Faq And Reviews – About Saltwater Trolling Motor
Maria asks…
need help to find the right trolling motor for my boat?
i just purchased a 2001 key west 1720 sportsman with a 90hp johnson. planning on fishing fresh and saltwater. looking at minn kota riptide. 40lb of thrust. know the equation on how to find out that. worried about length mainly. any suggestions?
Staff – Customer Service answers:
Assuming that you are going to mount it on the bow,all you need to insure is that the motor head is fully submerged and when you rotate the head it clears the the hull.
Good luck and happy boating
Laura asks…
do i need a boaters license if im going to use a 17′ boat with a trolling motor?btw im 15?
im planning on purchasing an old 17′ v-hull type boat and putting a small electric trolling motor on the back.it comes with the title and registration. would i need a boating license touse it in saltwater if it has all required lighting and safety needs life pfds,oars,,etc.? if so than is there any possible way i can use it without a licence? thanks for your replys i realy do appreciate them.no bs comments
Staff – Customer Service answers:
You need to take a water-safety course, and that is basically your license if you want to drive it alone. You can drive the boat without a license if you are with a person over 21 years of age though
William asks…
Where Can I take A Jon Boat Saltwater fishing in FLorida?
I am from Polk County, Florida. I am looking for a place to take my 12ft Jon Boat fishing. I have a trolling motor and 5hp Outboard on it. I know it is a small boat so I am looking for some flats or backcountry. I do not know too much about saltwater fishing, but I am an avid freshwater fishermen. The more details you can give me the better. If you could tell me exactly where to put the boat in that’d be awesome. Also, I do not know much about tides either. How deep are flats when it is high tide, and how deep are they in low tide? Thanks for your help.
Staff – Customer Service answers:
You have a “loaded question” !!
I’ll do the best to answer as much as possible.
#1. “Tides” are probably THE most important part of ANY type of Florida Flats fishing. Tidal creeks get flooded and sucked dry every 4-6 hours. The 3-4FT “hot spot” (where you may be catching a limit of fish) will probably be COMPLETELY DRY in 3-4 hours.
Baitfish live inside, (and around) feeder creeks off of the main Flats & Channel areas and thereby attract Gamefish such as Reds, Speckled Trout, Flounder, Snook, Jacks, Ladyfish, Etc to those places. These Baitfish, (Pogy/Menhaden, Shrimp, Mullet, Glass minnows, Mud-minnows, Needlefish, Pinfish, Etc), usually move WITH the tide.
The best places to try fishing on a flats are inside and around the mouths of creeks and rivers. However, it must be during the correct TIDE. (Example- Obviously, a feeder creek that only has 4″ of water at low tide won’t be very productive VS that SAME creek 4-6 hours later with 3-4FT!!!) Finding the best “time” to fish these creeks is vitally important, (and something a novice Flats fisherman usually doesn’t understand right away). It takes many fishing trips to learn the appropriate time to hit a creek……However, in general, lower tides tend to be best because it “concentrates” fish to deeper pockets and sleughs.
Other things (besides Tide and baitfish accumulation) to look for??
1. Structure- Oyster beds, old wooden docks, sunken boats, transitions from sandy to muddy bottoms, Etc. Pay attention at LOW tide WHERE these high percentage structure’s are, so at high tide you can fish them…..
2. Weeds- ANY type of GREEN weed is an indication of “clean water”. Find a weedline and usually you’ll find some fish.
3. Current- When the tide is flowing strong is when you will get your best strikes; during “slack tide” the fishing, (in general), will slow down, (or cease).
Add these 3 “ingredient’s” (structure, weeds, current) to major tidal influence and baitfish accumulation and you’ll have PLENTY of action.
In regards to your 12FT boat- Because your boat is so small and has such low gunwales trying to fish in any area where larger boats might cause a huge wake and swamp you is a VERY serious (and REAL) danger. ( I was once swamped in the ICW on a 15 FT Flats boat when a barge came through and pushed a 4-5FT wake at me. I was just outside a creek, (on the main channel) and was hammering some Flounder in 3FT of water at the time. I wasn’t paying attention and WHAMMO!! Thankfully, my bilge pump and bailing milk-jug saved me!)
In your case, you should NEVER venture into ANY main channel!!! Stay inside a creek or on the Flat AT ALL TIMES. Understand even a “smaller” boat (with a jack@ss, drunk or incompetent Captain) could swamp you; it’s best to be safer than sorry when out fishing in saltwater with such a small craft. (By the way- there is no “walking home” in some flats situations. The mud on some flats acts like quicksand and can easily “suck you down”. I once lost track of time on a HUGE expansive Flat and began running out of water. I said “No problem”!!
I’ll just jump out & push my Skiff the extra 30yards I had left to get to deeper water- WRONG!!! Once overboard I lost my sandals, and almost my shorts!!!! If I had not had a hold of the side of the boat when I went overboard I would have lost MORE!)
As to WHERE? Your closest place to saltwater fish (from Polk County) would be in and around Tampa/Clearwater. Many bridges in that area have “pull-offs” where a small Jon could easily be launched. If I were you I’d get a good map (or go to Google Maps Satellite) and thoroughly investigate any and all creeks feeding into Tampa Bay……
Understand- Most Flats/Saltwater Creek fishing is VERY similar to Bass fishing, (in fact, MOST of your Bass lures will work on the Tampa area Flats). If you decide to use your Bass tackle make sure to upgrade your hooks to 3X strong…
Hope this helps ya? Good luck!
PS- I’m going to mark your Q as interesting in the hopes that the other Florida fishermen see it- Like Brandon, Chimp D, Ingun, Etc. They will be able to add more info on tackle and (possibly) good launching areas…
Courtesy of Y!Answers