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Posts: 13
| Curious on overall opinions. Yes, I've heard stories of fish attacking electric trolling motors however I think that's rare. I fish alone a lot in windy conditions so I like to use my spot lock to fish areas more effective. I'm wondering what people think of the trolling motor running as you're fishing? Does it spook fish away occassionally? A lot? Or not at all? |
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Posts: 305
| I don't catch enough muskie to have an answer to your question. But thanks for the reminder to attach an 8/0 treble to my trolling motor. Is the button to make it do the figure 8 near the spot lock button? |
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Posts: 81
| I believe they afffect the behavior of a fish as well as transducers can. I’ve checked this by redrifting areas I’ve just fished and shutting off my electronics as well as only using the trolling motor sparingly if at all. I have usually seen/caught more fish on these drifts. Maybe it was the timing, but I don’t think so based on my results. The other thing I have noticed is that it seems more evident as the clarity of the water increases. |
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Posts: 20177
Location: oswego, il | Earlier this year i was on a lake which should have been 2 weeks past spawn to find they were still spawning. I went past muskies circling, sitting there just a few feet from the boat. I have also seen all kinds of fish scatter as i got near and been in 10ft of water which was clear. I have done the same and they just sit there. It depends on the mood of the fish. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | Over the years I have had numerous big muskies strike my trolling motor more so when the Auto Pilots first came out and there was an audible click as the position adjusted. Ever watch the underwater prop wash trolling videos where the fish comes up looks at the lure moves ahead swims along side then moves up and stares at the boat prop for a long period. Muskies are a curious fish thats why you get so many follows. I don`t think anything scares them but their mood determines weather they attack avoid or just satisfy their curiosity |
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Posts: 2220
Location: SE, WI. | IMO! An 18' object, (boat), or a 6' wing span may spook the fish. Trolling motor NO!!! When pulling up to a spot, turn trolling motor ON. Leave it on, Constantly!!! Had a Local guy turn his trolling motor off when I had a hot follow, in a tournament.....big Mistake. Fish spooked instantly. Screech on,screech off. Might as well chuck a 18 lb anchor in. There is NO quiet trolling motor. They are about as obnoxious sounding as it gets. Once trolling motor is on, it's part of its environment. Fish get used to the sound, therefore NOT spooked. It's the turning on and Off switch that will spook fish. Change in sound spooks fish!!! If you drift through a spot, also works, BUT, maybe poor boat positioning. Have fish pull up to trolling motor quite often after follow. I always figure eight close to trolling motor. What! JD
Edited by jdsplasher 8/3/2018 9:20 AM
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Posts: 24
| This past late June on Eagle I had an upper 40's staring at my trolling motor prop for about 15 seconds and then slowly swim away. I didn't see him swim up to it but he sat there for quite a while. I was pretty amazed. |
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Posts: 267
| IMVHO, the answer is....sometimes. When I'm fishing I run the trolling motor as I'm reeling but most of the time try to turn it off as my lure gets closer to the boat. But if a fish is extremely aggressive, I don't think it makes any difference. |
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Posts: 152
| Had a pike and musky attack the electric motor before. |
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Posts: 833
| I've had fish hit with the motor off that barely followed with it on. (was a 53.75 to boot!) Same spot, back to back drifts. I've also had an aggressive fish strike the trolling motor. Was it the only variable in the first example? Not sure, but it was the only thing I changed.
Sometimes... LOL
Edited by Brad P 8/3/2018 8:58 AM
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Location: ontario | Ive had fish chase in and turn their attention to the trolling motor and eventually swim off |
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Posts: 255
| had a small fish follow in and it got hit on the head by the moving prop. another fish came from under the boat to hit a btail and hit its head on the boat. they hit odd things(chicken carcasses, or sticks on a lure), don't hit for no reason we can tell. Sometimes they love music on, other times not. Sometimes they chomp on people's legs, other times not, but only seems to be a MN thing. |
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Posts: 409
Location: Almond, WI | I think turning it off and on bothers the fish more than just leaving it on constant. It's hard to say when one turns off 15' from the boat exactly what caused it to turn off--I'd wager most of the time it's your movement or sound caused by your movement, or the fish was simply not that interested and didn't want to waste any more energy chasing. That being said, in high pressure situations and negative activity periods I'm sure it doesn't help. I can also say when I started it was in a little 14' boat with bench seats and no trolling motor, and my results are a lot better now...in the final balance it seems to me that being able to precisely control the boat leads to more catches than any noise from the trolling motor costs me. |
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Posts: 167
Location: Tomahawk, WI | I saw a mermaid once, I even saw a Big Musky dragging another musky around by the tail. But ive never seen a trolling motor spook a musky.   |
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Posts: 1968
| I can think of at least 6 attacking or following the Minn Kota ..one on V visibly scarred it’s face!.. Actually caught a 44” this June about 2 min after it followed the tm for 20 seconds
Edited by IAJustin 8/3/2018 3:13 PM
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Posts: 14
| Let's all suggest to Minnkota that they research, produce and offer a magnetohydrodynamic propulsion system. ?? |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Why do you think there aren't any 60-70lb muskies being caught anymore? Trolling motors that's why. |
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Posts: 8715
| If they are in a negative/neutral mood, a lot of things seem to scare them away. When they want to eat there's no stopping them. |
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Posts: 1220
| I’m a big fan of the Minn-Kota bowmounts, even the self-deploy models that have taught me to carry a spare on long trips...And I totally agree the spot lock feature has gotten better and better, even noticeable on a new one just bought this week. But, spot lock is not for musky fishing IMHO, except for maybe jigging deep with Bondy type stuff. It’s way too disruptive unless you are in calm enough water, and then you wouldn’t need it. I’m lazy, like to cruise a shoreline on AP, but I really do believe you are best to bring fish to the boat as quietly as possible. So I am saying, “yes” I think it is a negative to your fishing. |
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Posts: 497
Location: Ludington, MI | Would that be a caterpillar drive like the Russians have? Crazy Ivans catch fish! |
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Posts: 1636
| One way to avoid spooking fish with the trolling motor is to pull it out of the water completely... and use an oar to move about the area you are fishing. Double 13's are also a good tool to use to move around. Cast her out and she will pull you.
Good luck! |
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Posts: 151
Location: IL | Of course they do.. why wouldn't they?? |
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Posts: 426
| I've had several large fish turn off at the boat on the 8 when spot lock engaged sending a "prop wash" dead into the following fish. Figured it was like getting hit with blind sided snowball. Makes you jump away! |
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Posts: 394
Location: WI | I have no experience with muskies being spooked by a running trolling motor, but I have witnessed muskies breaking off a figure 8 when changing TM direction. Hated to spook 2 hot fish but it was turn or crash into a shallow rock reef in 15MPH winds. |
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Posts: 50
Location: Southern Indiana | I’m pretty sure every fish I’ve ever caught casting was with the trolling motor on. Would I have caught more with it off? The world will never know. |
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Posts: 1168
| I don't know if they do or if they don't but I do seem to recall some mention of trolling motor impact on muskies in the tracking study that Jordan Weeks did a bunch of years ago. it would've been in an issue of Musky Hunter from around 2005 or so. |
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