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TROLLING TIPS
Ten Good Trolling Tips
1) Test your lures over the boat side before
sending them down and back. Do this to make
sure the lure wiggles and wobbles properly without
going belly up or wandering off. Some lures can be
adjusted, fine tuned actually, to impart maximum
action. For example, a slight bend in the tail of a
spoon or twist of the hook eye in the nose of a plug
can make a noticeable difference in how the lure
performs.
Also, when running two or more lures, make sure
the offerings are compatible. Lures that run out of
harmony with each other are bound to tangle and
that means wasted time to straighten out the mess.
Testing them first will avoid the problem.
2) Consider different sizes, shapes, and colors
of lures. No one has ever figured out with precision
what makes a fish strike or snub a lure. There is no
doubt, that matching the forage (minnows, crayfish,
etc.) in color, shape, action, and size can help
trigger those strikes from hungry fish. On the other
hand, if fish such as bluegills, small mouth bass or
Coho salmon are protecting spawning beds, they
may attack whatever is threatening. So, bright
colors in lures may out produce bland colors.
3) Vary trolling speeds. Goosing the engine now
and then or slowing to a crawl every so often will
change the action of the lures and may get fish to
strike them.
4) Vary trolling patterns and lead lengths. The
amount of line you let out often determines how
deep the lure will run and, to some extent, what
degree of action it will impart. For starters, consider
running lures about ten feet behind downrigger
weights. If flat line trolling, put them back about fifty
feet, then experiment depending on what the fish
do.
Trolling patterns affect lure action too, that is
why some anglers like to wheel a lazy S course.
On turns, outside lures will speed up momentarily
while inside lures hang for a moment or two. Fish
may nail lures that change speeds. Also, zigzag
patterns allow for more water coverage, plus it
keeps lures out of propeller boil, an important
consideration for browns and other wary species.
5) Locate fish on a vertical plane. Place lures in
areas where fish might be. Skilled fishermen call
these areas the “strike zones”. They include the
edges of the week beds, structure along bottom,
drop-offs, preferred temperature of the target
species, and the thermocline. Remember that fish
occupy certain areas for certain reasons (sources
of food, protective cover, preferred temperatures,
etc.).
6) Consider special knots and swivels. A good
ball bearing swivel will all but eliminate line twist
and will aid in getting maximum performance from
a lure. Many anglers add the tiny swivels to split
rings already on the lure itself. On the other hand,
a swivel may dampen the action of a sensitive lure,
such as a Rapala. Some fisherman tie tiny
improved cinch or loop knots. Loop knots in
particular may enhance up and down and side to
side action of lures. Any good fishing manual will
explain how to tie these and other knots.
7) Consider releases for flatline trolling. A
good tip is to secure a piece of downrigger cable or
heavy monofilament to the water ski hook or
handle below the transom of most boats. To the
other end of the mono or cable, add a pinch-r-
release. After letting out your lure to the desire
distance, put the rod in its holder, then bend the tip
and secure the fishing line in the release.
8) Add a weed guard. Having trouble with weeds
hanging up lures? Consider tying a three-inch
piece of monofilament a foot above the lure.
Leaves, smaller weeds and other debris may catch
here momentarily then fall off to the side of the lure
without tangling. Weedless lures are another smart
consideration. Downrigger cables are effective
weed catchers when trolling for pike, muskies, or
bass in weed-infested lakes.
9) Add a stinger hook. When fish short strike,
slap at lures without becoming hooked, adding a
stinger hook can solve the problem. Simply tie a
treble hook to one end of a four inch piece of
monofilament and then tie the extra hook to the
last gang of hooks on your lure. The stinger hook,
which trails the lure, provides extra insurance.
10) Keep hooks sharp. Some of the best
fishermen sharpen all hooks after every fish
caught. Hooks get dull through both use and
misuse, and probably more fish are lost to dull
points than anything else.