How much do you use a trolling motor when fishing for whites,stripers and hybrids?

Do you need it to catch shad?

I've been thinking about buying a boat that you can't mount a trolling motor on.

Please give me your input.

Thanks,

John N.

[This message has been edited by Z71 (edited 06-20-2003).]

I wouldn't have a boat without one, Gotta have it to "sneak" up on Shad or Spooky Fish.

Keith

Hey John, personally I couldn't get by without one, I use to catch shad, chase schooling fish and to control a drift. I suppose if a person was going to troll only you could get by but you sure would be restricted as to how and where you fish.

I get by fine without one but there are times when I wouldn't complain if I had one. It really depends on your style of fishing but in my opinion a trolling motor for whites, hybrids, and stripers is a luxury not a necessity. Just like everything else trolling motors are great if used properly but many people over do it.

.02

John, some of use 6 Old Geezers Fans up on Texoma use our trolling motors to do something typically seen as a bit unusual compared to most of the Texoma striper guide standards. We kill our big motors well over a 100 yards away from our fishing holes and sneak in on the old line sides.

I run a 21'center console with only a 67# trolling motor (wished it were a 101#), and I ride my trolling motor about as much as any of those green lipped sucker mouth carp fishermen, using very similar techniques to fish for big stripers. As a matter of fact, I often have to get my hands dirty with that green lipped sucker mouth carp slime trying to get one off my Sassy Shad or jig.

Now if all you are planning on doing is join the boat show, catching "box fish" by drowning bait....Then I wouldn't think it really makes any difference.

Or, if you plan on dragging riggers up and down through the boat shows trying to skin the numbers off the sides of other boats....Who needs a trolling motor??

So, the real question seems to remain.....What is your striper fishing style??

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Mike
www.WhiskerKitty.com

Ditto MikeC;
I put more hours on my trolling motor than on the engine. This time of year when there are times you have to fish in the show, a trolling motor is the very best way, and only way to move without ruining the school.

Hey Z71,
A trolling motor is a MUST for all types of fishing, in my opinion. I have had one on all of my boats, and would not do without one. You have to have it to quietly move up on your fish, and to maneuver around while fishing. I have an advantage over others, though. I don/t run my trolling motor. My son is AN UP AND COMING FISHING GUIDE, and he always runs it, while the ol' man just sits back on the rear pedistal and takes it easy. I think he enjoys the practice and experience, because of his intentions to be a fishing guide, and does a fantastic job of always putting me on fish. If you ever are without the trolling motor, you will understand how much good it does you.



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Set the hook and cross their eyes.
Tom

Thanks for your input

John

This is probably a stupid question, but here it goes..... What do y'all mean by "Boat Show"?

Minn kota makes an engine mounted trolling motor with 54 pounds of thrust that pushes an 18 foot boat ok. You might want to look into it. I have one on my 18 foot Falcon and I wish it was a 100 pound thrust but it works ok. You just steer it with your steering wheel. It will mount on a outboard or inboard outdrive.

A boat show is a large gathering of boats fishing the same area. On Texoma it can be 50+ boats.

Well I hate to disagree with all these pro
fishermen so I wont. If you ever fish for
anything with an electric, it is like
cutting off one hand to do without it. Use
it for chasing schooling fish, trying to retrieve a snagged lure, quietly sneaking up
on the ole fishin hole, chasing shad or most
anything else. Next to the depth sounder
probably the most important electronic tool
you can use, even a plain jane model with
no frills is handier than you can imagine.



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Let's Keep those Hybrids coming into Lake Bridgeport

Dennis------Slabshad

Couldn't fish without one, gotta have a trolling motor. I like the hands free approach. Foot controlled for me thanks. Let's me do several things at once, like re- tieing a knot or grabbing a drink a water without losing control.

I don't see how a fisherman can do without a trolling motor. My trolling motor gets used 100 times more than my big motor. A must for sneaking up on shad. A real must for staying on biting fish and not spooking them into not biting.

I was fishing a point on Proctor three weeks ago. A marker was thrown, and me and my buddy (in another boat)were on the fish big time. I don't mind people getting in on the action when they see me catching fish, but don't make yourself a nuisance. This guy sees us catching fish. He did not have a trolling motor and I knew what he was about to do. He stops to fish, and winds up watching us catch fish because the wind was blowing him away. And yes you guessed it, he cranks his big motor and backs up wind from us and our buoy. That alone stopped the bite for a bit, but that is not the worst part. The wind blows him directly over the buoy and my buddy almost runs right into this guy while he was trolling back to the buoy. My buddy was watching his rods and looked up just in time to reverse the trolling motor. BUY a trolling motor if you ever plan to fish in a boat show or you will make yourself very unwelcome QUICK. You can mount it on the back of the boat.

[This message has been edited by DGHolmes (edited 06-22-2003).]

I couldn't fish my boat without one. I have a 65# saltwater MiniKota mounted on the left rear corner of my 26 ft Chaparral. Since I fish alone most of the time I got the co-pilot option that allows you to run it from your WRIST controller like a TV set. That allows me to move anywhere I need to on the boat. It also has the foot controller. I use it to steer the drift and move up or down wind like a bassboat. It will drive that big boat about 2 kts. It was not practical to mount it on the bow. Richard