Skeet Reese
Skeet Reese’s father was an active fisherman and outdoor enthusiast, so it was no surprise that Skeet’s own relationship with the outdoors started when he was a young child. At the age of eight, Skeet caught his first bass in California, and by the age of ten, he was finding every way possible to go fishing in his spare time. Skeet was also in a bass club by the age of fourteen and had a boat by the age of eighteen. Throughout his teens, Skeet competed in several teen tournaments, and finally, in 1997, he decided to leave his day job and become a professional angler full-time. Skeet is now based in Auburn, California with his wife Kim and their two daughters, Lea and Courtney, and he has enjoyed a successful angler career that includes winning the Bassmaster Classic in 2009, the Angler of the Year in 2007, and over a dozen other tournament wins to date. We talked to Skeet about his power system and how it helped him level up in his competitions.
Skeet’s Power System Includes:
Skeet uses his batteries to power his Ranger 521R boat, which comes with a Mercury 250 Pro XS motor. The boat relies on two RB100-HP batteries for cranking, as well as three RB100s for the pumps, electronic system, trolling motor and a Lowrance HDS Live 16.
Why Skeet Switched to Lithium Batteries:
"It was word of mouth that originally brought me to lithium batteries eight years ago. Lithium batteries gave me a consistent power source that lasted for a much longer period of time. Switching over to lithium batteries also saved me a considerable amount of weight on my boat. Immediately after I switched to lithium batteries, I saved 240 pounds of weight on my boat and experienced superior performance as well as better fuel economy.”
Why Skeet Chose RELiON:
"Not all lithium batteries are created equal. I did not start my lithium journey with RELiON, and my original lithium batteries were from a competitor and they had a lot of failures and problems. I came to RELiON after speaking with another fisherman I was on tour with. He spoke highly of the brand and noted that he had no problems with charging or capacity failures with his RELiON batteries. After researching online and reading about their positive track record with anglers in particular, I chose to switch to them. I’m glad I did because RELiON’s batteries aren't only reliable, but the RB100-HP is also the first battery authorized and certified for Mercury motors like mine.”
How Skeet’s Lithium System Helped Him Challenge His Limits:
“For me, the RB100-HP runs so many accessories off the cranking battery that I need to have multiple terminals to plug into. This is a unique trait of the RELiON battery because all other batteries have just one terminal to plug a cable into, but the RB100-HP has three terminals on each battery and is always getting a solid connection from the cable to the battery lead. This means less amperage is unnecessarily lost and less corrosion is likely to occur. All of this helps to free up my time to focus on fishing and improving during my practices and competitions.”
Skeet’s Advice for Anyone Thinking About Switching to Lithium:
"I would really focus on the many advantages of the lithium battery over lead acid batteries. They are lightweight, have a longer lifespan, perform better, and have a faster charge time. These batteries not only last long, but with only four hours of charging, you are ready to go with no extra time spent sitting around waiting. For me, lithium is positive all around. Even the higher upfront price point ends up proving worthwhile given the reduced maintenance and the fact that you don’t have to replace lithium batteries nearly as often, saving you money in the long run.”