BG RTR Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 In a brand new boater and terrible at positioning the boat and running the trolling motor. Any tips? Quote
BassResource.com Advertiser FD. Posted April 13, 2014 BassResource.com Advertiser Posted April 13, 2014 Practice. Keep the big motor down and straight. Point and coast as much as possible. 1 Quote
Brian Needham Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 Fishing Daddy is right. it is all practice and hope you don't break anything. I am SOOOOOOOO glad I started in an aluminum boat, that's for sure. fish as much as you can in as many conditions as you can........ try to use short burst on the lowest setting you can get away with. 00mod will say "Needham. who are you to give trolling motor advice, you run it on 10 all day"........ which is somewhat true, but old habits die hard 1 Quote
fadetoblack21 Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 Open water is your friend. I learned on an aluminum boat (still run aluminum in fact) and that is how I learned. Went into an open cove and just practiced. It's hard and frustrating to learn while fishing. I took a pole with me and casted while maneuvering. Once I was comfortable with that I moved closer to shore and repeated. Kept doing that until I was comfortable fishing around objects. Quote
Waterlogged Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 I just purchased my fist rig this past fall and I refused to use a seat of any sort on the bow so I could establish a decent pair of "sea legs". My wife had a pretty big time watching me stumble all over the front deck on the first few outings. Quote
basscatcher8 Posted April 13, 2014 Posted April 13, 2014 Just remember the wind is a big player. The more you can keep your nose pointed into the wind the easier it will be to control. Quote
BrianSnat Posted April 15, 2014 Posted April 15, 2014 Practice is the key. When I was out in my boat for the first time with a friend last year, he marveled at how deftly I could maneuver the boat with the trolling motor. He said there were times when he swore we were going to hit a rock and he braced for impact, but the boat glided past within inches. My response was "Well I've been using trolling motors for over 40 years, I should be good at it by now." Trying to think of any tricks or tips is hard because it all second nature to me. One thing I can think of is to start your turns and speed adjustments before you think you need to (if that makes any sense). Quote
Super User WIGuide Posted April 15, 2014 Super User Posted April 15, 2014 In a brand new boater and terrible at positioning the boat and running the trolling motor. Any tips? What kind of TM does it have on it? Cable steer or electronic? Quote
Brian Needham Posted April 15, 2014 Posted April 15, 2014 just keep at it, nobody came out of the womb running a trolling motor... 1 Quote
200racing Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 Do light and slow movements. Water has a delay to it but also carries a lot of momentum. Quote
Super User 00 mod Posted April 16, 2014 Super User Posted April 16, 2014 Fishing Daddy is right. it is all practice and hope you don't break anything. I am SOOOOOOOO glad I started in an aluminum boat, that's for sure. fish as much as you can in as many conditions as you can........ try to use short burst on the lowest setting you can get away with. 00mod will say "Needham. who are you to give trolling motor advice, you run it on 10 all day"........ which is somewhat true, but old habits die hard Needham has caught more fish slowing down this year than he ever has. I am proud of him, but he still has to get his foot off that trolling motor. All he knows is nothing or 10!!!! HAHAHA! Jeff 2 Quote
Brian Needham Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 its true, very true. I am learning how to beat up an area instead of an entire lake, LOL. Maybe in the future there will be a episode of the Jeffro and Needham show on trolling motor basics. 1 Quote
Super User Jig Man Posted April 17, 2014 Super User Posted April 17, 2014 If you learn to fish with your foot on the pedal (not the on button) you will always be ready for minute adjustments to keep the boat properly set. Also learn to use your left foot when fishing out the right side of the boat and vice versa. Quote
B@ssCrzy Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Get an electric steer terrova with ipilot and let the boat drive itself. I say this mostly in jest, but there is some truth to it. I never could get really good at driving my boat and fishing all at once with the cable steer. Especially when the wind would blow. Now I just point it in a direction I want to go and start fishing. I do know guys that can drive and fish so well you would have thought the foot pedal was attached to their foot, but that was not me. Glad I made the switch. Quote
basscatcher8 Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 The terrova definitely takes some practice if your not use to it but its awesome to not be chained to the front of the boat when its in the water. I was pulling 3 ways for walleye the other day and had the rod in one hand the remote in the other sitting at the wheel watching my 998. When my drift was done reel up fire the big motor up and run slowly back to the start and do it again without having to get up. Makes me sound lazy but it was great for looking around and scouting the area out. Quote
papajoe222 Posted April 19, 2014 Posted April 19, 2014 One piece of advice, especially if you stand while using the motor. Always know what setting the motor is on and what direction it's pointed before you step on the switch. This isn't much of a concern if you're constantly on and off the switch, but if it's off for a while, it's easy to forget and the next thing you know the boat is heading left and you're heading right. Quote
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