Trolling Tactics

[DoubleD]

without investing in a bunch of equipment such as boards and such, what's the best way to troll baits behind a 19' deep V? Would it even be worth our time w/out the boards and such? We are jig and drift fishermen but are considering some trolling this year. What kind of baits, how do you get the bait all the way down, how fast, etc. Thanks!!!

[yobrick007]

to get started- get 2 or 4 stiff rods 4 trolling spooled with braided line (no stretch). then you need to invest in either dipsy divers or jet divers. dipsys pull hard and you can adjust them to veer out to the sides of the boat without the use of boards. rigging them is easy, they come with a chart for depths. jet divers dont pull as hard but stay behind the boat. you need some inline boards to get em off to the sides and they come in a variety of sizes. a 20 jet dives 20 ft a 30 dives 30 ft. etc.. tie a 4 to 6 ft mono leader from your dipsy to your lure. I troll spoons and worm harnesses mostly but crankbaits work the best early and late in the year. Go with copperback spoons to start in a variety of colors.(chix wing, monkey puke, boy girl, perch, something with some orange in it, mayfly, something with some green are all good to start out.) watermelon harnesses are awesome. speed varies. 1.4-1.8 for cranks and early or late in the season. 1.8-2.2-2.5 for spoons and during the summer. listen to the radio for other advice but I hope you take what a gave you as a start and you'll figure out everything else as you go along. I did.

csnake

[MBLMIKE]

Thanks I am also going to troll this year and was not sure on the jets, we have used dipsys in the past with good results the speed is the trick we go a while to find what they want in color and speed and adjust as needed once you find the right combo your hooked and so are the eyes

[yobrick007]

your welcome. dont be afraid to try different stuff. speed preference changes a lot. troll in the shape of S's. till they tell you how fast they want it. by starting at 1.8 or 2.0 and doing that. the outside rods speed up and the inside ones slow down. if you get more bites on the outside ones you need to speed up. generally the fish will hit when the lure drops back in their face so watch your inside rods close when you turn. dont turn so sharply that you put slack in the line though. see ya on the lake

[spoontang]

There is a new product called torpedo divers and the concept is, they are very low drag and will fish 30 feet deep with 30 feet of line out. I only have one but I'm getting more. They are phenominal and don't pull like jets or dipseys. They cost a little more but are well worth it. It is a torpedo shaped weight that you simply clip to the line a few feet above the bait.

[DoubleD]

Thanks everyone, couple more things to clearify. Sounds like heavy line w/ jets/dipsy's/torpedo's, but what kind of crankbaits would I use at this time? Would a standard, diving stickbait work behind one of these divers all the same? Assuming about a 4/5' leader from the diver to the bait, right? Approximately what depth of water should we be fishing in, and what depth to set the baits? (probably various depths due to where strikes are at and where the sonar shows them...) Again, I'm a jig fisherman but want to try some trolling this year. I'm going to be up there fishing friday-monday out of fenwick. Since you have all been helpful up to this point w/ the trolling, I'll tell you that we knocked the socks off of the walleye last year at this time with heddon sonar lures. Just popped them off the bottom. No live bait required! Thanks

[yobrick007]

to answer your questions. 1 braided line works great, I use 20lb fireline. the leaders are mono anywhere from 14-20. mono stretches so when the fish bite, it'll give a little and yes that leader goes between the dipsy and lure.
2. I troll floaters and shallow divers behind the dipsy's and jet divers. deep divers pull too hard and don't work right. troll suspended baits too, you can pull em even slower if you need to. I use rapalas, rattlin rogues, bomber's, thundersticks and reef runners. its key to make sure that they are running right so drag the bait along side the boat for a sec and make sure it looks alright.
3. when you do mark fish you want your lure to be over the fish. Not eye level or underneath. The fish will tell you how far they will come up. If your markin fish at 40ft in 42 ft of water, your baits should run at or around 35-38 ft. the better you get at depth control the better.

Let me know if this helps you. Its just a guide to point you in the right direction.

[True Blue]

Invest in a book titled "Precision Trolling" it lists several lures and gives how deep the run given speed and line....

[spoontang]

Thanks everyone, couple more things to clearify. Sounds like heavy line w/ jets/dipsy's/torpedo's, but what kind of crankbaits would I use at this time? Would a standard, diving stickbait work behind one of these divers all the same? Assuming about a 4/5' leader from the diver to the bait, right? Approximately what depth of water should we be fishing in, and what depth to set the baits? (probably various depths due to where strikes are at and where the sonar shows them...) Again, I'm a jig fisherman but want to try some trolling this year. I'm going to be up there fishing friday-monday out of fenwick. Since you have all been helpful up to this point w/ the trolling, I'll tell you that we knocked the socks off of the walleye last year at this time with heddon sonar lures. Just popped them off the bottom. No live bait required! Thanks

Down deep husky jerks and jointed shad rap #7 are my favorite. If you use 14-17# braid and a fairly stoudt rod, use can troll them down to 22-24 ft deep just flat lining but you must go easy on the drag as there is no give in the line. The colder the water, the slower the troll.

[jm gremore]

I troll with my 19 ft boat. I have a 150 yamaha 4 stroke motor. You should buy a happy troller device that attaches to the lower shaft of the motor. The best for trolling without a seperate trolling motor. I use planner boards. I troll with worm harnesses and nite crallers.. I attach a 3/4 oz bell sinkerabout two feet above the harness. In 28 ft. of water, I let out 100 ft. of line and then attach the board. On the inside boards use less line out such as 80 ft... use different types of spinners as hatchet, colorado and blade. Happy fishing...