fishing while moving

[crankbait2009]

in the month of july i am planning to take a trip to a deep creek lake in Maryland. location does not matter i guess BUT

i have heard that people fish off the boat while moving. i think they call it trolling??? anyways, how does this work? do you cast off the back of the boat and hang on to the rod and wait for a bite? i am going to throw crankbaits but are there specific cranks for this application? do you need to do anything special?

im not talking speed boat but rather a pontoon boat.

any help would be appreciated.

[Tom Bass]

Yes, it is called Trolling. The boat needs to move slowly though at less than 5 mph at the very most. A couple of miles per hour is more optimum. Crankbaits would do well for slow trolling but the speed must be slow and the baits must match the depth the fish are hanging out at. How will you know where the fish are depth wise? Ask around and experiment. If the boat you are on does not have a depth finder I would recommend you fish shallow crankbaits so you don't get hung up.

Have fun.

[crankbait2009]

thanks tom bass.  i have crankbaits that range in depths of 0-15ft.  but will fish really come that close to a moving boat?  

i am using a baitcaster, are there any specifics i need to know when fishing this way?  or do i cast as if i was on the shore?

[WRB]

Trolling a lure behind a moving boat that is being driven by a non fishermen would be a waste of your time and lures. Go for the ride and enjoy the scenery.

Try to contact whoever is operating the pontoon boat and ask what type of lures you should bring.

WRB

[crankbait2009]

WRB - its called a family boat and everyone else is going for the ride.  not specifically a fishing trip.  it will be for me if it can work out  

[WRB]

WRB - its called a family boat and everyone else is going for the ride. not specifically a fishing trip. it will be for me if it can work out

Speed will be your biggest problem, too fast or stopped to look at sights. You need a lure that will float at rest and dive when underway and not create a great deal of drag or spin out of control at speeds that may exceed 5 mph.

Rapala Husky Jerk minnow lure will troll at faster speeds and give you a change at catching bass, plus you can cast it when stopped. Good luck.

WRB

PS; drop the lure back about 75' behind the boat.

[bigtimfish]

thanks tom bass. i have crankbaits that range in depths of 0-15ft. but will fish really come that close to a moving boat?

i am using a baitcaster, are there any specifics i need to know when fishing this way? or do i cast as if i was on the shore?

If it makes you feel better use a 8' diver and drop it over and let like half of your line out. It will be far from the boat but it will also go deeper than 8' because of all of the line that's out.

[SirSnookalot]

Slow troll on a family outing.............use a nightcrawler harness

[Tom Bass]

Reds,

Cast the line out just like you would do fishing from shore and let the boat's forward momentum allow the lure to do it's thing. Fish do not seem to care about boat activity so the close proximty should not be a problem. If fish cared about a boat's presence many pro bass fishermen would not be pros now would they? 8-)

Sorry, had to throw that in.

I would get a topographical map of the lake and only use lures that dive to a level that should not get hung up or snagged in the areas that you are fishing.

All,

I get this itching feeling that Reds is going to report back to us in July that he caught a monster Bass while his boat was resting in a cove after trolling a while and they were stpped to eat sandwiches.

I hope I am right.

[farmpond1]

Will fish really come that close to a moving boat?

Sometimes, yes.  Lure depth has some bearing on whether a fish will get spooked.  Some species (such as striped bass) are shy, however,  and you might try to use a planer board to pull the line (and, hence, the lure) off to the side of the boat.

[Catt]

Trolling for bass is so productive it's outlawed in all tournaments, so maybe you should take tips from the Master.  

http://spoonplugger.net/

[kms399]

don't make it harder than it needs to be. ask who ever is driving the boat to stay close to the weed line but not on it, figure out how deep it is grab a lure that will work, cast behind the boat and just let line out as you go until you are a good distance from the boat. good luck. I catch bass all the time doing this when I go from spot to spot on my little lake.