Determinig MPH when rigging

[Bluesraider]

Most of my fishing comes via spider rigging. I know speed has to vary some depending on the elements and fish patterns but my problem is determining how fast I am actually moving. As many on here say, .03 - .08 mph can be good speeds when rigging but if you do not have a high end depth finder to tell you that, what is the best device to pin point that slow of a speed? The little GPS app I have on my phone will do MPH, but nothing under 1 mph. I know there are many times that I am probably moving too fast/too slow but really have no way of knowing. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[arkansasbowhunter]

I go more by the angle of my line entry into the water. No like it to be 30-40 degrees from the rod tip most of the time. If I want to go faster add more weight to achieve the same angle. I find this has always put me around .6-.8 as a rule of thumb.

[jimp]

Most Lowrance gps units will show accurate speed at that range, a lot of HB's wont unless you are lucky or have upgraded with an external puck antenna. A lot of Garmin hand held units will be accurate at slow speeds, at least my 60cx or 68cx will/does.

[skeetbum]

I had a Garmin 72 that was good for that. If you do buy a handheld get the cig plug hardwire for power as they like batteries. The Ram mount I had was real handy also, didn't have to chase it around. Had a weak moment and sold it, wish I hadn't.

[stormcloud]

With Hummingbird price doesn't matter. One unit will read in 10s, go buy another one and it will only read 1 1/2 mph and over. They are geared to bass fishing and products crappie fishermen buy is just add on. The Ipilot remote reads right but it has a small screen. The hand held GPSs are accurate but it is something else to have to deal with and fish. Maybe down the road someone with Hummingbird and Lowrance will stop and look at how much product we are buying from them and include us in their planning,

[SeaRay]

I have the HB365 combo (no puck) and it is dead on with my I-Pilot and my HDS7. Guess I got lucky. Never heard of an issue with the HBs until now.

[wilbur]

A buddy of mine said he put an app on his phone that was in tenths. I will check with him tomorrow and find out.

[feelay]

Just move where there is some angle to your line. Occasionally speed up or slow down to see if it makes a difference. It ain't rocket science, just fish.

[crappielimits]

I have owned many humminbird units and have never had a problem with mine reading in tenths as low as .3! Poor accuracy at 1.5 is an exaggeration or installation issue.It usually lies with installation and interference. To answer your question, line angle is much better than speed for tightlining. A small handheld GPS will solve your speed issues if needed.

[stormcloud]

I have owned many humminbird units and have never had a problem with mine reading in tenths as low as .3! Poor accuracy at 1.5 is an exaggeration or installation issue.It usually lies with installation and interference. To answer your question, line angle is much better than speed for tightlining. A small handheld GPS will solve your speed issues if needed.

Have a friend that has 2 HB units. Neither will read below 1.5 mph. I have 1 that will and one that won't. I called the factory and was informed there was no program I could buy to fix the problem and they could not recalibrate the unit I have. Call the factory and tell them you bought one that will not read below 1.5 and see what they tell you. If they say they can recalibrate it, get they're name and call me.