Trollers help on speed.

[Beginner]

Which is better, GPS speed or the wheel speed on most depthfinders for trolling? And what is a good starting speed for trolling? I have heard 1.5 mph to 2.5 mph. Thanks Beginner

[Bottomfeeder]

It depends on what lures you are trolling. For crankbaits I have heard pro's like Parsons say they like to go fairly slow. around 1 mph. We usually try to stay 1 to 2. If we are trolling crawler harnesses, we go real slow. Around 1/2 mph. I think the key is to experiment. Sometiimes we start at 1 and start catching fish around 2. Once you get into fish, yu will find what works the best.

[Jim Carroll]

Before the Selective Availability (SA) was turned off I would have said the wheel was more accurate. SA purposely introduced error into the GPS signal to degrade accuracy. Now that it is turned off, I am using the GPS more than the wheel to track boat speed. GPS speed is not affected by current speed or direction like a paddle wheel in water is. Either method, and this is very important, must be factored in with good old seat of the pants experience. Does the bend in the rod look right? Does the vibration of the rod in the hand feel right? Put these factors together and you will be successful. Speeds can vary so much between seasons and baits use, it is really hard to make generalizations. I've pulled Reef Runners at .75 and 3.75 mph. I've had great success on prarie impoundments in August pulling Shad Raps at nearly 5 mph. Certainly some baits are capable of running true at a wider range of speeds without spinning out. Crankbait speed is always a trial and error experiment and all I can suggest is to try and vary your speed until you can determine what is working on that particular day. Good Fishing. JC

[Shellback]

My Garmin GPS speed gets a little eractic below 2.5 MPH. I've found my F/F speed indicator to have a steadier reading. The truth of the matter though is I would not count on either to be a true correct speed. What is important is that if your hitting fish just stay at the speed your F/F is reading, it's a reference to work off of. Another trick is to troll in a lazy S pattern, if your hitting fish on the outside lines, they are running faster than the inside lines and vice versa. Ajust your straight ahead speed to suit. I troll for Trout in the Finger Lakes of NY and always stay below 2 MPH.

[SUPERTROLLER]

It really doesn't matter which one you use. Just return to the productive speed and reset your lines. In general your paddle wheel will show a higher speed than a GPS indicates. I think people like to use the GPS speed because it tells them the slower speed and everyone wants say how slow they trolled and that's why they caught more fish. I have more problems with Sheephead at speeds slower than 2.5; so we like to keep it moving at least that fast for cranks. Obviously we don't troll that fast with spinners. Like to wind drift with those,,,, nice and slow.

[Dunn]

As has been said it all depends on what you are trolling with. It also depends on what kind of bite you are looking for.

Crankbaits can be a bit tricky at times. A slower presentation sometimes slaughters the fish, from 1/2-2 mph. Sometimes however a faster bite that triggers reactionary bites can produce far more fish, from 2-3+ mph. I'd say run with whatever you are comfortable with, and go with your instincts. Try various speeds , with different lures. Try some stalling with semi-sharp turns. Find what the fish want and go with it.

Now for a crawler harness bite thing are alot slower. "You can never go to slow for Walleye.." is something I was told a good couple years ago and still base my trolling with harness' on. A creeping .2-.7 mph seems to just dangle the crawler right in front of the walleye fo so long they can't help but take up the "free" meal. Now I've also had some good days pulling harness' at faster speeds. Pulling them at 1+ mph sometimes just triggers bites, reactionary and not. The same would go with harness' as with crankbaits. Try various speeds, lures, and stalling to find out what the fish want and work off that. And if the bite stops or slows, try something else.

Hope I was some help, and good luck.
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Marshall J. Dunn

[jimbo2]

I was told some time ago that you should watch your baits before putting them out, and adjust your speed to what ever they look best. Some times this works. As for cranks and crawler harnesses, in the summer I troll them as fast as they look good without twisting. It could have something to do with using Power Crawlers and fishing bigger waters, but speed tends to eliminate the smaller fish. In the spring (cold water) I usually run a controled drift with my bowmount. Very slow.
No matter what us "know-it-alls" tell you, you need to get out and try new things on the water that you fish.
I have a mental list that I use for each lake I fish, If this doesn't work, then I do this and so on.
Have fun learning, and don't be afraid to speed up.