How much thrust for trolling with a 20' pontoon

[carlcmc]

I have a 20' pontoon that i want to purchase a minkota powerdrive motor for. How much thrust do you think is necessary?

I have one battery that I run my motor off of. Should I purchase 1 or 2 batteries to run the trolling motor off of?

I mainly bass fish, but I would like to do some walleye fishing and trolling along the shore lines as well for bass. Therefore I like the idea of the powerdrive.

Any consideration when choosing a trolling motor to mount on the front of the pontoon boat? I assume you mount it in the middle.

I'm tired of having to haul the 30lb (seems like it anway) anchor overboard and even if i do it quiet, probably disrupt the fish.

[Dan Wood]

Your going to want a 24 volt system or better for a 20' boat. 12 volt just isn't going to cut it for a 20' pontoon boat. I'd say in the 70 lb. and up range for thrust.

[gunflint]

I don't know if a trolling motor for a pontoon is a good investment. At least as far as walleyes are concerned.

I don't know where you fish for walleys but with any kind of wind your going to have your hands full with boat control issues instead of fishing. It sounds like you want use the motor to hold you in one spot instead of using your anchor.

I'm not saying it can't be done but I think it may turn out to be more work than it's worth. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Giant_Jackpot]

Gunflint has a good point about boat control but the same could be said for any boat in windy conditions. My advice is go with at least a 24 volt motor and then get as much thrust as you can afford.