Paying Attention While Driving the Boat

[GLF]

I have taken some new fisherman fishing this year. While I am setting the lines, someone has to drive the boat. Before I start setting lines, I set the speed at 2.7 on the gps. By the time I have my spread set, the boat is going below 1.5 on the gps. Everything I put down/out has an affect on the boat speed. When I finish setting the spread, I always have to bump up the speed.

Watching the speed is second nature to me. The people I am taking fishing have never been trolling before. One thing I am not doing, and need to be explaining to these new boat drivers, is the importantance of watching the speed.

Also.....I have found it's easier for them to steer off a compass heading or land mark, instead of following the map on the gps. When they try to steer off the gps, they have a tendenacy to do a circle with the boat.

Any tricks of the trade I have missed?

[Priority1]

Been there Mike. I try and take a few minutes to explain the use of the GPS as well as the compass. I point out the SOG on the GPS and ask them to try and average between 2.5 and 3 MPH. A good wheel man is worth his weight in gold. Of course when we pull crawler harnesses I have the drift bag in and we are aiming at hitting 1 - 1.7 MPH. I have spent hrs explaining the plotter screen, and the point where the boat is, only to have some drivers run the boat in circles. I have had some steer the boat off the compass, and go 350 degrees in one direction rather than 10 degrees in the other to get back on course. I never thought it was that difficult, but to some it must be. If there is a fixed point like a light or even the sunrise it's easier to have them keep the boat pointing at it while you set up.

[Paulywood]

I always have people use the compass, that's how I learned and it's easier to explain. I also think that it makes turning easier. My dad was out with me for the first time on Monday and when we had to turn I had him go 10 degrees, let everything straighten, then go 10 degrees more, etc, until the turn was completed. And we avoided tangles. I think that the compass is a lot easier for people to understand.

[spoonfed]

When i drive ill try to keep a heading, but its easier for me to watch the downrigger lines to see if your going straight. That helps when you have a heavy current. Other than that my boat is very weight sensitive so shes a bear to keep straight. When we were on Lake Erie this weekend i told my dad to turn us around and head back into the waves, one thing he forgot was to give a little gas and our port side planer board came all the way around to see me on the starboard side! What a mess that was

[Satisfaxion_Gauranteed]

I set up a route on the gps between two waypoints that are in the vicinity I want to start fishing and going in the direction I want to go. My new driver really likes this because he can zoom the gps in and see the arrow going down the highlighted line that is the route I created. The off route and speed alarms also help to bring his attention to these details.

With that and the compass, he did a really good job for me during some very not so great trolling situations in rough seas. His very first driving job was our first west michigan league tournament. I showed him how the alarms worked and what they meant and he corrected as necessary.

[GLF]

When we were on Lake Erie this weekend i told my dad to turn us around and head back into the waves, one thing he forgot was to give a little gas and our port side planer board came all the way around to see me on the starboard side! What a mess that was

Good point Eric! Goes hand in hand with the decrease of the throttle when turning with the waves.

[caznik]

Getting back at this question,

Paying attention behind the wheel of a boat is very important yes. There is times that I take people out fishing that has gone with me before or rookies fishing on weekends in my boat. I found out there is no way of teaching your new crew every trick fishing on lake Michigan fishing for salmon. But there is things that must be told to your driver of the boat what you need to have done to catch fish and enjoy fishing.

#1- Tell your new driver to pay very close attention to other boats that are in front of you. Make sure you dont cut them off or run into them. You also have to tell them at all times you must be on the defensive side driving the boat. Not everybody out there driving other boats pay attention to. About five years ago I took my wifes cuzzin out fishing and he never pays attention and allmost learned his leason. We was fishing at Manistee and came very close hitting another boat trolling. Of corse I got yelled at by the other captain fishing out there.

#2- Try and get your crew over and visit at your house the day before you go out fishing to try and teach them what you like them to do with your GPS.

A- Speed- Teach your crew how to use the speed lever on your boat.(Reverse and forward) Most boats are different on the speed levers because some are hard to move and others are easy and allways seem to lose the speed you like to have. Tell them what speed you need to have going with the waves and against the waves and make sure they know that they can go ahead and change it if have to by allways looking at the GPS speed.

B- Just leave the cordnace alone for the first time and teach your crew that the second time out. Like you all know some GPS take time to learn how to use. I just tell my new crew to pick a point on the water and aim for that.

C- Water depth is important also,

Make sure you show your crew where the depth number is on your fish finder and the bottom line. Tell them what depth you like them to stay in. It is much easier for me to tell them to watch the depth number and the bottom line where the bottom is. Tell them to really watch the bottom. When it starts going up and making it shallower then you have to let them know to go ahead and turn out. Its the same when the bottom line is going down to makes sure that they turn in.

D- Emergencies- What if something ever happen to you as a captain. Will your crew know what to do and how to bring everything back up, such as your fishing gear. Depending on the emergency, you may have to tell or teach a few things how to bring up stuff. Even where the wire and clippers are to cut everything just in case if it becomes really bad. Yes you may loose money by doing this but coming back home to your family safe is more important to me than my fishing stuff that I have spent alot of money on.

1- Paying attention behind the wheel

2- Speed

3- Depth

4- Emergencies

These are the most important things for me to let new fishermen know what to do with. Every other time you take them out again. Just test them again and see if they remember the first things and then teach them one more thing that you like them to know what to do. You just cannot teach a new fishermen every trick fishing on the big lakes in one day. The most important thing I like to do is. To make sure that they allways have a good time and never yell at them. If you yell at them you may loose and fishing partner forever.

Tournaments:

Oh ya tournament fishing can be a yelling match between crews fishing together. The best thing to do is if you want to start fishing those most exspensive tournaments is get a crew together and fish for one year and teaching them everything. Then after that first year you and your crew should be a very good fishing team. Your crew will and should know everything about what you want and know how to fish on the big lakes.

Remember- The most important thing for me is to make sure your crew has a good time fishing and not to yell at them. But if they are messing around and just dont care about your stuff and others out on the big lake. Then you better sit with them and have a calm talk to them.

Gotta run i have a DBLE,

Captain Cazzz

[Satisfaxion_Gauranteed]

Good advice Caz! I particularly like how you talked about the safety and the bigger tourneys.

[EdB]

I'd recommend an autopilot. It's one of the best boat investments for a fisherman, especially if you take out rookies very often. Pick an open slot, set your course, tell a crew member to watch for boats and set up. They hold course much straighter than a rookie and many experienced boaters. You'll have a lot less tangles on a big set in the dark since your going straight instead of figure S's. Great when having to net fish or make adjustments. If you fish a lot, after you put one on your boat, you will never own another boat without one.

[LongLine]

Some good tips there. Definitely teach someone else how to operate the boat.

Two things I’ve learned from solo fishing with an “auto-bungeeâ€:

1. Set-up well away from other boats.

2. Set up with the wind pushing your stern.

You can supervise/train adjusting speed & direction when the lines are out.

[Sixshooter]

May have been mentioned before. But I don't want to put very much pressure on the person I take fishing ESPECIALLY if they are new to the activity.

What I try and do is when I drop the speed down to start trolling I know in my boat about how much the boat will slow down when I start dragging stuff. For my little boat I usually set it up so we start out around 3.2 to 3.5 on the GPS. Then as I set lines the boat will usually fall into the 2.5 to 2.8mph over ground speed.

Throttles on my boat are very touch and can be a discouregment from having fun.

As far as going straight. The easiest way to do such is to go with the waves till you get your stuff set. minimal stearing at that point. Both my boats will hold course nearly effortlessley with the waves. Otherwise if you just pick a compass heading and tell them to go that way things seem to work pretty good. Or while i'm back setting lines you can see if they are turning or not by the downrigger cables and or dipsies. And you can have them make adjustments as you are setting lines.

My crew will often hear me say, give me a little more left. or Righ or so on.

But remember to give them the directions in their left and right and not your left and right. They are looking forward and you are looking backward and left and right are total opposite of each other.

[Storm Warning II]

That's why Jimmy plays mate and I play captain. Takes the agony out of it. Jimmy will ask what I want out, where, and how and set those lines, I'll keep the boat on target, on speed, and out of everyone else's way. Intuition plays a little better later on when some zig zags, some power turns or some speed bumps may antagonize a bite or two as well.