Article 16...

Boat Control While You Fish
By Denny  Brauer

You simply cannot catch fish if you are not around them, but even when you are around them you will not catch them if you are spooking them with your boat. Boat control is often an overlooked aspect of catching fish. I firmly believe that a fisherman who properly positions and maneuvers his boat will catch more fish than a fisherman who does not. Here are some things I try to keep in mind when fishing.

Fish into the wind or current
This allows you to keep the boat under control. If you catch a fish or retie a bait, the wind or current will carry the boat away from the cover and the fish. There have been many occasions when I catch more than one bass off of a laydown. Had my boat drifted into the cover, I would not have caught the additional fish because they would have been spooked by the boat.

Keep a proper distance from the cover
Trying to make presentations from too far away reduces your accuracy and chances of landing a hooked bass. The proper distance varies with different conditions. Generally clear water, calm winds, and sparse cover require you to keep your boat further away from the fish to prevent spooking them. The lure you are using also makes a difference. When throwing a crankbait you want to keep a distance where the bait you are throwing reaches the depth of the cover. This requires an intimate knowledge of the dive of your crankbait.

Watch your shadow
Try not to cast a shadow on the cover you are fishing. All fish are scared when shadows pass overhead. Predatory birds cast shadows when flying over fish, and thus fish have learned to avoid them.

Keep your trolling motor quiet
I have always had an Evinrude Trolling Motor on the front of my Ranger Boat, and it has always been as quiet as a mouse. Keeping all of the joints and