Joe Balog, Professional FLW Fisherman Counts on Complete Battery Source

After Joe Balog's recent 9th place showing in the FLW Tour Open on the Detroit River, he sent us this nice summary of how the tournament went for him.  Here's his recap, in his own words:

FLW Tour Open Detroit River

Joe Balog

9^th place

70-07#

Joe Balog FLW Detroit Recap:

I just finished an FLW Tour event on the Detroit River, and I’ve got mixed emotions. I’d liked to have finished a little better than 9^th overall, mainly due to the fact that I was really in contention to win for the first three days. But, the final day, I went for the glory, and slipped a bit. But with a first place prize of $125,000, it was worth the gamble.

Two days following the event, I’m still sore and tired. The final day, Lake Erie got very rough, as it seems to for all final days of big events. Waves were 3-5 feet out of the southeast, the worst possible direction for events headquartered on the lower Detroit River.

I decided to gamble and make a very big run the final day, one that took me over 2 hours. I didn’t start fishing until about 9AM, and, by that time, had already burned 25 gallons of gas. You can imagine the anxiety going through my body by then.

As I continue to fish competitively all across the Great Lakes, I’m constantly asked by others just how guys like me are able to go out and fish in such terrible conditions. But, it’s part of the game up here.

A couple of factors make it possible to fish the way I do. One: I use a very powerful, long-shaft Minn Kota Fortrex trolling motor. Two: I rely on Complete Battery Source in Michigan to provide me with the power behind that motor.

I’ve said in articles that the guys at CBS know more about batteries than anyone alive, and I stand behind that. These guys can bore you with battery talk. But they make sure that I have the maximum amount of power for the maximum amount of time while on the trolling motor. For that purpose, I use three 31-series traditional deep cycle batteries to power my trolling motor. And I charge them immediately after every use with a 60 amp Minn Kota charger. In addition, CBS has me run a huge, 1125 MCS cranking battery for my big Mercury, and I never have to worry about draining it down with electronics or livewells.

If you want to rig your boat like mine, to perform in these extreme conditions without worry, go see the guys at Complete Battery Source. And be prepared to learn a lot about batteries.