Besides climbing objects, Cox utilizes the brute force of his
Mercury to push through thick vegetation and horrific muck. His
jack plate plays a key role.
“I mount my motor really high on my boat. I can’t even run on
plane with my jack plate up very much,” Cox says.
The setup allows him to lift his motor to a much higher setting
than other bass boats, removing all but the prop and lower unit
from the water, even while trimmed down. By keeping his motor
high, but his trim down, the bow of Cox’s boat stays down even
when he gets aggressive on the throttle. Also, the rear of his boat
stays level, and consequently can traverse very shallow water.
Finally, Cox forgoes the temptation for a Hot Foot, and sticks
with a hand-operated throttle, which allows him to sit up or kneel
in the driver’s seat to scan for obstructions.
Stage Two: Use the Trolling Motor
Once the water is too skinny for Cox’s outboard, he’ll often go
farther on his trolling motor. He relies so heavily on trolling motor
power that he carries two sets of 36-volt lithium trolling motor
batteries, wired with a transfer switch. By running constantly on
full power, Cox can wear down one set of batteries in a little over
half a day, so the second set comes in handy during long outings
spent searching tucked-away backwaters.
Moving to the bow creates a weight shift that allows the boat
to float more horizontally, thus raising the transom, reducing
drag and allowing for shallower access.
Sometimes he’ll also adjust the trolling motor higher than the
highest setting in the mount by placing a board under the lock-
down mechanism. The motor can’t latch, so Cox has to hold it
down when under power, but he likes the result.
“It points the nose of the trolling motor up a little bit,” he says.
“That kind of pushes off the bottom better and pops the boat up
a little bit higher.”
Stage Three: Use the Push Pole
Occasionally, Cox must resort to the most basic form of
propulsion to get to a honey hole: a Superstick push pole, which
is a telescopic, fiberglass model that retracts to fit into a rod lock-
er. Cox employs the standard practice of push poling from the
rear of his boat to gain access.
“I sometimes push-pole in real silty areas when I sight-fish,” he
adds. ”If I run the trolling motor, after one pass the area would be
clouded up where I couldn’t see, so the pole makes more sense.”
Last Resort: Get Out
While tournament rules require anglers to stay in the boat,
Cox admits he’s spent plenty of time walking shallow backwaters
on pre-tournament scouting missions or for fun fishing.
His walking forays are spent mapping pathways and looking
for potential fishing areas without risking his equipment to get
there. If he finds something he
likes, Cox will mark small ditches
and channels with sticks. If there’s
enough water, he comes back
through with the boat – under
power, on the trolling motor or by
push pole.
Which sums up a day in the life
of John Cox: motoring along, get-
ting as far as he can, trying not to
tear stuff up. It’s not a good system
for everyone, but so far it’s working
for him.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 I FLWF
23