Well, Yes to both. LOL

I had the same issues when I was trying to figure out the trolling thing. It is not an exact science for sure but one thing that helped me besides reading all the posts here. BINOCULARS... When I would see all the boats around me catching it would drive me nuts... SO I got a good pair of binoculars so I could see the type of baits they were catching them on and color..

Some days trolling Reef runners, sometimes bandits, bottom bouncers ETC. But I have found that if you can dial in on a color it can really help no matter what the bait...

Also, If I am out by my self I start by Stacking the baits every 5 or 10 feet. Early in the morning or with cloud cover. I like to start at 25 35 45 ft back on one side and 30 40 50 on the other.. As the sun comes up and or the boat traffic picks up. I start setting them out farther so they will run deeper. Once I get onto a pattern, IE 45 ft on a fruit dot bandit. I will put more lures at 45 back and put atleast 1 more fruitdot bandit on...

Also. As for speed.. I sometimes run slight s-turns. The baits on the outside of the turn run faster and the inside run slower. SO if i catch on the out side lines. I will speed up my straight trolls and slow if i start catching on the inside..

I am no expert for sure but it makes you feel good when you start figuring it out....