Hi,

My boat idles at 2.5-3mph. Could someone please let me know if that is to fast to troll bucktails for stripers.

Thanks!
Pete

Direct your attention to the Fishdoc. He is the master. Smiles. G

2.4 to 2.8 is "prime" and we've tried about everything. Pretty much anything over 2.8 is gonna be detrimental most of the time. I have caught fish at just over 3 and FISHDOC has told me about catching fish under the right conditions (i.e. for some reason maybe they wanted to jog a little) at over 4.5 .... but we usually stay at or as close to the 2.4-2.8 range unless you're pulling sutton spoons ... they seem to work best even slower than the 2.4-2.8 above.

Thanks! I can keep it around 2.5mph with the motor tilted up, so that sounds like that will be ok.

Pete

PETE, I'M NO FISHDOC. MOST ALL I DO IS STRIPER TROLL.
I TROLL FROM 1.0 MPH TO 3.5 MPH. IF YOU MARK FISH DEEPER THAN WHERE YOU THINK YOUR BAITS AREW RUNNING, KNOCK IT OUT OF GEAR AND LET THE BAITS SINK. PUT IT IN GEAR, AND THEN KNOCK IT OUT OF GEAR AGAIN. SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO TEASE THE FISH. OTHER TIMES, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE BAIT AWAY FROM THEM. SOMETIMES IT WORKS, AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. SETTER

Setter, i do that also. works real well for deeper fish, specially those suspended rite below a drop. catch more on the speed-up, after the slow-down than vice-versa. also catch many on a turn when i speed up. kinda like castin an changin speeds. and DRY is correct, i've caught fish on occasion at nearly 5MPH.

The few I caught over the winter were between 2.5 and 3 mph, which is a little more than I would consider traditional. Of course, those were on crankbaits, which run different than bucktails.

Probably has as much to do with what speed the lure had its best action at as what speed the fish are used to. If a striper wants a lure, he can easily get it at over 7 mph (since the salt water ones will at times hit lures trolled for bluefish and spanish).

Thanks guys. I never thought of the putting the boat in and out of gear while trolling. That's a great idea to slow down or get the baits deeper.