Staying Stealthy With Your Trolling Motor

Everyone knows that when you’re fishing the shallows, you can be completely stealthy using a trolling motor… right? Well, sort of, but not necessarily. One thing many people forget about is that a trolling motor can actually make plenty of fish-spooking noise, if it’s not run just so.

HITTING bottom while the prop is spinning will make a tremendous amount of noise, unless you’re over a muddy bottom with zero shells or stones in it. Even soft sand will make a grinding noise underwater that can be heard from quite a ways off. And hitting rock or shell makes a racket below the waterline. Paying close attention to depth and avoiding any contact with bottom is a must, if you want to remain stealthy in the shallows.

GULPING air because the prop isn’t submerged enough will create a ton of fish-spooking noise, too. You may not be able to avoid this at times if you’re running aground, but the time to really watch out for this is when boat wakes are approaching. The prop may be sufficiently deep when the boat’s at rest, but a set of wakes that send the bow bobbing up and down can raise it too high momentarily.

RUNNING full-tilt makes a lot more noise than easing along at minimal speed. All propellers, whether powered by gasoline or electricity, make a certain amount of underwater noise as they spin. This noise is directly related to their speed, and a fast-spinning propeller can make a high-pitch whine underwater that can be heard from many yards away. Slowing down as you make the final approach to a good hotspot is a smart move.

Of course, compared to the other noises we might make aboard (slamming a hatch, yelling, starting up the main powerplant), an electric trolling motor is incredibly quiet. But don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Look out for these potential noise-making situations and avoid them, to catch more fish.