Magic Speed?

Have ya all found a magic speed?

Sully

Start slow and let the fish tell you.

Is 2.1 or 2.2 slow enough starting point?

Sully

As of last week it seemed to be 1.5 and slower.

I take it guys are dropping the electric trolling motor. Makes sense with the shallow water. I can’t get the big boy to troll down that slow.

Thanks for the info.

Sully

1.5 or slower is right. Lots of turns. Water temps where 47 degrees tuesday night.

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I take it guys are dropping the electric trolling motor. Makes sense with the shallow water. I can’t get the big boy to troll down that slow.

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Most guys are using small 4-stroker kicker motors get that slow. An electric will work on a calm night, but get 1′ waves and that option is out the window.

If the big motor is your only option rig up a couple 5 gallon buckets to drag to slow you down or buy a BIG drift sock. At 2+ MPH you’ll catch very few fish this time of year.

James – nice touch on the five gallon pails, never thought of that option if you didn’t have a drift sock. you can probably let those out a little bit shorter than a drift sock could so it would be less trouble i’m assuming. Jason, a lot of guys if the big motor is the only option will take it in and out of gear intermittently (sp?) to keept the speed down. actually, this is a great option as many guys are getting bit on the inside line of a small “s” turn which slows down that inside bait as opposed to speeding up the outside bait. taking it in and out of gear will give you the same effect and let your bait sit motionless for a bit or slow it down enough to trigger strikes. hang on man, they bang those things! had one rip the rod out of my hand a while back.

When I used the bucker trick on a boat I had a few years ago I cliped the bucket/rope to the bow eye and let it drag under the boat. Just don’t forget it’s there when you put the hammer down……

-J.

This is some good information and I apoligize if my questions are too basic, but now I have more.

I think I will try the drift sock. It’s an overdue investment. I assume I run it off the bow.

If I do shift in and out of gear does that cause excess wear on my motor?

I run a tiller, does anyone ever backtroll to reduce speed? If so I wouldn’t even need a sock.

There was mention made of the rod being ripped out of hand. Do most guys hold the rod or put in holders? I suppose if you hold it you can give it a little surge every so often.

Thanks again all.

Sully

No dumb questions Sully.

I keep the rod in my hand. It’s easier to tell when you have weeds on your crank or if its not running right.

I also run a tiller. Some nights I bet I drop it in and out of gear hundreds of times. Who knows if its wearing it out, maybe.

Trolling cranks I’d rather run forward and slow down with the drift sock instead of backtrolling. It’s easier to see where your going.

Next year I’m going with a smaller pitched aliminum prop on my motor to slow it down better.

I agree Skin Dog, there are no dumb questions here

Sully, Like Skin Dog said keeping the rod in your hand the majority of the time is the way to go. You can surge your rod now and then, tell if its running right and free of weeds and best part of all and my favorite part is feeling the fish just WHACK IT

I would guess speeds to be bbetween 1 and 1.5 mph right now and like they mentioned a lot of S turns.

Cranks: #12 Husky Jerks and Suspending Super Rogues and if the wind is right “HOT DOGS”

Good Luck, have fun and HOLD ON

Sully,
I use a drift sock, and have put it on the front side cleet. it does pull the boat to the left and change speed. guess it make more sense to tie it in front, then there would be no lateral pulling. I have used a 5 gal bucket on the river a number of years ago, it worked fine. As far as putting the rod in a rod holder. I hold the rod, as I really like the feel of a hard strike and you can set the hook right away, increasing your chance of landing your fish. if it was in a rod holder, even it you are looking right at the rod tip at the time of the strike, the fish will know in a nanosecond that what it hit is not meat, and will try and violently shake it off. if you are not holding the rod, the you have a good chance to lose that fish and you don’t have the thrill and excitement of the strike and initial fight.
good luck. Jack.

I just finished up my 4th year in a row up on the lake…when you talked about back trolling…not a real good idea..because guys like me think your headding in the other direction until were right up on each other…It works out real good when you troll forward, look at the other boats coming at you they have their red/green bow lights coming at you…the guys going the same direction, you’ll rarely ever see their bow lights…

good luck and have fun, wish I was going up for the November Full Moon

Here’s a tip for guys that backtroll at night….

Reverse your lights. Its not a coincidence that the bow and stern lights are interchangeable. Doing so will go a long way to ensuring that we don’t have a couple “near misses” out there on the water.

Great tip James,How about the next full moon all of us forward trollers reverse are lights and see how they like it

Castaway It would be pandamonium out there, especially in our new moon phase.

I run a 125 merc tiller and use Cabelas drift socks-the cheaper ones that are made of heavy plastic type material.I carry two sizes:the small size puts me down to about 1.5 to 1.7mph and the large size gets me down to 1.2 to 1.4.Tie one to each front cleat and your good to go.

I tend to stay on the higher end of the scale… usually around 2-3 even this late in fall… we do pretty well. Ocassionally we have to slow to 1.5 or less, but not real often… the only problem with going faster are the skis, last year or year before we put 3 very nice skis in (or at side) the boat before we could get to the eyes…

Here are some mid-late Nov 3+ mph fish…

Baaaby ski… others released at boat side… (too big for net and youngen too anxious..

Love the pictures. I have had my best results going 1.3-1.5 this time of year (but not always). I use a kicker motor unless the waves are calm enough, then I use the bow mount. In the fall, I am also more likely to work in pauses, where I come to a complete stop, and then start up again. As recently as Friday, I was catching the majority of my fish coming out of a dead stop pause.

I too have caught walleyes trolling faster after dark,in cold water. On those occasions, I tend to use yozuri suspending crystal minnows – they have a nice action with faster speeds. At 1.8 or lower, I use rogues or husky jerks. I like the movement of husky jerks at slower speeds.

I haven’t fished faster than 1.5 in my last two trips to Mille Lacs this fall… the walleyes haven’t given me a reason to speed up