A Season with the Smart Troll

[Yankee Troller]

I'd like to come out and say I'm a fisherman. Not someone who writes articles. These are things the Smart Troll helped us with over the season and I wanted to share this with you. Although, we've developed a relationship with the owner at Smart Troll we did purchase our unit and probes from him. A lot of people know we've been running this, and a lot of questions have been asked. I just wanted to help out a business in our community and explain some benefits of using a Smart Troll.

 

 

It’s not often that something comes along in the trolling industry that you can say will change the game. Some companies like Cannon Downriggers coined the term “controlled depth fishing†to describe what we do while chasing Salmon, Trout, and Walleye on the Great Lakes. A few years back the Smart Troll (ST) was introduced to us. We knew that if the ST worked as it was supposed to it would be a game changer, and put extra fish in our cooler. Over the course of the last three years we stayed in contact with Darrell, the owner of ST, and the few captains who took on a majority of the bugs and fixes. In the spring of 2015 we had the opportunity to fish on one of these boats, Sure Strike, in a charity event and see just how helpful the ST can be to anyone who trolls the Great Lakes.

 

Pictured above is a Smart Troll probe that you can place in front of a diver.

 

 

At our seminars in the Winter/Spring of 2016 we announced we had purchased a ST system for use in the upcoming season. So, let’s flash forward. It’s October and our 2016 season is over. We put the ST through a whole season of use and here’s what we found aboard our boat the Yankee Troller. For the most part the system worked well. I’d say its solid 80% of the time, and it gets jumpy the other 20%. However, if you know what you’re looking for during that 20% you can get a grasp of what’s going on down there. Let’s not forget this is still a work in process, and can only get better! The first thing we noticed that affected our ST signal was high RPMs from the engine. This is something Darrell has a physical fix for as well as a firmware fix after witnessing it on our boat in June, so we’ll see if those fixes helped come 2017. The other thing we noticed is that horrible currents sometimes plagued the signal. We were able to get consistent read outs on coppers to 300’, and on good days we had a 500’ copper sending us data. However, ST only guarantee’s it’s signal to 300’.

 

Put aside the few kinks, and there’s A LOT that the ST Depth/Temp probes helped us with, and educated us on:

·         

• Bottom tracking with your diver â€“ This was something our first experience with the ST showed us. Sometimes the fish are just glued to the bottom. Using a ST probe on your diver and being able to place your diver within 3-5’ of the bottom WILL increase your catch when you run into this scenario. We did a lot of this during late summer on Lake Ontario while fishing for Brown Trout. Many times there was a 5-10’ band of water they were in right smack dab on bottom. That’s where your lures need to be, and that’s where the ST really shines!

 

• Direction of troll (DOT) â€“ This was another benefit of having the ST hooked up to our divers. One day we experienced a 19’ difference depending on the DOT. It was staggering, but most days it ranged from 8 to 12 feet. That might not seem like much, but think of it in terms of downrigging. Many times you have a hot downrigger bite on a downrigger at 60’, but the 50’ downrigger is dead. Sometimes the fish are just that fussy!

 

• Diver Settings â€“ We know a lot of people don’t like to change a diver from a setting they are comfortable with. They feel as if they don’t know how it will affect the dive curve. We’re here to tell you the ST takes the guess work out of it! Do you want to run four divers? Put one on your low diver and one on a high diver and you’ll never have to worry about where they are running. Are you fishing shallow water and want to put the diver on a 3 or 3.5 setting so you can creep it out to get as close to bottom as you want? Not a problem anymore!

 

• Utilizing Multiple Manufacturers â€“ When it comes to wire and copper there are a few manufacturers that provide us with these products. They aren’t all the same, and some have a thinner diameter than others. An experiment between two wire brands, for example, showed us we needed to let out another 25’ to achieve the depth of the other wire with all other variables removed. The same holds true for different diver manufacturers. We ran the Chinook Diver, a local manufacturer in Rochester, a lot for Brown Trout this summer. With the ST attached we didn’t have to learn a new dive curve. We were able to put that diver right where it needed to be by monitoring the ST.

 

• Daily Conditions â€“ Each day our Great Lakes are a different animal. Thermocline, winds, and currents all affect the water column. One day a 150’ diver will be riding at 75’ and the next it’s at 60’. Everyone knows where their diver is supposed to be, but the variables each day dictate that and you can be 10+’ off.

 

If the ST is something you want to add to the arsenal next season mentioning this write up will extend the sale to November 15th that ST had on their units the last month.

Edited October 31, 2016 by Yankee Troller

[Fat Trout]

Thanks for the info.   any issues / observations with transducer location or proximity to other transducers, engine etc?

 

The speed / depth / temp probe in the on sale kit looks different than the one in the separate probes....smaller, more compact.  Improvements I guess?

 

any known cure for the paranoia of loosing a probe? (kidding)

Edited October 31, 2016 by Fat Trout

[Prof T]

Captain H,

 

Thanks for taking the time to write an informative review of what took you months to learn.

 

Gene

[dick black]

Thanks a lot Rick, as usual you have answered a lot of very nagging questions. I had a post on here for the last week or so trying to get some info to make up my mind on witch mfg. to go with. As always I got lots,of help, thanks again!!

Sent from my VS990 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[RD9]

Yankee did you use it on segmented cores on the boards? I fish salmon but i tourney fish walleye mainly and I'll tell you that the difference between seven and eight color can make a huge difference some days. Then dialing riggers and divers to match that targeted depth can be a mystery. We start with divers higher then the marks and then creep them out 5 to 10 feet at a time until the fire. To put all my rods in the same ten ft of water column in walleye fishing suspended fish could be crazy cool.

[Yankee Troller]

Thanks for the info.   any issues / observations with transducer location or proximity to other transducers, engine etc?

 

The speed / depth / temp probe in the on sale kit looks different than the one in the separate probes....smaller, more compact.  Improvements I guess?

 

any known cure for the paranoia of loosing a probe? (kidding)

 

This is a very sensitive system, so if your boat (and I don't mean the guy asking the question) is a wiring nightmare you may have a lot of interference issues. Transducer placement is recommended by the manufacturer to go outside of the propeller bubbles (ie. corner of the boat underwater). Our's, however, is dead center of the boat and low.

 

The Speed probe is a different animal. I have it and I run it in tandem with my MOOR so I can get used to the speeds it read out. On my ride we run our MOOR at 2.0. The ST speed probe reeds 2.7 at this time, so much closer to a Fish Hawk. The probe is VERY compact. Gives you a real time speed from an average of the last 5 seconds, and an average speed which is an average of the last 5 averages.

 

Yankee did you use it on segmented cores on the boards? I fish salmon but i tourney fish walleye mainly and I'll tell you that the difference between seven and eight color can make a huge difference some days. Then dialing riggers and divers to match that targeted depth can be a mystery. We start with divers higher then the marks and then creep them out 5 to 10 feet at a time until the fire. To put all my rods in the same ten ft of water column in walleye fishing suspended fish could be crazy cool.

 

We used it on coppers out to 500', but I don't think we ever put it on a core. We don't run many cores after Spring time to be honest, and we really started digging into this system late May early June. I think the ST is best utilized for diver placement. No need to fill reel spools to make your counter accurate. No need to worry about what wire your buddy is using to try to figure out depth curve. You KNOW where the diver is when it got rocked.

[Chowdaire]

Great info, Yankee. I only run divers so I'm very interested in ST.

One more question, are you putting it right inline directly to the diver or using a clip farther up the line?

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Sk8man]

Excellent info based on real experience and much appreciated Rick. As with any relatively new device it may take a while to fully explore the advantages in numerous situations and compare with your other "known" device results (e.g. Moor) or sort out minor bugs but it sounds pretty good so far.

[Yankee Troller]

Great info, Yankee. I only run divers so I'm very interested in ST.

One more question, are you putting it right inline directly to the diver or using a clip farther up the line?

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario

 

On divers we place it right inline. Take the swivel on the wire and put it through the loop on the probe. Take the swivel on the probe and connect that to the diver. You can use a clip if you want and move it further up the wire, but I think that's defeating the purpose?

 

As for coppers we use an OR clip and put it just above the copper/mono swivel.

[Reel Overtime]

on my wish list

[TrophySeeker]

Rick, what do you use for an Android Tablet, and how is the visibility in sunlight?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Yankee Troller]

Rick, what do you use for an Android Tablet, and how is the visibility in sunlight?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

 

I started with my phone, and then connected my Motorola XOOM tablet. That was nice big display, but it was old and I couldn't easily find an adapter for a cigarette lighter. I ended up picking up a cheap ASUS tablet on Amazon.

[Iceman]

YT;

Thanks for the informative post! Didn't see anything about the speed wheel sensors on these probes in the post, did you use them, or rely on a FH/Subtroll, etc for down speed?

John

[Yankee Troller]

YT;

Thanks for the informative post! Didn't see anything about the speed wheel sensors on these probes in the post, did you use them, or rely on a FH/Subtroll, etc for down speed?

John

 

I'm stubborn and stuck on my MOOR, but every day I ran it in tandem with the speed probe. I want to ease into getting used to the ST speed probe, and see where it needs to be when I do certain speeds I'm used to on the MOOR.

[TyeeTanic]

Good write up Yankee.

[lost a lure]

Are we talking about actual lure depth or distance from the transducer?

[Xxx]

Are we talking about actual lure depth or distance from the transducer?

Actuall lure depth as it uses a pressure sensor, you could run 3 differant divers at 3 differant depths, that's what makes this unit so much better or differant compared to the others.

Edited November 2, 2016 by pap

[FleetTracker]

Read up on this ST system when it first came out. Sounds cool, but found myself questioning its true benefits over what I already have on my boats (FishHawk X4D) and the real data I already know. If you fish enough you can dial in your divers using other means. I.e. trolling in sand flats until you tick bottom. Boom. That many feet out, on that diver setting, pulling that style of paddle and you know where you are. I know where I tick bottom in 60', 80', and 100'. Slight adjustments for current can be made as they are relaized on the fish hawk rigger probe.

ST is a pretty cool idea and I applaud the folks for passionately designing the system... i just dont think its something I would buy. Great write up Yankee... it confirmed a lot of my suspicion about the perceived value it adds to your arsenal.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Edited November 2, 2016 by FleetTracker

[Last One]

Great write up Yankee Troller. Looks like something to add for the Dipsys. I have a Fishhawk 4x as well. Actual depth at the ball would be great to see too. With blow back and all.

Would be good if I could see the data on my Garmen 7610.

[BAZOOKAJOE]

What's the legality in tournaments having to use a tablet?

[Xxx]

I would suspect nothing as the hawk has a screen and the tablet would be the ST screen. I would doubt that wasn't a question asked before going through with this?? Just my $.02.

[Reel Fishing]

I just recently purchased this unit, I have not received this yet, I see on there website if you have an I/O setup u may have to install an additional transducer to get readings on other side of boat, anyone using this product have an I/O? If so what kind of results have you had with one transducer?

[Yankee Troller]

Great write up Yankee Troller. Looks like something to add for the Dipsys. I have a Fishhawk 4x as well. Actual depth at the ball would be great to see too. With blow back and all.

Would be good if I could see the data on my Garmen 7610.

 

Thanks! 

 

 

What's the legality in tournaments having to use a tablet?

 

Perfectly legal in the ones we fish. Once the tournament organizers understood the ST they allowed it. 

[Reel Fishing]

I just recently purchased this unit, I have not received this yet, I see on there website if you have an I/O setup u may have to install an additional transducer to get readings on other side of boat, anyone using this product have an I/O? If so what kind of results have you had with one transducer?

[Yankee Troller]

I just recently purchased this unit, I have not received this yet, I see on there website if you have an I/O setup u may have to install an additional transducer to get readings on other side of boat, anyone using this product have an I/O? If so what kind of results have you had with one transducer?

 

I have a buddy who has dual outboards. I'll ask him and get back to you.