Quinte Fishing

hey guy's, i just got a new boat with a 175 merc and i need help.my last boat ,i had a 135 merc on it and i could troll down to 1.5-1.9 mph gps speed ,against the wind.with this new boat i can only get it down to 2.5-2.9 mph gps speed.i 'm woundering on how to get it down to 1.5 -2.0mph without drift socks.i know it can be done because the guy's that do the big tournaments troll with 200's.

Most of the guys I know including myself have to use drift socks. I've had some luck with the bow mount trolling motor but only in decent conditions. I have also seen a pair of 5 gallon buckets , one for each side of the boat, used.

_________________
Dan Elliot - A bad day on Quinte is better than a good day at work !!!
http://www.quintefishing.com

you can use a trolling plate or what my buddy had to do is troll backwards it gets a little messy when its choppy but it does produce fish

_________________
FISHING'S NOT A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH,ITS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT

You went from a 4 cylindre to a 6,

As Dan said , drag bags work best , if you get some 1/4 spring steel wire you can feed it around the outside lip and then it pops open like a pop up turkey blind , makes deployment a lot quicker ,, Bill

_________________
Hooksets are free
Bill Barber
Owner /Operator -Trophyhunter Fishing charters

I too have a new boat [18 1/2' starcraft] with a 140 suzuki. It was running down to 2.2 mph but with 18" drift socks on each side I am down to 1.5 verified with gps.
The bags work well and are easy to deploy. I prefer this to adding a kicker motor with the expense in volved and the fact it is more of a challenge to keep it going straight when you are in rough water[yes I know the steering arm can be run between both gas motors]. It is just easier to run with the main motor.

...Larry

I have to thank Maverick for showing me the way. I myself tried trolling socks and pails but the problem with both of them are you almost need to have the person driving the boat full time as the sock and pails pull the boat from side to side! I found the boat going all over the place and then along came Mav and showed me "The Happy Troller" plate from Bass Pro Shop so I had Jeff C pick me one up and yup thats the ticket.
Food for thought but take it from me there is no more having to pay all your attention to where you are going.

Paul

_________________
Walleye 1oo% Club

I only had the pulling problem with a smaller boat and too large bags on it.
My current setup I couldn't be happier with[140 hp & 2 18" bags].
...Larry

i use the happy troller but found it slowed the boat down to much and had no boat control in rougher water and windy conditions.What i did was drill a 3 inch hole in the middle of the plate this helped greatly but i still wasent satisfied.Next i cut a second set of notches so i could deploy the trolling plate at a 45 degree angle to the prop instead of 90 degrees.this has worked great for me slow trolling and boat control awsome.I hope this helps

Drift socks are the way to go. Put one of each cleat on the forward side gunnels. Makes it easier to steer. Trolling plates always hurt performance somewhat I don't like them.

Do you have Smartcraft? If you do you can also get an interface that will allow you to drop your rpm's as you troll. That can make a big difference too.

_________________
Hooksets are free, so when in doubt, hit 'em hard!

Colin Friel

or if you have a yamaha, it's built right in the motor....no guages needed.