IFish Fishing Forum banner

What is your best trolling speed for Kokanee

21K views 34 replies 21 participants last post by  Dr Strangelove 
#1 ·
Each of us have our own trolling speed. I though it would be kind of neat to see every ones trolling speed. Of course it makes a difference what flashers we are using. I my self trolling with a small dodger with a spinner my speed is 0.5 to 1 MPH. Trolling with the same dodger with a hoochie the speed needs to be faster for the action mine is 1.3 to 1.5 MPH. :)

________________________________________________
Remember it isn't always what you fish with, it's how you fish with it.
 
#2 ·
I like about 1.0 MPH when I am running flashers and homemade spinners. This was the first year I have fished Odell but the Kokes seem to like it a little faster there. When it was glass I had to put the set back from my ball at about 20 feet and I was catching,then when the wind kicked up we trolled with the wind maybe 3 MPH and we were hooking twice as many fish anybody else experianced this at Odell?
David
 
#3 ·
There's a half dozen good past threads on this subject with many replies.

Do an advanced search in the trout section with trolling speed in the title.

jz
 
#8 ·
:yeahthat::applause::agree::applause::excited::excited:
I fish Hoochies and spinners behind dodgers with an occasional Apex just for fun. I always start out at 1.2, when I find fish I make a big sweeping turn over the school to see which rod gets hit. Or if they both get hit which rod is hit harder. One or two fish is not enough to indicate a speed change is needed.

I usually fish the same set up (dodger-lure) or about the same on three or four rods so not to confuse the test with which lure is better. On most days I can pick a color dependent on water clarity and fish depth that will get us started catching fish. Then it is just a matter of dialing in the exact color -lure and speed that produces the most fish.

If a lure is getting hit but fish are not sticking My first reaction is always to slow down. If that does not work I then speed up. Other things you can do to help fish hit harder is to lengthen the leader. Sometimes short strikes are caused by fish not wanting to get to close to your flashers or large dodgers. Other times it is the color of my spinner.

If a spinner is being hit repeatedly but the fish are not sticking and a speed change did not deliver the desired result, I change the spinner. In dark water or cloudy skies I usually go to a brighter, or more visible spinner and in clear water and sunny skies I go to liter colors spinner.

Good luck ET
 
#7 ·
I like 1.1, but this year while making a fairly sharp turn at 1.1, both rods went off at the same time, so as we have always said, when it comes to kokes, the rule is there is no rule:twocents:
 
#9 ·
Each of us have our own trolling speed. I though it would be kind of neat to see every ones trolling speed. Of course it makes a difference what flashers we are using. I my self trolling with a small dodger with a spinner my speed is 0.5 to 1 MPH. Trolling with the same dodger with a hoochie the speed needs to be faster for the action mine is 1.3 to 1.5 MPH. :)
The best trolling speed is the one that is catching fish. My standard is 1.4 mph but I vary depending on the bite and the lake and what I am offering.
 
#15 ·
BINGO! I'm thinkin like that every time Kid. And when I get home I write down everything to the best of my recollection. Hopefully next year some of it comes to good use and my two boys will also be able to use it:excited: Dad's notes have come thru for me more than once.

But i have to say alaska that computers are like BEER: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems!:flowered:
 
#18 ·
Kid you have one great thing to always be proud of you have a dad to help teach you the beat way he knows how to fish. Unfortunately My dad didn't fish but was a great hunter and a great shot. I spent countless hours hunting with him before I lost him to cancer in 88. Now I take my Grandson fishing as much as possible. So all of you that have a dad spend as much time as you can together because some day he will be gone. :flowered: OH yes troll at what ever speed that works for you. :)


______________________________________________
And remember it isn't always what you fish with its how you fish with it.
 
#19 ·
Just checked my fishing log from last year (only one year worth of data because I just started). I started out slow in April/May running at .8-1.2. By June / July I was running somewhere between 1.4-1.9. Did well on most days.

Great now I want to go kokanee fishing again :doh:
 
#22 ·
Just checked my fishing log from last year (only one year worth of data because I just started). I started out slow in April/May running at .8-1.2. By June / July I was running somewhere between 1.4-1.9. Did well on most days.
Great now I want to go kokanee fishing again :doh:
Best habit you will ever keep! As the memory goes, the log doesn't and will provide you and those that follow years of info to fall back on when all else fails!
 
#23 ·
Luhr Jensen has a trolling speed indicator that works great. It is fairly inexpensive and will help you hone your trolling skills. But in saying that, I to started on a shoestring and couldn't afford the time of day at that period of my life. Hang in there, it only gets better.
 
#26 ·
I use a luhr jensen speed indicator. It's really nice to have, easy to mount, costs about $35 at wholesale sports in salem. What's nice is that it gives surface speed across the water where GPS gives a different speed. I also added a gps this year because i found (and many of u probably know this too) that when you come across a spot where you get a double, it pays to go right back over that spot. Last august I had 5 spots that paid off twice before 10AM!

I love fishing with my dad! He's not able to sit in the boat all day anymore like I usually do but he's able to put up with my bull headedness, and I him. I know he's reading this. LOVE YOU DAD!:flowered:
 
#30 ·
-I change speed often even when catching fish. Sometimes the best way to judge what works is to get it not to work. When we're not catching we tend to try new gear...then throw it back in the box because it doesn't work. When you're catching on your go to lure, speed and depth.. maybe that should be the time to try out your new gear. I try to change one or as few as possible variables at a time.

River fishing this past month in clear water has brought me many more questions than answers.
I have observed several fish following the lure... varied the speed with no strike. I have seen single fish following the lure varied speed no strike. Bringing lure across river... constant speed have seen one or more fish strike several times...This goes against what I thought I learned in the lake which is going several minutes same speed and direction.. assuming fish following as S turn and fish on.
--Now this could be that fish in spawn mode are reacting different but I am now thinking it would be really beneficial to get a camera system on my downrigger to see if fish are following and how they are behaving.

--Other thing I found was fishing with others on the river within view.. each using different gear and teqhnique.. we would sometimes go for 30 min to an hr without a bite then double headers within minutes of each other. Again is this happening in the lake? Maybe if we just troll along same speed then make an S turn and get a bite thus think that's the reason... or did the fish just decide to bite no matter what we were doing.
--For sure there was a ton of fish in the area and only a few % wise that struck the lures.. others continued to ignore the lures no matter what the presentation.

--Does speed matter? I'm not as sure now as I was a month ago..
 
#32 ·
Trolling speed depends on the lure. I fish the speed that gives the lure the most action. I drag it beside the boat and watch its action before I lower it down. If you are using a dodger and most of the action is coming from it, then you will likely find a speed that makes the rod tip bounce a little. That's the speed that will work best.
 
#33 ·
I experimented with trolling speeds while at Wallowa Lake last June....0.8 was bottom and 2.1 was tops....Every once in awhile, I would kick the speed up to 2.0 or over and run for about 20 yards and then drop back down or almost shut down. This let the gear flutter back down or drop slowly. I had quite a few strikes when the gear was dropping. I figured the different speeds helped the fish react to biting quicker. It worked really good most of the time....
 
#35 ·
0.8-1.2 for spinning lures and 1.2-1.8 for dodging lures. Keeping it easy, I use four rods, and alternate 2 setups depending on if I'm going upwind or down. I find more than two rods out is madness. I use two drift socks.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top