the motor shaft. Some units are designed so that weeds won't wrap around the propeller housing and foul it; these don't work for all kinds of weed, however.
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Look at the mounting bracket. If you fish in heavy timber, a "quick release" that kicks the motor up and out of the way when the boat hits a stump is a good idea.
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Consider a variable-speed motor if you can get one in your price range. If you can't, get one with several speeds, as well as reverse.
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Tips & Warnings
While trolling motors are available as 12, 24, and even 36 volt units, you can get by with a good 12 volt motor for boats of 16 feet in length or less.
Some special features you may want to consider are built-in gauges that display how much battery power is left, as well as built-in depth finders.
