B.A.S.S. tournament pioneer Stan Sloan said it best about trolling motors.
“It’s easier to pull a chain than push it.”
Sloan, who fished in the first five Bassmaster Classics, showed up at Ray Scott’s 1968 All-American Tournament with his trolling motor mounted on the bow. Back then, trolling motors were designed to be clamped to the transom. The motor pushed the boat forward, although that was awkward as innovative anglers like Sloan found better success up front, where they learned maneuvering the boat was easier. Sloan won the tournament, and his discovery sparked a long list of B.A.S.S tournament-born innovations that continue today.
Back then, a trolling motor replaced a sculling paddle to allow anglers to maneuver their boats closer to casting targets. Today’s supremely sophisticated models are highly effective fishing tools, not unlike the high-tech electronics of which many are synchronized.
Minn Kota’s trolling motor legacy began what could be called the prehistoric days of bass fishing. In 1934, O.G. Schmidt invented the first gear-driven electric trolling motor in Fargo, N.D. The idea took off with anglers looking for more boat control, and Schmidt named the growing company for the land he called home. In the heart of fishing country, Minn Kota was born on the border of Minnesota and North Dakota, and thus the name playing off the names of the states.
Minn Kota has a long list of achievements and here are many of those.
2018
First motor with built-in down imaging comes in 2018. You can’t mark fish if you can’t see fish. And the best view of what’s below comes from Humminbird’s MEGA Imaging. Humminbird’s eye view with a MEGA Down Imaging or MEGA Side Imaging transducer is built right into the lower unit of powerful, trusted motors.
2015
First auto stow/deploy and power trim electric trolling motor with integrated GPS-controlled trolling motor navigation system. Only Ulterra features Auto Stow/Deploy and Power Trim, as well as a choice of i-Pilot or i-Pilot Link and a multi-function foot pedal. Stow, deploy and trim Ulterra from the remote or the foot pedal. Select models come with Built-In MEGA Down Imaging Sonar.
2014
The first wireless, GPS controlled trolling motor navigation system that communicates with a Humminbird fish finder came in 2014. The i-Pilot Link allows a Minn Kota and Humminbird to communicate with each other to change the fishing game. With Link, take command of the motor from the wireless remote or a Humminbird. The possibilities are endless: lock onto spots, record and retrace paths, follow depth contours, and more. The redesigned model has new features and a customizable touchscreen remote to create the ultimate GPS trolling system.
2009
First mono-arm, bow mount trolling motor. The i-Pilot Link allows a Minn Kota and Humminbird to communicate with each other to change the fishing game. With Link, take command of a motor from the wireless remote or a Humminbird.
2005
First cable steer trolling motor with gas-chambered spring for stow and deploy.
2003
First wireless remote control for a trolling motor.
2000
First auto stow/deploy and power trim transom mount hand control trolling motor with 4:1 steering. Vantage and its innovative design delivers fast, effortless control of stow and deploy, steering and backtrolling.
1991
First microprocessor-controlled, self-steering electric trolling motor with AUTOPILOT.
1987
First mass-produced foot operated electric steer remote control trolling motor. Also, the first space-saving, compact bow-mount electric trolling motor with built-in electronic variable speed control automatic display battery condition gauge.
1986
First built in, battery saving, fully variable speed control.
And even before Sloan’s discovery, there were other groundbreaking innovations happening in the world of trolling motors. In 1968, the year he won the All-American, Minn Kota introduced the first electric trolling motor with a forward and reverse switch. That same year, Minn Kota introduced the first foot-operated electric steer remote control. There were many, many more groundbreaking discoveries traced all the way back to 1932, when Schmidt got them rolling.