Low dollar trolling question

[BtweenShots]

I was at Jann's Netcraft last week and they had Okuma reels the Magda series were at $40 each look at rods hands on will be better that looking at pics. They have stock Bandits, Customs by Domka also. It's a short drive for ya for sure. A drive to Monroe will get you to Domka's Great outdoors also. He just opened a shop there, I have not been there but planning a drive soon.

Gene

[branhamautomotive]

I have used the madgna pro 30 dx for 5 years now, the only issue I have seen is sometime the reset button wants to stick in on one of 12 we have, and one was dropped off the boat to ground at launch and that one you hear the drag making noise on......never took it apart to see what's going on.

Now these are not as good as cold waters or tekotas but are a lot cheaper and the average fisherman/women should not wear them out quickly. At the 30-40 bucks they are a great value.

Whatever rod/reel you go with, take the time when filling to make sure that when the counter says 100ft, that it actually measures that out, if all your rods/reels are the same once you get the first couple done you will have a good idea of how much it takes on the rest.

But look around there are some OK deals out there
https://akroncanton.craigslist.org/s...527000699.html

https://porthuron.craigslist.org/spo...540858856.html

https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/s...557605467.html

https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/s...547143299.html

These are just a few things that might work I just did a quick 5 minute look

[fisherman 2]

second that on dipseys with spoons for the summer bite...get them and learn how to run them...most times they catch more fish than boards...bigger fish usually come on boards though.

[Ltrain]

Also if you don't want to spend a lot on bags, Menards has 2 for 5 dollar,5 gallon buckets. Poor man's drift sock/trolling bag.

[Eriegardless]

Lots of good info...

I'd look at Okuma Convectors or Accudepths for a decent reel that should provide you with years of use. For rods...thats a huge personal preferences. I love my Taloras but are the most expensive. Also have the Shimano TDR's...i feel they are a great rod for around $30. Wilderness are cheaper but have no experience with them.

From here...my first and really important question will be how many people will you have on board on average? 2, 3, 4?

[dayze_awayze]

Everyone has their preferences and advice...no shortage of that.

Personally, I threw out every Cabela's DepthMaster I had last year. I had lots of problems with the counters on 4 of the 6 I was running. They were only 2 years old and I was extremely disappointed. I had 2 Penn Rival Levelwind Line Counter Reel RIV15LWLC 5.1:1 that I liked using, so I replaced all of the DepthMasters last year with these. It has an oversized handle that lets you really get some leverage on those hawgs (especially if you flat line a Smithwick at 280ft back...which I always do). You can get them for about $60-$70 each. You will never want to use another reel once you get used to them.

For a decent, inexpensive rod, I have run Wilderness rods for years with zero issues. I have 2 heavier rods for dipseys, but honestly don't run them that often anymore. You can get a Wilderness for about $20

Another option is look on CL. Guys are always selling their old trolling stuff and upgrading. I have gotten some good deals in the past.

I run mostly snap weights and inline boards. You can run the weights on anything you throw out. I do occasionally run the TT-20s also.

To save on your budget to start (until you can afford the Amish Trolling Bags), drill some 1/2 inch holes in 5 gallon buckets. I haven't done this in many years, but it always worked on my smaller boats.

Tight Lines!

[itsbob]

Wow, To start out trolling equipment with a $300 budget is atough one.Yes the widerness rods at $20 each works great.I would look for some used line counter reels since they are the most expensive.Using dipsey instead of boards is cheaper and getting spoons is way to go.Dont even consider cranks yet.Yes,a 5 gal bucket can be used to slow you down.We even trolled before with two rods with braid straight off back with bottom bounces and harnesses.Sometimes they caught great and could have used mono without much issue.Will take several seasons to accumulate what you want but evenyually you should have the equip and know how to catch trolling.

[branhamautomotive]

(especially if you flat line a Smithwick at 280ft back...which I always do).

Just curious how far down does this put a p10????? That's a lot of cranking for sure

[sherman51]

if i was going on the cheap it would be the Okuma magda pro. 45.00 to 50.00 on ebay. but you'll be miles ahead with Daiwa accudepth plus reels 65.00 to 70.00 on ebay. these will last you for many yrs.

[dayze_awayze]

(especially if you flat line a Smithwick at 280ft back...which I always do).

Just curious how far down does this put a p10????? That's a lot of cranking for sure

I am guessing it is running between 7 and 9 feet with all of the line drag (running the Berkley 10# XT on that pole). For some reason, when the boat passes over those fish, they swim back behind the boat after we pass, and right into that P10. The biggest fish I caught over the past 3 years trolling, have generally come on that P10 280 back. It was so good last year, that my 20 year old son refused to fish with me if I put that line out. He was exhausted pulling in the 10+ lb fish that far back.

We generally run the Pink Squirrel or Floyd on the flat line. I have tried others at different times of the year, but those two generally produce best.