Speed for pulling cranks?

What speed do most of you start off pulling cranks? Do you start around 2 mph or slower?

1.75 is my SLOWEST up to 4+ mph usually though it is 2.25-3 mph…leadcore usually 2-2.75 mph

I start at 2 mph then I’ll go slower down to 1.5 mph, with laed I start at 2.5 mph but I’ll sometimes slow to 2 mph. I’m going to try some higher speeds this summer 3 to 4.5 mph.

6mph for the muskies!

Can I give you an honest opinion.

The good fisherman will decipher what the fish want and then give it to them. The “average joe” can get stuck in a rut and troll all day long at the same speed because “you think that is what the fish want”.

Let the fish tell you what the want.
Change up and dial the fish in.

Asking for depth, bait choice, trolling speed, colors should all be “starting points”.

And, how everyone replied here (from 1.75mph to 4.5mph) is the perfect example.

The mood of the fish is “who” you need to ask what speed to troll.

well said Gary

Right on Gary.

The fish have wanted under 1.0 mph before and I have verged as fast as 3.25-3.5 mph before fishing for eyes.

A good rule of thumb to start out with however is, the colder the water the slower you go. The warmer the water the Faster you go.

I probably went about this the wrong way! I am looking at a new boat. The guy told me he can troll all day at 2.1 mph. The main thing I am trying to figure if I am going to be happy with this or am I going to need a kicker. I have only trolled maybe once or twice in my life, but plan on doing some. I do understand that speed is going to change on a daily basis.

With only being able to slow down to 2.1mph, you are going to be limited. You will, without doubt, want the ability to troll slower.

Options:
1) Kicker
2) Electric trolling motor (even the bow mount with the thrust pionted “backwards” will slow you down.
3) drift sock(s)
4) Good old 5 gal bucket, tied to a rope for a “cheap drift sock”.

Still the same answer for me. If you need a kicker or not, is up to you and your budget in my opinion.

If it were me, personally 2.1 mph is not slow enough and I would buy a kicker. But with that being said, I troll many hours in a year. Yet, it is still possible to slow down by otherr methods other than kicker, but I would personally still opt for the kicker if my budget would allow to do so.

Just my $.02

What kind of motor is it?? I was sold into buying the troll assist on the Mercury 115 hp Opti Max and was told i could troll slow so figured I would try it first was not real thrilled of the idea but did and all I can so SO far is I love it. Once i got the break in period done I can troll down to 1.4 mph and have not tried slower yet and it runs very very smooth and quiet..I plan to get a kicker probably next season but for now this covers everything I need and i got a 101 lb thrust Terrova on the front to pull bait real slow so i got everything covered.

Hey Chad, when the trolling bite kicks in on Wissota, we’re typically in the low to mid 2’s, closer to 3 later in the summer. When you’re up in the river, that 2.1 you get in calm water will turn into a nice upstream creep which is just what you want.

2.1 won’t cut it for pulling spinners, but you’ll be fine cranking.

The boat I am looking at is a 2025 Pro-v. It has a 225 yami 4 stroke. He says it trolls at 2.1. It also has a vantage on the back. I can use that for pulling blades I would think. I am not sure how long the vantage will last on a single charge.

On a boat that size if it is in the budget….get a kicker.
I have a 620 and I use my T8 kicker all the time.
it is a great tool to have, the more you learn the boat and how it handles in the wind the more uses you will find for it.
JB

I have a 20′ boat also and I love my Vantage. However, if I had to choose a Vantage or a kicker……. There would be no question I would choose Kicker. The T-8 on the back of your rig would work awesome and match the Big Motor. If a kicker motor is not in your budget, I would see how much you could get for the Vantage and sell it if need be to get the kicker..

If need be I can pull Spinners, Cranks, Back Troll, etc. with the kicker all day and do not need to worry if it will last all day. The same can not be said for Electric.

Again, just my $.02

I agree with buckshot here get the kicker for a motor that big even with a 115 I think it is about the highest i would go before having to buy a kicker

If I troll with my 90hp motor it would use 5 times the gas than what my 8hp kicker does. The kicker is well spent money in my mind. Love running it. Most of the time I troll long line at 1.5-2 mph and leadcore around 2-2.5mph.
Thanks, Bill

Once the river hits 50 degrees I hardly ever have the need to drop below 2 mph but the fish will dictate how fast I need to run….I’d say 2.0-3.5 depending on the fish and the water flow.

I’ve had kickers and personally think they are a pain in the butt to run on the river if the wind is blowing very hard at all and you have faster current flow…..Just my .02 Whatsa

I guess this is the type of answers I expected. If I get this boat it will probably not be in the budget right away. It is already setup with the second set of controls, so that should cut down on the cost of doing that. I have never even looked into the cost of a T8, but I am guessing in the $1500 – $2000 range. Thanks for all your input guys. I will let you know what happens with the boat!!