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Dennis Anderson: Electric motors help in gas pinch
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Everyone is concerned about the price of gasoline these days, including boaters. But anglers -- a subset of the boating public -- would seem to have a big advantage over other craft owners on the water this summer, because much of their propulsion is provided by electricity.
Electric trolling motors have played a big role in fishing for more than 25 years. These types of efficient, quiet engines have been around longer than that. But their widespread use by the fishing public beginning in the 1970s and early 1980s seems almost prescient now that gas prices have risen, in terms of the economy they afford.
Example: The other night I was on Mille Lacs, looking for walleyes. Not every spot produced, as could be expected, so some running was involved in the boat to get from one flat to another, one rock pile to another. But when I reached the spots I wanted to fish, my gasoline-burning outboard was shut down in favor of the bow-mounted electric trolling motor.
Look for further refinements of these motors so they can be used even more widely. Already 24-, 36- and even 48-volt systems are being used on many anglers' boats. They provide more and longer-lasting power than single-battery, 12-volt systems. And some transom-mounted electrics can rival small outboards in power.
I hooked a few walleyes the other night. And didn't burn a lot of gas doing it.
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