Steve Posted March 3, 2012 Report Posted March 3, 2012 i have the same feature Raf. when the wind is at your back, or the waves are rolling down behind you, you can still be trolling quicker than expected.
Mike the Pike Posted March 3, 2012 Report Posted March 3, 2012 just don't buy a trolling plate.Happy troller is no good it cracked the foot of my previous motor. Yes bucket or drift sock.Kicker is always the best option.
Big Cliff Posted March 3, 2012 Report Posted March 3, 2012 I guess I could put a kicker motor on my boat but I don't do a lot of trolling I really enjoy drift fishing but until I got this drift sock from Beagledad last year I had always had a hard time controling my speed. days when the wind was 25K+ seeemed to be the best fishing days but I was always moving too fast. Last year Shane loaned me a drift sock to try, what a difference, I can get out there and fish when the lake is rough but still drift slow enough to pound the walleye. Made a huge difference for me in the number of walleye I can put in the boat and now I actually prefer to get out there when there is a good wind blowing where before I'd be moving too fast to catch anything but those stupid muskie. Fun to catch but not on 6 lb test line with no leader in 25k winds.
Sinker Posted March 3, 2012 Report Posted March 3, 2012 I am lucky that in owning a Crestliner I don't have to worry about slowing the boat down. The giant split down the middle of the hull takes care of that! Full throttle is 1.7 MPH. perfect for walleye. (Sorry, I guess I'm still not over it) Jim
Old Man Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) I am lucky that in owning a Crestliner I don't have to worry about slowing the boat down. The giant split down the middle of the hull takes care of that! Full throttle is 1.7 MPH. perfect for walleye. (Sorry, I guess I'm still not over it) Jim :rofl2: Edited March 4, 2012 by Old Man
coreyhkh Posted March 4, 2012 Author Report Posted March 4, 2012 What size drift sock should I get would two 18" work? My boat is a 16' deep v.
BillM Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 What size drift sock should I get would two 18" work? My boat is a 16' deep v. Ikea shopping bag would work for a 16ft boat.
Roy Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 And Costco bags will work on anything up to 46'. If you're a two bagger, you'll need more horsies to move.
Billy Bob Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 I purchased this one (X-Large, 44") for my 16' boat for slowing me down while drifting on Erie.....never tried it for trolling but I'm sure it will handle 16-18' boats without a problem.... http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Advanced-Angler-Pro-Series-Drift-Socks/700074.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Ddrift%2Bsock%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%25253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=drift+sock&WTz_l=Header%253BSearch-All+Products
didoban Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 how about changing to a higher pitch prop. u will gain top speed but will slow u down on take off.
sneak_e_pete Posted March 4, 2012 Report Posted March 4, 2012 Not to hijack this thread, but it brings up the question... When buying a new boat, is a kicker really worth the $3k or will a trolling plate or drift sock do just the same?
BillM Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 Not to hijack this thread, but it brings up the question... When buying a new boat, is a kicker really worth the $3k or will a trolling plate or drift sock do just the same? If you do a lot of trolling the kicker is definitely worth it.. Think of all those low rpm hours you'll keep off the main motor..
Sinker Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 the kicker can also save your if you run into trouble with the main engine. S.
GYPSY400 Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 how about changing to a higher pitch prop. u will gain top speed but will slow u down on take off. That would make for faster trolling speeds in theory.. More distance travelled per prop revolution.
Billy Bob Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 Not to hijack this thread, but it brings up the question... When buying a new boat, is a kicker really worth the $3k or will a trolling plate or drift sock do just the same? BIG waste of money IMHO....my buddy has a 115hp Yammy and it trolls down very nice and there is no need for a kicker....and if you maintain your big engine it will outlast you.
BillM Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 BIG waste of money IMHO....my buddy has a 115hp Yammy and it trolls down very nice and there is no need for a kicker....and if you maintain your big engine it will outlast you. Famous last words, lol. Kinda reminds me of people spending 50k on a car, and not dropping $800 on a set of snow tires/rims when the white stuff gets here.
Billy Bob Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 Famous last words, lol. Kinda reminds me of people spending 50k on a car, and not dropping $800 on a set of snow tires/rims when the white stuff gets here. You sound like the kind of guy that would buy snow tires living in Florida....
BillM Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 You sound like the kind of guy that would buy snow tires living in Florida.... You sound like the kind of guy who would go out in the middle of Lake Erie with no kicker to get you back home when your main fails
Billy Bob Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 You sound like the kind of guy who would go out in the middle of Lake Erie with no kicker to get you back home when your main fails Well after 40 years on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario this has NEVER happened to me...... My vessel is well maintained, has all proper safety equipment onboard, has a VHF radio and I carry a cell phone....maybe I should also tow a dingy behind my fishing boat.....just in case...
Sinker Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 IMO, if you are primarily a troller, a kicker is a solid investment. Why put all the hours on your main motor? Why pay more than double to maintain a big motor, when you can maintain a kicker for MUCH cheaper. Think about it. Over the course of 10 years, you will rack up the hours on your main motor. i don't care what you say, that's not good for an outboard. Put the hours on your kicker, pay less for the engine, and pay less to maintain it, and also have a plan B if the main motor has a hiccup. Seems like a smart plan to me. I wish I had a kicker on mine!!! S.
Big Cliff Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 Well after 40 years on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario this has NEVER happened to me...... My vessel is well maintained, has all proper safety equipment onboard, has a VHF radio and I carry a cell phone....maybe I should also tow a dingy behind my fishing boat.....just in case... Well, I haven't had a heart attack in over 60 years but that doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow. Towing a dingy behind you would slow you would slow you down enough to troll for walleye But what are you going to use to get the dingy back to shore? Oh, wait, a kicker motor! Why not just leave the dingy at home and take the kicker motor
Billy Bob Posted March 5, 2012 Report Posted March 5, 2012 IMO, if you are primarily a troller, a kicker is a solid investment. Why put all the hours on your main motor? Why pay more than double to maintain a big motor, when you can maintain a kicker for MUCH cheaper. Think about it. Over the course of 10 years, you will rack up the hours on your main motor. i don't care what you say, that's not good for an outboard. Put the hours on your kicker, pay less for the engine, and pay less to maintain it, and also have a plan B if the main motor has a hiccup. Seems like a smart plan to me. I wish I had a kicker on mine!!! S. Sinker, experience has told me otherwise........my big motor is going to be 27 years old at the end of this month and I have no issues with it....my buddies motor has to be 10-12 years old and again not issues with it....neither has a kicker and niether boat has transom problems or engine problems and both boats troll right down.....one is a 2 stroke and one is a 4 stroke.... 40 years ago outboards were a pain in the to keep running, etc....but the last 25 years or so they have been built much better, last a LOT longer and have a LOT less problems all while being much more dependable....I am only speaking from experience.....but if you have a extra 3-4k to throw around and want to add the extra weight on the back of your transom....go for it.....someday someone down the line will thank you when you sell that kicker at a discounted rate.
BillM Posted March 6, 2012 Report Posted March 6, 2012 Well after 40 years on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario this has NEVER happened to me...... My vessel is well maintained, has all proper safety equipment onboard, has a VHF radio and I carry a cell phone....maybe I should also tow a dingy behind my fishing boat.....just in case... Never doesn't mean it won't. It only takes one time
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