In the Midwest we would use wind socks when trolling for Walleyes to get down to 1 mph, but I don't hear of anyone using them here.
As mentioned by others, they're quite common, called "sea anchors" around here, which seems like a silly name, but whatever.
A trolling plate is a low-cost solution (and as mentioned, don't slam the throttle with it down).
Maybe another low-cost stopgap might be to try and find a cheap used electric. Not sure how well a 12V electric would perform on your sled, due to the conditions mentioned (wind, current, whatnot), but maybe others here have better insight on this. They make ones that can mount on the outboard lower unit, which allows you to steer from the console (it's not a tiller, right?). Then again, a little better electric, like an 80# 24V might be a good alternative to the gas kicker, for a boatload less money. Although having a gas kicker also provides emergency power should the main fail (which a brand new Honda sure shouldn't, but stuff happens).
Just throwing out suggestions. I understand that we can't always buy what we want exactly when we want it, so make do with what you can.