Anyone who fishes tournaments, or even recreationally, knows the importance of power to keep everything running properly on a boat. Nothing will ruin a day faster than a lack of battery power cutting the day short, which is why BAM Super 60 angler Ryan Hall switched to lithium batteries five seasons ago and hasn't looked back. The benefits to him are plentiful as he's seen better performance, longer battery life, quicker charging, and more.
Switching to Lithium
Many anglers have already made "the switch" in power for their boat, and Hall did it five seasons ago. He went with Bioenno Marine batteries and says his battery setup has performed excellently ever since.
"In my boat now, I have a 36-volt, 50 amp hour battery for my trolling motor and then have a 12-volt, 100 amp hour for all of my electronics," he said. "Having my electronics on a dedicated battery, with all the screens and forward-facing sonar minimizes interference. Having an isolated battery will give you a much cleaner picture and stay that way for much longer."
Going with a single 36-volt for his trolling motor has also worked well for him because of his boat and how it was set up. "It's an older boat, and I just didn't have a lot of space to work with," he said. "It's a Ranger 520VX, and back then, they weren't designed for having a bunch of batteries as well as shallow water anchor pumps and oil reservoirs; there just isn't a lot of real estate to work with. Going to a 36-volt just made sense, and I could customize everything, so I had room for all of that, and the space savings from lithium batteries were great."
Hall has found that they charge his batteries quickly and easily. He uses two chargers, one for his 36-volt battery and one for his 12-volt used for electronics and his cranking batter. "I run the stock Bioenno charger for the 36V, and it's the size of a laptop charger, and it has quick connects on it to put on the leads. It takes me two seconds to do it," he said. "I have a Minn Kota Precision two-bank charger for the other batteries. That's much smaller than the old four-bank charger I had before, which saved me even more space and some weight back there."
Choosing the Right Batteries
With so many battery brands and sizes options, picking the correct battery for your needs takes some research. That's how Hall began his lithium journey. He chose Bioenno because of their reputation, and he's been more than pleased with the performance.
"These were one of the first lithium companies, and I've never had a single issue with them, and I kind of have a reputation for being hard on equipment and breaking things on my boat," Hall said. "I've never killed them, and for people that know me, that's a big thing. They have excellent customer service, but I've never had to use it for anything. That's why they have a 20-year warranty, the longest out there, because they have a good product to begin with."
Hall also appreciated Bioenno's expertise in answering all the questions he fired at them when choosing the right batteries. "All of the brands are not the same, and on some, their amp hours and everything varies from what they say on the battery," he said. "Engineers designed Bioenno batteries, so they're the real deal, and they answered all of my questions. They also work closely with Johnson Outdoors locally, so they were familiar with my Humminbird and Minn Kota equipment. They knew what amount of power each item would draw, what I could expect, and how it would impact my batteries."
Overall, Hall has been thrilled with the performance. In addition to saving weight in the boat, the longevity of the batteries has helped him fish with confidence all day.
"When you switch to lithium, you will notice better performance out of your trolling motor and electronics," he said. "Your power will remain consistent throughout the day, and you won't see them drawing down until the end of the day. The reliability is also great; I don't go on the lake and think my batteries will die on me; I know they will be strong as long as I'm out there."
Many bass anglers have already decided to switch to lithium batteries, with many more contemplating the jump. It's a big decision, and plenty of research is needed to ensure the right battery setup and brand to get the best performance out of your investment.
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