Don't Let Careless Boat Operation Spook Feeding Fish Even When It's Windy
Story and Photos By Don Wirth

All signs seemed to indicate that this was going to be a truly awesome day of crappie fishing. The weather was mild with a light breeze out of the west. You were using your most reliable lures and rigs. The fish were there, too. That guy in the blue boat, who was fishing the same area as you, was catching crappie like crazy. However, your day ended in disappointment. You bagged only two fish, and they barely measured. What went wrong?
Believe it or not, the answer may lie in the way you handled your boat. Maybe you were struggling to maintain a favorable position for casting in high winds or swift current. Or perhaps you put the crappie on red alert by repeatedly switching your trolling motor on and off.

Proper boat control can indeed make a huge difference in your fishing success. On your next outing, try the following boating tips from the experts. They just might help you score more slabs.

The X Factor
"When I give crappie seminars at sporting goods stores and boat shows, fishermen always pick my brain about lure selection, bait rigs and the best places to fish, but hardly anybody ever asks about boat control," says veteran guide Jim Duckworth. "I call proper boat control the X factor. It's arguably the most overlooked avenue to fishing success. Without it, all your lures, bait rigs and structure-fishing know-how become essentially worthless."

However, crappie anglers aren't alone in their failure to recognize the importance of maintaining tight control over their fishing boat.

"Mention ‘controlled drifting' or ‘the rudder effect' to most weekend crappie, bass or walleye fishermen, and they don't have a clue what you're talking about," Duckworth says. "But tournament anglers understand that earning a paycheck in today's highly competitive environment requires more than the right lure or knowing the whereabouts of a few decent honeyholes. They've learned how to handle their boats in any weather or water condition to enhance their chances of catching fish."

Boat control is especially important when you fish with one or more partners.
"As a guide, it's absolutely mandatory that I keep my paying customers within casting distance of cover and structure, regardless of the wind, waves or current," adds Kentucky Lake guide Garry Mason. "Boat owners should feel a similar sense of responsibility toward their buddies or family members who are out fishing with them. Remember that you're the captain of the ship, and your passengers are relying on you to put them in a position where they can catch fish and have an enjoyable outing."

The Most Important Tool
Most fishing boats today are equipped with both gas and electric motors. According to Duckworth, the electric trolling motor is the single most important piece of equipment on any freshwater fishing boat.

"It's the tool you use most often to control and position your boat, regardless of what species you're fishing for," he says.

Many anglers try to cut costs when purchasing boats and boating equipment, but Duckworth insists that skimping on your trolling motor is a bad idea.

"I never met a fisherman who complained about his trolling motor having too much power, operating too smoothly or draining his batteries too slowly," he says. "I always urge anglers to buy the most powerful and efficient trolling motor they can afford, even if it means cutting back on other fishing-related purchases such as additional rods, reels and lures. You may run a premium high-thrust trolling motor on its maximum power setting only rarely, but it's good to know that extra boost is there when you need it in wind or current and in the event your gas motor fails."

Where to mount your trolling motor is pretty much a dead issue, Mason explains.
"Anglers competing in the first bass tournaments back in the late 1960s were the first to mount their trolling motors on the bow of their boats instead of the transom," he says. "Their argument was that it's easier to pull a chain than push it. It's taken 40 years, but today most boaters who fish agree that having the trolling motor up front makes it easier to control your boat. Walleye fishermen are the exception. Many of them run two electric motors — one at the bow and the other on the transom. The rear motor is used for back-trolling, which is a slow-motion presentation tactic."

The debate over hand versus foot steering is never-ending among trolling-motor owners. Duckworth's 22-foot aluminum boat, which he built himself, is equipped with a bow-mounted 24-volt Minn Kota 3X hand-steer motor that produces 80 pounds of thrust.

"Hand control is more precise than foot steering and is easier on your knees and hips," Duckworth claims. "The 3X model is engineered so that a 60-degree turn of the steering handle turns the lower unit a full 180 degrees, which makes it less tiring to operate during a long day of fishing. I have three on/off buttons on the front deck so I can activate the motor with my foot, regardless of which side of the boat I'm casting from."

Mason's 21-foot Triton fiberglass boat is equipped with a foot-control MotorGuide Digital 36-volt electric motor that puts out 105 pounds of thrust.

"I prefer foot steering simply because I like to have both hands free when casting and reeling," he says. "The X-Series Triton that I use has a recessed area in the deck for the foot-control unit. This makes steering more comfortable on your legs and back than having the control mounted flush to the deck."

Initial Approach
You may not realize it, but it's possible to eliminate any chances of catching crappie from an otherwise productive area simply by the way you approach the area with your boat.

"I often see fishermen roar right into a cove or onto a flat at top speed, cut off their gas motors and start fishing while waves are jostling the boat around and crashing onto the bank," Duckworth says. "They forget that crappie are wary predators whose survival depends on their being constantly aware of what's going on around them. Sound travels through water much more efficiently than through air, so the fish will easily detect any excess noise you make with your boat. Once crappie are aware of an intruder, they may go on red alert and either move to a safer location or pull tighter to cover and develop a bad case of lockjaw."

In shallow water, Mason doesn't like to run his gas motor over the stumps and stakebeds that he intends on fishing.

"I'll stop my big engine two or three cast lengths from the fishing area, then move into casting position with my trolling motor," he explains.

Duckworth has found that the clearest bodies of water demand the stealthiest approach.
"When crappie are holding around shoreline bushes and trees, simply dropping your pliers on the deck of your boat will run them off into deep water," he says. "I shut off my gas motor a hundred yards from the spot I intend to fish and approach it with my trolling motor."

Boat Control While Fishing
Unless you're power-trolling or anchored down, you'll probably be using your trolling motor to move your boat when fishing.

"The biggest mistake most anglers make when operating their trolling motors is constantly changing speeds or repeatedly turning the motor on and off," Duckworth says. "This alerts crappie to your presence and spooks the heck out of baitfish schools. The idea is to conceal your presence as much as possible, so once you turn that trolling motor on, try to keep it on at a continuous speed that works with wind and current conditions and your personal fishing pace. Biologists know that a constant sound is much less intrusive to fish than an intermittent sound. You don't pay any attention to an airplane droning overhead, but you'd notice if its engine sped up or slowed down."

Crappie anglers often prowl shallow water with brushy cover, which can pose additional challenges when operating a trolling motor.

"When fishing shallow coves and flats, raise your trolling motor in its bracket so the lower unit isn't dragging bottom and the prop isn't banging against rocks and kicking up mud," Mason suggests. "Pay special attention to the way submerged tree limbs and brushpiles fan out. Don't move so close to the cover that the shaft of your trolling motor hits a limb and spooks all the crappie holding there."

Your gas motor's lower unit also comes into play when you're operating your trolling motor.

"The outboard's lower unit acts like a rudder, making the electric motor easier to steer," Mason points out. "If you tilt your gas engine completely out of the water or fish from a small boat with no gas motor, you'll find that your boat wants to spin in a circle, requiring constant corrections with the trolling motor. Once you've shut off your gas engine, your best bet is to trim it up high enough so it isn't banging bottom but not so high that you lose the rudder effect. This simple adjustment will make your boat easier to steer under electric power."

Wind & Current
The wind can be both a help and hindrance in boat positioning.

"I often see crappie fishermen on our big reservoirs pack it in as soon as the wind starts blowing because they don't want to fight this force of nature," Duckworth says. "Instead, I try to work with the wind as much as possible."

If a light to moderate breeze is blowing down a shoreline that Duckworth wishes to fish, he'll use his gas motor to move to the beginning of the bank and let the wind carry him back down through the spot.

"I'll keep my trolling motor on a constant low setting, using it not so much to power the boat but to correct its drift so I can stay in line with the stump row or stakebeds I'm fishing," Duckworth adds. "But if the wind picks up and there are some good fish on the shoreline, I'll turn the boat's bow into the wind and adjust the trolling motor speed so I'm drifting backward very slowly."

Duckworth calls this method "slipping." When he's fishing an offshore ledge or drop-off on a windy day, he'll throw out a drift sock, a parachute-like device that traps water when you drag it behind your boat.

"This slows your boat way down and makes it much easier to handle under gas or trolling-motor power," he explains.

Current can also impact boat control on some crappie waters.

"Kentucky Lake is a river-run reservoir, and often the crappie bite best when there's a noticeable current flow," Mason says. "Crappie don't like to be in the direct path of the current, but they will hold around cover close to the edge of a flowing channel, then rush out and grab passing prey. Normally, the current on the main lake is light enough so that I can simply let the flow carry me downstream, correcting the boat's position as I cast to crappie cover. But when fishing fairly swift current, you're better off pointing the nose of your boat upstream and using your electric motor to maintain a comfortable fishing speed."