Drift Fisher wants to try trolling

Hi guys and gals, I've casted for walleye all my life in the western basin. I read all your success stories of catching fish trolling with boards and all the gear. I don't have the money to make that kind of investment but I would like to give it a shot my thought is to buy 4 heavy rods and give it a shot with some bandits and divers with worm harness. I read on a blog there is string out there that is color coated to let u know how much string to let out without the use of counter reels. Can anyone tell me who makes this string and where can I find it? I'm just a low budget guy that loves to catch eyes. Thanks in advance for any help.

Pm sent, don't go too heavy, I use a med action for my inline boards and the same for dipseys. To heavy you can't read them. Biggest thing is make sure they are calibrated

Gerry, I know Berkley and I think Rapala sell a line counter that attaches to your rod. If you have rod holders on each side of your
boat you can flat line troll two rods to give it a try. Go with a medium rod for sure. I would steer clear of the color coded line until
you get more experience and use a good 15 to 20 mono line.

Gene

Gerry, I just up the rod attached line counters they are sold by Berkley, Rapala, and Bass Pro and they run between 15 to 19 bucks each. I have heard they were accurate.

Gene

I personally have had great luck with Berkley Tracer Braided line. Goes from light green to dark green every 2.5 ft and visa versa so you just count 5 every time light green is done. Have also had success measuring and marking white braided line with a sharpie. My white line I marked (knock on wood) hasn't had problems in over a year. I run leaders off the braided so if something breaks it's that. For the marked white line I made a small mark every 5 ft, than I have 2 thick lines at 25, 4 thick lines at 50, 3 thick lines at 75, 2 at 100 and 1 more at 125. I haven't done it yet but plan on marking the light green part of my Tracer line at the same approximate distances. Not needed really on the Tracer if you have a good memory and can add by 5 lol. Still, adjusting the line out after its set could be easier with sharpie marks at exact lengths. I myself don't have money for line counter reels or attachments. I fish a lot of different water and like the marked braided line for many situations. Just my opinion.

With Bandits being $7-$13, Jet 40's around $10, not sure on Tru Trips, planer boards ranging all over, Stinger Spoons, Harnesses (add in any extra lures in your box) and the added cost of gas while trolling it gets pricy. It produces though...

Don't try to do too many types of trolling lures it just makes it even more expensive. I mostly troll cranks or harnesses so I have rods with mono and use snap weights to control depth. Add 4 inline boards and your ready to buy lures. There are some expensive inline boards and cheap ones. They both do the same thing it is just one has better marketing. I have 4 offshore and 2 off brand no difference in them. I recently bought 6 walleye boards at gander for $15 a piece. Don't chase methods they all work on the same principal of getting the bait to a known depth that your fish finder thinks will give you the best chance for a hit.

Cabela's has a brand of Trolling rods and reels with line counters. You can pick them up for $65 dollars and on-sale I have got them for $55. Two different medium rod lengths to choose from. They have a LIFETIME guarantee. I have had 8 of them for 4 years now. One of the counters stopped working last spring. I did not have a receipt but took it back to the store. No questions asked. They had me pick out a new one and swapped it.

I am not associated with Cabela's in any way!!!!!!!

I agree. They are great combo's. I have 6 of them. I had a problem with one of the rods after a trip to Erie last year. Took it back and got a new one. They really are a great value.

Just a quick comment. For years I trolled without line counter reels or color coded lines. Just count the "passes" on your level wind reel. First figure out how much line comes off with each pass of the guide from left to right (or right to left). Say it's 5 feet. Then when letting your lure out, count passes. Across and back is 10 feet. Pretty simple. That assumes you use level wind reels. If you use spinning, it's bit more troublesome, but you can count handle rotations.

Last comment, it's not rocket science. You can just let it back "about as far as you can throw a rock" and troll a while. If you don't get a hit, let it out more, or bring it in some. Pay attention and pretty soon you'll have them dialed in.
Hope that helps,
Bordy