Quinte Fishing

Hey guys, I am looking to get a kicker for my 162 Princecraft. I would like to know what hp. I should get. I am looking to purchase a 2 hp honda but the guy selling says I should get a 4hp but the price is double. Do you guys think a 2hp would do the job? Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure you would need the 4hp as the 2hp should be able to troll down to a crawl in normal conditions. If it's real windy then the 2hp might not be enough hp but in that case just use the main engine. Use the dough you saved from buying the 2hp to get accessories for the rig(rod holders, drift sock, gps etc...).

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

What size of motor is the main power for the 162?

I run an older model 162 with a Mariner 30HP and have no problem getting slow.

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David Delcloo aka Superdad
(Retired)

Kingston

I had a 70hp and used a sock which got me down to 1 -2 mph. I use it on my 20hp and I have to speed up to get to 2 mph. I made my ownbut the Lebaron price can't be beat. Just a thought to save cash for maybe another rod or some Mann's stretchs'

Drift sock would be much cheaper if you're after the kicker specifically for trolling but, if you want the kicker as a fail safe to get you back to the launch, 4hp may be the way to go

I use a pair of drift socks off my 15'10" Legend, works beautifully

Going to try one this year off the bow

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WIG

all depending what you already have on. Probably your best bet would be a trolling plate. Should do the trick for almost any boat. Will cost you aroung 200-250$. It's worth it. One year for the opening at quinte, I had borrowed a Honda 2hp, 4stroke. It was o.k for when it was calm, but as soon as the winds picked up, I couldn't controll the boat anymore. I was trolling with my 50hp, 4stroke. Worked great and still got fish, Going against the wing, With the wind, I would just drift down. I've also got a drift sock, but find it a bit difficult when it comes down to controll direction. That's my 10cents.

Not 100% sure of this but, from everything I've heard a trolling plate will give you problems in the wind too! I say not 100% sure because I've never tried one. I have talked to many who have, they seem unanimous in their opinions, "the wind plays havoc when using a trolling plate". As for wind with the drift sock, I've used one for 2 years with no trouble at all.

Have you tried off the bow vs off the stern Just a thought

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WIG

Trolling plates work great.

The sometimes when trolling into the wind you may not have to use the trolling plate as the wind will slow the boat down enough.

In a real strong wind you might have trouble going slow enough when trolling with the wind but it the wind is that hard you should not troll with the wind. You should try trolling with the wind coming at the side.

Cheers,

Mike

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Wish I wasn't here...Rather be fishing if you know what I mean

I have a 90 HP 4-stroke (had just sold it) on a 17 ft Legend. I had both a trolling plate and a drift sock and I mutch prefer the trollng plate. The drift sock stirs up the water significantly and I believe it spooks the fish. Of course if you are fishing deep water or using planner boards that may not be an issue. With the trolling plate I only had problems on really on really windy days. To resolve this, I modified the plate to put extra slots in it so you could lower it all the way or at a 45 degree angle. This solved the problem on windy days and gave you total speed control and turning control as well.