Tuna Trolling w/ Outboards - 3 Blade or 4 Blade

[DropinBack]

I have caught plenty on both...

Though I have Also... have caught them off a kayak, chunking with no motors on... trolling ....with 3 blades... and with 4 blades... and with poppers...

I dont think theres a difference...at all of which "raises" more fish...

[gradyfish265]

4 blade props produce less vibration, tuna often are attracted to vibration, and since outboards produce less vibration then inboards to begin with, that is why you can very often see an inboard boat catching more then outboards until you fine tune your rpm speed and tune in on what works. If your running 4 strokes, run them at different rpm's, not in sync, in sync they will be in harmony and produce less noise, out of sync you will produce more noise. Since I've done that we've been catching more fish. Also finding the right trim angle of the outboards for trolling that works best for your boat helps, you can adjust your engine trim to create more noise. It is not unlikely that going from 3 to 4 blades on an outboard has hurt you a little bit, but it is likely to effect you when the bite is slow, when the bite is on it should not matter. It is also possible that your wake might be slightly different and you might need to adjust how and where you troll your lures off the wake and what not, what worked with the old props might not work exactly the same with the new props giving off a different wash pattern.

[ancient mariner]

HI:
Trim angle will get you more fish , after you experiment and find the correct angle.
WARNING...WARNING...WARNING... YOU will use more fuel. Add that into your calculations on how far out you can go and GET BACK.
WARNING...WARNING...WARNING... lOOK CAREFULLY AT YOUR HEAT GUAGE. you MIGHT put up the lower unit to hight and the engine will run hotter. Just keep an eye on teh engine guage when you do it. I do and it workes for me.
WACKM 'N STACKM
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

[Fish Dad]

Thanks guys. I will do some experiementing with speed and trim angle to see if it makes a difference. Of course the hardest part of tuna fishing is finding them (being at the right place at the right time).

[Patudo]

Hi Joseph:

Off Halifax N.S., I run customers boats and I do well when after BFT and BIGEYE. HINT...HINT...HINT... Both Tunas needed different throttle settings whether I was in a I/B or O/B boat.

I didn't realize bigeye tuna was fished off Halifax Nova Scotia ... is it on the same grounds that you find bluefin or further offshore? Are you fishing both tuna species with the same lures - big spreader bars or ??? Appreciate any insight you could give us into this fishery.

thanks
patudo

[marshalljr]

Just thinking outboard boats having narrower beams than the sportfishers...could the prop wash have an effect...is their a significant difference in the wash from 3 vs. 4 blade...was their any effect on fuel mileage...Thanks...

[Capt Lindsay]

From 1976 through 1984 we ran a twin outboard 23' SeaCraft and fished the canyons every weekend. Back then, there were no 4-blade prop options for outboards. However, we found that the way for us to catch best meant taking the engines out of the equation.

By that I mean that we ran a single engine at 1100 rpm. There was no wake. It was pure blue behind the boat. You could see the propeller spin. Our speed was about 3.5 knots and this worked best for White Marlin and Yellowfin Tuna. If Albacore were around, we slowed down to 800 rpm and 2.5 to 3 knots to get them to hook up.

Our present boat, a twin diesel 41' Ricky Scarborough Express, has 4-blades. It is a great fish raiser so the discussion of the number of prop blades has never been necessary. This boat catches White Marlin and Yellowfins best at 6.5 knots, about 725 to 800 rpm depending on sea conditions. Again, we have found that Albacore like a slower bait and we back her down to a 600 rpm idle for them.

Capt. Lindsay Fuller
June Bug Charters
Beach Haven, NJ
609-685-2839
http://www.Fish-JuneBug.com

[scattered_grass]

i would have to say that there would be zero correlation between fish raised and number of blades. sounds like your friend knows a little too much about raising fish.