Trolling Plates

I’ve got another trolling question for you guys. I’m thinking of buying a trolling plate/stabilizer for my boat. I’ve been using an old 15 horse outboard for trolling but am not happy with the performance. The old gal just does not run smoothly enough for trolling. I’m wondering if anyone has used trolling plates and how well they worked. I have a 60H.P. Johnson that purrs like a kitten at low RPM, but just will not go slow enough. New outboard is not an option after my stop at Cabela’s on the way home from the Get Together. Spent my whole budget for the year stocking up on Cranks, lead core and components. I think I can swing $100 for a plate though. Any suggestions?

I’ve got a 50 Mariner and troll with it every once in a while. On the Miss it’s not usually a problem, since the current will hold the boat at a dead stop if the motor is at idle. When we’re on a lake trolling with the 50, I usually trim it up a little bit so that the force isn’t all applied to making the boat go. It stirs up the surface a little bit more, but if you’re trolling back far enough, I don’t think it’s a problem – be sure that your water intakes are still underwater and you have a good stream from the tell-tale.

As a side note, is there anything wrong with running you motor like this for short periods (15 mins or less)? Usually I’ll reel in and rev the motor when turning or heading upstream for another pass. Smaller outboards have ‘shallow’ settings and are meant to run this way, so I was wondering if there is any chance it could be bad for a larger outboard?

Gianni

Rooster,

I posted the same question on another website this summer. I have a 60 hp motor, and on lakes I can’t troll under 2.4 The responses I got were very positive. There are 2 types of plates – those with shear pins and those that automatically lift up when you take off. Most suggested the latter, otherwise you tend to forget that the plate is down and will shear the pins off. One gentleman w/ a 90 indicated he could troll down to around .5 with a plate. I most likely will be getting one over the winter also.

Gianni

I have a 60 HP Evenrude I do the same thing kick up the trim to slow down for trolling. Your right, as long as you have a good stream of water coming out the outlet you won`t have any problems. Mine is a 1992 and never have had a problem. One comment on these older OMC`s they have come out with a better water pump and a new thermostat. Some of the older OMC water pumps were weak from the factory. Ask me had to have mine rebuilt a few years back from overheating problems. Thats when I found out about the updated water pump.

Good Luck

Tom P

Rooster

Ever try a trolling bag or even good old-fashioned buckets to slow you down. I did it for years and it works well for a very small amount of $$. The trolling plates do slow you down but they also really cause problems at times with boat control in my opinion.

A thought…

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

good thought James….

I should have remembered… I did the same thing, years ago…. tossed out a 5 gal bucket on a rope… slows ya down pretty good… and is basically free….. just kind of a pain pulling it back out of the water… particularly in the winter… brrrrrrrrr…….. but it sure does work!…. and a bucket in the boat can come in handy at times……

(just be careful not to kick it! *grin*)

I did it for years and actually miss that feeling of “the wind can’t move ME….WooooHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” I used to get backtrolling with my big Yar-Craft tiller. To make a quick point… If I went in a direction…. it was only because I wanted too! Buckets and bags are a little bit of work and can be wet in the winter when staying dry is imperitive…. but that control!

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

Rooster,

I fish with Dave G every once in awhile and he has been known to use a bucket, he has a pretty neat set up, he drilled some holes in the bottom of the bucket to let some water threw, he attached the rope I believe in three different places kind of like a plant hanger, then a clip is used on the other end of the rope and attached to the eye on the bow and run under the boat. It works great! I have a 40 horse and there are times when I can not get slow enough ether, I have wanted make one of these rigs for my boat also, just have not got around to it. Maybe if we ask Dave G real nice like he would take a picture of his and send it in to the FTR STAFF so we could get a good idea of what it looks like. You guys that have used buckets, do you run them in the bow or the stern?

Tight lines!

Steve

Wow, I can save $100 AND get rid of a few buckets I’ve got stashed around my garage! I never would have thought of that. I believe I can use a combination of buckets and/or trimming up and I’m sure it will work. Thanks tons! I can’t wait to get out and give it a try!

I was wondering the same thing as Steve, front or rear. Do ou need 2 buckets for the benefit of better boat control or is one sufficient? Ya gotta love this site!!!

dont know about others… but I always attached the bucket to the front then back trolled to avoid getting it in the main motor……. it sits up high enough to avoid your line…. and like James was saying between the bucket and your motor your pretty tough for the wind to shove sideways……. its a great way to control both your trolling speed AND your boat…..

its just a bit of a pain messing around with the bucket… and yet… once you have it figured out its not such a big deal…..

hey rivereyes do you think you can train the pup to use that bucket

I found one large bucket off the bow was plenty to slow my 100 horse tiller 2 stroke merc. Try it… the effort to use one is much like deploying and then pulling in an anchor…. only with a lot less rope.

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

should I teach him to use it in or out of the river??

I sure will try it James. I don’t mind working my !%* off if it helps put fish in the boat!

I do have a single 5 gal bucket with ropes and a swivel that attaches to the front of the boat. It does slow my boat down to about .5 mph when going forward, but the steering control is BAD – it is hard to make any kind of sharp turn. I used it for slow trolling 3-way floaters upstream but since I got a 76 lb 24 volt electric trolling motor I don’t use the bucket system anymore for that presentation. My main motor is only 40 hp and it slow trolls plugs just fine.

I tend to move around a lot and did not like taking the bucket in all the time. It is amazing how a tiny bucket in the water can keep you from getting up on plane when you forget to take it in.

Dave Gulczinski

I’m not much of a backtroller – I’m pretty sure the boat was designed to go thataway ->. I tie the bucket directly behind the outboard using the short side to side rope that my ski/tube rope hooks onto. That way it has bouys on it to keep it out of the prop. Two more handy tips:

1. If there are no holes in the bottom, it will not drag very much as it just fills with water and acts as dead weight. The drag increases up to some certain hole size where the water is shooting through and then begins to decrease again. If I were a jet engine mechanic, I could probably explain why. It may take several buckets to tune your speed, but they’re cheap – a cordless drill with the biggest bit that fits in it would be a handy weapon the first time out.

2. Glue a styrofoam block in the bottom of the bucket to keep it afloat when full. then you can just back up to it and pull it out rather than roping it in.

Thanks Gianni, that’s the info I’ve been looking for. Just too lazy to find out for myself. Will give it a try soon.

Gianni,

Thanks for the thataway tips. I am not much for backtrolling either. My boat seems to be easier to control going bow first. I have not tried the styrofoam yet, but the ski roap trick works great!

I surely appreciate all the info I’ve recieved. Maybe next year I’ll have a kicker, but this is working great!