trolling gear

[goose commander]

I would like to start trolling during this time of year but ive never really done much of it. If you were just starting out trolling what is some of the basic gear you would want to start with? I have the boat and kicker. Any help with this would be great. thanks.... john

[JPH]

cabelas line counter reels and rod combos. Rod Holders, worm harnesses, inline weights 1,2,3 oz, crankbaits (i prefer Rapala, but most guys run reef runners) a copy of precision trolling
start off long lining before you tackle the inline boards, dipsy divers, and jets. Its addicting!

Let me know if you need more help.

[goose commander]

thanks JPH. I will get started on some of that. when you refer to "long lining" is that the boards of a mass that you run clips off of? I have clips but never used them. thanks again....john

[sherman51]

if its something you plan on doing for awhile i reccomend you invest in some good line counter reels. here are a few i reccomend thats good reels for the money. the 1st one is the daiwa sealine sg17lca or the sg27lca for just line fishing. if you plan on using wire or copper then your going to need bigger reels than the ones im listing. 2nd would be the okuma convector 20 line counter 3rd would be the daiwa accudepth plus adp17lc or the adp27lc. the sealines sell for around 100.00 each but you can pick them up on ebay for around 50.00 to 65.00 each either new or like new condition. the okumas sell for around 65.00 to 70.00 each and the accudepths sell for around 40.00 to 60.00. all these reels will work great for most trolling.

there is just so many divers out there. i like the lite bite slide divers the best. and you can run them without boards. then you can get the big boards but you need a mast and then you have the inline boards, and you dont need a mast. if your going to run the tru trip 40,s or 50,s i reccomend the big boards. if your running inline weights you can use either type board. or you can just flat line them without using boards. but your kinda limited to running about 4 lines, but i have run 6. but you need about 9' or 10' rods out the side then about a 6 ft rod out the side then run one straught off each corner. right now this would seem to be a good time to do this in the central basin. just use spoons or harnesses with a 3 oz weight about 100' to 120' behind the boat. but you could do the same thing with boards and get more lines in the water depending how many people you have on board.

once the fish move deep then i personaly think divers are the way to go. you can use dipsy,s or i think walker deeper divers or the ones i use, the lite bite slide diver. theres just so many ways to fish and im going by lake erie. if your trolling a local lake you can usely just get by using deep diving crank baits or the inline weights.

the first thing i reccomend is if your going to erie you need to make atleast one trip with a charter or fill a couple of the open seats offered on here, and get some first hand knowledge.
sherman

[goose commander]

Wow sherman thats a load of info. Thank u.

[Saugeyefisher]

where do you plan on trolling at? Inland saugeye trolling and lake erie walleye trolling are 2 completly different animals. Seen u are from obetz so figured it should be asked.

When trolling inland for saugeye you wont need any diveing tools(like dipsies,jets,tadpoles ect.) Line counters are a good tool weather your inland or erie,cause you want to be able to duplicate whats hot. And yea i would go with the diawas for sure. good dependable reels. For inland i would stick with the sg17s And a decent 7 1/2 - 8 ft rod(telescoping is nice) med - med heavy. I use mono others use braid(use what you like).

If trolling cranks good cranks to start with are sr5 and sr7s. flicker shads 5 and 7s. wally divers, bandits (sereis depends on how deep of water0. Jr thundersticks,little rippers,wally demons,hotntots ect. ect.
the precision trolling book will tell you how deep these lures will run at how far back(flickershad tells you on the package)...
Most of the time when trolling inland saugeyes you will want to be makeing bottem contact with your crank(put there are always exceptions to the rules)..

Read the central ohio boards and you will get more info on the where tos and where ats. fish are scattered right now with all the bait in the water,but can still be readily caught.

Now trolling harness, you can use bottem bouncers,or egg sinkers or lindy weights,and again try to keep bottem contact....

let me know?

[goose commander]

thanks saugeye. hope to head out in the morn for a while. will let you know how it goes

[goose commander]

well i made my first trolling trip to alum this morn. and though i have not obtained all the gear you guys have suggested i was able to get started. managed 8 in 3 1/2 hours. 6 crappie, 1 eye, 1 gill but now i have a whole lot of questions...sorry. my kids got me inline boards...i dont like them. can i hook them to a mass and run line clips off of them? i saw the thread on weights... if i average 9-15fow what would be the average weight to use with a harness? i just made a carolina rig today...prob not right but it kinda worked. and last one for today. do you run a weight in front of spoons? every time i did today i got snagged up. thanks guys for all your help..john

[gone-fishing]

hey john, give me a call and we can head out sometime soon. i can show you what i use and what has and hasnt worked for me. maybe we can fish for a bit also

[ohiojmj]

Search OGF for key words like inline weights, etc. and you'll find a treasure of info. The archives are packed. Chances are most basic questions are answered. Search for Redneck weights (they are fish shaped). There is a depth chart that many of us use for the more basic long cylindrical plain lead weights. Weight and line distance will give you a basic distance. Assumptions like aspeed of 1.5 mph or 10# mono diameter are also factors.