Trolling with 190 horse i\o

[njg0621]

So I just bought a new boat that has a 190horse I\O.   The slowest that I can get the speed of the boat down to is 2.5mph.  My long term goal is to put a kicker motor on it but until that happens I have two questions....

 

1) I am heading up in early September for Kings, I have fished for trout in the spring but never salmon.  What speed do you  typically troll for Salmon this time of the year?

 

2) What trolling plate would be good for this motor? I have heard of people dragging bags or buckets but I don't like that idea.  I feel like all that stuff in the water can make a mess fast if you get a fish on.

 

Thanks for any advice! 

[KawiKid]

All depends underwater currents and what the fish want. 2.0-3.4 is generally a good speed for salmon depending on type of bait you are using. Cut bait you would want a slower presentation i find but later in the year fish are more aggressive so higher speeds with a flasher fly tend to work good so i think you should be alright. If you want a slower speed the cheapest bet would just to throw a drift sock out to slow you down but like you said its not the greatest having that at the back of the boat as things can get messy...

[jlogger]

I dragged a drift sock for years and it worked very well. I would secure it to a front cleat and only let it back to 1/2 to 2/3 down the boat. This would actually cause the sock to tuck itself under the boat and completely out of the way. I have heard trolling plates can cause problems with engine exhaust back pressures. Never used one so I am not speaking from experience on that.

[TileMan Dan]

I use a trolling plate and it works great. Gets speed down to 1.6 for me. No exhaust issues either Don't see how they would either.

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[Farmer]

Bags or Buckets with sturdy handles are the way to go. I like Amish Buggy bags myself. Tie them so they are about 2/3rd the way back on the boat and tie a piece of rope to the cod end (rear) and loop it over a rod holder so you can grab it a pull the bag out quickly if need be. Sometimes you will need to run both bags, sometimes only one depending on wind and desired speed. They also take the wander out that a v bottom boat tends to have at slow speeds. Trolling plates have a tendency to be forgotten about and then get broken when you try to go full throttle at the end of the day and some people believe that they produce unwanted stresses on the gimble of the i/o at plane leading to increased wear and failure.

Get a pair of bags.

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[guffins fisherman]

X2 on the bags. Nobody wants buckets banging off the side of their hull, nor do you want them or their wire handles anywhere near your prop. I run mine the same way the others stated, 2/3 down the side of the boat. Attach them to your bow cleat, or to your spring cleat. Run a tagline to keep them at the side or just under, and to retrieve them and off you go. Off the back is a BAD idea. Tangles with your fishing gear, tangles with your prop are inevitable.