🚤 Trolling Speed Distance Calculator
Enter your trolling speed and how long you'll troll to see the total distance you'll cover.
Speed multiplied by time
Two multiplications, one for miles and one to restate them in feet:
distance (mi) = speed (mph) × time (hours)
distance (ft) = distance (mi) × 5280The defaults, 2.5 mph for 2 hours, give 5.00 mi or 26,400 ft. Turn it round to plan a pass: a 1.5 mile shoreline trolled at 2 mph takes 0.75 hours, and a ten minute pass at 2 mph covers 0.33 mi, which is 1,760 ft.
Entering the two numbers
- Time is in decimal hours. Ninety minutes is 1.5, not 1.30; divide minutes by 60. Twenty minutes is 0.33 and forty-five is 0.75.
- The speed box is miles per hour. If your plotter reads knots, multiply by 1.15 before typing — 2 knots is 2.3 mph, and 2.5 mph is only 2.17 knots. Trolling advice written in knots is a fifteen per cent faster number than the same figure in mph.
- Round trips need the whole time. The result is distance travelled, not distance from your launch point; trolling a two mile leg and back is four miles of water covered.
Frequently asked questions
How far do I travel trolling at 2 mph for an hour?
Two miles, or 10,560 ft. At 2.5 mph the same hour is 2.5 miles, so an afternoon of four hours puts ten miles of water behind the boat.
How do I enter 45 minutes into the time box?
As 0.75. The field wants decimal hours, so divide the minutes by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 is 0.5, 90 is 1.5.
Is trolling speed measured in mph or knots?
Freshwater trolling is usually talked about in mph and this page expects that, but most marine plotters display knots. One knot is 1.15 mph, so a chart recommending 2.0 to 2.5 knots means 2.3 to 2.9 mph.