My comment on the "trolling plate" was in response to a prior question that
asked if Smart Tabs would slow a boat down when trolling. I thought
"slowing a boat down " was a good thing when trolling, so that is why I
mentioned the trolling plates. I was not recommending them, just commenting
on how many I've seen advertised.
*****************************
With regard to your query about your difficulty in trolling slower

....I don't know if it will work in your situation, but around here, to cut
down on wind drift, I hang a "drag anchor" or small "sea anchor" out.
Depending on which cleat I position it, I can set up a neat drift that
matches my position along a shoreline. No reason it wouldn't positively
affect a slow troll while under way. I've moved my boat short distances
carefully while it was deployed. Might not work for you, but works here. --

RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
..
************************************************** ****************888
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 06:25:56 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 05:07:09 GMT, "RichG"
wrote:


I'm not a troller, so my answer is without a lot of
knowledge...however, it
seems to me that many trollers put "trolling plates" on their motors to
SLOW
the boat down. The few times that I have trolled ( Alaska, etc.) we
were
running at 2 or 3 mph. Seems to me, that the drag created by ANY tab
system
would be beneficial?????


That's an interesting question.

If you are just trolling to scare up a fish, then yes. If you are
looking for a BIG fish, then you need to get close to structure and
here in New England, that means rocks - lots of rocks.

A trolling plate can cause you control problems - in particular in
strong currents or rips - oddly, that's where the big fish lurk. All
my big stripers and bluefish have been caught within 50/60 feet of
shore in and around rocks and rips. I'd rather have the ability to
maneuver than have it restricted with a trolling plate.

It's one problem that I have with the Ranger - I can't slow it down
enough at slack tide for the really big stripers. Normally, I can
work with the tides and rips to keep the speed down, but at other
times, it's impossible.

And, I know it sounds stupid, but 1/1.5 mph can make a difference.

Electric Trolling Motor...

Have one - bow mounted 67# thrust 24 Vdc Great White.

It's worse than the regular motor for this type of work.

Later,

Tom