trappervan

I have a 16ft Tracker 3 jon boat, with a 50hp Merc, with power trim, etc. Its a long shaft. I just bought the boat, haven't had in the water yet,, but looking at the water line,,,lokks like I could run in about 1 1/2 of water, trimmed down. I'd like to run shallower,,,, been researching jack plates,,,but never dealt with one...Wondering if anyone out there could offer some advice. Keep in mind,,,I'm not concerned about more speed,,just depth..also, on a budget, hoping to be able to use either "fixed", or manual plate.