Need help on trolling reel & rod selection

[fishraptor]

I have quite a bit of gear, both saltwater and fresh.  1 year ago I bought a beautiful Basscat Cougar in mint condition.  I absolutely love to buy high end gear.  Since it was my first freshwater boat i needed everything so went out and canvased the next and lots here to find really good quality gear.  Needed frog rods,  deep diver rod, drop  shot, jerkbait, all purpose rod and on and on. Ended up with some Dolbyns, Steez  rods & reels, Kistler Zbone w/Daiwa Zillion,  NRX w/Diawa Certate, some Stella's, and so on. I love the premium stuff.  So I have my all my saltwater bases covered and freshwater Bass & such covered but now I wish to troll for lake trout and Salmon up at lake Geroge & Champlain but all my fresh water gear is either too light and my saltwater is way too heavy so need to purchase two trolling rods and conventional reels for trolling for Salmon, Lake Trout and anything big that I might attempt down the road.  If you care to give tips on line, guides, presentations and techniques regarding trolling for salmon I would love to hear. 

 

I was leaning towards Shimano Calcuttas until I saw the youtube video by J&H tackle where owner claims they are great reels but their gears can be compromised if trying to haul in too big a fish. This surprised me as i thought Calcuttas were top shelf.  So with that said am look for suggestions for high end reels and trolling rods.  I know there are a million of them out there and thought it made sense to hear suggestions from the guys who use them this would eliminate the manufactures "sales" hype and get me to the gear I need.  If you care to mention reel size  if they come in different sizes and rod lengths that would be great.  I read an article just the other day that stated trolling rods from 8'6" to 10'6"....  

and just like Jurrasic Park  "We spare no expense".......  Look forward to hearing your comments. 

 

thank you

 

  

[WRB]

Shimano Calcutta D series reels will handle any fresh water and most salt water game fish depending on line capacity and drag setting. Don't who thinks Calcutta gears are not up to the task? I have caught big tuna and White Sea bass using my old Calcutta 250 on a swimbait rod, not ideal but it's fun! You don't need 2 speed reels for salmon or lake trout, they are not fast or hard fighting fish.

You could use some of your inshore salt water tackle for what you want to do. 

Salmon trollers tend to use down riggers to get lure to the depth the fish are holding.

There are devices like diving planes and sinker releases that also get lure down deeper.

I use my standard bass tackle for jigging for lake trout or drifting cut bait for salmon. Some of the northeastern members can offer more detailed info.

Tom

PS, nice rig, hire a guide to show you how to use everything.

 

 

[tkunk]

Even a 25-lb king will spool you on a Calcutta; plus, you'll want a line counter.  For salmon, you'll need at least a 45 D-sized Okuma Convector. If you plan on running lead core, you'll need something like a 55-L. If you want something fancier, go with Shimano Tekota reels. I have Okumas, and I've never had any issues with them.

 

Shimano TDRs are great trolling rods for dipsies and lead core. I don't use downriggers.

 

I have top-end gear for all my bass and musky casting applications, but I think expensive trolling gear for non-saltwater species is a waste of money. Durability on the cheaper products is good, and you're trolling, so you don't care about sensitivity or the weight of your combo.

[Deleted account]

I need to learn to cut down trees...

[slonezp]

If you're not stuck on "high end" Cabela's Depthmaster combos will do everything you want and more.

[fishraptor]

1 hour ago, portiabrat said:

Even a 25-lb king will spool you on a Calcutta; plus, you'll want a line counter.  For salmon, you'll need at least a 45 D-sized Okuma Convector. If you plan on running lead core, you'll need something like a 55-L. If you want something fancier, go with Shimano Tekota reels. I have Okumas, and I've never had any issues with them.

 

Shimano TDRs are great trolling rods for dipsies and lead core. I don't use downriggers.

 

I have top-end gear for all my bass and musky casting applications, but I think expensive trolling gear for non-saltwater species is a waste of money. Durability on the cheaper products is good, and you're trolling, so you don't care about sensitivity or the weight of your combo.

 

I did some research on the Shimano Tekota's and all the reviews I read came back very very positive.  Since I am a Shimano man ( one Stella 10000, 2 Talica 16's, 1 Metanium,  1 Stradic CI4, 1 Saragosa 6000 and 2 Terez rods) I know they can make great stuff).  Since I have never trolled for Salmon or Lake Trout I am not sure what size Tekota to get.  Since I DO NOT WISH to purchase any more trolling reels for large fresh water species I have to make sure that what I am getting here will cover all bases down the road.  I see that people are using the 700 & 800 sizes for stripers and claim to have caught MUCH larger species on them.  

 

When I troll in saltwater I use 65# braid, no down riggers or planner boats and have never used lead core or copper so not sure if I need to determine NOW if I will be using that type of line down the road whereas it will change the reel size I am purchasing now.  I see that the only difference in the 700 and 800 Tekota's is spool size, all other specs identical except 800 is 1 ounce heavier.  Would this size reel be over kill for what I looking for ?

At some point I might end up heading up to Lake Ontario to fish and would hate to find out that my gear is too small BUT sometimes you have to buy a few different sizes to be practical for targeted species. 

 

what size would you recommend for Salmon and Lake trout, Muskies, Northern's and such and would staying with braid be o.k. or am I peeing in the wind and should switch to copper or leadcore ?

[tkunk]

It's best to match spool capacity to presentation, so I recommend determining how many leadcore, dipsies, and downrigger lines you plan on running, and choose your reels accordingly.

 

The 800s will be great for leadcore but I doubt that you'll need even half of their line capacity for other applications. For example, if I were using it for muskies, an 800 would be about 1/3 full, so it'd be overkill.

[WRB]

What salt water rod and reels do you have? Salmon and Lake trout are not fast strong fish compared to most salt water game fish. The only reason you need larger reels is higher line capacity for 20 lb to 25 lb line trolling and fighting a fish from a moving boat. Flat lining with lead core you need more capacity to hold the larger diameter line, lead core comes in 10' colored sections to help determine how much line is out, i.e.; 10 colors is a 100' of lead core line out.

Fresh water anglers prefer level wind reels, salt water no level wind because they can malfunction under the pressure of fast running fish Ike tuna.

Great lake anglers like to use line counters on level wind reels using multiple outfits  in spreader patterns and down riggers. Unless you plan on trolling being your primary fishing technique, you can get by with heavier fresh water bass tackle.

Tom

[Dwight Hottle]

I use Tekota 300LC with 50lb braid for lake trout & salmon. The biggest I have used is the 500 series Tekota LC. The 700 & 800 series is overkill unless you need massive line capacity & like heavy oversized reels. My Tekota LC's have been in service for at least 10 years now without any problems. I own 6 of them. 

 

I have used Loomis IMX MBR 744 for lake trout fishing successfully up to 38 lbs. So bass rods will work for lakers if you have the right equipment. For salmon I would suggest Loomis or St Croix Steelhead rods up to 8-8.5'. These same rods could be used for lake trout. 

[fishraptor]

On October 15, 2017 at 6:40 PM, Dwight Hottle said:

I use Tekota 300LC with 50lb braid for lake trout & salmon. The biggest I have used is the 500 series Tekota LC. The 700 & 800 series is overkill unless you need massive line capacity & like heavy oversized reels. My Tekota LC's have been in service for at least 10 years now without any problems. I own 6 of them. 

 

I have used Loomis IMX MBR 744 for lake trout fishing successfully up to 38 lbs. So bass rods will work for lakers if you have the right equipment. For salmon I would suggest Loomis or St Croix Steelhead rods up to 8-8.5'. These same rods could be used for lake trout. 

 

As much as I have always liked Calcutta's I think that the Tekota's might be the choice.  Definitely level wind with line counters. Still looking into best overall Tekota size to get for all species of Salmon. (Hopefully I can get ones that will allow me just to buy one pair). 

 

 I'm assuming that a conventional reel is an absolute must for trolling and all my freshwater is either spinning or baitcaster style reels which are too light.  My salt water conventional reels are Talica 16II's (lever 2 spd) which I would assume are too big.  They have like 500 yards of 65# braid on them. 

 

As mentioned before I use braid a LOT in both fresh & Salt and see you stated you use 50#braid for Lakers & Salmon. 

It appears that most of the "professionals" use some type of wire wether it lead core or copper, If I want to get serious about trolling for all species

of Salmon should I forget about the braid and opt for wire or is it not necessarily....  and must I use some sore of device, ie. down riggers or

Dipsies to get to the required depths. 

 

I am still investigating and researching pole choices for trolling as we speak.  What rod lengths would be optimum..... or is that too broad of a question.  Many here have asked what trolling rods to I currently have for inshore.  I have 2 pairs. 

 

Shimano Terez, 7',  Braided 30-65, Power-Heavy, Action- fast (I would guess these rods are way to stiff and would rip the hooks out of their mouths on hookset. 

 

The other pair are Tsunami Trophy Series, TSTBC842HW, 8'4", Wire line rods (sic guides), (meant for Bunker spoons). These rods are much more parabolic but I still would think to heavy for Salmon.

 

For non-trolling applications, 2 of my salt water spinning rods if have are:

 

St. Croix Avid Inshore, AIS70HF,  7', 15-30lb, 3/4-2oz

St. Croix Avid Inshore, AIS70MHF, 7', 10-20lb, 1/2-1 1/4oz, 

 

but it appears that most of the spinning rods for Salmon I am currently looking at are considerably longer than my 7'ers....... so assume mine won't be the optimum choice.  

 

I do have another rod in my salt collection, a TFO (Temple Fork Outfitters), 8'6", 3/4-4oz (it has been confirmed this rod has been definitely overated on the lure weight with 2 to 3oz being max).  This is my False Albacore, small/medium striper rod and I LOVE it. It casts a mile and I would be very comfortable using this on Salmon.  The only problem is it currently has a Stradic CI4 on it with 30#braid but the spool is limited as for line  capacity so I would switch reels for salmon applications.  The rod is very very parabolic and has a gorgeous "light" feel to it, very springy... supposidly blanks were designed by G. Loomis.

 

 I really don't have a problem with buying more rods & reels I just want to make sure that what I'm getting will be quality gear that will get the job done. 

 

I wish there was a Fishing show coming up so I could go out and put my hands on some of the items we have been talking about as I really don't like to purchase anything with having it in my hands first. 

 

Thanks for everyone chiming in.....

 

 

 

[Dwight Hottle]

The need for wire or lead core is dependent on depth of the fish in the water column. I have successfully used braid for trolling down to 40-60 fow. This is easy achieved by using deep running plugs straight lined out to 220 to 270 feet and by adding snap weights 50' in front of the baits. Each ounce of weight adds 5 feet of depth at 1.5 to 2.5 mph speed. Lead core adds 5 feet per color for slower speeds up to 2.0 mph. You can also use inline crescent weights. Wire line is more difficult to master because of kinking and lack of give in the system especially for king salmon. Both salmon & lake trout spawn in the fall they can be caught at shallower depths. Also spring cold water temps will find them shallower. So it all depends when you want to target them as to what tackle & gear you will need. 

[Arcs&sparks]

Correction to WRBs post,  lead line changes color every ten yards,  and generally comes in 10 colors per spool, 300'.  I personally prefer downriggers for trolling any lower than 40' down.  Like previously stated, with leadcore, you really need to upsize your tackle but to not only hold 300ft of heavy leadcore,  but your rod needs to not be overloaded by dragging that much line.  With downriggers you can use much lighter tackle,  with MUCH less line out. I don't know about lake George, but I did a quick search for Vermonts state records fish (trout and salmon) just for reference and they are less than or similar with my home in maine.  I could be wrong, but you'll be lucky to get landlocked salmon over 6lb and lake trout over 10lb,  so don't use crazy oversized tackle to drag in 3lbers.  I use 6wt fly rods with sinking line and long leaders after ice out for salmon, and (just what I use) 7' MH spinning rods with 4000 size reels with 30 or 40lb braid with long mono leaders on down riggers for lake trout.  I'm not an expert but it works.  Dodgers and sewn on shiners mostly. Using too heavy of tackle can result in missed fish and dragging small ones for a mile until you wanna reel in 300' of line to check your bait.