Measuring Trolling Speed

[Willyjim]

Quite a few posts mention trolling speed. How would that be measured? Seems to me that speed over land (GPS speed) is totally irrelevant when trolling in a current. Is there an instrument for measuring speed over water, or do you just make a best guess based on downrigger line angle or other clues? Seems like a nitpicky question, but if you're trolling at 2 knots in a 2 knot current, you're really saying your going 4 knots in one direction on the GPS, and not moving at all in the other?

 

[pescador]

I judge by the angle of my rigger lines. I've got a pretty good idea now when I'm at 2.5-3 mile ph range.

 

[trophywife]

yup. depth of course plays a big part of this so over the years knowing what angle works best for what type of fishing your doing is a great idea.

example, late summer inshore i run 12lb and only 30'-50' deep.. 45 degree or less with bait... spoons 45 degree or slightly more.

260' down with 18lb ball looking for chickens , its close to straight down..

100'-200' trolling plugs with 18lb and riggers are at 45.....

i dont think i ever look at my speed over ground.

 

[Hoochiebob]

When I hear the stainless wire off the downriggers start to sing, I know I've got a good speed. I find the gps speed to be pretty useless except for seeing how fast the current is.

 

[wildthing]

well you can do what i came up with easy to do

two garden plastic tags, a zap strap and two SS cap screws

adjust the one on the boom to the angle that works
and the one affixed to the pulley is in align with the down rigger cable down to the ball


now Scotty can give me a bit of credit and a payment if they decide to use the idea ....lol

the SS bell is for ????

when fish strikes or ball dragging hitting bottom

 

[Nakoda boater]

Very interesting...

 

[prairieconvert]

Does anyone here use the Depth Raider or Fish Hawk X4 depth probes on their downriggers? I use a Fish Hawk X4 and find it is extremely accurate at providing speed and temperature at the surface and at the cannon ball. They are used a lot for salmon fishing on the great lakes, was wondering if anyone here uses them.


http://www.fishhawkelectronics.com

 

[Aces]

I look for 1/2 in bubbles coming off the downrigger wire

 

[Willyjim]

That Fish Hawk X4 looks pretty slick. Kinda pricey though. I've never seen one.

 

[eston]

Does anyone here use the Depth Raider or Fish Hawk X4 depth probes on their downriggers? I use a Fish Hawk X4 and find it is extremely accurate at providing speed and temperature at the surface and at the cannon ball. They are used a lot for salmon fishing on the great lakes, was wondering if anyone here uses them.


http://www.fishhawkelectronics.com

Hello,

first post ever on this forum!
I'm from Ottawa and I fish on Lake Ontario and the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron.

I've been using the MOOR SUBTROL http://www.moorelectronics.com/fishing/fishing.html
for many years and would not ever fish without it. There are wicked currents in lake O. as Niagara Falls enter at the west end and the lake exits in the St-Lawrence river to the east.

Before I had the speed and temp reader, I remember sometimes we would would troll and get fish only going on a east to west troll, and then nothing on a west to east troll... sometimes, it would be a north to south troll. It changes day to day.

I remember very well the first time I ever used it. I had installed it the night before, we head out at dark in the morning, start trolling with our ususal pre-dawn setup of glow spoons, GPS speed @ 2.4 to 2.8 mph. Nothing for the first hour. The sun slowly rises, I turn on the Moor Sub troll. It was reading 1.5 at the ball, down 60 ft! I speed up the kicker, gradually, get to 2.4 at the ball, whamo! fish on! Surface speed was 3.6 or more! We kept that troll depth and speed and boxed 10 chinooks that morning.
I've seen this happen so many times. I've seen also the opposite where the down speed was just rippin' at 3.5/4mph when I'd be doing 1.8 on the surface! The spoons were spinning out. It's impossible to have spoons work at all speeds.
I have an assortment that are more speed tolerant that I use when in "search mode" that allows me to troll at faster speeds. But sometime, you have to go slow, like in the spring at ice out in Georgian Bay, we troll in over 100 FOW and troll as slow as possible, (Lymans are deadly then ) and use super light flutter spoons that move well at low speeds.

If you are using mostly spoons (naked, no flasher), I'd say a bottom speed gauge is an invaluable tool. But If you use more speed tolerant lures like flasher combos, it's probably not as critical.

E

 

[Olde School]

wildthing, I like the low tech but effectiveness of that device!
We never go by the SOG, always the angle of the dangle AND find that speed changes produce very often
interesting stuff about the other tech solutions

 

[walleyes]

Hello,

first post ever on this forum!
I'm from Ottawa and I fish on Lake Ontario and the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron.

I've been using the MOOR SUBTROL http://www.moorelectronics.com/fishing/fishing.html
for many years and would not ever fish without it. There are wicked currents in lake O. as Niagara Falls enter at the west end and the lake exits in the St-Lawrence river to the east.

Before I had the speed and temp reader, I remember sometimes we would would troll and get fish only going on a east to west troll, and then nothing on a west to east troll... sometimes, it would be a north to south troll. It changes day to day.

I remember very well the first time I ever used it. I had installed it the night before, we head out at dark in the morning, start trolling with our ususal pre-dawn setup of glow spoons, GPS speed @ 2.4 to 2.8 mph. Nothing for the first hour. The sun slowly rises, I turn on the Moor Sub troll. It was reading 1.5 at the ball, down 60 ft! I speed up the kicker, gradually, get to 2.4 at the ball, whamo! fish on! Surface speed was 3.6 or more! We kept that troll depth and speed and boxed 10 chinooks that morning.
I've seen this happen so many times. I've seen also the opposite where the down speed was just rippin' at 3.5/4mph when I'd be doing 1.8 on the surface! The spoons were spinning out. It's impossible to have spoons work at all speeds.
I have an assortment that are more speed tolerant that I use when in "search mode" that allows me to troll at faster speeds. But sometime, you have to go slow, like in the spring at ice out in Georgian Bay, we troll in over 100 FOW and troll as slow as possible, (Lymans are deadly then ) and use super light flutter spoons that move well at low speeds.

If you are using mostly spoons (naked, no flasher), I'd say a bottom speed gauge is an invaluable tool. But If you use more speed tolerant lures like flasher combos, it's probably not as critical.

E

Interesting stuff. Always lots to learn form other forms of fishing.

 

[dance a jig]

Does anyone here use the Depth Raider or Fish Hawk X4 depth probes on their downriggers? I use a Fish Hawk X4 and find it is extremely accurate at providing speed and temperature at the surface and at the cannon ball. They are used a lot for salmon fishing on the great lakes, was wondering if anyone here uses them.


http://www.fishhawkelectronics.com

I have used a Fish Hawk, and took it off the boat and plan to sell on ebay. Want to buy, send me a pm? This product has a speed paddlewheel on the transom unit, and a speed paddlewheel on the wireless probe, both work nicely, but I never found much of a difference in speed between the two speed paddlewheels. Accordingly, I went back this year to a speed-through-water paddlewheel that interfaces with GPS/sounder unit. Also, the product measures temp at surface and at the probe, but I never found the distinct thermoclines

good luck. DAJ

 

[Seafever]

I fail to see how one could consistently be doing 3 knots on the water surface yet the ball is only going 1 1/2 knots.

 

[Gong Show]

I fail to see how one could consistently be doing 3 knots on the water surface yet the ball is only going 1 1/2 knots.

I saw that half a dozen times on Saturday while fishing between the green can and the hump in Campbell River.
There are multiple back eddies occurring around the structures beneath that are not affecting the surface current.
Also wind will create surface current but will not affect the deeper water.

 

[Whole in the Water]

Could get one of these...

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Luhr-Jensen-reg-Speed-Trolling-Speed-Indicator/737684.uts


I just judge by the downrigger angle and GPS speed.

 

[sly_karma]

Can see some utility in the troll speed function but downrigger depth feature seems redundant when I can see the cannonballs on sonar and accurately fix their depth that way. Wire angle works pretty well but never say something new couldn't help.

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