Trolling or angling is a fishing method that uses baited fishing lines. These fishing lines are drawn through the water while being attached to the rear part of a moving boat. To keep this boat moving, some sort of a special motor must be used. It should be the one that creates little noise so as not to disturb the fishes and spoil the whole fishing experience. This is where the Trolling Motors comes in.
What information do you need for basing your decisions in choosing the proper thrust for a trolling motor? Especially if you have never owned a trolling motor of your own! The best decisions can be based on information obtained, from asking people you know that own trolling motors. You should consider three factors: boat weight, length, and your typical fishing conditions, with boat weight being the most important factor.
Determined by boat weight- A simple rule is use a trolling motor with two pounds of thrust for every 100 pounds of boat weight. This measurement factor is based on a boat loaded to capacity. You can usually find the weight of your boat and the maximum person, motor and gear weight in an owner's manual, on the manufacturer's website or it is sometimes posted right on a sticker at the boat controls. A 1270 pound boat with 1100 pound capacity is 2370lbs/100 X 2lbs/100 yields a minimum thrust of 47.4lbs. Based on weight alone you would look for at least a 50lb thrust trolling Electric Motor.
Determined by boat length- The second most important factor to consider is boat length. Our chart below will give you a good starting point for the thrust range you should be considering given your boat length. This information, if unknown, can also be obtained from an owner's manual or from a manufacturer website.
Boat Length (ft) Minimum Thrust (lbs) Max Weight (lbs) Minimum Thrust (lbs)
12'-14' 35 1500 30
15'-16' 40 2000 40
17' 50 2500 50
18' 55 3000 60
19' 65 3500 70
20' 75 4000 80
21' 80 4500 90
22'+ 80-101 5000 100
If your boat happens to fall into two different thrust categories based on these charts, we'd suggest using the minimum thrust figure recommended via the weight method, since it is the number one consideration.
Electric Trolling Motors Advantage
There are a lot of reasons why the trolling motors are good. In addition to the fact that it avoids creating a disturbance while fishing, it virtually meets almost any fishing application and personal tastes and preferences. Each trolling motor also comes with built in features that suits either freshwater or saltwater fishing, depending on the consumer's preferences. There are also other motors that boast their indestructible composite shaft which is guaranteed not to corrode, rust, or just degrade. Indestructible indeed!
In addition to this, there are companies that also provide a wide range of choices for parts and accessories of every purchased motor. This means that the convenience brought about by the trolling motor itself could still be improved. Now what's going to be better than that?
