Trolling Motor Question

[J_HAY]

Any input would be much appreciated… I have a 50hp outboard on my 16 ft. Spectrum and have been fishing on Seneca now for about 6 years, mainly for trout. I’ve used  manual downriggers, Seth Green rig’s and in-line planer boards over the years. I’ve put a lot of trolling miles in and have never had much luck. I’ve tried a bunch of different lures, Sutton’s, trolling flies, Alpino Diamonds, etc….

 

I’ve finally come to the conclusion that my motor may be the problem. My main 50hp outboard idles right down to a slow crawl – but I think the vibration/noise may be spooking a lot of fish. I’ve trolled like this since I’ve owned the boat – and again, never had much luck.

 

I’ve learned a lot reading this forum through the past few years and I know people are more than happy about providing input to questions asked.

 

So, my question is this….. Do I have a legitimate worry about trolling with my 50hp Force? Is this spooking fish? Do other’s troll with their main motor and have luck? Should I be investing in a small kicker to improve catch rate? Or, am I just a novice who hasn’t “gotten it†yet?

 

All feedback appreciated – again, thank you…..  

 

 

[genEus]

I am a lot more of a novice than you but have got to say... think about the 3 items below and realize that out of a, b, and c, the least water-disturbing piece is your motor... 

 

a) 10-15lb downrigger ball pulled through the water at 70-120ft of depth

b) dipsy, flasher and fly pulled through the water at 70-120ft of depth

c) a propeller in the water at 1 ft of depth (~70-120ft above where the fish typically are) with the motor noise mostly above water

[Chas0218]

The motor idling should not disrupt the fish.  It might have more to do with the combos and such.

[Sk8man]

It is possible that motor noise is  one (important)  FACTOR in the situation. and a 4 cycle trolling motor would be quite a bit quieter as well as more economical. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it is the ONLY factor... First of all Seneca lake has changed drastically over the past decade in terms of water clarity and in terms of available fish despite what you may assume from the "success" reports here. Many fishermen get skunked but don't report it for a  variety of reasons despite their skill level or fishing experience. There is a lot of water volumn out there (trillions of gallons) and a lot of surface area (many cubic miles). Much of it is unproductive in terms of fish availability. You could troll in some areas of the lake without ever seeing anything or catching anything. With that said it would be good to go back to square one  with your thinking for a "new start". Map out where (the areas) you have been spending the maximum amount of time thus far and the approximate depths. Are these specific areas and depths matching up to where the fishing success reports are coming from? If not try those areas/depths with the setups they are reporting. This process is basically to "weed out" possible contributors to your problem while fostering the things that work. Next MEASURE your speed with something that is fairly accurate. You stated that your motor will troll to a crawl but appearances may be deceiving....do this with your equipment out in the water because there is a difference in terms of "drag". Try out different set ups with different speeds (e.g. 1-8-2.5) Later in the summer rainbows and landlocks may want 2.5-3.0. It helps to record down things on paper and when you have some data points it often clues you into patterns that either work or don't work ...both sets of info are important. Observe where (if at all downrigger and/or motor noise is most noticible to you...if you are hearing it as a "problem"  (maybe at certain speeds mayb avoid that speed setting if possible) then look for solutions ranging from trying different lean/rich combinations on the motor, sound deadeners for the wire, placing downriggers at different angles, possibly change the wire to heavy duty braid, and/or change the weight/type and see what results from that. Maybe a prop change at a different pitch would allow the motor to run differently at different speeds allowing the motor to troll down without working so hard...Some folks place extra gasket material  around the shroud to help cut back on engine noise as well as spraying sound deadener on the inside of the motor cover (I've never done it so not sure of feasibility). Go back over your equipment and compare how you are setup with what has been reported as successful here on the site. Much of the Lake O stuff will also work on the fingers too. Check to see how far away you are running your lures from the boat if for example you are out quite far with your boards or are way back with leadcore...I would suspect that motor noise may not be the main problem....possible more likely with the downriggers though. What patterns are you trolling ? Are you doing "s" curves and going across current (diagonals) and against the current most of time,varying your speeds up and down..you should be for maximum lure action. Try using smaller lures run way back from the boat at the speeds I mentioned. I think if you experiment carefully and pay close attention to detail you will figure out your problem...it also takes patience and experimentation so don't get discouraged either   We are all learning but attention to details makes all the difference sometimes. Good luck.

Edited April 18, 2013 by Sk8man

[steelydan]

I TROLL ON SENECA WITH A 90 HP 2 STROKE MERCURY AND CONSISTENTLY CATCH FISH. I EVEN HAVE CAUGHT A FEW BROWNS AND L.L. 10' DOWN AND ONLY ABOUT 50' BACK. MOTOR NOISE IS PROBABLY NOT THE PROBLEM.

Edited April 18, 2013 by steelydan

[ERABBIT]

Take the the time and post one of your outing on what your tryed and how you ran your spread. Some times people can help you out with a small peice you may be missing................Istarted with a 80hp Merc and got fish trolling with it.....was real hard to just bump it up a tad...... if you feel it the nosie try dipsys or increase your leads ( I run long leads on riggers and spoons most of the time anyway........... for sure follow what Sk8man layed out above.......looking back on bad days can help you see what else you may want to try............good luck

[PD Buoy]

We fish Lake Ontario every year twice or more for 30 years for a week at a time, have a million lures in which a dozen work. We also fish Sebago lake in Maine, somewhat similar to Senneca Lake. If we want to consistently catch fish on Sebago we have to use BAIT,sewed on. It's an art form but it works. Maybe you should try it, just a sugestion. Good luck. Another bit of advice.... Buy Dan Keating books on Great Lakes Fishing and Keating on Kings............. PD

[apb]

I second pd buoy's comment about Dan Keatings book!!!  Great read...

[ac holmes]

Five years ago, I started fishing Seneca again after being away for 20 years or so.  I used to pull copper, so I had a lot to learn if I wanted to catch LLs.  I had a diesel, and outboard and now an inboard in the last 5 seasons, and I don't think engine noise has anything to do with it.

I started doing a lot better when I went to 10-12#  fluoro carbon leaders, and started paying attention to temp zones, and kinda ignored the fish finder.  That's my 2 cents!

[Pete Collin]

I would really doubt if your problem is your motor.  In my boat, I hve caught fish trolling with the 70 hp 2-stroke main motor, a 6 hp 2 stroke kicker, an electric bow-mount, and currently my 5 hp 4 - stroke.  I bet if i came aboard your boat I could find something with your tackle or presentation that you could change to increase your odds.  One major thing I can think of is the time of day.  I have had way more luck at dawn than in the afternoon.  A lot of folks don't like to get up early.  Do you see fish on your graph?  Finding them can often be a challenge.  But a few years of trolling the same lake can teach you spots where you can expect to see them at different times of year.  If I am on Seneca in the early morning and I see plenty of marks on the bottom, I am expecting action.

 

BTW, I usually target lakers.  Can't help much with the salmon browns or rainbows.  Maybe you should target the easier to catch lakers until you build up your confidence.

 

Pete Collin