Trolling question/second attempt

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

troll backwards

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Originally Posted by Bassing_53

troll backwards

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I honestly never though of that....


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Tow a couple by buckets it'll slow you down

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Originally Posted by REDBOAT

Tow a couple by buckets it'll slow you down

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Another great idea


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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. rotfl

Drift sock could slow you down

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.

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