I have been searching this site and it seems that most of you call what shows up on your GPS as, lets just say 7mph, as 7 knots. I have been told that this is not correct but have never been told the correct way to convert knots to miles.
When trolling dead bait with skirts(sea witches) or bigger lures you should troll 5-8 knots. Can I safely say that if I am going 5-8 mph as my GPS is telling me I am going, I am pretty close to the right speed for dead baits w/skirts and daisy chains or am i way off.
I have been offshore several times with a buddy and we have been doing pretty much everything on a trial and error basis. I am looking to cut the leaning curve here just a little. We went 2 weeks ago and used a 1 1/2 boxes of 5lb packages of cigar minnows and got one king in the boat. We were trolling 25miles out at about 2 mph which we both seemed like was as fast as we needed to go. We hooked a bunch of kings several big mahi that gave us some beautiful jumps and tail walking but never got one to the gaff. We finally figured out why we lost all the fish probably was because we had our drags set too tight. We are mainly freshwater fisherman and setting a drag usually aint that important.
Convert mph to knots by multiplying mph x 1.15. My typical troll speed is 5-6 knots - a little faster if baracuda are a problem. Your poor hookup ratio likley resulted from trolling too slow which prevented good hookset at the bite. Also, be sure to sharpen your hooks - even the new ones.
You need to be using your rpm’s instead of your gps speed. If you’re running with a 5 mph current and your gps says you’re going 7 mph, your baits are moving 2 mph through the water. RPM’s give you a better feel of your speed relative to the water, not the earth. Make a mental note of what rpm equals what speed while in relatively still water and then keep your eye on the tach like we did before gps.
What Palmetto Bug said. Your GPS is giving you speed over the botttom, not your speed thru the water. A paddle wheel type speed sensor will give you your speed thru water but isn’t the most accurate. RPM’s is your best bet.
Thanks for the help y’all. So in other words roughly 6-8 MPH in calm water should be what I am looking for for most all saltwater game fish? Once I figure out how many RPM’s that adds up to that is what I should be looking for when I get offshore and start trolling. I know that for some species of fish these figures may be nearly too high and others too slow but would you call 6-8 a pretty good basic offshore trolling speed for kings, spanish, dolphin, tuna and hoo’s?
Would be a good place to start then adjust as needed. If it’s rough I’ll usually slow down a little bit to keep the baits in the water more. Personally I like a bait to break the surface of the water a few times a minute or so when trolling on top.
Thanks for the help y’all. So in other words roughly 6-8 MPH in calm water should be what I am looking for for most all saltwater game fish? Once I figure out how many RPM’s that adds up to that is what I should be looking for when I get offshore and start trolling. I know that for some species of fish these figures may be nearly too high and others too slow but would you call 6-8 a pretty good basic offshore trolling speed for kings, spanish, dolphin, tuna and hoo’s?
That’ll work just fine. I normally troll between 7 and 8 MPH. Your RPM will depend on the boat you have, but mine has coincidentally worked out to be about 1100-1200 RPM on the last three boats I’ve had. Hope to see some happy reports soon.
Gotcha Covered,
Lee Strickland
Strickland Marine Insurance, Inc.
843-795-1000 / 800-446-1862
I usually thumb the spool and give a couple of good whacks to ensure a solid hookup, unless the fish is already peeling of alot of line. I usually troll at 6.5 mph and like waypoint said make sure your hooks are sharp.