Speed for Kings?

[MarkNY]

ive had good luck running 2.5-2.8 mph SOG GPS speed for kings this year. is this a good average speed for kings? i dont have a probe so i dont know my down speed. had a couple guys in the boat recently that thought that was too fast but its a normal speed for me. just curious what other guys run for speed. thanks alot, mark

[dewey123]

On my gps I try to stay between 2.7 and 3.1mph I don't have a probe either

[ Post made via Android ]

[TyeeTanic]

Underwater currents can drastically affect down speed - I know going east in front of Bronte there's a lot more pull on my lines than going west. There seems to be a current moving towards the West.

I don't have a down speed probe and generally troll between 2.5 and 3.1 mph on the gps, but I find if I travel East in front of Bronte I have a lot more hits than if I travel west.

I keep my eye on the curve of my dipsy rods - that tells me more or less how much drag I'm generating on the dipsy. I try and speed up to keep the curve right - and it usually works to get hits.

So the real answer is .... you need to find areas and direction of travel where you get hits. You need to know what speed to travel in those areas on the GPS and memorize it.

This is the only way around not having down speed.

[hawkeye625]

You should be in the right ball park. I have a probe and often watch both gps and down speed. Generally the probe runs .5 mph slower than gps so 2.2 down would be 2.7 gps. I usually get bites between 2.2 and 2.6 downspeed which would be 2.7 to 3.1 gps. However, currents can be wicked in some areas and the difference can be substantial. 2.5 down speed may be only .8 gps or 3.5 gps depending on current and direction. Some areas seem to have more current than others so that would all depend on where you fish and the wind direction, etc on the given day you are fishing.

In my limited experience, if your lines seem too tight and dipsy drags are peelin' slow down a bit. If they seem too close to the boat, speed up a bit until you start getting hits. Pay very close attention to speed and direction and repeat it.

For me, the probe was the best investment for lake O fishing. My bites almost tripled soon after hooking it up.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

[Fish Hunter]

We run 2.2, 2.4 at the ball, at the break, with usually a warm and cold rod as well.