Trolling or Jigging

[mbowers]

They have remote controls so one could follow bait while fishing or contours probably more options but not sure maybe someone has experience with them looks comparable in price to good downrigger set

I have of those trolling motors and a few thousand hours of use on it in Florida and Louisiana plus a bit in BC. It's a phenomenal tool and just about every boat up to 40ft in Florida has one now
TM on 33
but it does not help much with jigging in the ocean.

If the tide is moving then holding anchored in one spot puts a lot of drag on the line, you're fishing at terrible angles and not moving along with the bait ball. Generally much better to drift with the tide which keeps the line vertical.

Using the trolling motor in a back eddy seems like a good idea but the currents are so random the poor trolling motor is very confused on what direction to turn and just becomes annoying.

Finally even a small ocean swell on a calm day completely baffles the trolling motor. I was moving maybe 0.5m back and forth in the swell on a glassy day which was basically nothing. When I turned on the spot lock on the trolling motor it tried to keep me within 0.1m or so at all times and had a complete emotional meltdown over that small swell.

If you want to troll with trolling motor it makes a great auto pilot or if you want to "anchor" for bottom fishing it's great but I don't find any use for it while jigging.

A drift sock though will make a huge difference in any wind over 5km/h

 

[fishbadger]

To jig effectively you gotta be straight up n down, so the only use of a motor is to back into the tide a bit to keep you vertical.
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[mbowers]

Couldn’t you follow the bait and maneuver with the foot pedal while jigging? Also thinking it would be awesome trolling no motor noise and hands free

It is an awesome motor, just not for jigging IMHO.

You could follow the bait but then your lure is being trolled behind the boat. If you want to chase and cast at surface bait balls the trolling motor is great but to jig vertically over bait means the boat must be moving the same as the current.

 

[sly_karma]

Wind and current really affect jigging. Most jigs, and certainly the highly effective centre-weighted flat fall types, need to fall vertically to achieve their designed action. In light conditions, a drift sock will slow the boat sufficiently as well as keeping it stern-on to breeze/current. In stronger wind and current, I start the kicker and let it idle, bumping it in and out of reverse as needed. I have the sonar set up on a 10" screen mounted centre of dash so it is easily viewed from aft, and I have the Speed Over Ground value from the GPS overlaid onto the sonar screen. Varies a little with depth and jig size, but generally you'll find that once your drift across bottom reaches or exceeds 0.5 mph, you'll need to put the kicker in reverse to halt that drift. My kicker has remote controls so it's easy to knock it in and out of gear and keep jigging. I can see this being more tricky for tiller control kickers.

Two more variables: jig weight and water depth. Heavier jigs fall more quickly, so you can counter the drift to some degree by switching to heavier jigs. There are limits, of course; jigs that are too weighty will overpower your rod, and the sheer size of the jig may repel smaller but still respectable salmon (not lings, they will eat anything that fits in their mouth). Depth is the other area where you have at least partial control. In shallow water it takes less time for the jig to fall and so drift has less effect. But of course, there's no point in staying in the shallower water if the bait and the salmon aren't holding there.

 

[acrowe]

There is a guy who I have seen fishing around Campbell River who has an electric motor set up that seems to hold him on bait. I have never talked to him about it but it seems to work pretty well. I think its possible you could use it to hold your line more vertical in the current. Normally I have more success fishing slack or places with less current.

 

[Rain City]

There is a guy who I have seen fishing around Campbell River who has an electric motor set up that seems to hold him on bait. I have never talked to him about it but it seems to work pretty well. I think its possible you could use it to hold your line more vertical in the current. Normally I have more success fishing slack or places with less current.

I agree. Fighting tides or wind makes for unpleasant jigging. When either picks up it's time to go back to the riggers. Back trolling with waves splashing over the back sucks.

 

[spring fever]

I agree. Fighting tides or wind makes for unpleasant jigging. When either picks up it's time to go back to the riggers. Back trolling with waves splashing over the back sucks.

I think you have to be able to troll as well as jig. Sometimes jigging just won't work and I am not going back to the barn!! The other consideration is an hour of trolling puts you further into a tide change and things might have improved

 

[Fishalot]

Back in the late 70s and early 80s we used to tie the boat to the kelp beds and it worked quite well most of the time. Bait concentrations were common to find there.

 

[spring fever]

Back in the late 70s and early 80s we used to tie the boat to the kelp beds and it worked quite well most of the time. Bait concentrations were common to find there.

Yeah we used to rake herring and spin them in the wake--nowdays you think you've won the lotto if you find a few bait balls to jig over

 

[DMan]

Trolling seams to be king but I’m wondering how jigging with an electric trolling motor to keep the boat spot locked is working out and will jigging make a comeback?

Big if. But if you’re around the fish the fact is you will outperform trolling seven to one. The reason most troll including me a lot of the time is to move and locate fish. A lot of different variables to add but that’s the bottom truth. There is so much more to add such as techniques. Lures. Time of the bite which is the biggest thing people overlook. To really understand this, go to a location that supports the hatchery program when the fish are in and watch and learn. That’s where I did a lot of my learning for ten years before really putting it all together.

 

[tinboatrobb]

We still tie the boat to kelp beds until the current is too much.

 

[acrowe]

An electric motor that worked really well would be great for lots of fishing. I did a lot of lake fishing during the time I lived in Manitoba, electric motors are amazing for many types of freshwater fishing. I don't really know whats available for salt but its hard to beat the convenience in my experience.

 

[Capt. Jack]

An electric motor that worked really well would be great for lots of fishing. I did a lot of lake fishing during the time I lived in Manitoba, electric motors are amazing for many types of freshwater fishing. I don't really know whats available for salt but its hard to beat the convenience in my experience.

I've got a 2008 minn Kota rip tide 55 that's never seen saltwater.
However I also have a 2019 Haswing 65 lb thrust saltwater rated motor that I wanted to try out by west van trolling and drift fishing, but never got the chance.
I've a group 24 battery, but don't know what kind of range I can get out of it.
The minn Kota rt 55 can get about 10 NM with a group 30 battery. All in lakes.

 

[sly_karma]

The big challenge for electric in the chuck is current: does it have enough torque to get you home when you're bucking into the tide and wind? You could of course have an electric dedicated for just fishing and keep a gas kicker or twin mains as a 'get me home solution. Additional cost and weight will put many off this route.

But electric is developing quickly. The big push in the automotive realm that will run for the next decade is bound to deliver spinoff products in recreational areas such as marine and offroad.

 

[mbowers]

That’s kinda what I’m thinking, main engine to and from and drop the electric for fishing then main for the run back and being an 18 footer should be fine with three deep cycles for 36 volts will be interesting how long I get regardless should be much easier to fish with the auto pilot

You might want to look at 36v charging systems for the TM batteries. I have this system and it has worked very well for 10 years.

Stealth 1 Charging ChargTech Industries

This new option seems to be getting great reviews too.

CHARGE Marine Power Station | Power-Pole

It only takes your batteries failing one time to get stranded out on the water. With the innovative CHARGE Power Management Station on-board, you can leave the dock with the peace of mind knowing you’ll be back. With Power-Pole CHARGE you can run your trolling motor and your accessories...

power-pole.com

 

[sly_karma]

Not sure what products they use, but you certainly see plenty of electric motor used in Florida fishing videos. Decent sized boats too. They mostly use the GPS virtual anchor or sometimes bass boat style foot pedal for positioning.