Angler and MLF Commentator JT Kenney Powers His Florida Fishing Trips with LiFePO4 Technology!

For fish fin-atic JT Kenney, being on the water for more than twelve hours for angling excursions used to come at a price. JT’s system often couldn’t handle the pressure until he made the switch to lithium. Our Battle Born Batteries help anglers school the competition, whether it’s when they’re creating content or participating in a high-stakes competition on the water. JT collaborates and speaks highly of some of our Battle Born Pro anglers, like Mikey ‘Balzz’ Meisenheimer, MLF participants Miles Burghoff, and John Cox.

Meet JT:

As a Maryland native, JT grew up hunting and fishing constantly with his family. With opportunities to fish in Deep Creek Lake and hunt in Dans Mountain State Park, JT was ready to make a living with a fishing pole in his hand. He moved to Florida more than a decade ago and expanded his ability to catch saltwater species such as grouper, cobia, mahi or flounder.

For 22 years JT competed in Bass Fishing Leagues and fished his way to the FLW circuit and won early in his career at Lake Okeechobee. “So many anglers just let their career run down,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that I didn’t become ‘washed up’ and also that I earned more income than I lost with these tournaments.”

Currently, JT is running three of our BB10012 Battle Born Batteries in his boat, a 2021 Falcon F20. He also utilizes a Victron IP65 charger for a lot of his accessories aboard.

“I have, in my opinion, unmatched power and run time. I have fished several twelve-hour days on Headwaters Lake in Florida and it’s absolutely choked with hydrilla [an invasive species of aquatic plant]. My trolling motor is just as strong at the end of the day as it is at the start.”

JT’s supercharged system powers his dual Lowrance fish finders, side and down imaging, Power Pole charger, livewells, lights and bilge pumps. His cameras, batteries and other devices designated for content creation are also recharging from our batteries.

“Since I make a lot of my living from ‘The Fishin’ Show,’ my YouTube channel and other social media, you can say that I really do power my life with Battle Born Batteries!”

If you’d like a setup for your fishing vessel that’s like JT’s, check out our trolling motor bundle options to supercharge your system. With batteries in stock and ready to ship, the components for our bundles also come pre-programmed- overall, it’s a catch!

“I never have to plug my boat in that often and it charges so fast with a Power Pole,” he said. “Earlier this year I took 30 trips in my boat and only charged it twice in between.”

(BB Note: Our technical team advises that if you charge your system with a Power Pole charger, you will need to recharge them with a separate charging unit to keep them balanced. If you have heavy power loads in your system, make sure to charge up your batteries frequently to keep them balanced to prevent any unexpected issues down the line.

For more information about marine battery chargers, check out our recent blog that breaks down the different types here.)

“The first big difference I noticed is how long that the batteries held a charge, and how quickly they did recharge,” said JT. “The amount of weight that I saved was absolutely amazing and getting to cut down 200 pounds of weight makes it so much easier. There’s a lot of shallow lakes in Florida that I can now easily cruise through thanks to my new system. It makes me more efficient while out on the water as well!”

What’s Next for JT?

For JT, keeping his content consistent and fun is always the goal. One essential member of JT’s production team is Battle Born Pro Angler Mikey “Balzz” Meisenheimer who helps with filming and editing content. We enjoy seeing our anglers teaming up to get out there and stay out there!

“I get to talk crap about my buddies and get paid for it,” he joked. “Now that we’re in the second season, it’s easier to get guests. Guys can wear their tournament jerseys, promote what gear and products they use, and it all feels very natural.”

Over the course of his career, JT has learned that he needs to prioritize his intuition and time on the water to trust himself.

“Rotating through different baits and overcoming different conditions out on the water are the big ones I’ve learned over the years,” he said. “Now I don’t even think about it and that really comes from learning to adapt throughout a day on the water.”

As summer winds down, JT’s also been preoccupied with finishing up his new house build and covering all the events MLF has him commentating on. He has all but two of the year’s episodes shot for his TV series “The Fishin’ Show with JT Kenney” and says that it feels good to be ahead of schedule.

Catch up with JT on his Instagram, blog, and Facebook!