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Trolling speed can and does make a profound difference in fishing success. Certain species like this magnificent lake trout caught by Jake Romanack are more readily caught at slower trolling speeds than other species.
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By: Mark Romanack
Next to target depth, the most important variable associated
with trolling can be summed up in two words... boat speed. Understanding
trolling speed is essential for anglers who plan to mix two or more common
fishing presentations in the same trolling pattern. It’s true that
understanding what trolling speeds produce best with specific trolling hardware
is important, but there is a lot more to understand about trolling speed.
TRIGGERING STRIKES
Most
serious anglers agree that trolling speed is a decisive strike triggering
element. Because lure action changes as boat speed is increased and decreased,
anglers can fine tune a trolling bite by making controlled adjustments to the
trolling speed. Often it only takes a minor change in speed to literally light
up a bite!
This is
precisely why many trollers lecture to avoid trolling in a straight line, but
rather to troll in a lazy “S” pattern. A wandering trolling path is essentially
speeding up baits pulled on the outside turn and at the same time is slowing
down those baits on the inside turn.
If while
trolling the lazy “S” pattern more bites are occurring on the outside turn,
this is an indication that speeding up the overall trolling speed is in order.
On the other hand, if more bites are coming on the inside turn this is
suggesting that slowing down the overall speed is in order.
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| Experimenting with trolling speeds is often the key to making an “Okay” bite into an “Exceptional” bite! |
MAKING SMALL SPEED CHANGES
Historically
most open water trolling chores have been conducted with the help of a small
gasoline outboard commonly called the “kicker”. Kicker motors these days are
largely four stroke outboards that are noticeably finicky when it comes to
running at a consistent RPM range.
Because
four stroke outboards don’t idle and slow troll at a consistent RPM range,
trolling speeds tend to vary constantly while fishing. Some might imagine this
is an advantage in terms of finding the “most productive” trolling speed on any
given day. The problem is because the trolling speed is constantly fluctuating,
it’s tough to pin down exactly what speed is triggering the most strikes.
The
solution to this kicker motor problem is to invest in a after market throttle
control. Both wireless and hard-wired models are on the market that use a
rheostat to stabilize the speed and also to make precise changes to trolling
speed. Panther Marine Products is an industry leader in developing throttle
controls for outboard kicker motors.
With the
help of a throttle control it’s possible to adjust and maintain trolling speeds
as small as 1/10th of a mile per hour.
GPS GUIDED ELECTRIC MOTORS
The
gasoline kicker motor is the workhorse of small boat trolling, but increasingly
more and more anglers are also incorporating GPS guided electric motors in
their trolling regiment. The advantages of these electric motors are profound.
For one, because electric motor thrust is controlled by a rheostat switch, it’s
possible to make and maintain very precise changes in trolling speed.
Secondly,
because these electric motors can be set to follow a compass heading it’s
possible to duplicate productive trolling passes in a way never before possible
with conventional trolling technology.
Thirdly,
GPS guided electric motors also allow anglers to set down specific waypoints
and program the electric motor to navigate from waypoint to waypoint. This
feature essentially allows the angler to follow meandering weed edges or
drop-offs like a beagle following a rabbit track!
The
MotorGuide Xi5 uses the unique Pinpoint GPS tracking technology that allows
anglers to benefit from several critical trolling functions including Heading
Lock, Route Playback and Cruise Control. In the Heading Lock mode the unit will
follow a course and maintain that course precisely. In the Route Playback mode
up to eight different trolling routes can be programmed and duplicated again
and again. The Cruise Control mode allows for a trolling speed to be precisely
maintained while in Heading Lock or Route Playback mode compensating for the
effects of both wind and current.
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| Kicker motors like the four stroke model pictured here are the workhorses of trolling chores among small boat anglers. With the help of after market throttle controls, kicker motors can be used to achieve highly refined and controlled trolling speeds. |
TWO MOTOR TROLLING
Since the
invention of GPS guided electric motors a growing number of anglers are
incorporating both a gasoline outboard and electric motor into their daily
trolling regiment. Depending on the target trolling speed either a kicker motor
or a primary outboard can be used to generate the desired speed. The GPS
electric motor is in turn used to tweak trolling speed and also to provide GPS
navigation chores.
The Fishing
411 crew uses this two motor trolling option routinely. For salmon, trout,
pike, musky and warm water walleye fishing where trolling speeds are 2.2 to 3.0
MPH the primary outboard is generally used in combination with the GPS guided
electric motor.
Many modern
V6 outboard motors have special throttle controls that make it easy for anglers
to dial in specific trolling speeds. The Evinrude G2 fly by wire throttle
controls can deliver amazingly refined throttle adjustments. A digital gauge
clearly shows the percentage of throttle making it possible to make adjustments
as refined as 1% of throttle!
For slower
trolling speeds commonly used for targeting cold water walleye, brown trout or
lake trout, a gasoline kicker motor is used in combination with the GPS guided
electric motor.
When
trolling at ultra slow speeds such as walleye live bait rigging or cold water
crankbait trolling, trolling with just the GPS guided electric motor is the
ticket. A typical 36 volt electric motor will troll a 20 foot “walleye boat”
for about 12 hours on a full battery charge.
Between the
primary outboard, kicker motors and GPS guided electric motors, there are
virtually no trolling situations that can’t be mastered with these products.
TROLLING SPEED AT DEPTH
The trolling speeds indicated
by a GPS unit are of course the speed over ground the boat is maintaining at
the water surface. Below the surface things can and often are much different.
Subsurface currents are a
common problem associated with trolling in the Great Lakes and other deep water
natural lakes. The Fish Hawk X4D is a probe that mounts to a downrigger ball
that effectively provides anglers trolling speed, depth and critical
temperature information at depth. The system functions via a transducer based
signal eliminating any need for special downrigger cables to transfer data.
By monitoring
the trolling speed at depth it’s possible to detect subsurface currents and
make sure that trolling gear at depth is fishing at the proper speed. Without
the help of electronics like the X4D unit an angler is literally guessing what
speed his gear is fishing at depth.
SUMMING IT UP
Trolling
speed is one of those fishing variables that seems straight forward, but in
truth is a highly complex subject. Those anglers who embrace trolling speed as
a means of triggering strikes are in the fast track to fishing success. To the
anglers who ignore trolling speed and the impact it has on open water trolling,
maybe they would be more successful at golf?
