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need to slow down for trolling

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slow trolling
45K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  G3 Driver 
#1 ·
ok guys my boat will only go as slow as 3.5 mph in gear @ idle, was thinking of trying dragging 2 5 gallon buckets behind me to slow it down, do you think this will work?? i've seen guys in the quabbin doing it on 14-16' aluminum boats but not sure what its gonna do for my 19' bayliner...????
anyother ideas on the cheap?? kinda broke right now ....just rebuilt the engine so thats sucked up all my spare play $$$ lol
 
#3 ·
Not sure but maybe a drift sock might work. It would need to be a sturdy on though. Also you could go with either a trolling motor/kicker or trim tabs. I had bought a 22 Bayliner a few years back that had some tabs on it, I thought what the hell? Well these came in real hand for leveling out an uneven load and also they could be extended almost straight down and would as a trolling brake
 
#5 ·
my boat is a 19.5 capri w/a 3.0,not really a fishing boat but i set it up with rod holders,fish finder etc.. i removed the back to back chairs and put in swivel seats for more room too. ya i thought about the drift sock too, but right now i dont have one ....maybe next week. trolling motor is in the future if i keep this boat for a few years....
 
#8 ·
I was looking for this when I posted last. I had considered this when I got my Bayliner several years ago. I hear they work great. I doubt they would hurt fuel eco worse then buckets and when not using it goes straight back and helps prevent cavitation. I think I saw one and maybe a diferent model in Overtons catalog several years ago or one of those big companies anyways.
 
#9 ·
The one from Overtons is called The Happy Troller and is more basic for only about 20 bucks less


The EasyTroller trolling plate is built from rugged marine-grade aluminum and stainless steel and is designed to fit motors above 50HP. The optional hydrofoil model combines a trolling plate and hydrofoil fins into one package for improved fuel economy and performance.
 
#11 ·
I asked about a bit on this and here is what I've been hearing-
If need be,,, "Smart Tabs" are the way to go. They mount to the transom and not the motor. Like a trim tab, one each side, but they are raised or lowered with a lever for troll / run.
One guy said in order to raise / lower quickly you need to order a optional mounting bracket. He also mentioned making a longer pivot arm from flatbar aluminum from Home depot to make a longer link for full raised to flat down.
Seems they are around $100 - $125 per set.
Both had trouble slowing for trolling.
1 guy mentionbed he couldn't get down th 3 mph. With the tabs he was down to almost 1 mph. (not sure if land / water speed or how measured).
Both said the trolling plates were junk! Go with the Smart Tab.
Like I said, I've not tried them so no first hand knowledge is available. Maybe a search will show something?
At my burn rate on fuel,, I'll stick with the electric locked in front and use the main as a tiller. I can really slow down that way. :a_goodjob:
Gary
 
#13 ·
We never hit the buckets with the prop going forward.We usually troll 5 lines off the boat with 2 waaay back while we're salmon fishing so you can't turn really sharp anyway because of line crossings.If you have to back up for some reason you have to be a little more cautious.This set-up slowed the boat down from 2.9 mph to under 1 mph and made it possible to troll sewn bait for salmon.Still plenty of control and a little extra prop wash action for that close bait to ride in. thumbsup.gif
 
#14 ·
It's not always about the slowest speed your boat will go at an idle. Tidal current is an important consideration as well as what type of lure you're trolling.

When trolling for stripers around Block Island there are plenty of areas that have a strong tidal current and I find trolling against the current is very effective for slowing the boat down. You can get under 1 knot in some cases. Often it will become apparent that the fish show a preference and we catch fish only trolling against the current.

I also find trolling the same speed at all times is not always desirable. It's necessary to change the trolling speed up or down. Often a strike will occur during the speed change. or during a turn, which changes the speed and depth of rods on each side of the boat. You'd be surprised how often fish follow a lure waiting for the "bait" to react to their presence and just swim away without touching it. Think about it, if a predator comes up behind its prey, doesn't the prey usually run?

There have also been plenty of days when I've had to go 4 knots to catch the fish.

I have two boats, one can get down to 1.5 knots and the other to about 3.8 knots with no tidal current. I have no problem catching striped bass with either one when trolling.
 
#15 ·
I trolled with a similar size Bayliner for years with a single bucket off the back. Make sure you drill some holes in the bottom of the bucket, I know it sounds crazy but it tracks much better. You can keep the bucket pretty close to the back of the boat with no issues. If you need to slow down further just throw out another bucket. I also agree that trolling plates are a pain in the butt for what they do but they do work.
 
#16 ·
Earlier poster mentioned pulling a drift sock behind the boat - I tried that this weekend with a drift sock (purchased from West Marine) behind my Sea Pro 180cc with 90hp Johnson. I only have one and put it out on the starboard side. It did drop my speed from 3.5 mph to about 2.2 mph. However, the sock rolled up/down, left/right and twisted badly. I could not control my direction at all. Maybe if I had an identical one out on the port side the direction control would have been better but I doubt it considering the way it rolled and all. I do like Bhudda's 5-gal bucket solution and will probably try that before surrendering to the "happy troller" option. Anyway, in my experience with drift sock on back of just one side, it didn't work at all and I just settled for trolling at 3.5 mph.
 
#18 ·
I couldn't troll slower than 4 knots for king salmon in Alaska when I ran a charter boat. Everyone said that was much too fast! Well, I covered alot of water quickly and never had a problem getting lots of fish! One of the best striper guides I know trolls u rigs at 4 mph. Put your baits at the right depth and you should be fine with most rigs.
 
#21 ·
I love my "Trol A Matic" trolling plate. I bought one soon after I bought my boat about 10 years ago. I have a 60 hp Yamaha and I couldn't slow it down to the speed I wanted and with 4 screws it's easy to install and remove when not in use. I have no problem with boat control and I might have lost about 2 to 3 knots of speed when on plane at full throttle. There's no cables or locking mechanisms, etc. It operates on a couple of springs that do their own thing. Install it and forget it. Hope this helps.
 
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