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I just bought a boat with a 115HP on it, but I believe will be too fast to troll for lackers and walleyes. Is a trolling plate on it goos enough? Or should I consider buying a kicker for it?
I'd appreciate the feedback

Hi Fishinfreek, good question. I would suggest putting a trolling plate on the motor and it will let you troll at the speeds you want. I confirmed this with my service manager here at Lake and Trail. It will save you lots of money vs going to a kicker plate and motor. One thing you might want to consider is that you will loose a couple of miles/hr with the trolling plate on in the flipped up position because of the increased drag through the water.
Please let me know if you have any other questions and I would be happy to answer them.
Cheers
JP

Fishinfreek:
I use a trolling plate on a 90hp and am able to slow the boat to between .3 and .6 mph for trolling. The only problem i have encountered is lifting the plate before taking off. In my case you have to give the motor gas while disengaging trolling plate. If you are controlling motor from console, it's hard to give motor gas and pull rope to release trolling plate at same time. I usually lift motor and put plate in place before taking off. It sometimes takes a bit of time getting used to lifting plate before leaving spots. Good Luck!
xcal

hey,

This is coming from a guy with a 9.9, so take it for what it's worth... but I know some pople here mentioned the advantage to a kicker was reduced fuel consumption, as well as decreased wear on the bigger, more costly motor...

Take care.

Thank you for the advice guys. I was leaning toward a plate, but my only concern is to drill holes in it when it's new. But I guess instead of paying in the thousands for a kicker, I should do that instead.
Cheers

fishinfreek wrote:Thank you for the advice guys. I was leaning toward a plate, but my only concern is to drill holes in it when it's new. But I guess instead of paying in the thousands for a kicker, I should do that instead.
Cheers

Hello fishinfreek,

Check with your outboard manufacture on the warranty, with some companies any modification to the motor will void the warranty.

Better safe than sorry.

Another option is the use of a trolling bag to slow down your trolling speed.

-Sheldon Hatch

I currently run a 9.9 kicker motor that I purchsed new when I purchased my retirement ride 5 years ago. At that time I made several inquires from various outboard dealers and mechanics, and was advised that while new 4 stroke motors idle very well, any motor over 75 HP should not be used as a trolling motor as long periods of running at trolling speeds would not be good for the larger engines. I also recall being advised years ago that trolling plates could cause engine problems by blocking exhaust escape from the engine, but I have no personal experience in this regard, as I have never used one.

buy the kicker had a trolling plate steering the boat becomes more difficult

I agree - buy a kicker and you'll do fine for trolling and be a happy camper if your main motor ever goes out.

Until you get one, use a drift bag or a couple of 5 gal pails to slow yourself down.

Thanks for all of the info. I really appreciate the feedback.

Tried the plate before but have since went with the 4 stroke kicker . Better setup , less wear and tear on big engine . Drift socks are also great .

TD

Having gone all 3 routes. I personally would just get the drift socks, exceptionally inexpensive, no need to drill anything and, the trolling plate can prove to be a pain in the butt on windy days.

I recommend the bags, as you can tell

Would you be putting 2 drift socks? One on each side? Would that slow you down enough for Lackers? And would you only put one for Walleyes?

fishinfreek wrote:Would you be putting 2 drift socks? One on each side? Would that slow you down enough for Lackers? And would you only put one for Walleyes?

I use two most times, one off each side. Just be sure whatever you connect them to on the boat is secure. As well, don't leave so much slack that there's the potential to get caught up in the motor .

I use this setup at Quinte, and on the Ottawa River for 'eyes.

When trolling trout, usually only one off the bow of the boat. I have a 75 HP Honda and slow down beautifully

eye-tracker wrote:
Another option is the use of a trolling bag to slow down your trolling speed.

Nail on the head ET. Get two of them ($60 investment, no void warranties/loss of speed/drills required). MAke sure you can adjust the size of the smaller (outlet) hole. That'll let you fine tune your speed.
As far as the slack (that WIG mentioned) goes, I've pre-looped mine for the perfect length off the front cleat so they wont tangle in the engine. (tie a 'dumper' lead onto the outlet end also)
G