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I have an 18' bass boat that was not designed for trolling but it is what i have and i am trying to make the best of it. I have figured out the pulling buckets down to a science. 4 buckets = 1.5mph 3 buckets = 1.8 mph ... I am getting sick of dealing with the buckets and was wondering about trying a trolling plate but I have had a hard time figuring out what style to go with. I have read that they make it very hard to steer in the wind and that you cant go in reverse with them? Do any of you use trolling plates and do you have any suggestion/features that you like on a trolling plate?
thank you in advance
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I had a trolling plate on my last boat ,it was a 60 hp outboard worked great for trolling,only issue I had was backing off the trailer didnt go so well . The plate I had was the black one that has springs and flips up when used at full throttle.
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Pardon my ignorance but no electric motor on the front of that bass boat??? Heck if you're upgrading the main outboard, i'd think about at least picking up a used (hard to find) minn kota or motor guide for $500-1000. No buckets, no trolling plate, be able to crawl along at .1mph or scoot at 4 mph. It would make that boat extrememly versatile!
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I do have an electric trolling motor on the front of the boat which is great for pitching plastics along a shore line but if there is any wind at all I cant keep control of the boat with it. Maybe it needs to be replaced? but it just doesn't seem to have any mussel behind it. I love fishing for Kokes. That is what I do most
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Do you know what lb thrust it is?? Mine keeps control of my boat in the wind better than the gas trolling motor on the rear. Mine is an 80 lb thrust, 24 volt system and at full power it scoots my 16 foot around the lake somewhere between 4 and 5 mph I believe. If you have a smaller motor, this warrants the need for a bigger one! Hahaha! Maybe a boat place would take a trade in???
I stopped using mine for the sole power of the boat while trolling because I would run out of juice if I fished too far into the afternoon, but if I was in your shoes this is what I’d be doing! A few extra batteries and you should be set!
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I wouldn't choke down a 150 with a troll plate. Small kicker would be better in my opinion or upgrade the electric like has been mentioned. What works real well is set your kicker for desired speed and lock it straight. Use the electric for a bow thruster to steer with. If you decide to go a plate just because it will be the least expensive I would recommend a Davis Happy Troller. They're good units and been around for ever. They are a lock up design which is what you want. Those automatic ones suck for slow speed maneuvering and reverse. Good luck!
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Trolling plates will work, I have one and have used it until I got a kicker motor. The big thing you need to look at is fuel cost... My trolling plate on the 115 Hp motor hit my speed just fine, but I burned two tanks of fuel a day with that motor, verses my 9.9 hp Yamaha that runs multiple trips on 3 gallons... For me a smaller kicker would have been better, but I found a used one on KSL that I could afford, so I went that direction.. Anyway in the long run I think the kickers will be more affordable than the plates and they hold their resale value pretty well... Good luck on the decision... J
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Here is a better solution than a troll plate and will give you contnrol in the wind. Use your electric unless you need to go faster than it can pull you. You will have more precise control that way. If you need more speed, fire up the big motor, put in gear and just idle along. Use the electric to steer the rig. My guess is that the electric will do for most situations unless you want to troll "FAST" 2+ miles per hour. Most engines will idle at about 2-3mph. You can also use a smaller prop so you don't get as much bite in the water. Give it a try before you put a troll plate on, see how it works !! Good luck.
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Lots of trolling plates have only 2 settings, full up (not deployed) or full down (deployed all the way). I was having a bit of an issue slowing my small 14' Lund with 15 hp Merc. down by just reducing the throttle. I would get it to about 1.5 mph, but then the motor would die. I got a TP that was made for a 25 hp then I ground a mid point notch in the mechanism that lets me set the plate at an approx. 45 degree angle. With it at that setting I can keep the throttle up enough to prevent it dying, and still troll at 1.1 to 1.8 with no problem. If I want to go even slower I can drop the TP to full down and keep a steady .5 to .9 with no problems.
As others have stated here, one draw back of a TP on a big motor, if you forget to pull it back up, and it isn't the type that auto releases, you are likely to bend it or break the shear pin if you go to full throttle on the motor.
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[quote Tin-Can]
As others have stated here, one draw back of a TP on a big motor, if you forget to pull it back up, and it isn't the type that auto releases, you are likely to bend it...
[/quote]
Been there and done that when I used to use a TP.
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I had the spring loaded fiberglass one behind a 3.6 liter I/O for a short time until it got sucked into the prop during a hard reverse. Took chunk out of the prop and sent large pieces 15 feet above the boat, barely missing the boat when it came down. Just my 2cents.
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Good fishing to all. Hue
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