The bite is on...walleyes are stacked in your favorite river honey hole and you’re on ‘em big time! Early on however, you figure out that the fish are concentrated in that one little "spot on the spot"...and if you’re not on it, you ain’t catching fish. Then the inevitable happens...the weather turns nasty, and between the already strong current and the increasingly gusty winds, boat control is getting to be a major chore. Now is not the time to realize that bow mount trolling motor you got such a great "deal" on two seasons ago is grossly under powered to handle your boat in this situation.

We hear it all the time..."How do you guys stay on fish when they’re tight to structure and wind (and/or current) make boat control tough?". As Tim the Tool Man would put it...MORE POWER...Ugh, Ugh!

Actually choosing the right trolling motor for your style of fishing has a good deal more to it than just "More Power". It’s a segmented process...Ask yourself two questions, "What type of boat do I have (or do I want to buy)?" and "What style of fishing do I do most often?" When it comes to boat styles, there are basically two types we’ll look at...a Deep-V and a shallower, low-profile boat.

If your choice is a Deep-V, you immediately need to be looking at choosing a motor with adequate shaft length. Good guidelines are as follows: 1.) For Deep-V boats of 14 to 16 feet a 48 inch shaft will typically do nicely, 2.) For 17 to 18 footers a 52 to 62 inch shaft will work well, 3.) Boats 18 to 20 foot need the "super-long" shafts like MinnKota’s 62 incher available on the new MAXXUM, AT (All Terrain) and AP (AutoPilot) bowmount motors.

On many of the shallower, flat bottomed river style boats you can get by with a shorter shaft, but be sure you’re not short-changing yourself. Even some of the "bass style" jon boats sit higher in the water than you might think, so a 48 inch shaft may still be a better choice depending on the size boat you’re running.

The style of walleye fishing you do most often will be the next consideration you’ll need to consider when choosing a bow mount trolling motor, be it a "mechanical" (cable drive) model or an electric drive unit like the MinnKota PowerDrive Auto Pilot models. Each type of motor has it’s own place in walleye fishing, or actually for any type of fishing scenario.

Let’s say you troll bottom bouncer rigs, drift large flats with live bait rigs and occasionally cast weed edges. For this type of fishing a motor like the PowerDrive Auto Pilot models from MinnKota are going to work very nicely. Auto Pilot allows you to set a course you wish to travel and the trolling motor will keep you on line as you fish, compensating for wind and drift. These motors also come in a Cordless model that feature a radio controlled foot pad you can use to control the bow mount from anywhere in the boat. This is also a great motor if you are a multi-species fisherman.

If you’re the type of walleye angler that does it all...jigging in rivers, pinpoint structure fishing on reservoirs and natural lakes, as well as the techniques mentioned earlier...you’re much better off with a "cable drive" style motor, because the motor’s steering response is instant. When you turn the motor 10 degrees left...it’s there right now. Vertical jigging in rivers is a perfect example of where instant response is invaluable to proper boat control, where current and wind can demand you keep on the trolling motor at all times. The one drawback to cable drive electric motors is that in a trolling scenario, you will not have the luxury to take your foot off the motor without losing control.

As professional walleye anglers, we fish all types of waters using all types of techniques. For us, the instant response of cable drive bow mounts like the MinnKota MAXXUM with 62 inch shafts and 74 pounds of thrust are important to keep us competitive on the pro circuits. However, when we get the opportunity to use a motor like the MinnKota 62 AP (62 pound thrust AutoPilot) in a trolling situation, we’re happy as can be because it’s so much easier to use than the cable drive motors we use in tournaments.

Is "More Power" important? Absolutely! No matter which motor you choose, don’t under estimate your power needs. A 42 pound thrust 12 volt motor may be fine for smaller, lighter 14 to 16 foot boats, but if you’re running a 17 to 20 footer, you’ll want to go with a 24 volt system with 48 to (for larger boats) even 74 pounds of thrust (Ugh, Ugh). That way you’re not going to be caught on the water without the gusto needed to control your boat in practically any condition.

One word of caution...if you do find yourself with a trolling motor under powered for your boat...don’t pull a Tim-the-toolman and try to "re-wire" it...It’s better to choose the right motor in the first place.