Slow your troll

Wildfire

Well-Known Member
R.O.C. (Radio Operator's Certificate)
I bet this has been asked before, but I am going to ask again anyways. What do you do to get down to 1.8-2 mph? My new Suzuki came with troll mode and troll control... cool! Except the slowest it goes at 600 rpm is 3 mph. ??

The last couple times I was out I instead let the Ulterra lead the way. It actually did pretty well, ipilot and cruise control worked pretty well except the batteries were flat after 4-5 hours. Felt odd pulling dipseys with the Minn Kota but the silence was nice.

Anywho, I am just wondering if should keep using the trolling motor or should I take efforts to slow down the big Suzi.
 
How big is your main motor? I have a 90 Honda that trolls down to 2 mph at 600 rpm but I always troll 2.7-3 mph and very seldom I might go as low as 2.5 but that's it. I only troll spoons and body baits so don't need 1.5-1.8 speeds like you would for worm harnesses etc. If you do then easiest way to get the speed down would be to use a drift sock.
 
Waverunner is right on. I also have a 90 hp merc. I can get down to 2.mph. Maybe you should think about a kicker. Save the hours on the work horse and cheaper on gas.
I seen a guy in north bay a few years back fishing for walleye on lake Nosbonsing and he was towing a recycle bin behind him lol.
 
How big is your main motor? I have a 90 Honda that trolls down to 2 mph at 600 rpm but I always troll 2.7-3 mph and very seldom I might go as low as 2.5 but that's it. I only troll spoons and body baits so don't need 1.5-1.8 speeds like you would for worm harnesses etc. If you do then easiest way to get the speed down would be to use a drift sock.

300. I get the irony of not being slow enough. fast enough, no issues there. :cool:

Is 3mph too fast for summer spoons and body baits? Do only worm harnesses need to go down to 1.8? Worm harnesses are more of a spring thing right?
 
Definitely a drift sock. I have 4.3 OMC run drift sock all the time can get 1.2 and keep eng RPM up. I aways run a float 3 ft back of motor to keep out of prop.
 
Drift socks. One on each side forward of the centre of the boat. Helps a lot, not only with speed, but surge in a swell, helps keep the bow down when heading into a wave and for over all stability. I have seen some people use them regardless of their ability to slow down for the above mentioned reasons. Sometimes allows for a few more engine rpm which aids in boat control/steering response.
 
I have a 150 with a troll control, and can drop the rpm to 500/600, i don't really have a problem keeping the speed in the 2.2-3mph unless I have a wind at my back, I keep a drift sock on the boat just in case but don't really use it. I use the Ulterra all the time and will easily get 8hrs (less if heavier winds) but how I set it to extend the life is running autopilot on directional lock or with a predefined route, once I get the boat at the speed I want with the outboard I set the cruise control on the trolling motor and watch to see what speed it's running at to maintain that speed. Then disengage the cruise control and turn the motor down by APX 2. This will keep the trolling motor steering the boat keeping you on course and free to play with rods and it's not killing the battery. If you engage the cruise and leave it on I've found that if boat speeds up, due to wind change or even a bit of chop the trolling motor slows down cause the boat goes above the cruise set speed and next thing you know your turning because it's not running fast enough to maintain course. I apologize for the novel if you made it this far. And I hope that makes sense. Doing that with the drift sock to slow you down should help you get a bit more out of the trolling motor.
 
My 75 Merc gets down to 1.8 - 2 mph. I normally do 2.5 - 3 mph for walleye and bows. If I need to go slower, I use a drift sock attached to cleats on each side of the bow like @noclass said
 
i use a 8D battery, can troll with Minn kota all day, given the waves are too big.
349$ crappy tire
when I'm out for trout i am using main outboard and can achieve 2- whatever speed i want.
i'd rather burn out a troll motor than the main one.
 
3mph is my target speed for eyes once the water is above 60f. I'll bump it up to 3.5ish for Steelies and often find I cant keep the Walleye off. Most spoons and any body baits should work at those speeds, no need for worm harnesses on Erie IMO.....trolling with the 300 may not be ideal but you'll have no issues catching fish at that speed.

Josh
 
Definitely a drift sock. I have 4.3 OMC run drift sock all the time can get 1.2 and keep eng RPM up. I aways run a float 3 ft back of motor to keep out of prop.
2nd that........best way, complete control for harnesses.............3.0 for me though.
 
How big is your main motor? I have a 90 Honda that trolls down to 2 mph at 600 rpm but I always troll 2.7-3 mph and very seldom I might go as low as 2.5 but that's it. I only troll spoons and body baits so don't need 1.5-1.8 speeds like you would for worm harnesses etc. If you do then easiest way to get the speed down would be to use a drift sock.
3mph is my target speed for eyes once the water is above 60f. I'll bump it up to 3.5ish for Steelies and often find I cant keep the Walleye off. Most spoons and any body baits should work at those speeds, no need for worm harnesses on Erie IMO.....trolling with the 300 may not be ideal but you'll have no issues catching fish at that speed.

Josh
up north we try to get down to 1 mph for bottom bouncing. I’ve had good results putting my minkota trolling motor down and turning it around to work against the main motor. Might be worth a try
 
I have a 9.9 kicker on my 196 princecraft I use it in conjunction with my ulterra I pilot 9.9 does all the work. Ultra steers with autopilot totally handsfree 1.5 knts to over 3 knts. It will run all day
 
Thanks everyone. I'm going to try 3 and see what happens. Also going to get some drift socks.

Just curious, aside from the limited runtime what's the disadvantage of trolling with the Ulterra? Seems to work.
 
Another thing to always keep in mind- Trolling too slow catches you junk fish! So pick up the speed a bit to keep them off! 2.8-3.2 mph. for me at the best of times. You want that aggressive strike always! Good luck out there Wildfire! Walleyeman.
 
You also could put a trolling plate on your motor ..like what allot of inboard / outboard guys had before going to a kicker .

Personally I think lover ong run you would be best to get a kicker .... save the hours on the 300 ....less service etc ...plus good to have a backup
 
Personally I think lover ong run you would be best to get a kicker .... save the hours on the 300 ....less service etc ...plus good to have a backup

Thanks. That may happen in the future. I just kinda already broke the bank on this boat lol. My fishing budget has been bled dry for the next 20 years.
 
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