# Fly Fishing with a trolling motor



## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)

Is anyone out there fishing creeks with a trolling motor? I fish St Augustine, way up in creeks, using my hand steer trolling motor. Its sometimes really tough due to wind and tide. Really busy on the bow....casting and boat positioning. Something I noticed, all the youtube vids never show anyone doing it. The person on the bow is just concerned with casting. Would love to see how other people manage it. Anyone else fishing this same way? Like rubbing your stomach and patting your head...in between strips, bumping the trolling motor to stay off the oysters. Just curious....


----------



## Gervais (Nov 28, 2016)

I have a bow mount tiller steer as well and it’s not easy sometimes with tide and wind. I’ve found it does help to leave some motor in the water for drag if you’re solo. Subtle movements are key to avoid snaking around and going slow helps. It might take a little longer to get there but you won’t have to constantly correct. Sometimes it’s just easier to stake out breifly and then move down the bank 30’.


----------



## sevenweight (Sep 3, 2015)

I use a Minn-Kota Riptide Ulterra with remote control which has the ability to record and follow a track. The tracks can be permanently saved. So for a little 30-foot wide creek, I'll record a track then come back later the same day or the next day to use it (in a creek that small of course you are flushing everything as you go). For creeks narrower than, say, 20 feet, the autopilot precision (which includes disruptions or imprecision in the GPS signal) can be problematic. For following a shoreline 50 to 60 feet out, it works great.


----------



## Scott Kor (Feb 3, 2019)

I fish with a Minn Kota Terrova with Autopilot when I am out alone. I love love love it. I don't use Advanced autopilot with GPS. I have turned that off and use legacy autopilot instead. Just point the head and it goes that way regardless of wind or current. The biggest adjustment that I have made is to use a micro controller and strap it to my wrist. This allows me to steer without looking and speed up and slow down without looking. I basically drive like someone reading brail because I can feel all the buttons. Much better than a foot control when fly fishing.


----------



## Rookiemistake (Jan 30, 2013)

I use a mk copilot. Remote is so much better even if its not the ipilot


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Trolling motor is probably fine in deeper water. Once you get into skinny water, you're better off staking out and waiting quietly until you see fish or are ready to move to another stake out location.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

If you need someone to pole while you fish I might be available. I just moved to St Augustine and am a fly fisherman. I also use spinning gear but only with artificial baits. PM me if you are interested.


----------



## Sethsawyer (Apr 5, 2019)

I fly fish small creeks with a trolling motor anytime I am by myself and it is deep enough to run it, but as you know tide, wind, and a running trolling motor make it tough to cast. I use a powerpole micro in the back of the boat, and a stake out pole in the front of the boat. Sneak up to where I want/ in range of the fish, quietly stake out and make the cast. With both poles down boat wont spin or anything. I have been contemplating double micro's so I don't have to deal with the stake out pole in the front, but if its really calm the stake out pole is quieter than the powerpole micro.


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I have a 24v tiller. Yes if the wind,tide and all are against you maybe poll and stake out when you see something. Or do as other are saying


----------



## GullsGoneWild (Dec 16, 2014)

Go low and slow. I routinely fish a channel that isn't wide enough to spin the skiff. Bump yourself along 30 ft at a time or get out and walk.


----------



## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

I've done it a few times with my Ulterra. I'll slowly cruise along, pause the motor, make a few casts, restart motor and make any steering adjustments and then repeat. The real issue I have is that even though I know my remote buttons by feel, I still have to concentrate a little on the boat heading and TM settings instead of scanning for fish. Mind you I am fly fishing only so it requires more effort to look for fish, manage my fly line and tend to the TM. I tend to only use my TM when it is windy or I am fishing off the flats in open water where the TM noise doesn't seem to affect the fish as much. Even though I don't have it on my boat very often, I wouldn't be without the ability to put it on the boat when I want to.


----------



## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)

All great ideas! Thanks for advice. I think the stake and cast method is probably the best solution. The creeks I’m fishing are small and filled with clumps of oysters, so using any type of remote control trolling motor is almost impossible. Sometimes i have to lift the TM up with only half the prop in the water to make it past some choke points. Depending on the tide (St Aug has 4 to 5 ft tide), you can get around fairly well, but it requires some hands on make it thru most places. The mud is so deep, poling is all but impossible. 
I guess I’ll start staking out and casting in high percentage spots.


----------



## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

I use my spot lock while casting or heading lock while pounding shorelines. There's no way in hell my wife's gonna push pole while I fish.


----------



## Jason M (Aug 13, 2017)

RunningOnEmpty said:


> I use my spot lock while casting or heading lock while pounding shorelines. There's no way in hell my wife's gonna push pole while I fish.


If you can figure out how to make that happen please lets us all know!


----------



## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

OakHill63 said:


> All great ideas! Thanks for advice. I think the stake and cast method is probably the best solution. The creeks I’m fishing are small and filled with clumps of oysters, so using any type of remote control trolling motor is almost impossible. Sometimes i have to lift the TM up with only half the prop in the water to make it past some choke points. Depending on the tide (St Aug has 4 to 5 ft tide), you can get around fairly well, but it requires some hands on make it thru most places. The mud is so deep, poling is all but impossible.
> I guess I’ll start staking out and casting in high percentage spots.


Check out this thread. https://www.microskiff.com/threads/fishing-solo-on-a-flats-skiff.57086/page-2
I used to live in Jax and I used the stake out pole on the bow method when I was in skinny creeks like you are fishing. It’s easier the lighter the boat you have of course. Takes a little time to get used to but it’s a must in those very skinny creeks. Using trolling motor until it’s to shallow is fine but I’m not a fan of any of the prop out of the water as that makes too much noise. From what I hear those fish are getting a lot more pressure recently.


----------



## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

When I fished the goon, if was running the TM at all it didn't matter how stealthy I was, as the fish were put off for distance of at least 75-100 yds. I'd imagine a narrow creek would be the same. In which case I'd stake it and wait for them to calm down/return.

But, that tracking GPS feature on ipilot (as well as legacy) sounds like something I'm overdue for.


----------



## AMiller (Mar 12, 2018)

Last fall I was running the TM while solo fly fishing. I was also not paying attention and the wind blew the fly line off the deck and the TM decided to eat it. So by the time I realized what was going on the trolling motor had about 40 feet of fly line and the first 3 feet of my 8wt wrapped up in it. After I built a new 8wt I mounted an additional puck on the back of my skiff and ran power back there so I could get that devil contraption away from me when I'm on the bow with the long rod. Obviously this only works with a remote control TM but it's kind of nice. I keep a short stake out pole on the bow and I can make slight course changes with it as well as staking out.


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Dudes having to buy clear fly line and using flourocarbon leaders to keep from spooking fish but running trolling motors within casting distance? I think you would catch more fish without it.


----------



## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

But poling is hard. 
I never use it unless to set up for a drift. Or bass fishing.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

MRichardson said:


> But poling is hard.
> I never use it unless to set up for a drift. Or bass fishing.


Dude, fishing for reds with a fly rod IS hard. If you are unwilling to do the work you won’t get a good result.


----------



## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

Lol. I was being facetious. Or sarcastic. One of those things.

On the goon, I've seen schools of milling reds flinch when the TM was accidentally switched on from 150 yards away. The whole school. They absolutely hate it.


----------



## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)

Zaraspook said:


> Dude, fishing for reds with a fly rod IS hard. If you are unwilling to do the work you won’t get a good result.


Tried the stake and cast method today, and it went well. Its a little more work, but it sure makes casting easier. Going to find a shorter stake to make it even easier.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

OakHill63 said:


> Tried the stake and cast method today, and it went well. Its a little more work, but it sure makes casting easier. Going to find a shorter stake to make it even easier.


So...I've been playing around with my approach as well.

I have been using the 8' Park N Pole that I generally use for push poling my SUP or canoe while standing on the nose of the boat with the fly rod at my feet pointing aft.

This allows me to crawl the boat along quietly without using the 18'+ push pole. I found a bungie style cord that has a caribiner clip on one end and a small loop on the other. Its long enough for me to clip one end to the bow eye on the skiff and tuck the other end under my left toe.

I basically pole along slowly with the park n pole and when I see fish I reach down to the loop under my toe and slip the park n pole into the loop to quickly and quietly stake out. I can do this and reach back to grab the fly rod without taking my eyes off the fish.

So far so good. I've gotten the fly in front of redfish in the 50-60' range without spooking them and without having to take my eye off of them.


----------



## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)

crboggs said:


> So...I've been playing around with my approach as well.
> 
> I have been using the 8' Park N Pole that I generally use for push poling my SUP or canoe while standing on the nose of the boat with the fly rod at my feet pointing aft.
> 
> ...


Thats a great idea.... I was using a 14 ft cypress pole and trying to be as stealthy as possible. I’m going to hunt down the Park-n-Pole you mentioned. It is a frustrating thing to finally find a red on oyster clump and barely make a noise grabbing the pole, and the red jet away. Going to maybe put some SeaDek or some type of padding down to quiet down the noise of moving the pole. I’m learning more and more about fly fishing and site fishing....learned how tough it can be....but heart stopping excitement when the red turns and attacks the fly you just softly landed near him. (Which is a feat unto itself in a heavy wind).
Thanks for the info!


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

OakHill63 said:


> Going to maybe put some SeaDek or some type of padding down to quiet down the noise of moving the pole.


My entire deck has Marine Mat...makes a big difference on noise.


----------



## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

crboggs said:


> So...I've been playing around with my approach as well.
> 
> I have been using the 8' Park N Pole that I generally use for push poling my SUP or canoe while standing on the nose of the boat with the fly rod at my feet pointing aft.
> 
> ...


It’s more efficient to pull the boat from the bow then push, imho. I do something similar to you but I leave the bungie cord connected while pulling(not pushing) boat forward which makes it really easy to stake out. Here is a boring video of the idea. Hope it helps, like I’ve mentioned before it is really effective in soft and shallow bottoms. Also if you listen very carefully you will hear.. crickets.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Yup...very, very similar. I just don't leave the bungie connected since its clipped to the bow eye rather than a cleat like you appear to be using. I don't have enough slack. May get a longer bungie and try the same thing.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

Yes..., I like poling from the bow with a shorter pole. I am going to try your technique using my 8ft stick pole. Using this technique with my new Nano should work really well.


----------



## AMiller (Mar 12, 2018)

Zaraspook said:


> View attachment 76274
> Yes..., I like poling from the bow with a shorter pole. I am going to try your technique using my 8ft stick pole. Using this technique with my new Nano should work really well.


That thing looks sick!


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Meh, poling seems much more efficient because you keep momentum going with each stroke. Cool idea for certain situations though.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Meh, poling seems much more efficient because you keep momentum going with each stroke. Cool idea for certain situations though.


Poling is more efficient if you have someone to do it. If you are alone, poling from the bow with a short pole works well.


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Zaraspook said:


> Poling is more efficient if you have someone to do it. If you are alone, poling from the bow with a short pole works well.


You should see me try to pole my self and cast a fly in the wind from the platform. It’s comical.


----------



## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

I work very hard to approach the fish from upwind when the situation is right.

It's almost never right.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

I agree Smackdaddy and Mrichardson, fly fishing alone while you manage your skiff is like pissing in the wind. Every once in awhile when the planets are alined and the fishing gods take pity on me, a most magical thing happens..., I hook up and it all seems worth it.


----------



## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Poling from the bow sucks because the boat walks side to side and pole hits side of skiff. Also managing a 21’ push pole from front is a PIA. Pulling boat with stake out avoids these issues. It is not a lot of work once you get used to it and build momentum. It’s similar to learning to pole on a 18’ flats boat. It seems impossible at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s not that bad.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

Str8-Six said:


> Poling from the bow sucks because the boat walks side to side and pole hits side of skiff. Also managing a 21’ push pole from front is a PIA. Pulling boat with stake out avoids these issues. It is not a lot of work once you get used to it and build momentum. It’s similar to learning to pole on a 18’ flats boat. It seems impossible at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s not that bad.


I completely agree, poling from the bow with a 21ft pole is a waste of time. First of all, I have two poles, a 21ft and an 18ft pole. I also have a 16ft skiff that is easily poled from the bow with my shorter pole. I soon will have a 13ft skiff that that will even be easier. I’m not sure what size skiff Oakhill63 has. I definitely will try your pole walking technique in the near future. 

Back in the day. I’m talking about the 70’s when I was learning how to bonefish in Biscayne Bay, I learned to pole from the top of my Mercury engine. Yes, I fell off regularly but poling towers had not yet been invented.


----------



## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Back when Bill Curtis put the first poling platform on a skiff. People would say that it was to keep his engine from getting wet. Funny how times change.


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Str8-Six said:


> Back when Bill Curtis put the first poling platform on a skiff. People would say that it was to keep his engine from getting wet. Funny how times change.


That’s still all it’s good for on some boats.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

Str8-Six said:


> Back when Bill Curtis put the first poling platform on a skiff. People would say that it was to keep his engine from getting wet. Funny how times change.


I remember when he got it at Bob Hewes. I got mine shortly after.


----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

I see 19-24ft boats with poling platforms all the time but they never have a pushpole.


----------



## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

I do use bow mounted manual trolling motor n drift down wind n pin down when spotting reds. Works for me. Our reds aren't as educated as Florida reds, probably less fishing pressure n more fish.


----------



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I never had a poling tower on my first bonefish skiff and probably caught a lot more fish as a result... It was an inexpensive 16’ Starcraft hull that we built a very lightweight bonefish interior in. I poled it from either corner in the stern and never felt the need for a tower. A fishing guide does need a tower though... I didn’t take up guiding until 20 years later...


----------



## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

Me doing everything by myself in general would look hilarious if someone just watched me from the trees, Im just sneaking around my boat and missing fish for the most part


Smackdaddy53 said:


> You should see me try to pole my self and cast a fly in the wind from the platform. It’s comical.


Theres a lot of different factors that change everything every time. I would say my best set up is when the sun and the wind are coming from the same direction so I can just drift and stand on the bow. Thats the ninja quiet.

In the creeks I usually pole from the front with my normal pole because they are usually deeper anyway. But depending where you are that can be pretty impossible if your trying to sneak up on something and the tide is against you.

In the creeks when I post up I just tie up to the tree branches.

My trolling motor is great in deeper water with a simple path, but its hard not to just constantly overcorrect and focus on fishing. Not to mention mine has stopped working twice in 50 days of fishing. 

If I want to enjoy myself, I drift in the open or post up.


----------



## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)

I’m fishing out of a 1996 Sundance Skiff that I had completely rebuilt by the guys in Williston (by Gainesville) Marine Metals. I had the molded (heavy) rear deck removed and a lightweight deck built in its place. I can float in 8 inches (realistic). The front deck is still factory. Its a heavy hull in comparison to a true flats skiff, and it would be tough to pole it for very long (hence the trolling motor). I had a custom poling platform made, with a small bench seat on the structure of the poling platform (for the wife). Prior to the rebuild it would float in 10 inches or so. Taking out the rear deck, really made a difference.


----------



## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)




----------



## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

Looks great


----------

