Smart Troll System to track Divers.

[digitroll (ron)]

Yankee is going to do a short video clip of how he pins it with the OR-16 Offshore red clip with the tab this upcoming weekend. It's a very simples solution to using the probe on the Slide Divers he said. I will post the clip here.

[pfu]

How expensive are the probes if lost? Easily paired up when replaced?

Interested but not sure how the banker will feel of yet another toy..

[digitroll (ron)]

Probes are $275. No need to pair them.

[digitroll (ron)]

This am's rainy project.. Relocated my wash down switch out of harms way in the corner under the bolster from being bumped into for 11 years. Second project moving rocker switch to the outside for a permanent home for powering the Smart Troll receiver without opening the door every time to get access to it to turn it on or off. That was temporary for the testing the other day. The first switch move was practice for the second switch move. Fit and Finish high on my list.

[striper192001]

Where do you get those blocks that the transducers are mounted to ?

[digitroll (ron)]

Came from Bert's custom tackle. Transducer boards.

[popster]

Vermont Plastic Specialities in Williston will custom fabricate any size/thickness of most plastics, including Seaboard for Marine use.
An excellent company to work with

[digitroll (ron)]

Smart troll video I made this am:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m92sRGBw_E

[digitroll (ron)]

You Tube Video demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd1ykoySH8c&t=4s

[digitroll (ron)]

My second time fishing with the Smart Troll system yesterday. With the high water still and the lake at 98 ft there is some significant currents yesterday and directions trolled with the North wind we saw some significant changes in our two light bites dive curves throughout the morning. It was similar to Ontario yesterday. Again,.. very amazed at how things change watching data! Temp break was 70-75 feet on the main lake on the riggers but due to blowback of 5-8 feet it they were running where you see the temps on my divers. Great to see the divers close or on the break! And adjust them to keep running there after changes in boat course direction with waves and strong currents!

Changes I have made to my traditional running of my lite bites: Mag rings / 2 setting / 200-250 wire out to achieve the depth curve needed to fish this deep thermocline parking baits at 62-64F.

[digitroll (ron)]

On water test #3 with Don and Chris yesterday on the boat for 7 hours. It's been simply amazing each time I get these probes wet in the water. We have seen some significant current again at times when the boat is running certain directions which change the dive curve significantly! We see a difference of 20 feet at times between the two diver rods in terms of wire out on the counter. Boggles the mind! But checking with my X4-D and my TD at times the last 3 trips we verify the depth and temp. of these probes in question! You almost have to forget and process how much wire is out but just look at the temp. and depth of the probes and just keep them where you would like them. It's very cool knowing where they are running!

It's really neat comparing the depths of the X4-D Fishhawk on the rigger and the two divers in the water! And using my X4-D as a baseline and running divers above or below it to trigger bites at 64F / 57F our target temps. We will run one diver high at times 10-15 ft above temp. for Steelhead in the warmer water!

I am a self described data person from my background. These kinds of tools help put the puzzle together to get bites.

[Gecha (Gerry)]

This is an impressive tool. It gives precise information about the depth you are actually hitting. Love this technology.

[digitroll (ron)]

It's probably been 17 years when I installed my first Auto Pilot also my first four stroke 115 hp Mercury repower for trolling with no kicker on the Sea Nymph and now this ranks right up there in terms of eye opening technology and wow factor! Thanks Gerry.

[digitroll (ron)]

Test number 4 a few days ago. A few benefits:

Your watching the data on the tablet and if you get a knock off the depth displays the diver now up near the surface or if you have a small hitch hiker the depth curve moves up where it was running 15 feet from the drag. Both cases something changed enough in the data in real time you just turn around and check the diver rod in question! Nice to have your back covered! It could even be a weed ball at the end of the diver!

We have all been there when one diver rod is firing and the other is dead! We try to put the same amount of line out and match lures. Still no bites. Now you can see where the bites are coming specifically on the hot diver side and adjust the other rod to match the depth the active diver is catching fish. Turning the boat you can see sometimes a loss of 20 ft on one side of the boat due to currents!

Or you could be running a dodger fly or in Ontario a meat rig or Flasher Fly. You can now see where it's running compared to a spoon on another diver.

You don't turn your sonar off and fish blind? The same analogy is running our divers blind. Now you can see where they are running with the Smart Troll probes.

[digitroll (ron)]

1 month into my testing I have been out 14 times in September taking a pause for some work around the house. 6 of these 14 times out have been on my boat using the Smart Troll system. I have been attaching the probes lately at the end of the wire before my 25 ft 30 lb. Trilene Big Game leader. If I have a small fish on or change lures or a missed fish I will just hand over hand the 25 ft leader and reset the Lite Bite without removing the probe. Saves a lot of time! The only time I remove it is when there is a legal salmon on or a laker over 4-5 lbs.

If I see it's not diving where it should be on the tablet many times it could be dragging a small fish! Or if it trips with or without fish it comes right up quickly close to the surface on the tablet reading shallow. Many times the driver watching the tablet depths can react quicker to changing depth numbers then the other guest watching our 4 rods.

In several cases I directly attribute catching decent salmon to moving my divers to the sweet spots where we are taking salmon on the fixed cheaters off the riggers!

In addition to removing my back riggers in March and just running 2 Digitroll's I took another big step this past week and removed 8 rod holders out of my tracks and dual rod holders off my riggers. Dedicating basically to running 4 rods. 2 Divers 2 Riggers no matter how many licenses on the boat here on Champlain. It's not about how many lures you can put in the water anymore it's placing them ie. 4 rods in the right place and tracking them! In Ontario were are allowed 3 rods a person and that's where we up our game with 4 divers and 2 riggers. Here on Champlain 4 rods can be plenty! I did leave my shorter welded net holders in the tracks on either side for my nets. Less is more! 2,650 hours on my boat since 2013! Engine hours documented.