The best tech is DIY fishing tech. The forefront of technological advancement isn’t found in some electrical engineer or software developer’s office. It’s out there, on the water, in the form of some zip tied or duct-taped solution to an angler’s problem. Fishing tech modders and makers of the world, untie!
Plenty of anglers operate with a mentality of ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.’ This mindset puts you on a path toward practical living and fiscal responsibility.
On the other end of the spectrum are the gear heads and the splurgers, folks who love to have the latest, greatest tech out on the water. Life is all about balance.
Somewhere in between these two poles are folks who like to tinker, who like to make things with their own hands, and who don’t like their standing with the IRS to get in the way of a good day of fishing. These are the folks who might be found making their own DIY trolling motor.
In the ‘50s, airplane manufacturers were beginning to have a problem. Aircraft were getting longer and bigger. They were increasing their carrying capacity and, with it, the electric wiring needed to adequately power the numerous devices and services aboard.
The going system to organize the thousands of feet of wire involved laying it down on 50’ plywood boards and holding it in place with braided nylon cord. Engineers hand to hand-tie each of these by wrapping them tightly around their fingers. Doing that a couple hundred times per plane would often cut their skin until they developed thick callouses, or ‘hamburger hands.’
With a few exceptions, fishing isn’t exactly a contact sport. Most of the time it’s actually more peaceful than a Himalayan house of meditation. But some fishing is even more peaceful than that. We’re talking trolling here.