trolling

[jasondittrich]

just got a new boat this year and wondering what to do to slow my boat down. in gear at closed throttle wil go 3.4mph. i like to troll pike around 1.8 to 2.4mph what can i do other than driftsock to slow it down. also dont want to change props. any ideas?

[BobT]

Couple ideas.

Use reverse. Usually gives you better control anyway. Troll in a zig-zag pattern. Your lures will be moving slower than the boat.

Bob

[hanso612]

If you have trim tabs troll with them all the way down.

Throw out a couple of planer boards. with big cranks

Trim the engine up until it just starts to cavatate.

Drop it out of gear every once in a while.

Dangle the anchor or five gallon pails of a cleat but don't forget to pull them up.

Troll with the electric trolling motor down or in reverse.

Turn bow mount perpendicular to bow.

Troll into the wind

Take lots of friends and get downriggers, dipsies, flashers, and cowbells in the water.

I'm still weighting for a slip clutch on the bottom end to be invented which allows you to run the engine at higher rpms with less vibration, plug fowling, and rough idleing.

[quietcranker]

What hull / motor combo ?

[Sandmannd]

Or put an electric trolling motor on. Much cheaper than gas these days.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Hey Cuz- Tmoter is an option.. However I really do suggest going with a wind sock.. its been the best I have found for slowing down a glass bass boat. It works best to suspend it in the middle of a rope and tie it off to the two front cleats so that the drift sock is directly under the boat where the frint seat post is.. You will then still have decent control of the boat with the steering wheele.

[jasondittrich]

triton tr186 with merc 150 21 pitch prop

[BobT]

I've often wondered about leaving the electric motor in the water while moving. I have never looked into the motor design but if they are a fixed magnet motor, wouldn't the force of the moving water turn the prop and create a generator? In this case, it might not be good to do this.

Bob

[Sandmannd]

I've done it by mistake a time or two. I wouldn't recomend having the trolling motor down while under power. Harder to plane and you have a lot of drag.

[Nuts4Fishin]

Easy---trolling plate. Got one a couple of years ago and it makes fall trolling down to 1 mph possible. You won't be sorry.

[Maverick]

 Originally Posted By: Deitz Dittrich

Hey Cuz- Tmoter is an option.. However I really do suggest going with a wind sock.. its been the best I have found for slowing down a glass bass boat. It works best to suspend it in the middle of a rope and tie it off to the two front cleats so that the drift sock is directly under the boat where the frint seat post is.. You will then still have decent control of the boat with the steering wheele.

Hey Dietz, I have never heard about this method, but it sounds very interesting. Can you give me a few more details on how you hook it up to the rope and how you deploy and retrieve it. I have been using drift socks for many years and just when you think there is nothing new under the sun, walla, FM comes through again. Thanks for any info you can provide.

Mav

[jigginjerk]

Check this out it works very good and you still have boat control.

( Note from Admin, please read forum policy before posting again,Thank-you.)

[Deitz Dittrich]

what I described is what I have done, but with one bag in the middle.. you do have to measure and set up on dry land.. but once you get the knots at the length you want, its golden!

I cant take credit for this, I learned about it at a seminar by Tony Roach..

[Eric Wettschreck]

If we're thinking about the same seminar, there was a WHOLE lotta info passed out that afternoon.

[fishgutz77]

Deitz, you can go with the double one to make a bra. Not only does it slow ya down to a snails pace it takes the rough side to side action out of the picture when you drift as well.

[Maverick]

If I am correct on this process, you would take a rope tie a loop in the middle and attach the drift sock to the loop. Then you would tie loops in each end of the rope, adjusting the length so that the sock sits as close to the middle as possible, but still sinking somewhat.

Am I close on this?

[jigginjerk]

It was a cleat to cleat setup but instead of one bag they used two bags, each centered between keel and outside rib on the bottom.

[Muddog]

You should have though of this when you had a motor put on the boat. On a fishing boat it's not how fast will it go, it's how SLOW will it go. OOOPS.

Load the boat to full weight capacity. Next time don't go with the MAX HP recommended for the boat. No matter what the Sellsman says.

[hanso612]

Anybody have a confirmation on the charger theory of leaving a trolling moter in? I've done it with no noticable damage. Not only does it slow the boat down, it allows you to continue to troll forward on a windy day using your main motor without the bow swinging around. This is very helpful when I am fishing by myself and the bow rides high in the water. Hans

[Muddog]

1.8-2.4mph is the speed that a Bow mount motor is made for. It would be tough to get that slow with out a sock unless you have a boat that sets deep into the water.

I am very interested in why you would want to troll that slow for Pike. Are you trolling live bait? Using plainer boards? The reason I ask is I have never had a speed problem with Pike. I do know that if you are trolling with spoons they will start to twist the line at around 3.5 mph. Some spoons slower and some can go a little faster (red eyes and little cleos SLOWER). Give the rod a pump now and then will stop the spinning and may get it to alternate twisting. It may even provoke a strike.

[moviking]

The problem I see with haveing a wind sock under the boat is when the fish runs under the boat won't they get in the ropes?

[Maverick]

 Originally Posted By: moviking

The problem I see with haveing a wind sock under the boat is when the fish runs under the boat won't they get in the ropes?

Possibly, but you would have to weigh that against better boat control. When you kick the boat out of gear the sock moves closer to the boat anyway, so that has always been somewhat of a problem anyway. I haven't tried this yet, but will on Wednesday. If it works, one of the big advantages is for the guy sitting in front of the boat and not having to deal with the sock on every turn. It will be interesting.

[tacklejunkie]

what are you using to check your speed?? i have the paddle wheel thing for my fish finder thats pretty accurate till you turn. i have compared it to GPS and the speed is the same as long as you go straight. I use the two 5 gallon pail thing. one on each side. it does slow you down quite a bit. and they are cheaper than socks

[fishgutz77]

Always get the Maximum horse rating and then get a kicker.

you never know when you'll need the horses and I would always rather be overtooled.

[fishermatt]

Trolling plate is your easiest solution other than getting a kicker. You could tie the kicker into the main motor so you could still use the steering wheel if desired.