I love talking to folks about fishing. I’m frequently asked how I was introduced to fishing. I explain how I was fortunate as a kid that my father and grandfather got me on the water, where they taught me all I needed to know to enjoy the angling lifestyle I do today.
I go on to explain how I remember, going back to when I was 10, leaving the dock at our family cabin to go fishing every chance I got in a 14-foot Lund with a 15-horsepower tiller drive motor. As I gained more trust from my parents and learned more about fishing, I was allowed to travel farther from the dock. I have great memories of that little boat.
Today, I run a 20-foot steering wheel boat as my main outfit, but I still own a tiller that I use on occasion. Growing up fishing in a small boat and guiding for resorts across northwest Ontario, I have probably spent more hours hanging on to a tiller drive handle than a steering wheel and I have learned a lot from those boats.
Anglers often want the biggest and fastest boat but sometimes forget that the boat doesn’t catch the fish.
Five advantages to running a tiller
Control in windy weather
To stay on a point in rough water, you can park the stern of a tiller boat into the wind and pop the motor in and out of gear. It beats fighting the wind with a bow-mounted trolling motor.
Maximize electronics use
If you enjoy video game fishing – watching your lure as you jig – the boat control you have with a tiller boat is exceptional. Mount your transducer on the port side, find the sweet spot where you can watch your jig and it’ll be just like you’re ice fishing, except you can move around much easier.
Vertical fishing efficiency
For fishing vertically in deep water, a tiller boat is much more efficient because you can idle over structure while keeping an eye on your sonar. When you spot fish, you can stop immediately and drop a jig or spoon. If you have to go to the front of the boat, then drop the trolling motor, you often lose the fish.
Offers more room
As a guide, a tiller boat allows for plenty of room for two or three guests, all the gear we need, a shore lunch box, propane tank and cooker.
Fish small water
It isn’t hard to find a small lake on the side of the road to drop a small boat into. Small boats that you can just toss in the bed of your truck offer you access to some of the best fishing in Canada, water untouched by anglers with bigger boats.
Safety tip
Use a tether cord attached to the kill switch. If for some reason you are no longer in the boat, you want to make sure that engine is off.
Originally published in Ontario OUT of DOORS’ 2023 Fishing Annual
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