Tips for Better Boat Control

• Boat control is easy when the current is slow or the wind is calm, but that is only about 10 percent of the time. During this section of the season, with fish concentrated on structure it is imperative that you keep the boat right where the fish are if you want to be successful.

• Any boat over 18 feet long should have at least one drift sock. I carry two. On those windy days when you could drift a reef or a weedline you can maintain a productive drift speed and control the position of the boat with a bow- or transom-mounted electric motor.

• Trolling has become a simple process with the introduction of the GPS and map chip combination. With this handy tool anglers that like to weave a snaky weedline can do it with ease just by following the contour map on the GPS screen.

• On the river I often use both my gas and electric motor. The gas motor is set to keep the nose of the boat into the current with a slight slip downstream and the electric motor positions the boat wherever it needs to be in the channel.

• The ultimate boat control is an anchor, actually two anchors. When you find fish concentrated in a spot an anchor off the bow and transom to hold the boat in position is as good as it gets.