Trolling Motor Selection 

When they are running it will not scare the fish away like the big motor. You do not want to announce to the fish that you are here to catch them so you want to shut the big motor down long before you get to the spot to fish, then ease up to the spot with the Trolling Motor.

Trolling Motor Thrust Pounds

Trolling Motor Selection starts with deciding which t hrust rating ranging from 43 to 109 pounds is right for your boat. The size of your boat will determine what size Trolling Motor you will need, what I mean by this is not just how big your boat is, but how much weight you are going to be pulling or pushing.

When I first got my 17 1/2 foot boat, it came with a 43 pound thrust Motor Guide. The way they test the thrust rating is they tie a line to the Trolling Motor and start backing off. They measure the pounds of pressure it takes before the line brakes; at least that is what I have been told.

After I loaded my boat up with all the weight, I found that the Trolling Motor was not giving me what I wanted. I f you fish in water that has current and a lot of it, the proper sized Trolling Motor can keep you from ending up on a pile of rocks. I have seen guys that had their boat piled up on rocks so fast because the Trolling motor did not save the boat and there was not enough time to get to the big motor.

Always look at getting a bigger thrust Trolling Motor, I switched to a Minn Kota 80 pound Thrust and am very happy with the product, that is almost double of what I had.

Now we can talk about where to put the Trolling Motor. Most are seen at the front of the boat up by the seat at the very front of the boat. I have a small, what I call a pond jumper two man boat, for which I bought a 43 pound thrust hand control that I can put it at the front or rear. 

Cable Operated/Wireless/Remote Control/Auto Pilot Trolling Motors

Trolling motors come in many different types. Some with cable and then they have a wireless one with no cable. As you can imagine, they do like them very much as the price shows. 

They have foot controls where it will keep your hands free to keep on fishing the many different spots as you move the boat along, and they have hand control ones. They even have come up with installing a Depth Finder/Sonar in the lower unit out of harms way and concealed wires.

Just when you thought you have heard and seen it all, they even have a remote control Trolling motor that can be run anywhere inside the boat. Lets say that you launch your boat and somehow it floats away from the bank. If you have the remote control in your pocket, you can get the boat back to the bank without getting wet.

It can be put on the rod that you're fishing, your wrist, your belt, or in your pocket. If that don't take the cake, how about the Auto Pilot Trolling motor that gives you unparalleled navigational control. Point the motor in the direction you want to travel, activate the Autopilot button and you're set. The patented compass in the Autopilot keeps your boat traveling on course, even in the heavy wind.

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