ELECTRIC TROLLING MOTORS GUIDE: A Stealthy Approach

Over the last few years many new electric trolling motors have become available on the local market and most New Zealand trailer boatbuilders are now accommodating them. Most sportfishing boats now come with a platform or a reinforced mounting point on which to install a trolling motor and also provide better protection for them when stowed.

American icons Minn Kota’s and MotorGuide’s electric trolling motors have been around for a long time, with American anglers the biggest market for them, although their use in Europe is growing fast. And with robust growth in Australasia, new models such as the Haswing Cayman, various motors from Watersnake, and Garmin’s Kraken now provide even more options at different price-points.

Kiwi anglers have been relatively late adopters of this technology, especially in saltwater, but electric trolling motors are becoming a standard item on new sportfishing boats nowadays, in the same way a GPS-chartplotter is a given on every new boat.

STALKING THE SHALLOWS

As I am predominately a lure angler and a keen soft-baiter these days, I like to hunt fish in the shallow margins and wash zones casting in front of the boat as we move slowly along the coastline. This approach can be deadly for big snapper and works well for a lot of other species as well, like trevally and kahawai which are often in the mix. 

The best results employing this method come when you really limit your noise levels. Starting up an outboard to move around can really spook fish in water less than 5m deep, which is where we like to drift while working lures around rocks and kelpy structures.

If you have seen photos of big snapper caught by kayak anglers, you’d be right in thinking that their success rate is pretty high. Kayak anglers probably catch more big snapper than anyone else. It makes sense though – kayaks are the ultimate stealth vessel. A trailer boat with an electric trolling motor on the bow is as close to a stealthy kayak as you can get. With it, you can sneak around the shallows without spooking the fish.

I have been using a Minn Kota Terrova 60-inch electric trolling motor on my centre-console for the past 14 months and it has proven to be a game changer when we’re stalking the shallows.

Approaching a stretch of coast that we want to move along, I like to cut the outboard from 50-60m out to drift in working the softbaits by casting ahead and then use the Minn Kota to move around quietly so fish aren’t disturbed. Once we start getting strikes or hooking good fish, we will then Spot-Lock (anchor) the electric motor and keep the boat in this position to land fish.

This means we don’t have to restart the outboard to move around and we can keep casting and working the area where we just landed fish and hopefully entice more strikes. This approach also works when fishing in shallow harbours where we will deploy the Minn Kota ready to go as we drift along and activate it to Spot-Lock our position once we get interest in our lures.

Using the Minn Kota to hold your position while you get
a berley trail going and then casting your soft baits out the back and working them back to the boat is also effective. We have caught a lot of snapper on the Kaipara Harbour employing this method. The quiet hum of the electric motor doesn’t deter fish like an anchor chain can moving up and down off the bottom and making unnatural sounds. Fish learn to recognise these and get spooked.  Remember, sounds travel up to four times faster underwater than in the air, and farther too!

We primarily use an electric trolling motor for shallow water fishing, but also for holding the boat over reefs or fishing in deeper water using Spot-Lock so we can drop down jigs. Out wide and fishing in deep water (200m+) for bluenose or hapuka, the electric motors are remarkably effective at keeping the boat positioned over your marks, so you can use them to send down big baits that target deep water fish too (this is worthy of another article on its own).

LITHIUM BATTERY

To use your electric trolling motor over the course of a full
day on the water, you are going to need a good-quality lithium battery. The electric motor models available will either require a 12V, 24V or 36V lithium battery, none of which is light – or cheap. The 24V BLA Marine Performance Lithium (100amp) battery connected to our Minn Kota has an RRP of $3,949, to give you an idea. But it means we have 6-7 hours of available battery life for a day’s fishing, and we have never run out of power.

This large 24kg battery is mounted forward of the stern and hidden under the centre console so it can be easily connected to the electric trolling motor on the bow. This is where Oceanpro designed the platform and rails for added protection of the 60-inch shaft when the motor is stowed.

If you are looking for an electric trolling motor for a larger hardtop, say 6-7m, then you will need a motor with a longer shaft, either 72-inch or 90-inch shaft length, and a larger 36V battery. The motor will need this extra shaft length and power to hold a bigger, heavier boat fighting against the wind and current, which will drain the battery’s charge more quickly.

Conversely, for smaller, lighter boats a 12V electric trolling motor and suitable 12V battery may be all that’s required.

There are even battery monitoring systems with Bluetooth available now that allow you check the health and charge state of your battery from your smartphone. Make sure you also purchase a decent battery charger for the lithium battery, which should be charged the day before you head out fishing.

Finally, thoroughly clean your electric motor at the end of
a day’s fishing on salt water, even if you didn’t use it. Positioned up on the bow of your boat, it is exposed to wind-blown spray. Wash it using a solution containing a reliable salt remover and then rinse it down well with fresh water.

Standout motors

Minn Kota

Haswing Cayman

Garmin Force Kraken