Trolling question/second attempt

[Jman5626]

So I tried trolling cranks seriously for the second time this past weekend. My first attempt was at grayson lake. That only got me 1 striper. My second attempt got me 1 big bluegill. But no crappie. The first time I tried trolling cranks I used my trolling motor but I quickly learned that it won't get me above 1 mph. And this weekend as I was by myself, I learned that even with a "trolling plate" my gas motor only gets down between 2.5-2 mph.
Correct me if I'm wrong but so far what I've learned is that 1.6-1.8 is ideal for trolling cranks for crappie?
My question is what can I do to make the motor slower? With it being 2-stroke I don't want it to idle too slow and start fouling the plugs but I also would like to be able to go slower. Maybe my trolling plate isn't on correctly. (It was on there when I got the boat so I honestly don't know)
My second question is this. Somehow I managed to take a chunk out of one of my prop blades so I guess I'll be looking for a new prop. Is there a certine type of prop that maybe has bigger blades or a different pitch that makes them more ideal for trolling?
Any and all help is appreciated as I really want to learn to troll. I quite enjoy it.


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[minnowtime]

Talk with someone knowledgeable about props.. Changing the pitch will slow you down but will also cut your top speed.

[Bassing_53]

troll backwards

[Jman5626]

troll backwards

I honestly never though of that....


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[REDBOAT]

Tow a couple by buckets it'll slow you down

[Jman5626]

Tow a couple by buckets it'll slow you down

Another great idea


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[crp4570]

Buckets or wind socks will slow you down. If you are going to do a lot of trolling upgrading the trolling motor will help. Or just pick days with 15-20 mph wind and troll into the wind, that will slow that motor down.

[Potatoe]

Drift sock could slow you down

[Crestliner08]

All good suggestions here. However, what is the HP of your engine? How large of a boat is it pushing? What does the idle speed suppose to be for that engine? (Check online or call a marina.) I don't see how slow trolling a 2 stroke is going to be that detrimental to the plugs. All you need to do is get up on plane for a minute or so to blow it out before pulling off. Never been a problem for me.

Push comes to shove, back trolling could be a solution, depending on the depth of your transom. And if it's not too windy. Otherwise you'll probably take water over the transom, so be careful about that. Trolling a bucket or drift sock is your next best option. But I would definitely have that motor looked at. I have a 9.9 Evinrude with which I troll frequently. No problems, no worries.

[FIN]

You could add a transom mount trolling motor to get the speed up.
Fin