Scott Ashmore has been fishing professionally for 13 years in the Bassmaster Classic, Elite Series, FLW Tour and Major League Fishing. For over five years, Scott has used RELiON lithium batteries to power his tournament boat each season. Our Regional Sales Director, Michael Bergstrom, caught up with Scott to learn why he adopted lithium batteries all those years ago and hear his tips for staying on top of his bass fishing game.
Listen to the full interview:
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Transcript:
Scott Ashmore:
The last thing I want to do is disappoint somebody, so it's fun when you get to be a part of something that you believe in and think the favors’ returned. It's, to me, it becomes a family. You know, it's the family you didn't have, so it's fun to work with the folks that appreciate it.
Michael Bergstrom:
Scott Ashmore has been fishing professionally for 13 years in Bassmaster Classic, Elite Series, FLW Tour and Major League Fishing. Introducing our RELiON Ambassador Scott Ashmore!
SA:
Hey guys!
MB:
So, Scott, we initially started conversations about seven years ago. I remember you called me up one day and let me know who you were and what you did for a living, and that being a professional angler, which is super cool. And, you know one of the target industries that we’re after. We have a lot of Anglers using our batteries and it's worked out really well over the past you know five or six years - I think this industry, in general, has been one to adapt lithium quicker than others and you know there's a lot of reasons why, but hearing it from you, somebody who uses the batteries, what are the key advantages you think that you found with lithium batteries?
SA:
Well, you know some of it's obvious that the first thing that a lot of people talk about is weight. It's basically like taking 200 pounds out of your boat and so it's like one less person in your boat and so obviously there are lots of advantages to that. Your whole shot, the boat you know, takes off a lot quicker. You can take off in shallower water and you can draft shallow water, so you get better fuel economy. That's a big bonus, especially for the folks out there fishing flats in the saltwater. It's a big deal for boats to float shallow so they can go fish and get to wear what they want to go. But you know, the peace of mind that comes with these batteries... it's pretty priceless man. It's like you can actually relax and fish, you don't have in the back of your mind while you're, you know, making those decisions. When you, especially in my case, when you earn a living, you gotta make good decisions and you can't be worried about batteries not holding up. And I don't even, it's kind of sad, I've got to the point to where I hardly even look at my voltage near what I'm used to, because I have so much faith in the batteries, so it's a different world. And it's a different world because as you use your trolling motor, the power doesn't get less throughout the day. It's the same when you start the same when you finish, and so that that is not only great because you're not having to turn the power up, you know the speed of the trolling motor up more and more and more throughout the day. And that in itself is cool, but it's also really good for your electronics. A lot of guys running so many units on their boats nowadays, if you have low voltage because you have a wet cell battery, that's decreasing throughout the day, and they have voltage protection in, but it causes them to run hot. It causes them to flash and go off when you start promoting all kinds of stuff. I do not have those problems or even worry. As I said, I've gotten pretty comfortable with a set of batteries and my original set that is in my boats you know they're over six years old and I've taken them from boat to boat.
MB:
You hit all the main selling features that are promoted with lithium, but you know people are still a little weary about lifespan. You get all the benefits, the upfront benefits, but is lifespan going to hold up as what the chemistry is saying? You know you're six years strong, so that's a pretty good test.
SA:
Yeah for sure it is and you know an important factor in that is the battery charger, but that speaks to the batteries and how good they are because we’ve been through a couple of chargers, that failed for whatever reason. So, now I'm running the Power Pole charger that's incredible. I think that's a big part of the life of the battery, but you know, like I said, we've had chargers that crapped out on us, and you know, didn't charge or whatever. And the batteries are still just as good as they ever were, but I do think it is important to have a good charging system on board for sure.
MB:
Yeah definitely. And you know, we're able, luckily, for our battery, you know we're able to utilize a lot of different charging options, which is good too. Because if you ever get stuck. I know you know some of the main concerns, especially when you're out on the road, are breakdowns. You know what happens if you break down we don't have a truck there swapping batteries out so it's good that you have the flexibility to kind of mix and match if you need to or use a standard charger out there as well. What, in your opinion, when you first initially installed the batteries, what did you recognize immediately...what was the first takeaway after installation?
SA:
Higher voltage, you know than you see with a wet cell was the first thing. You know you turn on your stuff like oh wow, you know look I'm sitting at 13-8 you know. And the fact that I spoke about a minute ago, that throughout the day, as I looked at my voltage it wasn't dropping. And it didn't matter if I set up, you know it takes off for an hour and a half, but the unit is on so you know the voltage stayed the same. That's the first thing that I notice. Because I'm a voltage watcher. You notice the higher voltage that doesn't fluctuate throughout the day. The peace of mind that you get from watching it. You're like man I'm running. Then you get to the point I'm not worried. I'm not even watching it anymore. You know because you have so much confidence in it. I've never touched them. I've never run out of juice or even close. It's a different world in the world of lithium.
MB:
Yeah, and we communicate that as well. You know it's kind of like any cordless household electronic nowadays. Vacuums or drills, you just get full constant power. Which can cause little issues if you're running a smaller battery and you're not. You know you're expecting voltage to drop towards the end of the state of charge, and it doesn't, so you kind of get to go off the end of a Cliff. So, I think the important thing is just to size the battery appropriately for your usage. You know you're a professional angler. You have the group 31's, the largest format, and they've been great for you.
SA:
They have. It's something that that 90% of the people out there that start looking into batteries don't. They can be steered wrong and that is that these are a 100-amp hour battery and lithium is a true 100-amp hour. You know, if you go to a wet cell and they tell you it's 100 in power it's not, you're not at that voltage, and one of the unknowns out there. You know some of the competition out there they say, well, my battery is just big or whatever. And I'm like, yeah, it's 40-amp power. At the last tournament we had, we had a young man that had brand new lithium batteries in his boat, and I said, you know, what are they and what is the amp-hour and he had trouble. You know he ended up taking that out and going and buying a wet cell because what he had wouldn't hold up. I said even if you put two of them in there you don't have what I had. The world doesn't know that much about that to understand that and they can get misled. And I think it's important information to know when you're buying batteries.
MB:
Well and over the course of five years as we've had many conversations, you know the fishing industry has changed not only on the tour side, there's been a lot of changes on that. But also, electronics to the boat I mean. Just the power demand that these boats have now is saying in the amount of money. Additionally, that you have to spend outside of the boat itself is crazy, and I remember having that same conversation with you. You know we list out all the top-dollar items on the boat and then we get to the batteries and people are spending, you know 85 bucks for a battery or 100 bucks a battery and they expect those batteries to run everything flawlessly. So, speak to that. You know batteries are the heart of the boat and you know you need that. You've touched on voltage and how that's relevant. But I mean, in your opinion, is it worth it to spend this much money on batteries to secure everything on the boat?
SA:
If you miss that one, it's stupid, it's what it? You know you're going to spin around in circles. If you got batteries then you go fish and well the motor died. You can't get back and that trolling motor quit well, heck you sure can't fish so you know it's a part of the puzzle. It's the gas that runs the motor. I mean, it's not going to go. It's not going to work for you. You can't. You can't tightwad that part and expect good results. You know it's part of the system. It's like you gotta have it.
MB:
Good, well we try to make that point, but you know it's a tough pill to swallow sometimes, and especially if you're not used to seeing the higher price tag on lithium and or even AGM.
SA:
It is. And you know that creates that part, “Hey, can I get by with this,” and you might, you might for a while. It may or may not work, but that's why people try to do it and it's reached a level and still growing today where you have 5 units on and you're running all these new forward-facing transducers and 360 and it just keeps growing more and more electronics that are going on the boats pretty soon you won't even have to think the fish will just stare at your screen and push buttons. It's an important part to have batteries.
MB:
So, talk to me a little bit about preparation. Before you head out before the tournament starts you said one of the biggest benefits is peace of mind. Now with batteries I mean compare that to the process of lead-acid versus lithium. Is there a big difference or just the preparation side before a tournament?
SA:
As far as charging your batteries.
MB:
Yeah, I don't know if you had a checklist that you went through with all your lead acids or if that changed with lithium.
SA:
Well, I tell you, you know it did change with lithium because you do have so much confidence in them, but I'd have a voltmeter and I stick it on every battery and check and then I got a voltage meter in the dash and then I have one on my electronics and so that's what I always looked at. But you know, that's one of the great things about, and I can't say enough about it either, the Power Pole Charger. I can look at all of that on my phone. Come and see the voltage of every battery and so it doesn't matter if I'm at a hotel when it's sitting in a parking lot and it's plugged in to charge for the night, I can check it on the phone. And it also charges on the run and so there's been plenty of times when I get back to the hotel after... actually. I stayed, at a place where I didn't have power one night, and after I had fished and couldn't charge that night; I fished an entire day the next day and got back to the hotel room that night and plugged that dude in and I had done some running but my cranking battery went and was green. It was like that after two days of fishing. So, I didn't even look at my phone. I knew where I can see in the dash too, so it's pretty cool to have that going on and have those kinds of batteries in your boat.
MB:
Tell us a little bit about your 2021 rig. I think you've gone through like three or four different boats but tell us a little bit about that.
SA:
Well, I'm finishing the Phoenix now. I really, really love the boat. It rides and runs better than anything I've ever had. And I've got four of the 100 amp-hour batteries in it. Putting those batteries in the boat helps its performance. My top ends better were drafted, less water, my whole shots faster. It's a nice setup and I'm really happy with how everything turned out with it.
MB:
Awesome.
SA:
Yeah, the batteries weigh 30 lbs apiece instead of 85, which is what I used to have.
MB:
Yeah, and I know some guys opt to even have accessories like a fifth battery. You haven't seen any issues with just running one and you're running what? 5 graphs, or?
SA:
Well, four. I've got two up front and two in the dash. But I do have the forward-facing stuff and you know it's all 12-inch units. So, I'm holding lots of power, and I've considered running parallel for another 12 Volt. But man, I don't need it. As I said, I got back to the hotel after running for two days fishing. It was hot, you know. They yeah had to hit that trolling a little bit but the cranking battery was amazing. I was like wow you know and that charger actually has a setting that it will charge with your phone you can have it to charge all on cranking. all in trolling or share mode, which will actually take it where it needs it. So pretty slick setup. And the other thing that's built into it also is that it will jump-start if you need it. I don't have a flip jump-start switch anymore.
MB:
Yeah, that charger is definitely becoming more popular and it works great with lithium so it's definitely one of the preferred methods and no doubt that the more control you have and more visibility you have total voltage and what your batteries state are the better you can make decisions and really experience lithium and how it operates and functions, and if it's going to work for you. You have to try it. It's one of those things that we can talk all day about, but you try it. You really, you really need to experience it to know exactly.
SA:
I remember when we first met and I got my batteries and I think I said something about how I liked them or I don't remember what it was, Michael, but you said, well, welcome to the world of lithium or something, and I've never forgotten it. I mean, it is a different planet. You know, it really is. It really is.
MB:
No, that's cool. It's definitely one of those things you have to experience. We're happy that you came on board. As I said, you were one of the early adopters and everything worked out really well with you in this industry and it'll continue. In your opinion, what's the biggest difference and change in professional fishing over the past six years or seven years. What's different?
SA:
Electronics, there's more information than there ever has been. There are no secrets anymore. And conditions change, but electronics... it's a different world than when I was younger. You know you had to go learn the lake. You had to practice and you had to use your gut and figure stuff out and you didn't have forward-facing electronics. You didn't have GPS. You had a flasher. With that said, it's really put up a need and for batteries to be a big player, and there's so much running in boats that it's become real, real important and you try to do it with wet cells. I mean, yeah, you might have to parallel or whatever, but you really got a lot of weight and so you gotta weigh that out and say, do I want the confidence in the comfort level? You know the peace of mind that I'm good.
MB:
And now that you know now that someone has all the equipment that they feel comfortable with, like yourself, right? Like you're confident on that side, but you're, I'm sure you know, right before the tournament starts, your stress level rises a little bit, and naturally, that happens. Do you have any tips or tricks to tell people on how you remain calm or prepare for a tournament?
SA:
Everybody puts their pants on the same way. I don't get intimidated and I've gotten to fish several different formats whether it's been Major League Fishing or Big 5 so I don't let it bother me. You know, it never really has. I guess because I've kind of grown up around a lot of the guys and I don't get intimidated.
MB:
You can't tell at all. What about any amateur guys? Do you have any tips or recommendations for guys trying to break into the higher levels?
SA:
One of the things that I think is important for fishermen is don't ever think you know everything and you never stop learning and you can learn a lot from fishing with somebody else, and so it's a good idea to fish as a Co-Angler. I never did. I never so you know my learning curve was a lot of self-taught and you know I studied, learn, failed, got it right, whatever. However, I learned it. I learned it, but I could have done that a lot quicker fishing with other people and you know what's available today wasn’t available in my time growing up. There's so much information now. Get online and reading magazines, whatever it might be, but just don't ever get in your head that you know everything or your way is the best. There's a lot of ways to do stuff and catch fish, and there is a lot of ways to catch them. While they're spawning there's fish offshore, there's fish deep and shallow. There's shallow year-round, you think you're catching them because you're out there deep doing well. There's probably somebody catching the channel. That's the cool part about fishing that keeps me going is the fact that I never quit learning. That's the thirst that I can't quench.
MB:
I can attest that almost every time I talk to you on the phone, it seems like you're either out at your pond flipping into a new bait, or you just got done doing it. You're a busy guy. A dad, you have a business, you're a professional angler. How do you make time for all of it?
SA:
It just kind of becomes what you do and it's hard. We live on 3 acres and there's stuff to mow and work to be done. We need a bigger mower! By the way. But I got a lot of support from home. I'm lucky to get to do what I do.
MB:
Well, it's always been fun to chat with you and keep up with you. We've had a great personal relationship outside of business and you can just tell you're a humble guy and just wants to do good for his family and have fun doing it so it's been a lot of fun. What is next for you, for Scott Ashmore?
SA:
I'm keeping everything open. I'm fishing Bassmaster Opens, Major League Fishing, and it's a lot. I don't know that you want to do more but now I just enjoy getting to do it and enjoy taking care of the people that take care of me. Meaning sponsors, you know. The last thing I want to do is disappoint somebody so it's fun when you get to be a part of something that you believe in and the favors’ returned so to me it becomes a family. It's the family you didn't have, so it's fun to work with the folks that appreciate it.
MB:
Well, likewise man, we're all about partnerships and we're glad to have you a part of the team and look forward to all the time ahead.
SA:
Yeah, there you go. We'll see if we can set a new world record on how long a set of batteries will last.
MB:
That'll be fun for sure!