Slowing a boat's trolling speed.

Hi all,

I borrowed my brothers boat last year (a late 80s (16ft?) doral bowrider with a 150hp evinrude on it). It was great for cruising the lake with the family. But it trolled a little too fast for fishing.

I wasnt going to borrow it for my week away again this year because of the trolling speed but I have no other boat options.

I was looking into ways to slow the trolling speed down and found 2 that interested me most. A trolling plate like the Happy Troller or the bucket method as seen here: https://youtu.be/ZtoPtfKzuig

I like the bucket method because it is cheap and in no way permanent.
Does anyone have any experience with this method and if so, is there any do's and dont's youve learned along the way?

Trolling plate would be the backup but I don't particularly want to do any drilling to my brothers outboard. A used one is relatively cheap ($60ish on kijiji), which I could turn around and sell again too I suppose (but who wants the hassle).

The outboard takes up too much space to mount an electric transom-mount trolling motor (I explored that option last year) so thats not an option either.

Any input or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

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You can also buy a drift sock, and tow it behind your boat. The bucket method works ok, but it doesn't slow my boat down enough.

S.

On my old boat, I MacGyver'ed a mount off of my outboard motor to mount my transom mount trolling motor. I could then turn on the trolling motor, get back into my seat and fish while steering the boat normally.

I tried using a cheap collapsible bucket from the dollarama and some paracord. It worked somewhat but ultimately broke after a few uses.

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Originally Posted by Sinker

You can also buy a drift sock, and tow it behind your boat. The bucket method works ok, but it doesn't slow my boat down enough.

S.

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I have also come across people utilizing 2 buckets. Seems like more to get tangled up.

I like the idea of the pool noodle zip-tied on the line to help keep the lines up and out of the way of the prop...

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I tried the bucket method,but,kept ripping the handles off. I tried drilling holes to thread rope through,but,the buckets would split. Drift sock is the best method I've found.

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Originally Posted by mattadam

On my old boat, I MacGyver'ed a mount off of my outboard motor to mount my transom mount trolling motor. I could then turn on the trolling motor, get back into my seat and fish while steering the boat normally.

I tried using a cheap collapsible bucket from the dollarama and some paracord. It worked somewhat but ultimately broke after a few uses.

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Sounds pretty brilliant. I like the idea of steering normally... if you had a photo it would be great to see how you had it mounted.

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I dragged to cooler one on each side of the boat hooked on the front cleats to keep the lines away from the motor. It worked Okay but not ideal.

Just put a kicker motor on it !
glen

2 drift socks attached to front bow cleats then you dont risk a line tangle for WHEN that wall hanger is on the other end...murphys law sucks

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I use the large sized Ikea bags for drift socks. Cheap, strong and are useful for other things like hauling gear, carrying your catch to the cleaning table and weighing big fish.

All of the above work, you can also buy a used "lower pitch "prop and put it on when you plan on trolling, takes about 5 to 8 minutes to install.
Can be found at most marinas, for a reasonable price.

Its essentially a 4x4 block about 6" long, with two large adjustable hose clamps. I removed the bolts on the trolling motor that clamp onto the transom, used those holes to bolt the trolling motor onto the 4x4 and them used the hose clamps around the midsection of the outboard.
I'll take a pic when I get home to tonight.

Troll backwards

Like Rugger said, I currently use IKEA bags. I have a 17' with a 115. I tried buckets, I found they were too hard to store. Drift bags work, but are expensive. IKEA bad are $1, and work very well.

First I mounted them (buckets and bags) to the front cleats, but even when the rope was (very) close to the same length, steering became an issue. Now, I hook it to a tow rope, pulleyed hookup for tubes, etc that clips to the transom. It lets me fight the fish off to the side with no issues.

All are good options, but as you are borrowing a boat, IKEA bags and dollar store rope off of the front cleats will be most economical , and no damage to the boat. Minor annoyances that they bring are better than not catching fish!

Good luck and let us know how you made out!!




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Thanks for all the great responses!

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I use to troll with five gallon buckets to slow troll worked well for me at the time. Just remember to put the boat in neutral before retrieving :)

Definitely backwards..I've been doing it for years.

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Originally Posted by Kevb81

I use to troll with five gallon buckets to slow troll worked well for me at the time. Just remember to put the boat in neutral before retrieving :)

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Also be sure to have a sharp knife handy. If the waves get up, you could get swamped in a hurry and need to be able to get rid of the buckets quickly...

The boat probably has power trim....just raise the motor as high as you can and still have enough prop in the water to propel you. Did this on a Dorel I/o on Lake Ontario many years ago. Burns more gas but cheaper than installing a kicker. Also very simple when you want to return home in a hurry......

Where r u. I have an old drift sock you can have. I'm in Kingston.


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Originally Posted by patvetzal

The boat probably has power trim....just raise the motor as high as you can and still have enough prop in the water to propel you. Did this on a Dorel I/o on Lake Ontario many years ago. Burns more gas but cheaper than installing a kicker. Also very simple when you want to return home in a hurry......

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Did that last year. Didnt work very well.

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Originally Posted by littlepjcsc

Where r u. I have an old drift sock you can have. I'm in Kingston.


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I'm in Kitchener. Thanks anyway though!

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No problem. Sorry I couldn't help. I'm


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Happy Troller. I have never used one but I occasionally see them for sale online.

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Originally Posted by Jigman

Happy Troller. I have never used one but I occasionally see them for sale online.

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Ya. I was thinking the same thing. They have some used ones on kijiji for decent prices... my brother wasn't so keen on me drillingnhis cavitation plate... :)

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Well all, I found myself a 12ft tinner with a 76 Johnson 15hp...
Hopefully she will troll slow enough, if not, I'll start with the IKEA bag idea.

I'll let ya'll know at the end of September how it goes.

15hp should be good for trolling no problem...even then itll be easy to slow down with bags or a trolling plate

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