Fishing Forum

Hi all. I'm a newbie.
Living in Minnesota, I fish northern pike primarily and largemouth bass. Last spring I bought a new 17 foot boat powered by a 90 HP Yamaha outboard. I do not have any "kicker" motor. I'm wondering how bad (or good) it is if I were to do a lot of trolling with my outboard. In reverse, the speed is perfect for the type of fishing I do. I'm not a walleye fisherman so I do not need to "crawl". Not being a mechanic whiz, do I run the risk of fouling my plugs on my new four stroke, or not. If I were to get a kicker motor, I'd want one that I could control via my steering console if that were even possible. Any help or advice out there? Thank you.
N.
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How slow are you looking to troll ??
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How heavy is your boat , could you get by with an electric Trolling Motor . I don't think you should have a problem with a four stroke fouling plugs .
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My Alumacraft Navigator is around 965 pounds dry. The outboard motor trolls the boat perfectly at the speed I want. I do have a bow mount trolling motor, 70 pounds thrust, 24 volt system that can also do the job of course, but I just wondered if the 90 would foul up if I used it instead for a long day on the water, to save my batteries on the trolling motor.
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Your four stroke motor should run no risk of fouling plugs - it is basically just like any other four stroke engine out there and can idle indefinitely - I have a 20 HP Yamaha four stroke on my walleye boat and can putt around with it all day. My big boat has a 150 Optimax on it an I have used it for Wiper fishing in Utah once my trolling motor batteries have been exhausted (trolling at 2.5 MPH with a 20 foot boat tends to drain them in just 4 or 5 hours) and even that motor will not foul plugs. an Optimax is not a four stroke, but just like a four stroke, there is no oil injected directly into the combustion area and it is the oil in hte mixed gas of a two stroke that will foul the plugs (this was all explained to me by the boat dealers mechanic so my description may not be exact - but the point is the same - four stroke should not foul plugs).
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My friend has run his 115 Yam with no problem , just make sure your gas is kinda fresh , that would be your big concern , plus an excuse to get out more !!

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