Quote Originally Posted by Yaker View Post
Very good thread,so I hope I'm not high jacking.I fish from a kayak,my trolling motor is not a variable speed,so I'm handicapped on speed control.I troll or longline with two rods,mounted on a dashboard in front of my seat.ive tried placing my rods in various set ups ( one high,one low,both on same side,one on each side,but always long lining.)
My question is,if I spider rig with two rods one on each side of the bow,knowing my speed will be a bit faster,making my rigs hang at at least 45° angle,can I use small cranks,and jigs? ,and will I be able to turn without the typical cross over I deal with now when long lining.I know this is a lot of questions,but I'm looking for others experiences,thanks.
If you put some weight on the main line you should be OK with pushing jigs or cranks. Depending on what your rods can handle, you could start out with 1/2oz and work your way up to 2oz to see what weights & speeds work best to keep your lines at a 45deg angle. Just understand that a 45deg angle is mainly used for calculating the depth your bait is running, by multiplying the length of line out (below the surface) by 0.6 (approximate depth of your weight)

But, you just have to remember that when you're using weights above your baits, that you have to be constantly moving forward (esp w/cranks) ... even when hung up or landing a fish ... otherwise the weight on the other rod(s) is going to pull your bait towards the bottom. Not too bad a deal if the depth of water you're in is greater than the length of line out, and you're in open water or over a fairly clear bottom.

Now, in your case, since you're only running two rods ... one gets hung, then open the reel and put it back in the holder & reel the other one up ... then go back and try to free the hung bait. Get on the other side of where you are hung and drop the weight down ... that'll usually free a hung jig. Not so sure about a hung crank, though ... but they do make "lure knockers" that will do the trick (sometimes).

As far as turning & not crossing lines ... you should be OK, as long as you don't make a "Bat Turn"

And I know how you feel ... I run a 12v 42lb thrust 5speed trolling motor on my 16' ProCraft ... and can't keep a constant speed. I can't get 1.8mph crank pushing speed out of it, or maintain those speeds for more than a few hours. Now, pushing jigs at 0.6 - 0.8mph I'm good to go. That was on a series 27 battery, which died after 4yrs ... so I went to a series 29. Haven't tested it "pushing" yet, but the times I have used it ... it seems like it will extend my pushing time by several hours or more. I hope, anyway. Otherwise I'll have to spend a few grand on trolling motor, rewiring for 24v, contour line map card, etc.