Trolling speed??

[badfisherman]

How fast do you guys troll on superior? The slowest I can go with my big motor is about 2.8 MPH. Anyone try trolling with a drift sock out? I/m sure it would get in the way if I drug it out the back. If i tied it to the front it would probably screw up my boat control? I do have a 24V bow mount that would pull me along pretty good but I'd need to find a way to charge it on multi day trips. I should quit posting on here and start shopping for a kicker. what do you guys think?

[tacklejunkie]

With dispeys and spoons, between 2.2- 2.8 with the sweet spot being about 2.5.

If you want to slow your boat down further and cheaply, toss out a couple 5 gallon pails with a few small holes drilled in the bottom tied off each side closer to the bow

[Jim Almquist]

You could always kick your motor up a bit. I know that Borch had a couple of small drift socks made. One for each side so it would not interfere with boat control that really worked great.

[Feathers Rainin]

You can buy a trolling plate to mount on your motor to slow it down. They work real nice. They flip down to troll and back up easily when you are ready to move. Make sure you get a metal one. We can troll down to under 2 mph with a 130 hp honda with the plate down so you really don't need a kicker. Only advantage to a kicker is a back up if the big guy dies.

I don't think I would want buckets or socks hanging off a boat when out trolling the big lake. You have enough gear with outriggers, down riggers, coolers, rods etc..that get in the way already.

[Borch]

You could always kick your motor up a bit. I know that Borch had a couple of small drift socks made. One for each side so it would not interfere with boat control that really worked great.

Here's a tip page from Lindy Tackle describing the set up with photos. I use a pair of 18" bags which works great for my set up. It's amazing the boat control you have with this set up in addition to slowing you down.

Dual Bag Under Boat Deployment

[tacklejunkie]

You can buy a trolling plate to mount on your motor to slow it down. They work real nice. They flip down to troll and back up easily when you are ready to move. Make sure you get a metal one. We can troll down to under 2 mph with a 130 hp honda with the plate down so you really don't need a kicker. Only advantage to a kicker is a back up if the big guy dies.

I don't think I would want buckets or socks hanging off a boat when out trolling the big lake. You have enough gear with outriggers, down riggers, coolers, rods etc..that get in the way already.

I've heard of trolling plates.Tell me about them. Are they easy to mount? Advantages and disadvantages?

[badfisherman]

Thanks a lot guys! I appreciate all the advice

[Feathers Rainin]

I've heard of trolling plates.Tell me about them. Are they easy to mount? Advantages and disadvantages?

It is a plate that easily mounts on the back of your motor. A few bolts is all if I remember right. The plate flips down and covers the back of your prop to help slow you down. It can be put down and pulled up by the pull of one string since it is spring loaded. You will want the one made out of all metal. The first one we bought had plastic pieces and any time you took off without pulling up the plate it would snap and you would need to replace the part.

Advantages: You don't need a kicker, easily moved from the up to down position, costs about 100-150 so it is considerably cheaper than a kicker. It does not need to be removed at any time. We leave it on when fishing for other species, pleasure boating, water skiing, etc because it does not affect performance when it is in the up position.

Disadvantages: if you forget to pull it up before taking off the person in the back may get a little wet because it causes quite the rooster tail but that really isn't that big of a deal.

[tacklejunkie]

Any particular brand?

[fishgutz77]

the beauty of dual bags is they act like stabilizers as well in the heavy wind condition.

[maxpower117]

How fast do you guys troll on superior? The slowest I can go with my big motor is about 2.8 MPH. Anyone try trolling with a drift sock out? I/m sure it would get in the way if I drug it out the back. If i tied it to the front it would probably screw up my boat control? I do have a 24V bow mount that would pull me along pretty good but I'd need to find a way to charge it on multi day trips. I should quit posting on here and start shopping for a kicker. what do you guys think?

Here's the best way to do it hands down. You get the best directional controll as well as phenominal speed control. I can hold my speed by +- 0.1 all day in any wind!

Drop your trolling motor in and troll using the main motor. The drag from trolling motor will slow you down. You can face it sideways, forward or backward to get different speeds. If you need to slow down further or want to gain better speed control, turn on the trolling motor and face it backwards using the lowest settings. It will also help keep your boat pointed straignt with any directional wind by simnply adjusting the direction of the motor. Since you are using such low power settings, your batteries will last for at least 5 days.

Please try this before anything else. Its Free! It's the only way I troll on Superior with my Crestliner 1750 Fish Hawk with 125 Merc.

[badfisherman]

Thanks!

[End of the Line]

If you do decide to get the trolling plate consider getting out your hole saw and putting about a 2" hole right trough the center prop area. The plate is still going to slow your speed down plenty and this allow you more control by letting some water flow through.

Otherwise a drift sock is probably going to be too light of material to last. Have one made of heavy canvas in the shape of a funnel. To adjust the speed with it lift or lower the rear of the "funnel" for drag. I've used one for years. Not as good as a kicker obviously, but it will certainly work just fine. Just mount it about mid-section to keep it away from your trolling gear.