Trolling Time Of Year

[Feathers and Fins]

I had a conversation the other day with a friend of mine; he is a dedicated bass fisherman and always has been. He doesn’t even think about other types of fishing and looks down on all types of fishing other than bass fishing and its techniques.

I told him I was thinking about going “Trolling” Later this week for striper and walleye. His response was that is cheating and requires no skill, just put bait out and drive a boat. I guess I will never stop being amazed at how misinformed so many people are about the different techniques of fishing and the skill involved in it.

So I started to explain to him about trolling starting off with Saltwater Wahoo fishing “one of my favorite fish to troll for” I started off by telling him I trolled at 10 to 12 knots and his jaw hit the floor, he could not fathom a fish that could strike a lure at that speed. I explained they were one of the fastest fish in the world, but you had to have the skill to catch them. Explaining that you needed to know their migration pattern and the structure they preferred. How when you left the dock you would run out to 60ft of water and set-up a troll based on years of exploring the cost marking wrecks, reefs and just a rock anywhere from 60 to 300 ft of water.

I had to explain to him it was no different than his beloved bass fishing where you had to spend the hours looking for structure and knowing the fish movements at all times of year. How you would set-up the troll based on that information. Then I had to explain to him the use of downriggers and lead-core lines and proper lure selections. His eyes were focused on ever word especially how you never stop the boat when hooked up or you would lose the fish.

He went on to ask how that works in freshwater. I explained again, you need to know the migration habits, the bottom structure and the type of lure along with the down riggers, lead-core line and flat lines. He did not have a clue how much knowledge and skill was actually needed to Troll. He likened it to BASS fishing as its all he knew but said there sure seems like a lot more specialty gear needed.

Its true serious trolling needs specialty gear and years of knowledge and plenty of GPS marks. Sure anyone can drop a bait or two behind a boat and get lucky but to be productive, you need to put in the hours of finding those structures and the research on fish migrations and habits throughout the year. You need to know the gear and when to use this lure or that lure and what times of day to use and do what. I often thing trolling might well be one of the most difficult types of fishing because you have to put it all together to be consistent.

Then if not all of that was daunting enough you have to learn precise boat control. I have seen guys watch me pull stripers out of log jams and then try to go over them thinking they wont get snagged. Always makes me laugh to see it. But the years I’ve spent learning to judge distance to a target and its depth has taught me how to speed up a boat to lift a bait over that structure yet still present a bait to a fish where most wouldn’t dare.

Trolling is an art in and of itself, it’s a method of fishing that done right can be highly affective, yet if done wrong equally frustrating. This is the time of year when Striper and Walleye trolling can easily outshine other types of fishing for them as they are on their migration routes. So give trolling a try and start learning a new type of fishing to put in your arsenal.

[mic]

I've trolled for bass and crappie in order to find structure because I couldn't afford electronics.

[rainbow]

I troll at Truman all the time for walleye, stripers, whites and crappie. Last year trolling for stripers I caught a 25 lb blue cat on a wiggle wart. Also picked up some nice walleye.