Down Speed?

[muskyman5000]

Just added the Fishhawk X4D to my boat and am curious of a general trolling speed to start with at depth? I will be running 8inch spinn doctors and a general mix of spoons for salmon.

[vetting]

Would also like to know.  I previously ran a depth raider and I think there is a slight difference in speeds between the 2.  Usually I ran 1.9 to 2.2 on the depth raider.  Really what you should do is try to keep it around 2.2 to 2.4 on a Fishhawk and then record if you are catching fish at a higher or lower speed.  You can also do S curves and if they hit on the rods on the inside of the curve its a sign you are going too fast.  If they always hit on the outside rods of the curve, then you need to speed up a bit. 

[rbonnell]

Depth depends on the temp but I troll between 2.0 & 2.5 those are good speeds to start with

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[finsntins]

i have only been at this for 2 years now,but i will throw in my 2 cents.i generally like to be between 2 and 2.2.how ever on certain days under certain conditions,it maybe faster.what is important is to pay attention and make a mental note of when you get bit.if things are slow,try making turns,if your probe rigger gets hit,obviously,note the speed and adjust accordingly,but if your other rigger is taking hits,note your probe speed.if your other rigger is on the inside when turning,then you need to slow down a bit,if its your outside rigger getting hit,then you need to speed up a bit.trial and error.dont be affraid to try differnt speeds if things are slow and let the fish tell you what speed to troll at.hope this makes sense,im sure you will get much more advice from guys with alot more experience.

[Dan1]

Everyone has different preferences/techniques that works for them. It seems the last few years a good down speed for me has been the low side of 2. I usually like to keep it between 1.8 and 2.1. Usually I do like a lazy S pattern or something if I see what I like on the graph. Chances are if you're on the bait and doing the right speed you'll be good to go.

[Tim Bromund]

It depends on what unit you have.  I run a Depth Raider and from everything I've seen, the DR and Subtroll are usually pretty close, but the Fish Hawk reads around .5 miles faster at the same actual speed.  My usual target down speed on the DR is 1.8-2.2/2.3 most days, whereas I hear 2.5-2.7 most often for guys running the Fish Hawk.  I will take some experimenting to find the sweet spot for your unit.  I would suggest starting on the low end and gradually increase your speed until you start getting bites and keep slowly increasing until you stop then back it back down until you are getting bit again.  Eventually you'll determine the target range for your unit under most conditions.

 

The only time this wouldn't apply is if you are offshore targeting steelhead, they like a much faster troll than kings do.  I honestly don't think you can troll too fast for steelies, as long as you are running lures that run right at those speeds.  That's what makes NK's in particular such good steelhead spoons,  They kinda hang dead a slower speeds, but run great at even over 3mph.  A lot of the R&R Superlites also have a huge speed tolerance. 

 

Tim

[LongLine]

Ditto Tim - NK's work better for me running faster than the thinner spoons.  However putting a single hook on them gives better wobble running slower.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[jekyll]

I ran a depth raider for a number of years and found 1.8 to 2.2 to be best however; the GPS always showed about .8 mph higher.

 

I switched to an X4D last year. You can calibrate the speed settings so, I found some calm, no wind, conditions and lowered my X4D down 10 feet. I then adjusted the speed calibration settings so it matched my GPS. As a result, I fish my X4D between 2.5 and 2.9 now. This also makes it easier to read currents since the probe and and GPS match in calm water.

[bondouley]

I ran a depth raider for a number of years and found 1.8 to 2.2 to be best however; the GPS always showed about .8 mph higher.

I switched to an X4D last year. You can calibrate the speed settings so, I found some calm, no wind, conditions and lowered my X4D down 10 feet. I then adjusted the speed calibration settings so it matched my GPS. As a result, I fish my X4D between 2.5 and 2.9 now. This also makes it easier to read currents since the probe and and GPS match in calm water.

i agree drop your probe down a few feet and calibrate it to your gps speed. Seemed to work good for me

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