Boat position?

[Robsky]

Hello,

I justed purchased a used Fisher 1600 Bass aluminum boat.

Used the bow mount trolling motor and I am having trouble positioning the boat.

Can anyone give me advice on how to use trolling motor?

Do you leave the motor running or do you just use it when needed?

What provides better control, bow in the wind or with the wind?

Thank You.

[Jig Man]

Your boat position is dependant on how you are fishing.  I go into the wind most of the time because I am throwing tubes, jigs, and craws.  However, If I am throwing a spinnerbait I sometimes go down wind to cover more water.

Fishing into the wind I find it best to have my trolling motor set to be just a little stronger than the wind that way I can make forward progress at a slow rate.  If I want to stop I can take my foot off the button for a little while.

The best advise I can give you is to put your off foot on the pedal and leave it there just moving it enough to get it off the button when you want to stop.  Learn to control the motor with both feet so you don't have to cast across your body.  If you have a constant ON position, DON'T USE IT.

The best thing you can do is spend as much time on the water with the trolling motor as possible.  It takes some practice but once you master it, it is like riding a bike (you won't forget).

Good luck and happy fishing.

[Garnet]

Another thing is to leave your big motor in the water. It acts as a keel.

Garnet

[Robsky]

Thank You

[MemphisFisherman]

Just takes practice really, If there's wind high enough that it's creating waves then my advice is to face it...makes the boat easier to control.  I can also tell you that way too many people stay on their trolling motor too much and miss alot of fish either by scaring them or just passing them by, unless your power fishing there's no need to stay on it all the time and run your batteries down.  AND keep your big motor in the water, I always laugh at those who don't