The Minn Kota – The Electric Trolling Motor 

How many of you anglers have had the trouble of being wind-blown or swept over waves because your boat can’t’ stay steady in the water? Let’s face it, fishing can be cruel on its own, and with the sea gods dictating the harsh elements, it can be an angler’s worst nightmare. Well times have changed, and marine technology has risen to new horizons to help us dummies catch more and keep on catching with ease. What’s this new gadget you may ask? Well, it’s called the Minn Kota, and it’s revolutionizing the way we anchor, troll and fish. If you don’t believe my word ask fishing fanatic, Matt Watson, he’ll persuade you otherwise.

Let’s start with the basics first, what’s trolling? well, Wikipedia defines it as a ‘method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures or bait fish, are drawn through the water’. This can be accomplished with the use of a special trolling motor. If you’re wondering what’s Minn Kota then? It’s just the fancier term for a trolling motor, don’t worry you’ll get used to it soon enough.

A guideline to purchasing your first Minn-Kota 

The first decision you need to make is, where are you going to mount the device? You’ve got three primary locations, all based on the type of boat you have and what your intended trolling purpose is:

Bow: Equipped with the most advanced features, offers a wide range of control options, and the motor is mounted to the front of the boat with a bolt-on bracket, with the motion of pulling through the water for better maneuverability and control.

Transom: This mounts to the back of the boat with a clamp-on style bracket and features a hand tiller control. This is ideal for smaller boats, dinghies and surprisingly even canoes. (ideal for standard trolling)

Engine: Keeps the deck clear by mounting to the cavitation plate of your outboard or inboard. (no stowing or deploying required)

The big question, what size motor do you need? Remember folks this isn’t an outboard motor, so it’s not about who has the most horsepower, instead, it’s about smarter fishing. Three terms you need to know with your motor:

Thrust: Refers to how powerful the motor is. The boat weight is a key indicator in determining how much thrust you need.

Volts: Indication of the required battery power your trolling motor will need.

Shaft Length: Now choosing the correct shaft length. Very Important! Cannot stress about this, too short, the prop won’t be sufficiently submerged, too long, the prop simply won’t be effective to do its job.

Now comes the fun stuff, the technology equipped with the Min Kota. 85 years of continuous innovation and pioneering to develop trolling motors that are built to last and perform. Below are some of the capabilities intact on the motor:

I-Pilot: GPS trolling system, which features an LCD screen for intuitive control

Spot-Lock: This by far is our most favorite feature. If you have an intended spot you want to troll by, no need to panic, you certainly won’t go anywhere, simply push a button, and the spot lock uses your GPS to lock your boat onto your favourite fishing spot. This can even be achieved with the foot pedal, giving you peace of mind whilst holding your fishing rod or cold brew.

Autopilot: Did you read autopilot? Yes, folks, Min Kota has a patented Autopilot system, that is available on certain motors which allows you to sit down, relax and let the technology do the driving. Your handheld remote will enable you to steer your boat.

We’ve only covered our two favourite features of the Minn-Kota, the list of features goes on. For more comprehensive features and information click here 

View the range available online.

In-Store photos of the Minn Kota

Deployment of the Minn Kota