Trolling For Begginers

[Walleyedmike]

Trophy, if you have a gps for your your vehicle and a 12 volt plug in the boat, slap it in the boat and just use it to check for speed. Should work, I've never tried it though. Good info F&F. If I may, I would recommend using a metered line if a line counter reel is not used. Something like power pro depth hunter. http://www.powerpro.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/power_pro_v2/products/PowerPro_Depth_Hunter_.html

Being able to duplicate depth with some precision is very important when trolling. Knowing how many colors of metered line you have out allows you to do that quickly and efficiently. Catch a fish with six colors of line out (150 feet) Put that bait right back in the sweet spot by letting six colors back out. I've never considered your methods for slowing the boat. My 225 ETEC trolls my boat down to about 2.7 MPH. To slow her down, another Stockton buddy turned me on to a dual drift sock method as pictured. Slows her down to 1.2 MPH and boat control is great. My next boat will have a kicker motor, which in my humble opinion is the only way to go if trolling crank baits a bunch.

WM

[riverhyker]

Thanks for the flashback to ALL that we seem to have forgotten. I remember when I was a kid my mother's boyfriend taking me fishing and using these techniques. Now it is all about $20 lures, high end boats and these practices have been back shelved. I threw an old Daredevil spoon I kept from my mother's boyfriend (Dad) from the deck of a friends Ranger after he told me it wouldn't work....caught a 3lb white bass and a 6lb largemouth. Maybe they were just to young to remember them. Everyone needs to flashback to help the catch, but they have to first find them and I really believe You have hit the nail on the head......Thanks for the reminder and notes.

[Walleyedmike]

Anither view of that trolling bag set up, and more info at

http://www.lindyfishingtackle.com/fishingresources/articles/fishingbaitandtackle/putasockinit

BTW, great stuff F&F! Hopefully powerdive checks in, he's an expert in the area of trolling with lead core line, I am a bit of a novice but have had much success trolling lead.

WM

[riverhyker]

I have never tried it, but precision trolling is now an app.....

[rps]

Precision Trolling a/k/a the Trollers Bible was published in 8 or 9 editions. I had an early edition that I over exposed to rain. I dried the pages (most of them) and it sits in my storage drawer. My latest edition is on water resistant paper and lives in my boat. For those lures it covers it accurately predicts the depth of the lure for the length of line out. For lures not covered, I find a similar lure, estimate the ratio of line to depth and then check that estimate by testing on flats. The book is a useful tool in saving time learning lure depth.

One of the original authors, Mark Romaneck, has the 411 fishing show and has been working on a phone app version.

[Feathers and Fins]

I use lead core often and it is excellent at maintaining correct depth control, but really a entire subject to itself. Larger reels to handle the backing the lead and the leader etc. I was going for just a basics for people to get started. But yes its a great way to catch fish. When I run lead core I like to run a minimum of 50ft of leader and if it breaks at all I will redo the entire leader to maintain that exact depth.

This is all throw back to a older day stuff for certain I had to remember stuff my grandfather taught me when I got into doing it that honestly I had forgotten about. When I started writing this a few days ago it brought back memories of trolling with my grandfather in his old master craft and so many things he did. Using dodgers and flashers I sometimes think I have forgotten things that I shouldn't have and then it comes back.

People today look down on the troller IMO, they forgot that is how it use to be done, some of my fondest memories were trolling deep southern California reservoirs in the middle of summer with grandpa for large holdover trout. We would come to the dock with limits of 3 to 5lb fish and people would stare in amazement. In a time before depth finders even the earliest ones I remember my grandpa telling me you can keep the depth you want by putting a 10lb lead ball on a rope a string and dragging it along side the boat at a certain count ( simple knot in the line ) High Tech back then lol. I often think that must have been how the first downrigger manufacture got the idea.

[kjackson]

Very cool info; thanks. I'll second Power Pro's Depthhunter line, especially in lower pound tests. With its reduced diameter, compared to comparable mono, it will let baits run deeper.

Another way to slow a boat--if you have a tiller motor--is to troll in reverse. That also gives you pinpoint turns. However, if I want to slow down that much, I'd rather use my trolling motor.

[kjackson]

Hey, Fins-- One thing you didn't mention about your presentation: the line. Material and diameter is important for precision. I noticed on my last outing that by using 8 lb fluorocarbon as opposed to 10-lb mono, I was seeing somewhere between two and four feet greater diving depth. What are you using?

[Feathers and Fins]

I use Seaguar Floro in 10lb for all 4 of my trolling rigs my live bait / casting rods are 12lb seaguar floro.... Typically I just run the line to a small snap and that's it.

Im actually taking this rainy day to rig up some planer boards. They will be attached to 40ft of weed whacker string so I can clip them on a cleft and then send out the baits so I don't need to constantly be pulling in the boards as well. Use to use that method on my outriggers when I was ocean fishing it just saves time. I will still run the same main line to the lures though

[kjackson]

Thanks. Your use of planer board is similar to the method used by the folks on Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho for huge rainbows. It will be interesting to see how you do.