I do some salmon trolling in the PNW and one complaint I have with my 22 cruiser is that it doesn't hold a tack worth a damn. Due to the light weight, hull shape (?) I find that if I leave the steering (kicker) for a very short time in the slightest breeze or current, the boat will be veering all over the place. Far more than previous boats I've fished (aluminum v hull, boston whaler). Overall, I'll take this downside of the C-dory with it's other benefits, but wondering if others find this problem and if there is anything in the world that can mitigate it.
keeping a straight tack trolling on a kicker
- Thread starter chipwagon
- Start date
jakevolvo@yahoo.com
New member
I went from trolling in a alumaweld flatbottom sport jet to my 22 angler. You wanna see a out of control troll try a riverboat lol my angler is soooooooo much better, hold a line almost as good as my neighbors 17' arima. I keep my main and kicker in the water while trolling seems to help a little bit. Nice tight hydro steering helps to for small adjustments :beer
Wandering Sagebrush
Free Range Human
Blair, are you hand steering, or do you use a tie rod?
I find the tie rod works better, a bit of tension on the pivot tube is good as well.
I find the tie rod works better, a bit of tension on the pivot tube is good as well.
I troll with a tie rod set up, connected to main most of the time. Sometimes I'll pop it off and hand tiller it when I'm farting around in the stern with the gear, or just feel like fishing a little more intently. Mostly I'm happy to sit comfortably in the house and miss all the strikes.
Auto pilot is something I hadn't really thought of. That would solve it for sure. In fact on longer tacks against the current I could probably get some short naps in. Glancing at some other post on auto pilots it looks like that starts in the range of a couple thousand bucks. A pricey solution but has me thinking about it.
Auto pilot is something I hadn't really thought of. That would solve it for sure. In fact on longer tacks against the current I could probably get some short naps in. Glancing at some other post on auto pilots it looks like that starts in the range of a couple thousand bucks. A pricey solution but has me thinking about it.
chipwagon":1i30spqv said:
If you are looking at Garmin autopilots... be aware that users have reported that the Garmin "Compact" autopilot, which is in the "couple thousand buck" range, does not work well at slow speeds. For slow trolling speeds I've gotten the impression from posts here that the (non COMPACT) Reactor 40 is preferable, and it costs twice as much as the Compact Reactor 40.
:beerYou have to think of an autopilot in the regards to a safety feature. Being able to set and maintain a course in limited visibility (fog, darkness, etc.) without constantly checking your heading allows you to keep your eyes on your surroundings for possible danger.chipwagon":pszjsrx3 said:
When making long runs to where ever, having the AP to maintain your heading reduces stress and fatigue so you enjoy your day and you're not as tired at the end of it.
If you have it tied to your chartplotter, it can auto steer back to a position when you hit the Man Overboard alarm.
Autopilots aren't just a handy feature to have, they're a genuine safety item, IMHO.