Blind Fishing Boat Goes “Green”

 As a fisher without sight my “Blind Fishing” and Talking Fishing” Boats function almost exclusively on electricity.  By incorporating solar panels directly on the Boats or at dock-side to recharge batteries my ecological “foot-print” on the water will be virtually zero. 

IN addition to the numerous electronic aids on my boats, the electric powered motors not only serve as my primary source of propulsion, they keep background sound to a minimum allowing me to hear where I’m going.  They also give me the agility to navigate around obstacles detected with my beeping sensors.  What I’ve come to appreciate though, is more fundamental in nature. 

The sounds and smells of nature play a vital role in my orientation on the water.  Wind and song birds in trees, smells of evergreens, dew-soaked or sun-baked grass, bull frogs croaking and the scent of lush aquatic vegetation,   waves breaking on points, against rocks and on shore – are all part of nature’s voice, magically eliminating stress, drawing me out of my shell, and connecting me through my different senses to the environment. 

I almost never travel far on the water to catch fish.   Within sight of most launches exists quality fish habitat.  ON occasion I’ve even elected to fish from my 12-foot Boat during tournaments.  Sure the 115hp E-Tec on my 20-foot Cat is handy to run back in when a storm is brewing, and has given us those extra few minutes when fishing tournaments, more importantly though, it has the lowest emission levels of all outboards and is used sparingly. 

More power addresses our need for speed, and gives us the thrust needed to run in fowl weather.  It also lures us into carrying even more gear.  Speed, power, and capacity are all variables we must constantly monitor to ensure nature isn’t paying an unnecessary price.  She may not be part of the actual dialog, but she’ll answer us in her own way, and we may not like what we hear.