Why Lithium Batteries Matter to a B.A.S.S. Elite Pro – Pat Schlapper
Recent Sabine Elite Winner, Pat Schlapper, talks about his move to Norsk Lithium® and the advantages they’ve delivered
Wisconsin-based BASS Elite winner and tournament pro Pat Schlapper wasn’t always a professional bass fisherman. He worked for 20 years behind the fishing counter of one of his primary sponsors, outdoors sports retailer Scheels, before setting his sights on the big leagues.
“It’s just something I always wanted to do, and I knew in my gut that I could compete at that level. I fished every chance I got when I wasn’t working, so I figured why not throw my hat into the ring.”
Now on his fifth season of fishing the BASS Elite circuit, the 42-year-old angler has been fishing with the big boys since double-qualifying by winning the T.N.T. B.A.S.S. National Championship and finishing third in the Bassmaster Eastern Opens Angler Standings in 2020. Most recently, Pat Schlapper took first place at the BASS Elite event on the Sabine River in Texas, which qualifies him for the upcoming BASSMASTER Classic.
Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
During his first few years fishing professionally, Schlapper ran a combination of lead acid and AGM batteries in boats but had issues along the way, especially when it came to maintaining trolling motor voltage and clear, clean imaging on his graphs, specifically when using Garmin Livescope and Humminbird MEGA 360.
“Guys were starting to say you need to go lithium to fix those problems, but until I got in a boat and saw the difference in the screen displays, I was skeptical. Then, a couple years ago I discovered Norsk Lithium and I’ve had zero problems since switching.”
Schlapper continues: “As a pro angler, you can’t afford to have voltage issues with your trolling motor or electronics displays. Everything needs to work perfectly from take-off to weigh-in each day. Norsk Lithium has given me exactly that.”
Schlapper’s Skeeter FXR21 is a good case study in what other serious bass anglers might consider for powering their trolling motor and electronics.
“My system now is basically two heated Norsk Lithium 36V + 28V 60AH batteries for my Minn Kota QUEST Ultrex trolling motor, then for my four screens, two Humminbird APEX 13s at the console and a Humminbird APEX 13 and Garmin 1643 on the bow, plus a Humminbird MEGA 360 and Garmin Livescope unit. I use two heated Norsk Lithium 16V 135AH that are hooked up in parallel. My Yamaha outboard and simple accessories run off a group 31 AGM,” adds Schlapper.
To keep everything optimally juiced up, Schlapper has two Norsk Lithium chargers installed – a two bank for the 36V trolling motor batteries and a three-bank for the two 16V electronics batteries plus his AGM starter battery.
WHAT DOES SCHLAPPER LIKE ABOUT NORSK LITHIUM BATTERIES?
CONSTANT TROLLING MOTOR VOLTAGE
While he’s running a powerful and power-efficient Minn Kota QUEST Ultrex 112 on the bow, Schlapper is still a big believer in having too much power than not enough.
Schlapper explains: “For days when I’m on the pedal full-bore from spot-to-spot or fighting current, I just like knowing that I have reserve power in that second 36volt battery. If I completely drain one – which is rare – I just reach down in the compartment and switch it over to a fresh battery. Running two 36’s is more insurance than anything. Plus, unlike the AGMs I ran in the past where you’d start suffering voltage loss and you could tell in the trolling motor, with Norsk Lithium you get 100% – no voltage loss – right up to completely draining the battery. There is no voltage decay curve. My Ultrex is always operating at 100% of power and torque.”
CLEAN, CRISP LIVESCOPE & MEGA 360 IMAGING DISPLAYS
“I had problems before I switched to lithium with voltage drops on my Livescope and MEGA 360 Imaging. Whenever your voltage drops below 12V you lose clarity and separation. And that’s not good when you’re trying to find structure, fish, and your bait. Now with the 16V batteries, the clarity and quality picture I want is always there. I never get below that threshold like when I first starting using this technology. It’s been a real eye-opener,” observes Schlapper.
REDUCED WEIGHT
“Not only do the Norsk Lithium batteries lighten up the boat for slightly increased RPMs, the fact that these four lithium batteries are more compact and lightweight than eight AGMs is great for putting in batteries or taking them out. Saves a lot of physical work,” says Schlapper.
REAL-TIME BATTERY LIFE MONITORING VIA GUARDIAN APP & BATTERIES
When Schlapper is settled down after a long day or practice or competition he says there’s peace of mind in being able to monitor battery charge from his truck camper. “The Guardian App is great for showing real-time charge. When you first turn on the app, it recognizes the batteries automatically. And I can look at each battery individually and monitor the level of charge right from the phone app. That’s pretty cool.”
The other thing that’s great, he says, is that in the most current generation of Norsk Lithium batteries, you can quickly check charging and charge level directly from a meter on top of the battery itself, a great feature when he’s sitting in the boat rigging at the end of the day and just wants to know they’re charging again.
EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Now in his second season running Norsk Lithium batteries without issue but lots of questions, Schlapper says the company’s customer support is really easy to deal with.
Photo courtesy of B.A.S.S.
TAKE HOME
As mentioned earlier, Pat Schlapper recently took first at the BASS Elite event on the Sabine River in Texas, where he says all of his equipment worked day after day thanks to his move to Norsk Lithium.
“This was my third time fishing the Sabine and it’s known for small fish. I knew that going in. A pound and half fish is like gold down there and a two-pounder will have you jumping around doing high-fives. And a three pounder is like a 10-pounder anywhere else. I just found some areas that had a little bit better quality fish and was able to stay consistent. I had a really good first day and the other days were consistent so I never fell out of the lead. I think I had seven fish over two pounds out of 20 fish, which is really good down there. I’m just glad how it worked out. I fished hard.”
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