Electrical Potential and Fishing
Lets understand a few terms first:
galvanic action: when a pathway for eletron exchange between dissimilar metals is formed - in short: a battery is created
electrolysis: chemical decomposition (in our case of metals) when an electrical current is passed through an ioninzed solution
battery: a device that produces electricity
As we all know - a standard fishing boat has many 12v or 24v electrical devices on board that help us become better fishers, navigate and operate machinery; as well, we have a plethora of differt metals in the water at a given time. The result of having an electrial system floating in a saltwater - with metal conductors in the salwater solution is: a battery.
#1
What are we trying to achieve?
With the understanding that the variables in which the "fishing boat" is subjected to - are always under some sort of electrical change
(inside and outside the boat) - we can conclude that our goal is to: understand the best way to acheive the best
"fishing electrical potential" of a given fishing vessel
#2
What Voltage is the best - how do we test it?
1) Because naturaly we are tunning our boats mostly for mature run Chinook - the range of voltage that has been determined "the best" fishing voltage for these fish is between .5 volts and .7 volts on the multimeter - the best target natural voltage is .65 volts on the mulitmeter - these voltages have been determined over years of fishing with measurable electrical potential
HOWEVER: This is a standard that has not been documented or precedented in any way - so it is a theory
2) In order to test natural voltage you need:
~ multimeter
~ 15' of 10AWG ground wire with a battery post lug on one end
~ cable on your downriggers or a testing length of cable
3) Once you have determined the resting and operating voltage of your boat - we can begin to tweak and adjust our hardware to reach desired voltage standings (because there are varied schools of thought surrounding voltage and how it affects our fishing - it best that for our purposes we follow the instructions based on the theory suggested).
That being said - it is good to hear and understand as much information on the subject to determine what best suits you particular set up and fishing needs.