Keep your trolling motor rolling—and the fish biting—with a powerful marine battery
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So you have the trolling motor, now you just need the battery to go with it. It’s one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. After all, a good trolling motor battery will let you fish all day without complaint, while the wrong one could leave you dead in the water.
The world of batteries can be overwhelming, with so many things to consider, like type (AGM, lithium, deep cycle, etc.), group size, and amp-hour rating. Maybe you don’t know exactly what you need, or even what all of those terms even mean. To get you out on the water faster, we’ve done the legwork for you and spent hours upon hours testing and reviewing some of the best trolling motor batteries. These are our top picks based on cost, construction, and performance under the toughest fishing conditions.
Our pick for the best trolling motor battery overall, Optima batteries are the top choice for reliable power under the worst conditions, from professional race car drivers to tournament anglers. A dual-purpose marine battery has two jobs: start the boat motor and keep it running. Optima’s OPT 8016 battery is the best at both tasks.
The famous blue-top battery uses proprietary Spiralcell and Pureflow construction to improve its performance. Spiralcell uses stronger links between the battery’s cells to increase vibration resistance. For optimum power efficiency, Pureflow employs the highest-quality lead cells.
This Optima battery is completely sealed so that it can be mounted anywhere. It’s also maintenance-free for years of reliable power. When it comes to deep-cycle marine batteries and AGM batteries, the Optima 8016 is hard to beat.
No one knows marine batteries better than Bass Pro Shops. The Power Series AGM is their top-of-the-line Group 27 deep cycle battery. With improved efficiency and storage, this battery is rated to fish all day and take a beating. The AGM has a higher cold cranking rating and longer reserve time than lower-priced models.
It’s also capable of deep cycle usage, adding a little versatility to this package. At $249 for the Group 27 model, this is one of the more affordable batteries for trolling motor use—great for anyone just starting out or anyone who doesn’t want to spend a ton of money.
Lithium batteries are one of the latest trends for high power and low weight. The Tracker Lithium Super High Output Battery is ready for action. Compared to a lead-acid battery with an average of 270 recharges, the Tracker Lithium can be powered over 5,000 times.
This trolling motor battery also runs a steady output through its range, so it doesn’t lose power as the capacity goes down. Best of all, a lithium battery weighs almost half a similar lead-acid battery making it easier to handle and improving boat performance.
The VMAX MR127 has the power, performance, and construction found in more expensive AGM batteries at a lower cost. This AGM battery has the same recharge and discharge rate and cold-cranking amps as similar batteries. With 200 minutes reserve capacity, the VMAX has plenty of power for trolling motor, electronics, and starting.
The electrolyte suspension system absorbs electrolytes without contaminants for pure power transfer. Heavy-duty, tin-alloy cells improve performance in floating or cyclical charging.
To determine the best battery for a trolling motor, we looked at construction, performance, and cost. Bouncing around in a boat and rolling through waves, a marine battery takes a lot of abuse. A deep cycle battery with beefy lead cells and a sturdy case will avoid damage and corrosion. We also compared batteries from many manufacturers for the longest reserve capacity, highest cold-cranking amps, and best recharging profile.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised that the best trolling motor battery isn’t the most expensive. Many of the best features are available at a great value. You’ll appreciate our picks for the best battery for trolling motor when you are fishing all day.
To power a trolling motor, you’ll want a good marine battery, ideally a 12-volt deep cycle battery. A deep cycle battery will hold a charge longer and discharge power consistently until it is almost dead. This makes it perfect for running a trolling motor at the same power all day.
Deep-cycle trolling motor batteries fall into three categories: flooded wet-cell, absorbent glass mat (AGM), or lithium-iron-phosphate. Each has advantages and disadvantages.
Flooded wet-cell batteries are less expensive, but they don’t perform as well as the other choices. Wet cell batteries can spill acid, so they don’t stand up to vibration well and have to be mounted in a level position.
AGM batteries are similar to flooded, except they use a fiberglass mat to hold the liquid in place. This allows the best AGM battery to be sealed against leaks. AGM batteries also have more mounting options, and they can take a beating. Performance is better, too. In fact, the best AGM battery discharges power more efficiently than a flooded wet-cell battery.
The latest and greatest trolling motor batteries are made of lithium iron phosphate. Unlike heavy, bulky lead-acid batteries, lithium is lighter and more compact. The compound also handles power more efficiently and lasts considerably longer with a greater tolerance for recharging. The downside is lithium batteries cost three times as much as a lead-acid battery. For serious anglers, the cost is worth the payoff.
A battery’s group size essentially tells you the physical size of the battery. Each group size number—24, 27, or 31—correlates to specific dimensions. This is important to know as many boats have a battery compartment designed to hold a certain size battery, so you want to choose one that will fit the specifications of your vessel.
Amp hours, or a battery’s amp-hour rating, determines how long the battery will last. The amp-hour rating measures how much amperage a battery can provide per hour. The higher the amp-hours, the longer the runtime. A good rule of thumb is at least 100 amp hours for a trolling motor battery. Of course, how much exactly you’ll want depends on your specific motor.
To choose the best trolling motor battery, think about how you will use it. For a low-power trolling motor on a small boat, a wet-cell battery should get you around. The AGM battery is the best choice on a larger boat that will experience rolling and pounding. A bank of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries is the way to go for anglers running multiple batteries to power a full bevy of electronics and a trolling motor.
Powering a trolling motor requires a 12-volt deep cycle marine battery that discharges over a longer period without losing power. Furthermore, a deep cycle battery is designed to recharge regularly. There are three types of deep cell batteries for trolling motors: flooded wet-cell, AGM, and lithium-iron-phosphate.
Boaters use a deep cycle marine battery to start and run outboard motors or to power a trolling motor. Any dee cycle battery will power a trolling motor, but a marine battery tends to be built tougher for use on a boat.
The trick to rigging a boat with a trolling motor battery is ensuring the system will last for a long day of fishing. Follow the trolling motor manufacturer’s instructions for the amp-hours, group, and the number of deep cycle batteries required to power the motors all day. Then, be sure to fully charge the batteries between each use.
Balancing performance, construction, and cost, the Optima OPT 8016 takes the prize for the best trolling motor battery. Look under the hood and in the hatch of many of the top professional drivers and anglers, and you’ll find one or more of these iconic batteries. With the beefiest construction and most reliable performance, this classic blue-top marine battery is our favorite overall.
For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.
Following in his father's footsteps as an outdoor writer, Ric Burnley had big shoes to fill. After his dad, Eric, gave Ric his first job contributing a weekly fishing report to The Fisherman Magazine, the younger Burnley took to the profession of story-making and storytelling. Over the past two decades, Ric Burnley has entertained and educated the readers of Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Salt Water Sportsman, Sport Fishing, and other major outdoor magazines.
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