Minn Kota Trolling Motors - Why They Rule the Water

I'm a die-hard bass fisherman. I have been for over twenty years.

During those twenty-plus years, I've learned a thing or two about a large variety of bass fishing gear, including trolling motors. Time spent on the water with so many different pieces of equipment means getting to see how they perform, day in and day out, in real-life situations.

When it comes to my trolling motor, I don't compromise. I want an electric motor that will work every time I need it to... period. I want it to be dependable and durable. I don't want to get on the water and find that the motor doesn't work, or that it works for half the day and then quits on me. That doesn't cut it in my book.



I've owned a few different boats during the past 25 years and I've used both major brands of trolling motors...Minn Kota and Motorguide. The Motorguide motor came pre-installed, brand new, on a new boat that I had bought. I wasn't crazy about that fact, since I had always used Minn Kota trolling motors, but I wanted to give it a fair shot and see how it would perform and how durable it would be. On top of that, I had just laid out some serious cash for the boat, so the last thing I wanted to do was spend more money to buy another trolling motor.

Fast forward a couple of years. The Motorguide was still working, but I wasn't the happiest camper in the park.

To begin with, the motor wasn't variable speed. I was used to having variable speeds on my trolling motor. It was the way to go, in my opinion, when it comes to speed control. Having to deal with only 5 speeds was a real pain, but I dealt with.

The worst feature of the motor was the shaft. It was steel, not composite. This made the Motorguide very fragile because if I hit any underwater obstructions with it, there was a good chance that the shaft would bend and stay that way, rendering the motor useless.

So I made due with the Motorguide for a few years, knowing that I would eventually replace it with a Minn Kota. When that day came, I was a bass fisherman with a big smile on my face!

So now you know that I prefer Minn Kota trolling motors over the Motorguides, let me tell you a little bit more about why.

First off, any Minn Kota motors that I have had have been much quieter than the Motorguides. They run smoother and create less vibration.

They also use a different style mounting bracket to attach the motor to the bow of the boat. The Minn Kota bracket is designed to break away in the event that the motor hits a stump, rock or other object, and then pop right back into place when the stress is taken off.

The shaft of the Minn Kota trolling motors is also leaps and bounds ahead of Motorguide in the fact that it's made of a composite material that will flex when put under stress. This means that you can hit an underwater object and the shaft will actually flex and snap right back to pin-straight when the pressure is removed. So there are no more bent shafts and no more damaged mounting brackets. This makes the Minn Kota a winner without ever comparing any of the other features.

Minn Kota redesigned their steering systems several years ago. The new design virtually eliminates broken steering cables, making them a thing of the past. The chances of you being stuck on the water with a broken cable are next to nil.

I could go on longer, telling you all about how smooth and quiet the motors are and how they last for years and years, and lots of other great things, but I think you already get the point.

So if you're in the market for a new trolling motor and you've been on the fence about which brand to buy, don't waste time worrying about it any longer. Just buy a Minn Kota.