Sea Anchor

[lorentec]

Just got a starcraft 19ft boat and thinking about using it to troll for trout and salmon. I think the slowest the motor(4.3L merc)will go is about 3 mph. Has anyone used any drift socks or sea anchors to slow thier trolloing down? How much slower could I expect .      .5-1.5 mph???  Thanks!!!!

[DIRTBALL2]

I haven't used a sea anchor myself, mostly because they cost as much as they do. However, I think I may have an idea that would make the cost of one minimal. Simply tie on an appropiate length of rope, depending on the size of your boat, then tie the other end to an empty 5 gallon plastic pail. Toss it overboard and watch your speed closely to see how much it changes. If it doesn't slow you down enough, duplicate it with another set-up. It might be necessary to put some extra weight in the bottom of the pail to make sure it sinks. Who knows?  It might work.

[billditrite]

i used to drag a couple five gallon buckets behind my boat and it slowed me right down...must be along the same lines...i use a trolling plate on my 90 horse but still feel i could go a little slower...currently in the market for a little kicker 7.5 or 10 horse

[grumpymoe]

one or two floating minnow traps on a good length of rope will do the trick!.....grump

[USMC130FE]

Is this boat going to be used for fishing mainly or multi-purpose?  For around a $100.00 you can find a lower pitched prop which will slow you down.  You should only notice a drop in top end speed as the 4.3 on a 19' boat should get you up on plane without any problems.   Just a thought.

T/L
Steve

[Polar]

We have always used 5 gallon pails with a trolling plate.

[Show me the money]

driftsocks work great , but you might want to get 2 smaller ones instead of one larger one . steers better one on each side.

[lorentec]

Thanks !!!!!!

[Smelt1]

Loren,I also just bought a 19' Starcraft Superfisherman with the 4.3 I/O and I have been using a trolling plate monted on my motor for fishing salmon and lakers.I have measured my speed as low as .8 mph.You can also use 5 gal buckets to slow your speed down but if your an avid salmon fisherman as I am you also know how salmon seem to go beserk at the sight of your boat.Which makes the rope and bucket trolling behind your boat a tempting target to rap your line around and break off.

[lorentec]

Smelt1
Did you notice how much the trolling plate slowed you down?     1mph or more?
Thanks!

[Jigwiggler]

I too use the dual five gallon buckets method tied off the front of the boat.  If you tie them off the back you will eventually have problems with fish tangling in them.  A friend of mine just installed a trolling plate on his motor and is very pleased with it.  I don't have any specifics on speed reduction but I do know it slowed it down alot.

[Smelt1]

Loren, Before I had the trolling plate installed the slowest I could troll at was 3.2 mph.But now I can troll at .8 mph at 700 rpm.I have a gps which gives me a very accurate speed over ground. So I know the speed is correct.

[fastribs85]

thats a lot of differance itn speed and pretty cool that the gps is that good at something like that ive never used one

[Smelt1]

Gps has been the best fishing invention since sliced bread.I do alot of ocean fishing and believe it or not it all looks the same! With my gps unit I can pinpoint a spot anywhere in the world within 10ft.So finding my favorite fishing spot is a breeze now as well as figuring how fast I'm trolling and how far I've been.