Trolling Valves - when to and when not to?

[Deep C]

Our vike doesn't have valves... We have a "low idle" which I think cuts out two cylinders. Valves are to slow boats down. I'm 6.8 knots at idle with this boat. Low idle I'm still 4 to 4.4...
Since I'm not really targeting whites usually the 6.8 though hot is still in my range for rattling the cage for blues...
Sailfishing its gonna be low idle...

[Squidnation]

Trolling valves are for trolling, and low idle is for around the dock. All the boats i have ran they are must. It helps get your speed dialed in (o.5 knots low end- around 6 knots topped out). I motor rpms never change but once you get to the top of the speed for the valves I have heard them rattle like crazy. I have fished a quad dredge (the most was six at once, I had one called six flags and one called sea world!!!) many of times and your speed is the most important thing, not so much the vavles. Also most of the boats have shaft speed on the gauges and that is how to make everything get dialed in. Like for sailfishing you have one shaft speed sweet spot, Then for white marlin a little different sweet spot, everything is a little different shaft speeds. I have ran a boat where the trolling vavles were so loud i would have to troll on one motor in gear, that sucks if you have vavles and can't use them. The main thing with pulling in the dredges is waiting for all the fish you saw are hooked up, pulling in the inside just enough to see it and the outside will come to the top most of the time where you can see it. The dredge will come to the top because of the white water pushing it up.

Explain this a little further. I may be a bit off base by your explaination but you bring up two points that I have seen before.

1. Sometimes when falling off a wave or even the down side of a big swell I have heard valves let out a yelp that will curl your skin. I actually saw a big whale swim side by side with us for a minute or two. Then we skooted off the back side of a swell and the valves started rattling. That whale took off as soon as he heard or felt the rattle. wonder how many billfish have been scared off by the rattle.

2. I have a dredge that I pull off my boat at 6 knots and never ever does it pop out of the water. same dredge on a big boat can't stay in the water. I never really thought about it but can this be because of the amount of water a big boat has to push to move forward? I guess it makes sense that much more water is hitting that dredge and forcing it up huh. I can't remember if we were trolling on valves or not.

[ncbillfisher]

I think with the sounds, it would be the load put on the trans. Because with the valve on the boat is in gear, the trans is slipping letting it slow down. I think some sounds can come from wear on the gear, or not it the right zone for the trolling valves(sea conditions). You are right about that noise, I worked on a spencer for a few years and we got some of the first twin disc quick shifts and the would have their moments with noise at times, until we put some of the serect oil in the gear and everything was mo better. It didn't stop that boat from catching. You would have to lay in the cockpit to rig the baits so the fish couldn't see them!!!

And on a bigger boat the wash of those props move some water, if you think about it, it takes more to move the boat. And everything is making drag in the water from the mono, baits, and the dredge. I think on a bigger boat one revolution
will be around a foot (give or take) in forward movement, and the are turning 200 to 500 rpm on the shaft. That is a lot of water!!!

That is why you always bring in the inside first because one it is in the clean water (you can see the dredge for more fish) and you can make head way on bringing it to the boat. The load is less on the inside of the turn.

[neilinov]

But I also noticed when the fish were really thick and cooperating that some captains weren't using them at all.

Bill usually when the bite is hot the trolling valves get turned off as a speed or maneuvering action. You don't want to go dropping into reverse with the valves enguaged to chase hot fish. That's a sure way to lose a transmisssion. If they are off while the bite is hot that is one less step the capt has to do get after multiples.

[Capt.Mick]

I run Trolling Valves in certain situations. The advantages are speed control and clarity of wash behind the boat. The Trolling Valves allow me to troll for stripers at 2.5 knots and for Whites around 4 knots with the wash very clear. One motor in gear with the other in neutral will add wash disturbance to your boat. In some situations the Trolling Valves at turned off to go in to a sea and make some head way. The advantages at speed control and wash control, they will help you fish if you know when you should use them. Sometimes you also need to turn them off to get a bite, it just adds another option when fishing.

Did this help anyone or did I just babul?

[clcharette]

Strictly for speed only. The valve will take a boat that would otherwise troll at 6 to 7 knots and will allow you to bring it down to 0.5 - 3 knots.

[captjohn22]

I run Trolling Valves in certain situations. The advantages are speed control and clarity of wash behind the boat. The Trolling Valves allow me to troll for stripers at 2.5 knots and for Whites around 4 knots with the wash very clear. One motor in gear with the other in neutral will add wash disturbance to your boat. In some situations the Trolling Valves at turned off to go in to a sea and make some head way. The advantages at speed control and wash control, they will help you fish if you know when you should use them. Sometimes you also need to turn them off to get a bite, it just adds another option when fishing.

Did this help anyone or did I just babul?

I think you nailed it but don't forget power drifting for fluke, wind against the tide or steming the tide etc. There are many uses for trolling valves. I have ZF 's with Glendenning electronic controls. At 38 psi [ 4.5 kts] I would get aloud chatter. By boosting the idle to 750 RPM I can go to 45 psi [ 5.5 kts.] which is the same speed as with one engine in gear, but my wake is much cleaner and have better steering.

[Capt.Mick]

I think you nailed it but don't forget power drifting for fluke, wind against the tide or steming the tide etc. There are many uses for trolling valves. I have ZF 's with Glendenning electronic controls. At 38 psi [ 4.5 kts] I would get aloud chatter. By boosting the idle to 750 RPM I can go to 45 psi [ 5.5 kts.] which is the same speed as with one engine in gear, but my wake is much cleaner and have better steering.

I have found a soultion to the chatter. I also run ZF

[Anthony of the ARK]

on the boat i work on the captain has to bring the boat back to neutral to disengadge the trollin vavles. so if we find we re getting bites with out them, i think he would rather fish with out them on. but we normally use the valves. there is less white water and we idle with both engines in gear at around 6 knots

[JonnyD]

We use them because we have to on the new boat. It does about 7 knots in gear on one motor at low idle. On other boats I have tried not to use them unless i have to. Sea condition and the behavior of the fish themselves dictate the correct speed. I think different boats have different speeds which really work for them, everyone calls it the hum. On the old boat the sweet spot was 6kts, but on the new boat its more like 5kts. the cool thing about the new transmissions these days is that once we set out you never shut off the valves all day. As you push the handle forward it increases your gear pressure, and once you approach lock up pressure the throttle increases rpm as well. Then once the engine is "in gear" you have 70% throttle. Its pretty cool because as you manuever on a fish the gears never bang, or jump and its a smooth transition from from in trolling valve to chasing down a fish and then right back into valves without ever touching a button.