Fishing Articles and How To Guides

Marine lead acid batteries are still going strong as main boat battery, for trolling and similar, but in many circumstances they are replaced by other types of batteries.

Fish finders are often used on kayaks and small one- or two-man boats and choosing right battery with maximum performance and minimum weight at acceptable price can be confusing thing to do.

Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs) range from small sea scooters to small wet submarines. For recreational fishermen, hand-held underwater scooters are the most important.

Bow and stern thrusters are propulsion devices built into or mounted onto the boat's hull in order to make the boat more maneuverable at low speeds or preferably, at full stop.

Marine batteries come in various sizes, having different capacities, voltages and performances in general.
Depending on the size, batteries are categorized in various size groups. Of course, there are always 'special' size batteries, so pay attention when buying new batteries.

With various standards around, it is important to know how to convert proper cable sizes from one standard to another. Also, voltage drop and power losses depend on the cable length, thickness and current flowing through the cable.

Warning: no math in this article, seriously :)

Electrical demands on modern boats are much higher than decade or more ago. Nearly all fishing boats have electrical devices such as lights, radios, sonars, refrigerators, laptops, electric trolling motors, electric watermakers etc.

Electric golf carts use deep cycle lead acid batteries as energy source for their motors. Selecting the right battery can be daunting task, especially with lithium batteries being more and more present in everyday life.

Marine battery boxes, trays and mounting kits enable placing and storing of the marine battery and its use in a safe manner. During the operation, battery or battery bank should be kept safe, with an easy access if and when required.

Marine battery monitors are simple electric and electronic devices that monitor various parameters of marine battery and display them in a simple and readable manner. Built-in alarms can warn the user that certain parameters are out of desired range and can save the day. And often much more ...

Electric trolling motors are commonly found on smaller and medium boats for propulsion during trolling. When compared with internal combustion engines, they have both pros and cons that one must be aware of.

Mains chargers allow the batteries to be charged while the boat is in the port. Also, when in use, these chargers power entire boat's electric grid - lights, electronics, refrigerators etc.

Since larger boats can operate in different areas and in various countries, it is important that these chargers accept various voltages (110V, 220V, 380V), phases (single-phase or three-phase electric power), various sockets etc.

Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity. Their power output depends on many things like sun radiation strength, angle of the solar panels, their type and age.

Unlike wind turbines, they have no moving parts, they produce no noise during operation and can be positioned more closely to the passengers and onboard equipment. They operate during the day, but during the night, they produce no electricity.

Wind turbines harness the energy of the wind. Blades are connected to the shaft that is connected either directly or over transmission box to the electric generator.

Wind turbine generators start to produce electric energy even during low wind speeds, but no wind, no electricity.

Fixed or portable diesel or gas generators are commonly found on medium or larger fishing boats when electricity is in demand. They have low fuel consumption, relatively low noise levels, can be easily repositioned (at least portable versions), for example, on-shore when required, or transported for maintenance etc.

Manual power generators provide power to the most basic equipment in need - radios and radio beacons, cell and smartphones, navigation lights and similar. They provide tens of watts of power and they are not suitable for charging the main boat battery - while able to provide 2-3 Amps, they would require 10 hours to charge the 12V battery with 20-30Ah.

Jump starters are devices that enable one to 'jump start' the internal combustion engine, when main battery (or battery bank) fails.

Regardless if it is boat, car, lawn mower, forklift, truck or any similar vehicle, jump starters can be of great help.

Dual purpose batteries are often used not only as main boat batteries, but also as batteries for golf carts, Recreational Vehicles (RV) batteries, All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) batteries, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) batteries.

Trolling motor batteries can be divided on deep cycle lead acid marine batteries and non-lead acid marine batteries. Both of them have their strengths and weaknesses, but generally, lead acid batteries are heavier, cheaper, can be connected in parallel easily.

Lead acid marine batteries are very important piece of equipment, regardless if you have small boat that can be pulled out on dry land by hands, or you have large vessel suitable for long off-shore fishing trips.

Telescopic fishing rods are favorite fishing rods of many fishermen, for good reasons. When collapsed, they require very little space, they are lightweight to carry around on fishing trips or when traveling, they are relatively cheap and often can endure and help land surprisingly large fish.

The best pocket knife is something hard to define, but when you really need one, the best pocket knife is the one that is actually in your pocket. Pocket knives varies in material, size, weight, purpose, price and many other important features.

Choosing the best saltwater spinning reel can be hard job to do, since there are so many factors which influence one's decision. Most important features and specifications are used material, spool capacity, type and number of bearings, size and weight, price etc. Also, don't forget that good reel must look good!

Knives are like any piece of equipment - mix of various compromises that often negate each other. Before purchasing a knife, there are many things to consider.

Fishing line 'connects' fish and fishermen and characteristics of fishing line often determine if fishing is successful or not!

Choosing proper fishing line for different fishing conditions, terrains, game fish etc. is thus very important.

There are several units used for measuring speed of the boat, wind, water or something else in maritime conditions. In order to avoid confusion and possible dangerous situations, it is vital to know relationship between three most used units: knots, mph and km/h.

Small pontoon boats are powered by electric or petrol motor or manually using pedals, paddles or oars. These, usually two man boats, are small fishing boats that can be taken almost anywhere and can be used for fun, but also for some serious fishing.

Pen size fishing rods and reels are small, lightweight and relatively durable piece of fishing gear that are easily carried around, requiring little space and often catch fish that surpasses recommended limits of such 'tiny' equipment.

Fishing lines come in almost countless varieties regarding their material, color, thickness and other factors that increase their fishing value. The strongest line is not always the best one, but if the line snaps, fish is gone ...

Copper fishing lines have been in use for a long time, but only recently they have been put to the general use by the introduction of multi-strand copper fishing wires.

Monel fishing lines are heavier than steel wires, but more durable than copper wires. They are also more expensive than copper lines.

Using live fish as bait has numerous advantages when compared with fishing using dead baits, baits in the form of chunks or artificial baits - lures.

Also, one can use other marine organisms, like crustaceans, as live bait.

As with any other piece of fishing equipment, options and specifications for fishing reels are endless. Fortunately, there are only few important things that are really needed to know.

Sometimes we can find ourselves in situations where finding a suitable fishing bait can be problematic, especially if we didn't even plan to go fishing. What to do in such situations?

Seagulls can be very annoying - when they are hungry, they are afraid of almost nothing and will land very close to the fishing boats (even on the boats) and try to find or steal some foods. But, sometimes they can be of great help - they can help one in finding fish just by observing their feeding habits.

Most of these species are suitable for commercial or at least sport fishing. Some of them are endangered, but allowed for sport fishing - remember, catch and release ...

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