trolling speed

K

knucklebuster

Guest
What is your favourite or most productive trolling speed?Everyone I talk to seems to say different.Do you find you are faster than others? slower than others?I know it varies for species and season but even when I'm fishing chinook in august/sept.I'm passing some guys and others are passing me.Give me some examples of species/season/speed that works for you.

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing
 
I am usually the one doing the passing , 1.2 - 1.8 knts on gps

To fish or not to fish,
What a stupid question!
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish, and he will sit on a boat drinking beer for a life time :D
TGIF =Thank God It Floats
 
quote:
I am usually the one doing the passing , 1.2 - 1.8 knts on gps

To fish or not to fish,
What a stupid question!
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish, and he will sit on a boat drinking beer for a life time :D
TGIF =Thank God It Floats
Click to expand...
whats that in mph?

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing
 
1 nm = 1.2 mph so he's going 1.4 to 2.2 mph.
Gps is o.k if there is no current but not a true speed indicator if there is any current. We just installed a speedo on the transom as well with the new depth finder so we have another thing to watch this year.
 
Depends... on what gear your running and how you are running that gear..... and what you want your bait spin to be doing... are you running spoons? Choive? Cut plug? your speed on your GPS doesn't mean much... I watch the gear and adjust the speed accordingly what I want my bait to be doing with my gear set up and what the tide and wind is doing... all feel and visualization.. I couldn't care less what the Gps speed is... LOL.. its all look and feel... I do look at the speed on the Gps to see what is going on. If your trolling against a flood tide you could be sitting still, your gps will read "0" or it means less than one knot. Your Gps speed reading is "speed over land" Look at your depth sounder speed if it has a water speed sensor " speed over water" it takes in account water current! you compare your gps speed to your water speed.. subtract the two and you can figure out how fast the current is going.... important data to know when your fine tuning your gear speed! As for just reading a number speed on your gps.. and watching boats slower than you or faster than you really means absolutely squat! Every body runs their gear differently adjust your speed accordingly to your own boat... Some people like to troll faster to cover more area... Theirs end less trolling techniques and tricks every one uses.. do what's right for your boat.. don't copy others..! LOL..



Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 13:34:26

Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 13:36:09
 
quote:
Theirs end less trolling techniques and tricks every one uses.. do what's right for your boat.. don't copy others..! LOL..



Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 13:34:26

Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 13:36:09
Click to expand...
Thats what i'm trying to figure out now.Whats right for my boat.I haven't owned it long enough to try it out.I've tried to go as slow as it can but the gps reads 3.0 mph.Its twin engine and running on 1 engine drastically reduces steerability.Tough when fishing bottom and you need to turn fast.I'm wondering if it would make any difference putting the tabs right down?or trimming the legs up?
The previous owner caught lots of fish with it.
In the past,with previous boats,I've always just watched my downrigger cable.Geuss I'll just have to go out and try it out.Gotta be a way that works.
I'm going out to drop some traps this pm so I'll do some testing.

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing
 
What is your boat? size? What size are your motors? 2 or 4 stroke? do you have a trolling kicker? How deep are you wanting to fish? Try heavier canon balls 12-14lbs. Keep your lines straighter easier to turn. I've seen some boats troll a bucket behind their boat to slow them down.. I've seen a parachute type style they sell that you can use to slow your boat down.. Yes, lowering your trim tabs will help. If your using bait.. adjust the amount of spin it has to accommodate a 3 mph troll speed... keep the bait relatively straight.. all so you can put the motor in neutral for a few seconds and then kick it in gear.. that would be hard doing that all day long.. Can you talk to the previous owner and see how he ran his gear??



Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 15:28:19

Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 15:29:48
 
Did the boat have a trolling kicker before? If not, it might be your best interest to invest in a trolling kicker... eg. Yamaha or Honda 9.9 HP. 4 stroke. What size is your boat?



Edited by - TheRock on 04/08/2006 15:45:51
 
the boat is 28'.twin 4.3 mercs.Kicker is pretty much out of the question.10,000# with command bridge.Full canvas so lots of windage.
I did the shifting into neutral thing last fall for chum.Was kind of a pain.I bought a pair of pancake weights/fins,about 13#.haven't tried them yet.
I haven't asked the previous owner how he did it but that is possible.
I never gave this issue any thought.When I went to look at this boat in Port Alberni,I talked to other people at the marina and they all said this guy caught a lot of fish.It was nicely rigged for fishing.Scotty electrics,Black box,color gps/ff.
I'm sure it will be fine.I'm just finding its a lot of boat compared to what i'm used to.

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing
 
salmon can swim fast ! if you're only doing 3 knots
you have no worries especially for feeder springs.
when summer fishing and you want that dead slow troll,
try dragging a 5 gal bucket. it will slow you down to
where you need to be.

scotty
 
I think it all comes down to conditions.I use my gps for speed but I also know what my rod and line should look like at any given condition.It also depends on what your fishing both species and tackle.Your boat, Knuclebuster,(Being a former owner of the boat)I know does very well with cut plug just going in and out our gear and using the tide.I quess it all comes down to experience at different locations and water conditions.For example off ferrier pt(Nootka island)one day one boat was just slayin the springs.I was getting coho but no slabs.My wife said maybe we should speed up,so I did to a speed that I thought to be very excessive.Low a behold my rod goes off and a few min later a 35 lb spring in the boat.Yet another lesson learned.
 
quote:
salmon can swim fast ! if you're only doing 3 knots
you have no worries especially for feeder springs.
when summer fishing and you want that dead slow troll,
try dragging a 5 gal bucket. it will slow you down to
where you need to be.

scotty
Click to expand...
do you think it would slow this boat down?
Frango-remember,she has new power now.How fast did you troll when you had her?

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing
 
I did not have GPS on the boat so ??.I do recall draging a bucket when trolling. When I was fishing seperation pt with cut plug I would get in with all the little tin boats and just use the tide.It was a very good platform to fish from.I would have liked to use her on the west coast.
 
quote:
I did not have GPS on the boat so ??.I do recall draging a bucket when trolling. When I was fishing seperation pt with cut plug I would get in with all the little tin boats and just use the tide.It was a very good platform to fish from.I would have liked to use her on the west coast.
Click to expand...
Funny,I probably fished beside you.

a total MILF.Man I Love Fishing
 
Keep an eye on the angle of your downrigger cables, especially if you hook a fish.
Rule of thumb for a 12-15 lb. cannonball is a 35 to 45 degree angle
if your depth is below 40'.
Always vary your speed untill you find some action.
In the charlottes one year we surprised ourslves by out fishing local guides by trolling the cables above 45 degrees with a certain spoon and landed several fish in the high 40's. It felt like we were fishing for tuna but it was deadly.
 
I would tend to watch your rods and the action they have. I have used a technique of putting out an Abe n Al flasher on one line and then matching the boat speed so that you get a nice smooth pull and return on the rod tip. If you go too fast the tip of the rods does small pinging motions and if too slow you will see the difference between the pull and the return on the tip because your flasher is not doing a full rotation. Now check your boat speed and change tackle on that line if you like. Just remember that direction with the tide flow will have an effect on your speed. I tend to do a troll both directions before I change tackle so that I have an approximate GPS speed each way.
 
Well..the problem is that he has 4.3s..which have a high ratio on the legs or gear boxes to assist in the moving the boat..which is HEAVY. That ratio, with the idle turned down to factory spec gives him the FAST trolling speed. I have a friend with a 24 foot Bayliner Trophy that has the same problem.

You have a few options...

1. Troll a bucket.
2. Use one motor and when trolling in tight have the other on standby...or quick to fire up if you get into trouble.
3. Don't fish where you're going to get yourself into trouble.
4. Adjust your gear and technique to boat speed... for example..heavier Cannonballs...a 20 lb...heavier spoons like Tom Macks or larger gear. Lengthen your leaders on your hootchies to commercial lengths and fish heavier test line...
5. You'll fish plugs quite successfully.
6. When everyone's fishing bait.fish gear..cover more water..and catch just as many fish as they do.

7. Install a kicker with high thrust prop... with electric steering and you can save $$$ on gas, wear and tear..and go slower....

Those are your solutions...
 
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