trout trolling setup?

[CenCal fisher]

I took my kayak out yesterday to try to catch trout on a lake while I wait for the season to open up on the streams. I was planning on just using spinners around the marina but quickly discovered that the trout were much deeper than I expected. I didn't have anything for trolling but a nice guy on the bank gave me a little chrome and gold deep diver that goes to about ten or 15 feet. This was only my second time on my kayak so I don't have a fish finder yet but the local fishing report said the trout are around twenty five feet down. 

 

 

Does anyone troll for trout? What setups are people using? All I know about trout trolling comes from the guy I talked to yesterday and a few hours on the internet. I want to be able to get down deeper trolling at kayak paddling speed. I may put some lead core line on my salmon rod and take that out next weekend, but i was wondering if there is a way to get down deeper with a spinning setup

[Crestliner2008]

Many years ago I use to troll for trout with a heavy Davis rig (multiple spinners/flashers). But that was from a boat, not a kayak. I'd suggest a long rod (7' - 9'), off to one side, pulling a Thomson Buoyant Minnow or small 2" curly tailed grub on a 1/16 oz. jig head.

[MassBass]

color coded leadcore will work. I used to like little crankbaits and flatfish.

[J._Bricker]

CenCal fisher, another way to get a little depth is to use a sliding sinker rig like you would from shore, just downsize the weight.  This setup might give you a little more flexibility trolling with flashers and various lures (spinners, kastmasters, small crank baits).  The various sizes of the sliding or barrel sinker should allow you to adjust the lure depth.  I'm not sure because I haven't tried this, but a small bullet weight placed on the line backwards might impart some action to a light weight lure.  And the barrel swivel will help prevent the line twist you get from some lures and fly lining nightcrawlers.  Fly lining a threaded nightcrawler with a pinched split shot on the troll is a lot of fun in the spring when the lakes turn over.  Good fishing, Go Dawgs!

[CenCal fisher]

1 hour ago, J._Bricker said:

CenCal fisher, another way to get a little depth is to use a sliding sinker rig like you would from shore, just downsize the weight.  This setup might give you a little more flexibility trolling with flashers and various lures (spinners, kastmasters, small crank baits).  The various sizes of the sliding or barrel sinker should allow you to adjust the lure depth.  I'm not sure because I haven't tried this, but a small bullet weight placed on the line backwards might impart some action to a light weight lure.  And the barrel swivel will help prevent the line twist you get from some lures and fly lining nightcrawlers.  Fly lining a threaded nightcrawler with a pinched split shot on the troll is a lot of fun in the spring when the lakes turn over.  Good fishing, Go Dawgs!

I was thinking of going with the sliding sinker method or a three way swivel with a weight off the bottom. This way would be the cheapest, but how would I know what depth I'm at without a fish or depth finder? do I just keep playing around with the weight until I start getting bites? 

 

Lead line isn't that expensive so I will probably have also bring a rod with that on it along next time I go fishing. 

[J._Bricker]

IMO, weight, boat speed, with or w/o flashers, type of lure, and amount of line you let out will effect the depth you'll be trolling at.  And making "S" turns while trolling will increase/ decrease the lures speed and depth in relation whether the lure is on the inside or outside of the turn.  It's all part of the fun....

[YourBassIsGrass]

I troll for trout just about all the time now after learning it a couple years ago. I have a canoe, but the method should still be the same. I only just this year bought rod holders so if you don't have them no worries. 

I usually will put on a Joe's Fly with a small splitshot 18" up the line. Then cast it back a good 60'-80', if you can't cast it out that far just start paddling and let line out. The more line you get out the deeper your lure will go. On some smaller lakes you can't let out that much line, add more split shots if needed. Set the rod in the holder, or put the butt of the rod on the bottom of the canoe/kayak and let it rest on the gunwale. Pay particular attention to the tip of your rod while paddling. You want the lure to be spinning the blades, not helicoptering/twisting or falling dead. You want the tip to be pulsing from the turning of the blades on your spinner. It is actually pretty easy to be going too fast. Only need to paddle once every 5-6 seconds (your paddling may vary). Once you get the rhythm down start doing some big S turns, mix in some little S turns. If you want to keep a straight line you can also pull the line every so often with your hand to make the lure speed up real quick and then let it go and the lure will flutter down until the boat pulls it along again.

 

One thing to note, you will get some nasty twists in your line running a split shot without a swivel above it. If you paddle too fast for awhile it will really add to the twisties. PITA. They do make some 'keel' weights which are supposed to keep the line steady and let all the twisting happen only on the line between the weight and the lure. I haven't tried them yet so don't know how well they work. Regardless, if you have line twist real bad, when you are done for the day take off your lure and play out a bunch of line into the water (just line with nothing tied on) and take a lap around the area. Just the pull of the water on the line will take all the twists out.

[CenCal fisher]

On March 19, 2016 at 3:24 AM, YourBassIsGrass said:

I troll for trout just about all the time now after learning it a couple years ago. I have a canoe, but the method should still be the same. I only just this year bought rod holders so if you don't have them no worries. 

I usually will put on a Joe's Fly with a small splitshot 18" up the line. Then cast it back a good 60'-80', if you can't cast it out that far just start paddling and let line out. The more line you get out the deeper your lure will go. On some smaller lakes you can't let out that much line, add more split shots if needed. Set the rod in the holder, or put the butt of the rod on the bottom of the canoe/kayak and let it rest on the gunwale. Pay particular attention to the tip of your rod while paddling. You want the lure to be spinning the blades, not helicoptering/twisting or falling dead. You want the tip to be pulsing from the turning of the blades on your spinner. It is actually pretty easy to be going too fast. Only need to paddle once every 5-6 seconds (your paddling may vary). Once you get the rhythm down start doing some big S turns, mix in some little S turns. If you want to keep a straight line you can also pull the line every so often with your hand to make the lure speed up real quick and then let it go and the lure will flutter down until the boat pulls it along again.

 

One thing to note, you will get some nasty twists in your line running a split shot without a swivel above it. If you paddle too fast for awhile it will really add to the twisties. PITA. They do make some 'keel' weights which are supposed to keep the line steady and let all the twisting happen only on the line between the weight and the lure. I haven't tried them yet so don't know how well they work. Regardless, if you have line twist real bad, when you are done for the day take off your lure and play out a bunch of line into the water (just line with nothing tied on) and take a lap around the area. Just the pull of the water on the line will take all the twists out.

I have a feeling I was going too fast. i was paddling at a speed I can keep up for hours, but looking back it was probably faster than a trolling motor