New Member- trolling questions

[ebijack]

I stopped running braid on my trolling rods after using it for over 6 yrs. I don't like the wind blowing the line around the rod tips when changing lures, removing fish etc. I don't like how it pulls into snap rings etc, line getting caught between treble hooks.
For years one of my fishing partner on his boat has run #17 mono. No problems as stated above. Never really broke any line and we have caught plenty of fish, lots of bullets out near the line too. So I switched a few years ago to using #17XT. I would only go back to braid if I was going to run dipsies. Which I haven't needed to run for years, I don't even carry them on the boat anymore.
I paint most of my inline wts black as well as most of my jets. Black doesn't always matter but it can absolutely make the catch rate higher on a lot of days. I've proven that to myself and others quite often. Purple is almost as good as black. I don't want my diving system to be the attractor, I want my bait to be the attractor. That's the crank/blades/spoons job! That is why I'm using it. If flashers worked to draw in walleye I use those, but I have never found them to work for walleye. Only salmon. Now sound of a dipsie or jet can be an attractor but I still want the bait as what the fish is going after once it spots the bait. But that is my theory/experience.