WITH the opening of the Murray cod season well underway, anglers are always looking for that one piece of equipment that might just give them the edge when it comes to catching more fish.
Most of us are armed to the teeth with the latest and greatest rod and reel combos and in the tackle box are a wide range of brightly colored lures.
In truth, while all of these are part of the angling package, the greatest piece of equipment that I have in my fishing arsenal was acquired more than twenty years ago.
I first purchased my small Minn Kota electric motor to troll live baits in the lower end of the Glenelg River for mulloway.
Silence was the key to catching these elusive fish and these motors were perfect for the job.
When I moved to the Mallee and began to fish the mighty Murray River, the motor was already an intricate piece of my fishing system and it suited the angling conditions of the river very well.
I would be lost without my electric motor in most on water angling situations and I would choose it over a petrol motor every time.
Powered by a deep cycle battery, these small light weight motors are able to maneuver the boat with ease as you glide from snag to snag casting lures and baits in what could best be described as stealth mode.
My first electric was a tiller steer and an excellent tool for trolling lures providing the ability to adjust the speed with a simple movement of the hand as your lures worked over heavy bottom structure.
Other advantages include no noise and this proved a big positive in heavily fished waters where educated fish were switched on to the link between a passing motor followed in tow by a rattling lure.
Light weight and quickly interchangeable, it took more than a decade of hard knocks to finally see my first motor retired.
Electric motors have come a long way since my first model to the point that they now have Auto Pilot capabilities.
The Minn Kota i-Pilot trolling motor utilises GPS technology to automatically navigate and position the boat as you fish your way around the snags.
This creates a new level of versatility and offers several features that have never before been available on a trolling motor.
The Record a Track feature allows an entire fishing track, up to a remarkable two miles in length, to be stored to memory for immediate retracing or a later return trip.
The spot lock feature is another outstanding idea that allows you to position the boat off a snag and hold there even in heavy current while you cast lures or baits at where you think the fish may be holding.
The revolutionary Spot-Lock feature works like an electronic anchor, holding the boat in place.
If the boat drifts more than five feet from the Spot-Lock location, i-Pilot will activate the trolling motor to keep the boat and angler on the designated spot.
If you are truly looking for that one piece of equipment that might just give you the angling edge this season then a Minn Kota electric motor could be it.
Personally I could not imagine fishing without one and owe much of what I know of fishing to these great little motors.
