Fishing equipment has gone a long way since then. One great invention being the trolling motor. With the advancement of technology and innovation, fishermen were able to do things that they thought would be impossible.
But all those innovative things might and will be confusing for others, and if you don’t have any knowledge on how to operate the latest devices, how can you utilize its maximum official? With our guide, we will be discussing the things that need to be considered when operating a trolling motor.
Deploying
The first course of action with a trolling motor is to put it on water. A trolling motor with an all bow mount is equipped with a handlebar that helps fisherman launch the trolling motor to the water. All you need to do is to pull the cord backward or towards you for the locking pin to release. The locking pin allows the motor to be secured during transit.
Usually, the pin will make an audible sound when it gets unlatched. While still securing and pulling the handle backward, you then pull the cord up, changing it from the flat mounting position, to a deployed position.
Some premium trolling motor comes equipped with a hydraulic motor that makes mounting and deploying a lot more easier, and if your trolling motor doesn’t have any of those techs, don’t worry, all you need is to apply a little more force to deploy your motor.
Things to avoid while using a trolling motor
One of the most common mistakes an angler makes, no matter how experienced is that they’re quick to jump on to the conclusion that their motor doesn’t work or has run out of battery when they’ve just forgotten to turn the motor on.
Traditional trolling motors and some high-quality ones have their power switch situated right under the foot pedal.
Maintenance
This comes concerning subtopic above. Before even trying to operate the trolling motor, you must first make sure that it’s working. Just because it functioned perfectly well last time doesn’t usually mean that it would function the next time you use it.
Most fishermen don’t even bother to disconnect the plugs, and that would result in contacts being corroded. And if you have a digital one or one of the latest models, you run the risk of damaging your motor’s batteries and the long run, the motor itself.
One way of avoiding this problem is to just remember to disconnect the plugs after using.
Accessories
If we’re talking about mounts, make sure that your motor isn’t equipped with a breakaway mount, and if it does – We’d suggest that you replace it as soon as possible. Accessories need constant tending as they will likely fail, one way or another.
Even experts have advised that mounts, given the right conditions, any trolling shaft, no matter how much the price, will fail.
When it comes to props, most anglers just pop in whatever they have, but most don’t realize how important exactly a propeller prop is. And they would likely fail on you during your trip, thus most experienced anglers often carry with them three sets of props.
Don’t overwork and overweight your motor
Don’t push your trolling motor to its maximum limit if not necessary at all. If you have a bow-mounted the motor, you will inevitably be tangled with vegetation. But if your motor is equipped with the latest props, you’ll easily be able to plow through it all.
But if you’re using an old and flimsy one, you’ll likely be stuck and will have troubles getting through, even while maxing your motors up. And if you still can’t get through, one way of getting out of that situation is to lift your motor up and manually remove every weed stuck on it.
Because as tough as your motors are, when forcing it to run while being wrapped with weeds may cause some damage to its components.
Updated: April 10, 2020
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