Tuna Trolling w/ Outboards - 3 Blade or 4 Blade

[Fish Dad]

I had a friend suggest that trolling for tuna on an outboard boat, that a 3 blade prop would raise more tuna than a 4 blade prob. I switched over to 4 blades last year for the better boat handling and performance so don't really want to go back to a 3 blade. But since I switched to the 4 blade, my tuna fishing has sucked but because it sucked for everybody pretty much, I don't know if that made any difference one way or the other.

Just curious as to what others think about this subject.

OK...I know that diesels raise more tuna than outboards so let's try to keep the discussion on outboards.

[BuffaloHunter]

I cannot imagine any reason, any reason whatsoever, AT ALL, why this would have any effect on tuna fishing. Out of all the variables out there, if I had to pick one that mattered the LEAST, I wouldn't have even been able to think of this one as my answer.

How could this make any difference? Why?

My boat has 4 bladed props on both engines, and as long as we fish where there are Tuna, or wahoo, or dolphin, or Billfish, or rockfish, or bluefish or toadfish it has not mattered, in any distinguishable way whatsoever, how many blades are on the prop. The only discernable difference is as you said, the improved boat handling. I'd tell your friend "Hey, if it helps you sleep at night..."


-Brian

[92 feet down]

I have always had 4-blade props. No problem here. I fish out of OC, MD.

[Fish Dad]

I cannot imagine any reason, any reason whatsoever, AT ALL, why this would have any effect on tuna fishing. Out of all the variables out there, if I had to pick one that mattered the LEAST, I wouldn't have even been able to think of this one as my answer.

How could this make any difference? Why?

My boat has 4 bladed props on both engines, and as long as we fish where there are Tuna, or wahoo, or dolphin, or Billfish, or rockfish, or bluefish or toadfish it has not mattered, in any distinguishable way whatsoever, how many blades are on the prop. The only discernable difference is as you said, the improved boat handling. I'd tell your friend "Hey, if it helps you sleep at night..."


-Brian

Yea that's my thinking. But I'll also admit there are many aspects of fishing that I don't understand....like why is it that I'm not catching fish, then we discover a crew member had a banana onboard and as soon as we toss the banana into the water, we start to catch fish.

[seapower]

I hope there's no problem with 4 blade prop's, I just bought a set. Haven't had time to put them on yet. What if any difference did you see in your boat's handling, performance (speed,gph etc..). No one I know here has 4 blade's I'm the first. Got twin Honda 130's. Thank's, Frank

[Capt. kapoc]

Mike,

I have a 3 plade on the small boat and pretty much hand feed the YFT and BFT off the transom. But I also am the guy that has a ding in one of the blades and am scared stiff to go get it milled in fear that it will reduce my catch. Hell try both and see what happens one set each trip. After that look at your spread and start changing that. If there is only Long bites then it might be an issue with the boat.

[Fish Dad]

Seapower, going from 3 blade to 4 blade I got a little stern lift, better mid-range handling, and better handling around the docks. I lost a little top end speed. But with my 3 blades, particularly offshore around the mid-altantic where there are always swells, I was always working the throttles to either climb a wave or come off a wave. With the 4 blade prop, I can usually just set the throttles where I want them and leave them there because they bite better.

Mike, I fished the first 2 years in my current boat (2006 and 2007) and did pretty well on the tuna. Then put the 4 blade on in 2008 and didn't do so well. But nobody did well around here on the tuna. So I know with my 3 blades, I can catch tuna. So hopefully 2009 will be a good year for the tuna.

[Persistence]

Mike,

No way would I use last year as your lithmus test. Tuna fishing sucked last year...

I've been on quite a few boats with 4 blade props that caught tuna just fine

[seapower]

The issue of having to play the throttles in swells, is the reason I bought 4 blade prop's. Seem's like it is the law around here , that if I go fishin, it has to blow. I don't really care about top end speed I'm never that deep into my engine's anyway, the max I turn my engines is 4000, mostly 3750 to 3800. I will adjust the prop's to get the proper wide open throttle rpm, to prevent overloading the engines. Frank

[ancient mariner]

HI:
three blades VS. four .Each has a certain sound that fish like.
Since u went to four , try running your trolling spread at different speeds 'till you start picking up fish again. Why? 'Cause your lures are NOW working differently with a 4 blade vs 3 blade. You mention that you were harder on the throttles when you had a three blade on.MMMMMMMMM.
Maybe thats what helped your Tuna catch. You might have been throttling THRU the very sound (DCB's ) that the Tuna liked and didn't realize what had happened. NOW YOUR SETTIN and FORGETTIN your throttles. Not Changing, you MIGHT NOT be GETTING into that TUNA SOUND ZONE.
WARNING...WARNING...WARNING... DO NOT try and run a 9knot lure in your 6 knot spread of lures. one(1) poorly runninng lure will scre up your whole spread.
Whats the magic sound number? Each boat is a bit different (including seas,wind,wave conditions), BUT , When u find that sound range(throttle setting), stay with it.
Again, when you change direction(down sea, cross sea ,etc) you SHOULD change throttle setting to GET OUR LURES WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN. A few RPM s make a big difference. It's not hard, just a tedious way of getting things correct. Once there, WRITE down those settings(rpm vs seas) and LOCK it into your memory banks.
I now run a 23 foot Dusky CC . I went to a SS three blade on a 225 o/b Mercury and experimented with rpms ,vs speed, and TUNED in the lures for the best speed for my boat. My records show that I increased my catch on Wahoo and YFT. BFT are rare down here off Cape Canaveral.
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've asked some marine biologist about sounds(ranges) for Tunas. Haven't gotten a concrete answer yet. I just sent an e-mail to a university in Japan on this subject. When I get an answer back, I'll post that answer(whatever it is) for everybody to see.
Wackm 'N Stackm
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com