double trivecta

[m&m]

Based upon the strictest interpretation of trolling: every time you cast a lure and while retrieving it you hit the trolling motor you would be trolling. So I think dragging a bottom lure while using the trolling motor is not against the spirit of the rule. Just my 2 cents worth. 

Mike

[Guest]

the problem is that trolling when stated in tournament rules is not clarified as to what trolling is.  won bass does however clarify what trolling is to them - "Won Bass 
Trolling, (the act of manipulating the lure solely by maneuvering the boat under any type of power) is prohibited. "

B.A.S.S. when started did not allow trolling and clearly stated that you were to use the act of casting and retrieving only to fish your lure and no trolling was allowed.

as someone else pointed out, they just need to allow trolling and then there would not be a GRAY area.  but, any tournament that has no trolling in the rules, i still will that dragging is trolling as defined by WON BASS.

actually there are many very good trollers and by eliminating the no trolling rule would open up all the tournaments up to all those fisherman.

bo

[Champ188]

There's a good-sized faction of TR regulars who use the TM to drag football jigs in the fall. It probably isn't in line with what the rule intended but it's a gray enough area that people do it regularly. In other words, it's one of those deals that you can either do it or probably get beat by someone doing it. Kinda like the A-rig in the cold months. It would suit me fine if they banned them both, but that's just me. 

[Guest]

with the 36v trolling motors we now have, then by the gray area of the rules, i would say that you may as well put a crank bait on and drag it all day with the trolling motor. or, what about pulling a swim bait around all day with the trolling motor?  there should not be any gray areas at all.  either totally ban trolling or allow it.  pretty simple solution.  if the draggers that lurk in the gray areas, here is a tip for you to further your catch rate in the tournies that allow a-rigs.  drag your rig.  you can cover a lot more water and put it in front of more bass.

hint to those that run tournaments.  make your rules cut and dried with no gray areas.  if your rules include no trolling allowed, then clearly define what trolling is.  otherwise, just say in the rules that trolling is allowed.

bo

[Quillback]

I've always considered trolling to be defined as using the boat to move your bait.  Sometimes I'll drag a c-rig when I'm looking for fish and I consider it to be trolling, but I'm not doing it in a tourney.  It's funny how sometimes that the fish will bite really well on a bait that's being dragged.  

[fishinwrench]

It ain't trolling.  It has another name (Strolling).  

As long as you're fishing a single rod, and it is in your hand the whole time that the bait is in the water, what difference does it make if the wind is blowing the boat or you are using the TM to move it?

Trolling is quite different IMO.

[Quillback]

From what I understand, strolling is casting your lure out, then free spooling it as you move away with the boat letting out line, so you're not moving the lure with your boat.  A technique to get a deep diver down.

If you use the trolling motor to move your bait, you're trolling - but you should take that up with a tourney director if you believe that is not trolling and see if they allow it.   

[snagged in outlet 3]

I mentioned this before when I was fishing with the husband of my wife's friend.  He strolled with a garlic chomper ALL DAY.  Throw it out and let drag from shallow water out deeper until it was behind the boat.  I asked him about the rules and he said no everybody does this. 

[Quillback]

26 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I mentioned this before when I was fishing with the husband of my wife's friend.  He strolled with a garlic chomper ALL DAY.  Throw it out and let drag from shallow water out deeper until it was behind the boat.  I asked him about the rules and he said no everybody does this. 

Yeah I know someone that was a back seater to a guy who was trolling, whoops, I should say "dragging" a jig using the TM.  They won and took home some money.  Trolling was not allowed in this particular tourney.  So I asked him about it and his response was that the front seater says he does it all the time, nothing wrong with it.  But as Bo says, a rule that says "no trolling" is up to interpretation just as we see in this thread, lots of gray area there.  If I was going to fish in a tourney where I was planning on using the boat to move the lure, I'd bring it up in the tourney meeting or if no meeting, I'd clear it with the director.  

[Bill Babler]

Sorry to get in on this late, just got off the lake from my morning trip.

Wrench hit it pretty close.  As long as a single rod is hand held and "ACTION" is imparted to the lure, as you remember from my post, I said HOPPED,  shaken or bounced according to both BASS and FLW it is not trolling.

Trolling is classified as lure presentation in which the motor either gas or electric is the sole means to maneuver the bait, and additional line is released after the initial cast.

This came up a few years ago in a BASS derby and I believe several participants were letting the wind drift them over a hump pulling crank baits.  The wind was pretty strong and they were keeping the boats moving correctly with the trolling motors.  I believe as long as they imparted hand movement to stop and start the crank bait it was not a problem.  I heard it also mentioned on lake Erie where they were deep drop shotting as deep as 50' In the wind and waves they had to keep their trolling motors running continuously, to hold their GPS position.  In other words they were using the electric motor to make a correct presentation.  I believe it was determined that ie holding the rod by hand and imparting action to the bait made this technique legal.

This has come up here several times and we have discussed it.  You would have to check each tournament to see what their specific rules are on this type of presentation.  As Champ mentioned this technique has been used on Table Rock in the Fall since the mid 1970's, and really became popular with the advent of the C-rig and the Football jig.  It is a fantastic way to keep a bait in the strike zone.

This presentation however does have some huge drawbacks:

1.  It is very similar to the drop-shot in it is depth specific, if your not on the right depth, you can bounce, drag hop it to heck and gone and not get a bite. 

2.  If the fish are not locked tight on the bottom it is totally WORTHLESS,  Fish that are suspended above the bait and we all know this is a 90% deal on Table Rock have no use for this presentation.

3.  Continuous action needs to be imparted to not only a jig, but also a C-rig.  You have to shake the begeebers out of it.

4. This presentation for bass is very seasonal specific.  20 years ago Jim Dopp employed this technique during a BASS derby here on the Rock and won it.  Again he was twitching and jerking the C-rig  It was Spring.   As I said yesterday this usually does not work until at least October, usually about the first week.  I am surprised that Buster found them on it and gave me a heads up, telling me they were on a deep bottom bite this early in the season. 

5. This is an area specific technique.  They pretty much have to be on flat gravel.  As you can imagine, you are constantly hung up if around any type of rock bottom structure or any wood whatsoever.

Just spoke to Mike McClelland  BASS stance on Long Lining or trolling.  It is classified as releasing line after an initial cast and then completely maneuvering the bait with either motor. He mentioned the crank bait derby I remembered above.  I think Quill must have been alluding to it also as these guys were not only using the motor to maneuver the bait they were also letting line out for depth.  No one got a DQ they were just told they had to fish the cast and not release further line and had to impart action to the lure.  ie fish the bait.

If you make a cast do not let any further line from the reel and bounce or jerk the bait in any method ie "fishing the bait" regardless of moving the boat with the aid of the motor you are perfectly fine.

If you have never tried this style of dragging a jig or a C-rig, go try it and it won't take you long to see how easy or not it is.  After about a 1/2 dozen reties and lost baits

It usually lasts in the Spring a couple of weeks at most, but in the Fall it can and usually runs from Oct. 1 till Thanksgiving.

Good Luck