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trolling for trout

12K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  FishnHuntOR  
#1 Ā·
So I got a new to me boat and will be doing some trolling. Curious on how to set up my rods for this as I have only really fished off the bank. Any tips would be great. Thanks
 
#3 Ā· (Edited)
I was new, well still am . I found finding info was tough so I'll share what I know please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Troll speed. 1.2-1.5 mph that is water speed not GPS speed.

I always start 25 pulls on one rod and then go out 5 pulls more on each other rod fished.

If you wanna fish deeper add a split shot or two.

Adding a piece of White corn or worm really helps

Black nickle shines more then chrome deep down. How I don't know but that seems to be the consensus.

If trolling north and south is not working try east and west.

Spinners and spoons I use a swivel

fly's I tie direct line.

and most important, relax, enjoy the fresh air, the view and have a great and safe trip.
 
#4 Ā·
I might suggest trying a set of trolling flashers...ie Ford Fenders, Willow Leafs, etc. You can attach a weight directly to the bottom of the rudder... depending on how deep you want to go. Attach your leader to the back and add your bait of choice. You can also add a rubber snubber between gang troll and leader for those fish with softer mouths. My "go to" set up has been some Doc Sheltons with a small teardrop on the rudder, rubber snubber, 2 1/2' leader and a juicy night crawler with a peace of corn. Good luck to you!!!
 
#5 Ā·
To go with the above..
Fish tend to be shallower early and late
Troll in a "s" pattern when fishing shallow, they tend to spook away as
the boat passes over/by them.
When toplineing, I tend to let back a long ways,150' min.
Downriggers are the best for deeper fishing.
Flashers and a crawler have been the demise of 1000's of trout.
A supply of needlefish is always onboard.
Just a couple of things from a list a mile long...have fun!
Mike
 
#6 Ā· (Edited)
Don't be afraid to use kokanee tactics as well. In high pressure areas, showing the fish something different can be the difference between a success and not. Just sometimes though. When I say koke gear I mainly mean dodgers, slingblades, hoochies, apex etc. Homemade spinglows are one of my go tos.
Cripplers are really great when the fish are aggressive. I've caught some big ones that way. Also don't be afraid of bigger plugs and remember; experiment and do lots of research. Be a sponge. But your gonna have to find wat works for you. Its all about confidence. :twocents:
Good luck!!
 
#8 Ā· (Edited)
The simplest and easiest way I know to troll for trout is with half a night crawler threaded over a #4 or #2 bait holder hook (the kind with barbs on the shank).
Use a worm threader and leave about 3/8" of the pointy end of the worm hanging past the hook. That means poking the worm threader into the worm in at that point and coming out the cut end. This makes it very hard for the fish to get the worm without also taking the hook. It is not unusual to catch 3 or more fish on the same half worm. By the way use the back half of the worm first. The front half will survive longer if you don't find it right away in the bait box the next time you bait up.
Use a 3 to 4 foot (4 or 6 pound) leader connected to a 1/4 oz to 1 oz chain bead weight.....either a banana type of the keel design that is connected to your main line. Obviously the heavier the weight the deeper the rig will go. Thost weight designs with the chain beads on each end will prevent line twist on your main line as the worm has a tendency to spin; especially if it is not threaded on straight.
Let out a minimum of 50 feet of line and troll between 1.5 and 2.5 mph. I usually go back 60 to 75 feet and with 3/8 oz. weight the rig will run about 5 to 10 feet deep in the water. The rods are held out perpendicular to the side of the boat. Normally I prefer to troll along the shore in 15 to 30 feet of water. Be aware that as you make turns the a line on the inside of the turn will go slower and sink deeper and the line on the outside of the turn will go faster and shallower. If you get more strikes on either the inside or outside during a turn consider adjusting either the depth of the line (weight) or the speed you are trolling at to match the conditions of the strikes during the turn.
There are times when you get a hit but no hook up When that happens immediately drop the tip of the rod straight back towards the rear of the boat. A high percentage of the time the fish will circle back and hit again for the hook up. By dropping back you allow the bait to stay close to where the fish hit it the first time and they usually try again. Just doing that will greatly increase your catch.

This method will work with most lures and flies like a Wooly Bugger also. As mentioned, needle fish are good and if you use spinners the chain bead weight will all but eliminate line twist.
In places with weeds near the surface like the South End of Diamond Lake, you can use a light weight and troll with the Wooly Bugger over or along the weeds just under the surface of the water. Go much faster than you might think is reasonable and at least 100 feet behind the boat. The fish will come out of the weeds to hit your rig.
As usual morning and evening are best for fishing along the shore line.

Now you can use flashers or dodgers in a similar manner, putting any weight you need in front of the flashers but reduce the length of the leader to 12 to 18". But why deal with dragging all that gear and lose the fun of fighting the fish when you don't need to. I do as well or better than most people dragging hardware.

If the fish are deep, this method will work using a down rigger or other deep fishing gear but as you go deeper the flashing hardware does seem to attract the fish better than the stripped down method I have described above.
 
#9 Ā·
The simplest and easiest way I know to troll for trout is with half a night crawler threaded over a #4 or #2 bait holder hook (the kind with barbs on the shank).
Use a worm threader and leave about 3/8" of the pointy end of the worm hanging past the hook. That means poking the worm threader into the worm in at that point and coming out the cut end. This makes it very hard for the fish to get the worm without also taking the hook. It is not unusual to catch 3 or more fish on the same half worm. By the way use the back half of the worm first. The front half will survive longer if you don't find it right away in the bait box the next time you bait up.
Use a 3 to 4 foot (4 or 6 pound) leader connected to a 1/4 oz to 1 oz chain bead weight.....either a banana type of the keel design that is connected to your main line. Obviously the heavier the weight the deeper the rig will go. Thost weight designs with the chain beads on each end will prevent line twist on your main line as the worm has a tendency to spin; especially if it is not threaded on straight.
Let out a minimum of 50 feet of line and troll between 1.5 and 2.5 mph. I usually go back 60 to 75 feet and with 3/8 oz. weight the rig will run about 5 to 10 feet deep in the water. The rods are held out perpendicular to the side of the boat. Normally I prefer to troll along the shore in 15 to 30 feet of water.
Now when you get a hit but no hook up, immediately drop the tip of the rod straight back to the rear of the boat. A high percentage of the time the fish will circle back and hit again for the hook up. By dropping back you allow the bait to stay close to where the fish hit it the first time and the usually try again. Just doing that will greatly increase your catch.

This method will work with most lures and flies like a Wooly Bugger also. As mentioned, needle fish are good and if you use spinners the chain bead weight will all but eliminate line twist.
In places with weeds near the surface like the South End of Diamond Lake, you can use a light weight and troll with the Wooly Bugger over the weeds just under the surface of the water. Go much faster than you might think if reasonable and at least 100 feet behind the boat. The fish will come out of the weeds to hit your rig.
As usual morning and evening are best for fishing along the shore line.

Now you can use flashers or dodgers in a similar manner, putting any weight you need in front of the flashers but reduce the length of the leader to 12 to 18". But why deal with dragging all that gear and lose the fun of fighting the fish when you don't need to. I do as well or better than most people dragging hardware.

If the fish are deep, this method will work using a down rigger or other deep fishing gear but as you go deeper the flashing hardware does seem to attract the fish better than the stripped down method I have described above.
 
#10 Ā·
I mostly run a Gold Thomas Fightin' fish on a snap swivel pretty close to the bank when looking for trout. In stained water I don't worry about a leader and have done well with up to 12# mainline, in clear water I will run a 3-4' length of 4 or 6# flourocarbon leader. Black can be a good color in dark conditions as well. Run speeds that make your terminal gear work well. Hold the rod beside the boat before you let it out and see what speed looks best, with spoons that is a nice dodging action not rolling.
 
#11 Ā·
For Trout in lakes,I have been doing well with a OOO 1/2 N 1/2 dodger. I tie "Smile' blade wedding rings up with 2 hooks on 10# florocarbon leaders 16" - 20" long. Bait with 1/2 worm and a Berkley yellow corn kernel on the top hook. I run these on downriggers, but can be flat lined as well. If you need to go deeper with this setup, run the banana weight of your choice about 12" ahead of the dodger. .9 to 1.5 MPH is my preferred speed.

I usually have one plug flat lined out at least 100'. I prefer the little Rebel Crawdads. I bait the front treble hook with a single Berkly maggot. Color does make a difference.
 
#12 Ā·
Lots of great info here
Pick up a few basics and you will be good to go, troll the edges .5-1.5 mph and cover water till you find them.

lake trolls - Ford fenders or anything like it. I use the Flash Lite Trolls from mack's they're a lot lighter so you can actually feel the fish, and provide less drag.
1/2oz-1oz lead 20-30 pulls

Dodgers - too many to name, but i use luhr jensen herring dodgers i got for a good deal and pick get assorted colors.
no weight 40-60 pulls

Lures - have fun with it see what you can get them to take, it's kinda fun coming up with your own. Get an assortment of wedding rings, small spoons and whatever else is on sale to get you started.
 
#19 Ā·
If you don't have down rigger Look into getting a fish seeker diver. I think they are 7$ at cabelas. they are cheap and effective for trout. get the clear one. Don't troll over 2 mph. 1-1.5 is best I think. they have variety of setting on them from 5-80 ft deep and with 100' line out. I will experiment this weekend and double my depth setting and only use 50' of line as I hate to have 100' of line out when trolling 3 poles.
Wedding rings are great. I just re tied all of mine to 10 lb lo-vis green, hope it helps more.
I also trolled panther martins and other spinners with that diver with about 4' leader and had good luck. Or you can flat line a cast master near the surface if your other poles are deep.
thomas bouyants work great, but that seems tone more of a cast and retrieve very slowly lure.