Trolling Advice for Bass

[Glenn]

Stay on topic please.

[Paul Roberts]

Tinkering around with lures and presentations is part of the sport, you never know what those green fish may do.  ...

WRB

You know, I can't help but feel that you can know, or have an inkling of something that might pan out. It might be called "thinking out of the box", but I think it's about expanding your box. If one didn't know what the walleye, or salmon, or muskie, or... you name it, guys are doing, you'd be missing out on a lot of really good potentials.

Trolling may be a "forgotten science" in bass fishing, but it's not in a lot of other angling realms.

OK Glenn... How about a mutli-species methodology/techniques exchange forum?? Would that be like putting cats with dogs, and throwing in some chickens and cows too?? ;D

[RoLo]

For the record, I read "Spoonplugging" by Elwood Buck Perry (hot off the press), around the same time I read

Bill Binkleman's Nightcrawler Secrets. To my mind however, that's all broken bubbles and ancient history today.

Not to become trapped in complacency, I feel that we've come a loooong way since that time.

This thread has visited left and right-field, but in the interest of the original topic, I feel compelled to revisit my former post.

I've done more than my share of downrigging with cannonballs in the ocean, but flatlining is still the most popular

trolling method on inland waters (with the obvious exception of the Great Lakes). Unfortunately, flatlining is highly inefficient

because it deals with a host of untamed variables. Among the many variables encountered with flatline trolling:

> Lure Type       (floating, neutrally buoyant, sinking, diving, non-diving),

> Line Type       (monofilament, braid, monel, lead-core, copper, etc)

> Line Diameter (breadth of cumulative water resistance)

> Distance Astern (lineage of cumulative water resistance)

> Trolling Sinker (may be increased, reduced or omitted)

> Boat Speed (RPMs will vary as the boat travels upwind, cross-wind and downwind)

> Trolling Direction (with the tide, cross-tide or against the tide - Only applicable in tidal waters).

Further exacerbating the depth equation above is the line-belly phenomenon, which I alluded to in my former post.

When flatline trolling, there's a point of vanishing returns when paying more line astern will actually send the lure

higher in the water column due to cumulative line-drag. In short, there's no shortcut to ascertaining lure depth,

which should be predetermined via the litmus test.

With regard to flatlining trolling, it's probably best to throw away the calculator, because there's no "dependable" shortcut.

Start by locating a hard, flat bottom in known water depth. Attach your lure of choice to your line of choice

then vary the trolling speed, trolling sinker and length of line astern.

When the rod-tip begins to bounce due to bottom contact, record all the variables in your log (good for a lifetime).

This same process is repeated for each trolling depth and although it's very time-consuming

it's valuable data that will not change until one of the many variables is changed. Nobody said it was easy

Roger

[whistlepig]

I read Buck Perry's book on trolling (spoon plugging).   I remember one quote that he made about trolling during the summer months.  "Troll at a speed that you think is to fast, then increase youre speed".    I troll a lot for muskies,   play around with youre speed until you have found the correct speed.   Keep in mind not all lures can be trolled at a fast speed.

[WRB]

I believe the best source for modern trolling tactics can be found in the In-Fisherman archives, for those interested in fresh water trolling.

My personal background with fresh water trolling is limited to deep small highland reservoirs and Canadian shield natural lakes where flat lining works well using mono, lead core and monel line.

Back in the mid 70's In-Fisherman introduced me to the back trolling concept when fishing from smaller aluminum boats with tiller stirring outboard motors is used to improve boat control.

In the years before the modern bass boat with front operated electric trolling motors, it was not that uncommon to use the outboard motor to control the boats position when casting and standing in the back of the boat with the motor idling in reverse was the best way to troll the boat and cast to shoreline targets. I just never thought of back trolling until reading about the technique.

WRB

PS; off topic correction; http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/fishingtips/news/story?page=b_story_rip_nunnery

Rip suffered from neophobia and never fished again outside of his home area lakes.

[Raymond de Leur Jr. A.S.]

When I trolled in Wyoming here is what we used:

Penn Level Wind Reel (9m or 209m)

Med or Med/Hvy 6' - 8" trolling rod (Eagle Claw Star Fire or Shakespeare Ugly Stick Big Water)

Cabela's Lead Core line (it has color indicators to indicate 10 yard intervals..also available lead free) available in 12-45# test

Cowbells/Pop Gear/etc. (Kokanee Trolls or Luhr Jensen Lake Trolls)

Worm Harness's

Typically for Trout or Kokanee Salmon you do not want to go above 3 MPH. You can actually rip the hook right through their jaws if you go to fast or set the hook hard. Typically with trolling you won't need to set it at all. The constant pull of the boat generally does it for you.

Hope that helps.

NOTE: The pull from the above mentioned Cowbells/Pop Gear/etc is pretty wild...think 12-18ft deep diving crank bait x5 in addition to the speed and/or fish. Also, pay close attention cause when you troll the fish will go nuts and run, dive, jump, etc. We just had a "fish on" system. Everyone reeled in while the angler with the fish on slowly brought it in. Otherwise....say hello to tangle from hell.