Questions for somebody with experiance

I need to know the proper set up for trolling. Ive been hearing reef runners and husky jerks at the reefs. I have 4 rod holders, line counter reels, trolling bags and in line boards. Can you straight line two rods and then use inline boards on the other two? If im using mono do I just put crankbait to end of line or do I need a lead? Speeds around 1mph? Any tricks to know if you have a fish on those inlines boards ? I have trouble telling cause they pull so damn hard. Thank you for those that can advise.

first things first. In the cold water the fish are lethargic and you need to use smaller planer boards. I use the yellow birds in cold water and then go to my Otter Board set up when the water warms. As far as line set ups? I use 10lb mono to a barrel swivel then 10lb florocarbon leader approx 5-6 ft long. My set up is as follows to be specific. First put on the Yellow Bird, then a light conical egg weight (approx 1/4 oz) then barrel swivel followed by florocarbon leader. The option of a snap swivel or tie direct to the lure is up to you. I add the weight due to slow troll speeds of .8 to 1.1 to help the bait get to desired depth. Keep in mind that when a fish strikes the planer board will be pulled in a tugging motion towards the rear of the boat. I run two boards off each side. The outer boards line will go over the inner board and not tangle. As far as long lines it is OK to run 2 but you will need to adjust line length and different depth diving cranks. I do not recommend two long lines (especially in rougher seas) due to the possibility of tangling, but in calm waters with smooth wide turns you should be fine. We have been having our best success on deep diving wonder bread pattern reef runners and the new hot tiger rapalas. Keep in mind the new hot tigers come in both medium and larger. I recommend you get 2 of both sizes. We have been running the reef runners and deep diving rapalas 80' of boards and the mid size rapala 100'.

Hope this helps

Good luck and Good Fishing

It's much easier to read boards when you have at least 2 per side. But tattle flags can help that. Your board rod should go in the water first since your going to only run 2 boards ( one for each side I'd guess). Run that board out 100 to 200 ft to the side till you get more experienced in running boards. Also the fish can be very spooky right now and you have a better chance with the baits farther from the boat. This will also be your shallower running bait than the second rod off the side ( no board ) that should be run ( lets say ) 25ft deeper than the board rod. The 2 rods on the other side should be running different depths than the first to rods so you cover more depths to find where the fish want the bait. ( get a precision trolling book for bait depths). You can clip your snap from your mono right onto the baits. If your running offshore boards you can buy tattle flag kits or you can make your own. http://www.dwfonline.org/Articles/tattle_flags.htm
Just read thru some of these articles, they should help.
http://www.dwfonline.org/articles.htm

first thing I can recommend is the most important is duplication. Have your rods the same same line same program etc.. Altough tattle flags are helpful if you have duplication and your rod tips are close together you can read the rod tips much easier. If they are out of sync with each other then chances are you have a fish hanging on the line. Second, start with one program at a time. Work on it til you get it down. My belief is master one style of trolling then work on the next. Many guys have many different styles and by asking this question can cause a flurry of answers that may confise you. Not sure where you live but west of Cleveland in Sheffield Lake at Erie Outfiitters there is a pro day coming up on March 11th and you can stop in and ask any and all questions you may have. Not sure of their number but a google search will give you that easily.
Last buy a precision trolling book it will cut your learning curve. last if you have a few bucks to blow get a few buddies together and do a teaching charter with someone like gary zart or some other charter who does that. Your learing curve will be reduced by alot.......alot!

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Originally Posted by towac78

I need to know the proper set up for trolling. Ive been hearing reef runners and husky jerks at the reefs. I have 4 rod holders, line counter reels, trolling bags and in line boards. Can you straight line two rods and then use inline boards on the other two? If im using mono do I just put crankbait to end of line or do I need a lead? Speeds around 1mph? Any tricks to know if you have a fish on those inlines boards ? I have trouble telling cause they pull so damn hard. Thank you for those that can advise.

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Towac,
I'm out of wild wings, if u wanted to make a trip with me I use the in line boards and pull cranks and harnesses. Just pm me if your interested.

my off days at work are thursday and friday starting next week and Id like to check out how you troll. Ill pay more than my way in gas. email me at [email protected] with your number and info . thanx matt