Allen Armour
Allen’s love for fishing grew from the summers he spent on the water with his father and grandmother on Lake Placid, Florida. Out of those hot summer days grew a passion that drove Allen. He spent hours reading Bassmaster magazines and eventually got involved in tournaments while in college. In 1988, he bought his first bass boat and quickly decided that he wanted to be a pro fisherman. In the early 1990s, he started fishing with Bassmaster, and won the Bassmaster Invitational on Lake of the Ozarks in 1994. Most recently, he won the 2016 Toyota Series Wheeler. Allen has been able to pursue his love for the outdoors by spending his days trying to “figure out these fish,” as he says. Spending long days out on the water is important for Allen to be able to compete at the top of his game, and to do that he has to be able to rely on his equipment.
Allen’s power system includes:
Allen has a Basscat boat with a Mercury 250 outboard motor and uses Lowrance electronics onboard. His Lowrance Ghost trolling motor system is powered by three RELiON RB100s, and his electronics system, the depth finder, and GPS are powered by one RELiON RB100-HP. To power his RELiON batteries, he uses a Power-Pole battery charger.
Why Allen loves fishing:
“I feel lucky that I’ve been able to make a career out of fishing. I love the simultaneous sense of comradery and competition at tournaments. It’s the only thing I’ve ever imagined wanting to do, and it allows me to spend all my time on the water and in nature.”
Why Allen switched to lithium:
“Until six years ago, I had only used lead acid batteries. Now that I’ve made the switch to lithium, I’ll never go back. I decided to switch because I was concerned about how bad lead acid batteries were for the environment. There were so many benefits to lithium that it made the decision easy. By switching over to RELiON, I was able to reduce the weight of my batteries by 200 pounds. Without that extra weight, I am able to perform better - from navigating in more shallow waters to reaching destinations faster. Lithium batteries also operate at full power until they are completely out of energy, compared to AGM batteries, which have diminishing power the longer they are used. I wanted to get more out of my batteries and be confident in their ability to last me throughout the day.”
Why Allen chose RELiON:
“I did a lot of research before making my decision and saw some great responses from RELiON customers online. I was able to talk with Charlie Messina, the Regional Sales Director for RELiON, and ask him all the questions I had about lithium batteries. His vast and detailed knowledge gave me full confidence that this company had the expertise I desired.
The durability of these batteries is unmatched - I go through a lot of rough water, and my batteries often get pounded by waves. These batteries have held up through it all. Also, in a boat I sold last year, there were five-year old RELiON batteries that still ran like new. That’s why I’ll never look anywhere else for my power system.”
How RELiON has helped Allen challenge his limits:
“RELiON batteries have gotten me out of pretty tight situations. One day after switching to RELiON, I was out alone in Lake Okeechobee and got stuck in very shallow water about a mile away from where anybody else was. It was so shallow that the trolling motor barely went into the water, so I had to lean my body weight on it to keep it down. I trudged through the mud for about a mile before reaching open water. I would never have been able to do that if I had the added weight of AGM batteries or if I had diminishing power. I had to drag through the shallow water for about an hour at full speed, which would have been impossible with traditional lead acid batteries. If I had not made the switch, I might have ended up being alligator food that day. With RELiON batteries, I’m confident that no matter what I get into, they won’t let me down.”
Allen’s advice for people debating switching to lithium:
“My career has great demands that RELiON lithium batteries are able to meet - I’ve been using RB100s for six years, and they’ve continued to operate at the highest level. For a fisherman who is competing and spending long days on the water, it’s a no brainer. When you transition to RELiON batteries, you’ll never go back.”
