Pros and cons of kicker motor on walleye boat

[Custom Eyes]

A lot of good pro's for the kicker. I'll just add my pro's that haven't been mentioned, specifically for fishing non-Great Lakes waters. On inlands and rivers, I like using the kicker over the bowmount for repeated trolling passes. Instead of bringing the bowmount in and firing up the big motor, I just open up the kicker and buzz back to where I started at 6-7mph and deploy a spread again. Getting into shallow waters from deep water, it's a big plus also. I fish lakes where you can run the big motor in the deep water, but there's vast areas where you can't really run the big motor without risking whacking a stump, and trying to traverse that long way to the shallows by bowmount is a long and slow trip. Dropping the kicker down to get through those areas saves a ton of time compared to the bowmount. Same with launching in the fall where water levels are low on the inland lakes. Launching the 21' boat in 18" of water get's interesting. Getting into deeper water by main engine is impossible. By bowmount, too slow. Again, drop the kicker down and buzz out to deeper water at a good 6-7mph clip, instead of 2mph by bowmount. Same with local shallow lakes where my 21' boat/225 Opti just isn't practical, I never even use the big engine all day, and buzz around the whole lake by kicker to get from place to place. Would be impossible with a bowmount timewise.

[gbin]

I have to admit, it surprises me, but I'm finding those of you who favor a kicker to be pretty persuasive...

Gerry

[S.Larson]

A buddy of mine always laughed at having a kicker,..


Then one year he picked up a cheap 8 horse to put on his boat,...


On his trip to Canada he hit a rock with the lower unit on his main engine,..
The kicker saved his trip, he used it for the week to keep fishing,....

[tate05]

If you run out of oil in your E-Tec, you may need your 4 stroke kicker to get you back to the dock.


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[Mt Warrrior]

Originally Posted by ltrain

Exactly how i use mine. I use a controllking instead of a trollmaster but it accomplishes the same. The kicker for push and the gps trolling motor to steer is an absolute game changer. In my eyes there is absolutely no downside whatsoever in having a kicker motor.

Dittos!!

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[Bobby Winds]

Originally Posted by tate05

If you run out of oil in your E-Tec, you may need your 4 stroke kicker to get you back to the dock.


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Or I could just ask you for the extra oil your 4 stroke makes . . . .

[man164]

Pros for a kicker

Saves hours on main motor
Allows trolling down to 1 mph
Extra motor to get you back at 6-7 mph
Can troll all day at anywhere from 1 mph to 7 mph
Able to go to HP restricted lakes - big reason for me in Pennsylvania
Cheaper to run than main motor- use less gas

Cons
Initial cost
Mey cause slight list on some boats - may have to watch weight distribution
May need to run a pitch or two lower on main to get similar performance

I fish Pymatuning and Erie almost exclusively- I run a kicker and will never own a boat without.
I run my kicker in gear and adjust speed with a Trollmaster, and steer with my Terrova.

I will add that I have a 20 HP kicker......would not waste the money on a 20 again... would buy an efi in 9.9 or 15.....the alternator output might be the deciding factor. Speed wise I don't think you will see a difference between a 9.9 and a 20 as a kicker motor.

[fishin10]

I have a 2007 5hp 4str Mercury that I hang on the back of the boat when I fish TN as my 75 Mercury can only get down to 2.3 mph when trolling. Since it does not weigh that much, I can take it off and remount quite easily. Really there not a reason not to have a kicker if your fishing larger bodies of water.

[Snowking]

if you do any decent amount of trolling I would get a kicker. Under 18 foot boat maybe not needed with smaller main motor for trolling. For 150 and up outboards it is not to easy to slow troll. If you are buying new order the second fuel line outlet with the boat. Even if you wait a few years to get a kicker. It is nice having the fuel line connection ready to go. I have around 525 hours on a Yamaha T8 outboard. I have the tr1 gold autopilot for the kicker. I would recommend the 2 cylinder kicker motors. The single cylinder motors do not run as smooth. Unless like fishin10 you want to take it on and off. Then the single cylinder with no power tilt would be ideal. For the size boats you are looking at. I would get a kicker with power tilt and trim. Once you have a nice boat. You may find yourself fishing bigger water more.

[fisher_i_am]

Cons; cost $2000-$3000, weight 100-150lb
Pros; trolling for extended times trolling battery charge will last longer, another power source just in case big motor issues, fishing lakes with 10HP limits.

Nearly 100% of the time when trolling I use kicker with trolling motor to steer.

If you get one, don't go cheap get electric start and trim.