I'm looking for advice on what I should do. I have a 18 foot nitro fish and ski with a 115 hp evenrude. I want to be able to troll . I can't go slow enough with the115.any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance Troy
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Becomes a money issue to me, I have a 115 hp Merc and started with a trolling plate, which got my speed under control, but I burned a tank of fuel a trip so that added $30 per trip to the cost. Later I picked up a 9.9 hp Yamaha 4 stroke trolling motor and now it costs about $3 - $4 per trip. Got the motor used and so after 20 -30 trips it will end up saving money... Not sure it's paid for itself yet, but it sure feels like it has each time I get to skip the gas station on the way to the pond... The trolling motor is also a lot more controllable for hitting any speed I want to troll, where the plate was only about 1.4 mph or 3.2 mph with it up... Ended up putting the trolling plate on my trolling motor and now I really can dial in my speeds from about .7 mph to whatever... Hope that info helps... Later J
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that's a great idea back in the old days we just tied a 5 gal bucket to the stern it worked great course gas was cheaper then,, bout 75 cents a gal
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I tried both the troll plate and a trolling motor the trolling motor is so much cheaper to operate, better to control ,and quitter . and the wear and tear on my main motor really didn't make it worth it. that being said if you just want to troll occasionally the troll plate works great for that.
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All around trolling motor is the way to go. Alot of big motors load up and start smoking if they idle too long. If you are planning on keeping the boat, invest in a troller. Fishon
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Hate to admit it, but I tried the bucket first. It was a pain in the rear and didn't slow that 115 down much either. The buckets full of water are hard to get in the boat, the rope likes to get in the motor, I couldn't get a troll plate fast enough. But soon the fuel issue surfaced. When your truck eats $40 and the boat $30 and park/ launch fees at $12 if ya get a snack your a $100 a trip and if ya fish as much as I do that breaks me fast. So I'm learning to save where I can. Later J
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My dad runs a 4 hp four stroke on a 24' four winds. It pushes the boat just fine, even in a good head wind. You don't need a lot of motor to troll with. If you find a bigger motor for cheap I would buy it. But I would look for a smaller one. They are even better on fuel then a 9 hp. My uncle runs a 9 on an 18' boat and burns twice the fuel then my dad. The key is finding a good used, reliable motor.
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I use a trolling plate and 2 drift socks. I also have a I/O. I can adjust speed by using 1,2 or no drift socks. Way easier to use than a bucket. I would love to get a kicker motor, but you are talking around $2,000 for a new one. Then you will need to attach it to the main motor, then you will need a troll master to adjust speed. And theres a gas tank sitting in your boat for it, and its harder to net fish right behind the boat because now there is an extra motor back there !! Its added weight when towing, its added maintenence when it breaks. All that being said, my next boat will have one !!
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What are you fishing for where speed is a factor for lure/bait presentation?
IMO a kicker is nice and so are now mounts. Some bowounts you can get up and move but again your setup dictates on the type of now mount.
So what are you targeting?
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[quote k2muskie]What are you fishing for where speed is a factor for lure/bait presentation?
IMO a kicker is nice and so are bow mounts. Some bow mounts you can get up and move but again your setup dictates on the type of now mount.
So what are you targeting?[/quote]
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Most if the trolling I will be doing will be for trout and walleye although I haven't figured them out yet..mostly troll until the smallies start hitting. Then move on to largemouth. I may try trolling for wiper this year? So maybe I'm a part time troller guess.l also am a seasonal fisherman
an ice season, trout season, walleye season, ect
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I've had a small 14' Lund for 7 years now. It has a 15 HP 4 stroke Merc that has always been pretty good at trolling slow down to about 1.5 mph. But last year the throttle started sputtering at low settings. So this year, I got the motor serviced (finally) AND I invested in a trolling plate. I had the chance to test both last Saturday up at Hyrum. The water was calm to light ripple, with the plate full down and the throttle set where motor ran smooth and quite at bottom end, I was moving along at .4 to .6 mph (GPS indicated). With the plate up in the 45 degree notch (not a factory option, modified by me at recommendation of others) I could vary my throttle slightly and troll from .8 to 1.4 still with very little noise and running at the lower 20% of throttle. NIce by-product of that troll plate, acts like a hydrafoil when in full up position and my little Tin Can planes better, handles better.
Wish I had made that investment years ago.
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If you can afford it, go with a trolling motor.
Mine has been used to get me back to the ramp when my main motor conked out.
Using your main motor for trolling can cause it to load up and run poorly.
As far as fishing Willard for Walleye or Wiper, many of us have switched over to using our electric trolling motors.
Much quieter on shallow water.
I have both an electric bow mount and a rear mount 5 horse gas trolling motor on my boat.
Both are used depending on where I'm fishing.
The last thing that I would recommend would bet to troll with your main motor.
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I would add to the electric motor suggestion, that you need to have the battery capacity or else you will be disappointed with them... If you don't have a good battery or batteries your electric motor won't carry you very long... Just keep that in mind when considering them... Run time can be calculated roughly by taking the battery amp-hour rating and dividing it by the motor amp draw at the speed you will be running it... On my boat I had to run my small electric at full power to hit 1.1 mph trolling speed which put a high amp power draw and gave me about an hour run time... Now on a light boat like my pontoon, I get 5 to 6 hours off a battery.... Just something to consider while making that choice... Good luck.. J
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have been looking at trolling motors. What do you guys think about a 2 horse? Do you think it would be enough for my 18 foot fiberglass? Thanks again for your help Troy
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It would work but a 5 horse would be more versatile.
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I have a trolling plate on my 125 horse Merc (outboard) but it hardly slows me down. I always use my electric motor to troll with, I picked it up for like $200 bucks and all I have to do is keep the batteries charged...no gas bill: )
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I have a 21 foot F&S and I troll with my electric motor. I don't have the funds for a kicker motor right now. It works good I set my motor so it can't turn and steer with the big motor. Works great. Down side I only get about 3 hours of trolling. I bought extra battery's and put them on my bow to double the trolling. Hope this helps.
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I went with a trolling plate for my 85HP Merc.
Cheap, easy to install, very functional.
The gas difference is about 40 years of fishing weekends to pay for a kicker motor.
I'm a big fan of electric trolling motors for bass fishing along the shore and positioning -- or even power dragging jigs across the bottom at sub 1mph
I wouldn't consider one for extended hours of trolling at 1.5MPH+ on an 18' boat.
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One additional consideration for consideration is that two cyl motors run MUCH smoother that single cyl motors.
8 HP is about the smallest 2 cyl motor but way smoother operation. Maybe this is of no concern to you!
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