Controlling boat speed when trolling has a lot to do with catching fish, and until I tried this rig we had little success. My boat, with the 6 HP Yamaha at idle, is very easily pushed, and the best low speed I could get was 3.3 MPH. I considered all the options – trolling socks, trolling plates mounted on the cavitation plate, buckets off the stern, a smaller pitch propeller – this bucket setup work well, does not get in the way of the prop or fishing lines, is durable and costs next to nothing. With the bucket as shown, my speed can be controlled between 1.5 and 1.9 MPH just by changing the angle of the bucket in the water, by adjusting the fore and aft ropes. With the bucket angled up-at-the front, I get 1.9 MPH, with the mouth of the bucket down/level, I get 1.5. Setup is simple – a couple holes in the bottom of the bucket to pass a line through, and an 8′ length of rope tied to the handle. In the image below, the bow of the boat is on the right. The line goes around a thwart, through the bottom of the bucket, and tied to the stern seat.
When it’s over the side, it looks like this – now the bow is on the left.
When I want to retrieve it, I just tip it mouth down and drain and it all comes aboard still rigged up. The holes in the bottom only are useful for draining when I leave the bucket in the boat to store anchor line etc. Those holes are not for draining the bucket when I bring it back inboard.
The rig does affect boat handling, but in my case, with the single bucket off one side, it gives the boat a slightly sidewise stance that gives the person handling the fishing rod (from the opposite side of the boat) extra room for their line going past the stern and works to our advantage.