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The conditions and your application will influence the power setting for your trolling motor when you are fishing. A greater power level is needed when trolling in a river with significant current than when trolling near a lake inlet.
A professional angler typically operates at 30% of maximum power in most applications, according to our Team Dakota Lithium pro team. So, if you choose a Dakota Lithium battery that fulfills your maximum amp draw requirements (the battery’s Ah capacity rating is more than your motor’s maximum amp draw), you will likely have a battery that will last you a full day on the water. During tournament fishing circumstances (lake fishing, low wind), one pro staff member tested a 24v 54ah battery kit for their 24v 80 lb thrust trolling motor and received a 14-hour run time.
See the details for the Garmin Force Trolling Motor amp draw below for an illustration of amp draw per power setting. The number of amps consumed at each power setting is provided by Garmin. The chart below illustrates how the Force trolling motor will use more amps when set to 24 volts as opposed to 36 volts. And how 10% of the power consumed at 90% is drawn by a setting of 30%. That is the sweet spot for power utilization efficiency.
Power Source 24 Volts
throttle position
Thrust
Current
10%
25 N-m (6 lbf) (6 lbf)
2 A
20%
45 N-m (10 lbf) (10 lbf)
3 A
30%
70 N-m (16 lbf) (16 lbf)
6 A
40%
101 N-m (23 lbf) (23 lbf)
9 A
50%
140 N-m (31 lbf) (31 lbf)
14 A
60%
184 N-m (41 lbf) (41 lbf)
21 A
70%
233 N-m (52 lbf) (52 lbf)
29 A
80%
287 N-m (65 lbf) (65 lbf)
40 A
90%
345 N-m (78 lbf) (78 lbf)
54 A
100%
355 N-m (80 lbf) (80 lbf)
57 A
Power Supply of 36 Volts
throttle position
Thrust
Current
10%
21 N-m (5 lbf) (5 lbf)
1 A
20%
41 N-m (9 lbf) (9 lbf)
2 A
30%
69 N-m (16 lbf) (16 lbf)
4 A
40%
103 N-m (23 lbf) (23 lbf)
6 A
50%
144 N-m (32 lbf) (32 lbf)
10 A
60%
191 N-m (43 lbf) (43 lbf)
15 A
70%
246 N-m (55 lbf) (55 lbf)
21 A
80%
307 N-m (69 lbf) (69 lbf)
29 A
90%
375N-m (84 lbf) (84 lbf)
39 A
100%
445 N-m (100 lbf) (100 lbf)
54 A
Please notice that not all trolling motors will fit into this chart, which is primarily meant for instructional purposes (this chart came from Garmin). For information on your model’s amp draw and rigging instructions, including how to utilize fuses or circuit breakers, get in touch with the maker of your trolling motor.
