# Trolling questions???



## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Ok guys with open water coming soon. Let's talk trolling. I have this winter purchased a lot of gear to upgrade my trolling game. Did fairly well last year trolling harnesses. Speed was 1.0-1.5. I have a very good feel for what I'm doing on this, but now I have church boards and I have about 100 new cranks ( mostly flicker shad) ready to go. Looking for some decent rods and line counters. So here are my main questions. What time of year do you go to cranks over harnesses. Can you pull both successfully? Is there certain areas you fish at certain times of the year. What kind of leads do you use for your boards? Speeds?

As you can tell I'm super new to this but I am excited to try and learn. Just looking to shorten the learning curve as much as possible. Thanks guys and feel free to throw anything out there


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

fishintechnician said:


> Ok guys with open water coming soon. Let's talk trolling. I have this winter purchased a lot of gear to upgrade my trolling game. Did fairly well last year trolling harnesses. Speed was 1.0-1.5. I have a very good feel for what I'm doing on this, but now I have church boards and I have about 100 new cranks ( mostly flicker shad) ready to go. Looking for some decent rods and line counters. So here are my main questions. What time of year do you go to cranks over harnesses. Can you pull both successfully? Is there certain areas you fish at certain times of the year. What kind of leads do you use for your boards? Speeds?
> 
> As you can tell I'm super new to this but I am excited to try and learn. Just looking to shorten the learning curve as much as possible. Thanks guys and feel free to throw anything out there


For us the crank bite is usually may-end of june,early july. Then harnesses. But i learned last year NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE WORM. Last year touraments werr won in late aprilearly may on worms.


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

Exactly as saugeye fisher said, we were trolling cranks as soon as we could and generally switched to harnesses as the water temp got up in the mid 60s, but I will be prepped to pull whatever anytime I go out...

As far as I gear I use the diawa 17 line counters, they're small and manageable for the small water trolling you'll do around here.
As far as rods, I stole a tip from Saugmon who trolls indian very successfully and bought some 8.5' salmon/steelhead rods. They have great backbone and a sensative enough tip to see the smallest of cranks and see when there is debris and leaves on the crank.

Bottom bouncing I use a cpl of sensative bait casters on the cheaper side of life


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

See that's weird bc I started fishing harnesses early last year and had good success. Pretty decent all year actually just had to vary speed. So when you are trolling cranks early what kind of speed are you using. I'm sure slower and speed up as the water warms. And what kind of leads should I use? Again I am brand new to all this and I am just trying to soak in whatever I can


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

This is going to be the Year of the Worm for me.. Had guys on here last year saying give up the worm once temps get 60deg.... Crank or live bait, get it in front of a fish and odds are it's going to bite.

Cranks are typically run 2+mph. Spinner rigs, much slower but I think only because people are usually using bottom bouncers and when you speed up, you can't keep em down. I think if you drug spinners behind say offshore tadpoles, you could run them at much faster speeds and still be effective. Check out Jim Stedkes mid winter threads in the Erir forum.. Much of that info translates to trolling inland bodies of water as well.


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

No expert by any means as last year was the first year I really got into it. Most things I've seen/read imply cranks in spring/fall and harnesses in summer but don't think that anything in fishing is really hard and fast rule. Some things that helped me out quite a bit was a book I picked up at the Library called The Art of Trolling by Ken Schultz. It goes over all the basics. I ended up finding a copy of it on amazon for a buck or two to have as a reference. Also, the Jim Stedke thread mentioned in above reply is really good... 
Jim Stedke's thread is Intended for the big lake but many of the principles apply to inland as well.

If you plan on doing a lot of crankbait trolling the Precision Trolling App for smartphone is pretty good as it gives you depths for different lead lengths for many popular crank baits (as well as tadpoles and inline diver, dipsy's etc..). For crank baits depth is really only dependent on lead length and line as speed doesn't really play a role. For weights, speed plays a role... See link here That info coupled with some line counter reels makes sure you are getting your baits to the depth you want. Be sure to check that 50 ft on your line counter reel is actually 50 ft of line, etc... Some reels can get a little off and that also depends on line and amount you have spooled on

On the waters I fished I found that many of the same tactics for eyes worked pretty well for crappies also. This turned out to be nice since I had kids with me a lot of the time I was out so it kept them occupied.

Good luck.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Thanks kfi I started reading jome thread and it does have a lot of good Info so far. I have the free trolling app but it is very limited. I have thought about upgrading but it is quite pricy. I will look into that book for sure. Keep the info coming guys!!


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## Overwatchmike (Mar 16, 2013)

fishintechnician said:


> Ok guys with open water coming soon. Let's talk trolling. I have this winter purchased a lot of gear to upgrade my trolling game. Did fairly well last year trolling harnesses. Speed was 1.0-1.5. I have a very good feel for what I'm doing on this, but now I have church boards and I have about 100 new cranks ( mostly flicker shad) ready to go. Looking for some decent rods and line counters. So here are my main questions. What time of year do you go to cranks over harnesses. Can you pull both successfully? Is there certain areas you fish at certain times of the year. What kind of leads do you use for your boards? Speeds?
> 
> As you can tell I'm super new to this but I am excited to try and learn. Just looking to shorten the learning curve as much as possible. Thanks guys and feel free to throw anything out there


If your looking to build a trolling set up I'd suggest that all rods and reels be the exact same. Unless you throw in dipsey's.... 

I was in the same boat last year and found Tackle Haven on the Web for my trolling combo's. They have package deals (4 combo's) for $160 if I remember right. They are Okuma's which will get you started, not the best, but I haven't had any problems with any I've owned.....


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## Overwatchmike (Mar 16, 2013)

Also Navionics has an app for your smart phone that you can add way points and look at structure while bored at work....


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Dont have much to add info wise, just came here to say I used to think trolling was a joke; who wants to put-put around the lake all day watching a rod holder? I used to rip on the "Trollers" all the time...

Then Derek (93Stratosfishinski) took me out for an all-day troll session, let me tell you I had a BLAST! Watching those rods load up (with a fish on) is just about as exciting as getting a jig blasted on the drop! Not to mention productivity-wise trolling really just can't be beat for some of our Lakes/Reservoirs. I mean we've gone out numerous times and caught dozens of fish while most every other boat we've talked to is lucky to have 3 or 4 (casting).

And worms? blah, Wipers don't want no worm


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

fishintechnician said:


> I have the free trolling app but it is very limited. I have thought about upgrading but it is quite pricy.


Yea app is free but you can buy info on just individual baits for $1.99 per bait so if you have a few favorite cranks you can get the dive curve info on those without breaking the bank.

While the Cabela's branded trolling combos (Trollmaster) are definitely not top shelf they served me well (bought x4). Watch for sales I think I got the 4 I have for 59.99 a piece. The real nice thing is that Cabela's will stand behind them and replace them no questions asked for a year. I broke the rods on two of them (trying to free up snags) and I took them in and was able to replace with a new one at no cost. The cabelas branded ones are made by Okuma.


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

Water in the mid 60's for me. Usually at the end of the white bass run is when I start trolling.

I don't troll harness's.The Indian Saugeye loved the flickershads last year. I trolled them identical to the bombers and bandits. 3 mph!Into the wind,with wind,during the turns,3 mph is the key.
No leaders. 30# rated spiderwire with a swivel tied on it.Match the size/mnodel of crank to bump bottom.

Rods: 8.5' medium action salmon rods as my flat lines.Combining that super sensitive salmon rod with superbraids,you'll see and feel every little tick that the crank puts out.

Board rods: Any broken salmon rod,trolling rod,board rod,etc.These are whippier rods with less feel.The realeases of the boards kills all sensitivity to the rod so whippier ones will suffice.

From what I heard on worm harness's, Early in season and get blades that spin with the slightest of speeds.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Guys i totaly dis agree about erie and inland trolling being the same,maybe aylt a place like cj brown. But not for saugeye around here. ItsCOMPLETELY different. And trust me ive done TONS of both. Lake erie style trolling will get you skunked,lol or maybe a ski or to at alum,hoover,ect.


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

Yeah I'm with bobby. Heck we were trolling up eyes with flicker shad in 3/5fow in the middle of august, and I'm sure the erie guys were pulling harnesses for suspended eyes in 30/60fow


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

saugmon said:


> 3 mph!Into the wind,with wind,during the turns,3 mph is the key.


I trolled up quite a few wipers, and saugeye last year, pulling flicker shad. And as saugmon mentioned, 3 mph!!!


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Guys i totaly dis agree about erie and inland trolling being the same,maybe aylt a place like cj brown. But not for saugeye around here. ItsCOMPLETELY different. And trust me ive done TONS of both. Lake erie style trolling will get you skunked,lol or maybe a ski or to at alum,hoover,ect.



I've not done much of either (inland vs erie) but what I'm saying is the Stedke thread has tons of good info that you can apply to inland for newbies... Examples: discussion on spreads to help avoid tangles, tons of info on lead lengths for different situations, how much weight and at what speed to get to certain depths, etc.. 

I agree if ya try erie setups with boards, etc during summer on busy inland lake you'll have some excitement but not from catching fish..... You'll be hooked up with jet ski or another boat real quick.


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

My question to the seasoned inland trollers on lakes with tons of contour change (i.e. Alum, Hoover, etc...) is how do you keep your baits (cranks) in the depth zone you are trying to fish? If you try and follow a contour on lakes like that you'd do nothing but turn. Do you target points at say 10-12' and just make sure your baits are in contact when crossing the points knowing that you'll soon be back out in 20+ FOW. That was one of the riddles I was trying to solve last year...

Second question is realistically how much can you use the planer boards inland without getting too close for comfort with other boats/jet skis? With work and kid duties I'm usually only able to get out occasional nights and weekends and most of the time seems to busy to comfortably use boards... I assume you inland guys only set narrow spreads or maybe just board to one side of boat to keep things a little less chaotic?


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

This is great, kfi great questions!! And saugmon I was really hoping you would chime in. I followed a lot of your trolling threads last year and it seems like you have it down to a science! You and others are what got me very interested in trolling this year. You mentioned get the bait down where they are ticking bottom? How do you figure it out? I assume on shallower areas/lakes it wouldn't be to hard just let line out until it starts ticking then put the board on. But what about deeper water? Is it the same concept? Do you have to add weight? I know some of these questions are stupid for you seasoned guys but the first time I touched boards was when thy arrived in the mail last week!

And others feel free to ask questions here too! We could turn his into our own midwinter thread for inland lakes.


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

i dont typically use boards on any lakes, deep or shallow. i can flatline troll 4 rods comfortably without tangles. You have to make sure your baits are running straight, flicker shad are some of the worst for this. Alot of them take some plier tweaking to get to run straight. Also make sure you check them after a snag or a decent fish.

on shallow lakes let out just enough line to be ticking bottom, not digging non stop

as far as the alum trolling, i would mostly try and run flat across the points..Depth charts and experience will tell you how much line you need to let out to hit on top of the points. Ontop of points there are eyes and bass, and in the deep areas in between are crappie and accident musky


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

And here is another quick question, does anyone use reef runners or husky jerk type baits for trolling inland? I know they use them a ton on the big water and the hj's get thrown a lot casting although that is usually a cast and pause type deal. Just looking for ideas on what to add to the arsenal besides flicker shad. Think I'm going to add bandits and bombers so far and I am also considering hot-N-tots as well.


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

technician - excellent idea in starting this thread... Lots of knowledgable people on here doing the inland lake trolling thing. 

Regarding baits I had a fair amount of success with the shad raps also. In general it seemed like I did better with jointed baits then the non-jointed ones. They just seem to have better wobble/action.

As I said earlier, last season was first for me owning a boat and the boat I bought was setup for trolling so I figured I better try to learn some of the techniques. Boat was setup with downriggers and let me tell you I'm glad no one was around the first time I tried using the riggers inland at a fairly deep lake. Probably within first five minutes I had one of the cannonballs hung up and the fight was on..... Long story short I learned that down riggers have very limited use in our central ohio inland lakes. But, was able to get some good use out of them down south (Dale Hollow). Mid-day on a 90 deg day was catching suspended bass & trout in 120 fow suspended between 60' - 90' on spoons. Hope to give the riggers a go this year up in Michigan.

I have a lot of shallow running cranks and one thing I think I'm going to try this year is running some of them behind offshore tadpole weights to get them down a bit further with shorter leads. I plan on trying to run these back maybe 6' from the weight. Can also use those to get your worm setups down. Their website gives you dive curves for them.

As fishnski says above you want to make sure the baits are running straight. Had several tangles due to not paying attention to that detail.


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

Question for the worm harness guys.. When pulling those behind relatively heavy bottom bouncers how do you know when you have a little panfish or small eye on? Do you just check lines regularly regardless? Also any tips for keeping the smaller worm nibblers away? The little bit I tried harnesses seemed like I was finding lots of small panfish. Is that just part of the deal when using harnesses?

That was why I ended up using cranks a lot more.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

acklac7 said:


> Dont have much to add info wise, just came here to say I used to think trolling was a joke; who wants to put-put around the lake all day watching a rod holder? I used to rip on the "Trollers" all the time...
> 
> Then Derek (93Stratosfishinski) took me out for an all-day troll session, let me tell you I had a BLAST! Watching those rods load up (with a fish on) is just about as exciting as getting a jig blasted on the drop! Not to mention productivity-wise trolling really just can't be beat for some of our Lakes/Reservoirs. I mean we've gone out numerous times and caught dozens of fish while most every other boat we've talked to is lucky to have 3 or 4 (casting).
> 
> And worms? blah, Wipers don't want no worm


Yeah, I forgot to say "while fishing alum or griggs"  I'm not as big on the wipers as you guys are though.. I'd rather catch something I can sink my teeth into! That said, I need to catch a carp and a wiper for a taste test challenge this year sometime. Maybe musky but I already know those are tasty  Not monsters obviously if I'm going to take it for the table.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

93stratosfishnski said:


> i dont typically use boards on any lakes, deep or shallow. i can flatline troll 4 rods comfortably without tangles. You have to make sure your baits are running straight, flicker shad are some of the worst for this. Alot of them take some plier tweaking to get to run straight. Also make sure you check them after a snag or a decent fish.
> 
> on shallow lakes let out just enough line to be ticking bottom, not digging non stop
> 
> as far as the alum trolling, i would mostly try and run flat across the points..Depth charts and experience will tell you how much line you need to let out to hit on top of the points. Ontop of points there are eyes and bass, and in the deep areas in between are crappie and accident musky


So you are saying your boat doesn't spook the fish.. Cause I think thats why most guys run boards cause they think they are pushing the fish out to the sides.. And of course to run more lines, like trying to run 6. And I would agree I haven't found it necessary but I've also caught fish on the boards when I did run em so. I like throwing one out to the shore side to hit that really shallow water.. Alum makes me nervous when it shallows up cause there's all kind of crap under the water... Including big boulders and whole rear ends from old farm vehicles.... Yeah.

An idea to keep the small ones off: Gulp. I had tons of hits and caught a few on it last year on the limited times I used it. I wasn't fishing it right at first either. I had it on a single hook instead of a double and kept getting short strikes I think. Or maybe the little guys were biting that too, they just can't tear em off. But yeah, checking you have bait is number one after a snag or bite cause I don't think I've ever caught a fish on a bare hook... Even those 200 pond bluegill/bass days. If there isn't a sliver of something edible on the hook you are wasting your time.


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> So you are saying your boat doesn't spook the fish.. Cause I think thats why most guys run boards cause they think they are pushing the fish out to the sides.. And of course to run more lines, like trying to run 6. And I would agree I haven't found it necessary but I've also caught fish on the boards when I did run em so. I like throwing one out to the shore side to hit that really shallow water.. Alum makes me nervous when it shallows up cause there's all kind of crap under the water... Including big boulders and whole rear ends from old farm vehicles.... Yeah.


Boat traffic draws saugeye. I pulled the largest last year (26")out of the wake of a tuber just before sunrise.the pleasurecrafts start early at Indian.usually my numbers are better on the weekends than during the week.

If the bite is slow,a crank right behind the boat in the propwash usually gets the most action.You'll want this one to dive deeper than your flat lines and you raise your rod tip straight vertical so you can get out enough yardage to match the flat lines.Bomber B04,Bandit 200 series,and 7 cm Flickers work well in my propwash setup.

Boards: I use them if I have an extra rider. Sometimes I'll run 1 when solo just to shake things up. You gotta change tactics from time to time during the slow bites. Usually early morning and during the week.They are a nightmare on shallow snag infested water. They allow us to use more rods.Sometimes the eyes prefer the planer rigs,sometimes they just want the flat lines.It's just another presentation in my arsenal.

Saugeye group up in certain areas,and sometimes group up in quality. Once you catch a good one or a double,you wanna waypoint it and pound it.Don't forget that spot and pound it throughout the trip.Most of the feeding frenzies are short.It's like I find a spot with 2-4 eyes and then it dies. Either pound it for a while or hit another spot. Wait another 30-60 mins and you'll get some more out of that waypoint.Hit it again and you get some more.A day later,you won't see much but they'll be close to that hot waypoint.

I've seen hot spots like these yield up easy limits just by hitting them 2-5 times in the morning.That durecho that went thru a few yrs ago,we had 0 keepers by 7 p.m.By 8 p.m.,we had 8 in the boat,lost a few, plus lost the biggest eye of that year.That is how fast and furious the saugeye bite can get if you're at the right place and at the right time.

The last couple yrs have been slow,so I waypoint just about anything that hits the rods, LOL!!

Someone mentioned the flickers not working well after a few fish.Usually the eye screw loosens up.Tighten it should track true again.I swapped out a few of them til I figured out the eye screw kept coming loose.


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## dragonfly1 (Jul 20, 2011)

Try using jet divers ahead of your harnesses or shallow cranks , they are the most true depth accessory on the market . Jets come in 10,20,30 & 40 foot sizes , each can be short lined to achieve the depth desired and they aren't effected by speed changes as inline weights are. Have used them from Erie to Buckeye and caught literally hundreds of walleye/saugeyes on them with no negative issues. Dragonfly1


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## hanmanjr (Mar 26, 2012)

I like the Rapala Trolls-To 10s & 15s minnows and shad for Alum & Hoover. +1 on the often picking up saugeyes in the wakes. I troll off of my kayak & don't notice the spook factor. I have tried reef runners inland but have better success with them overall on Erie.


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## hanmanjr (Mar 26, 2012)

I also will do alright with chrome hot-n-tots at Alum


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

I think the only two lakes id wanna attempt boards are buckeye and indian. Easier to stay on top of them w/o boards at other lakes.

Another thing to prevent tangles... let out line with some tension,rather letting it free spool behind the boat.and dont let out during a turn. 

Now i have thought about running boards with harnesses at alum/hoover,but def. Would need a properly adjusted tattle tale flag for light bites and panfish. And i agree with saugmon,when pulling baitfish style baits boat trqffic will more then likely just help! 

As for baits. It seems like the skinnier profile baits work best in colder water temps. For trolling,flickers,srs,hot n tots,wally divers are all money! 

Also,dont troll the hole lake. Pick out a few sections to troll. Vary your speeds. We had a bite last year. Id throttle up to 3.2/3.3 then back off to idle,reapeat.gotta us fish on a tough bite. 

You can get lure depths online,or bye the trolling bible. If your going to fish erie any at all def. Get trolling bible..

Just shooting some things out there.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

you have a lot of good advice here. I caught a ton of nice walleye just trolling the western basin with hot n tots. I don't have a clue how deep we were fishing, we didn't have line counter reels so we were just flatlining them between what we guesses 100' to 200 feet. we used mud bugs as well as other deep diving cranks. if your not having some fish try using and deep diving crank for the mid depth fish, we always loved fishing by trilling cranks until the middle of july then the harness fishing would take off on the central basin.
sherman


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

hanmanjr said:


> I like the Rapala Trolls-To 10s & 15s minnows and shad for Alum & Hoover. +1 on the often picking up saugeyes in the wakes. I troll off of my kayak & don't notice the spook factor. I have tried reef runners inland but have better success with them overall on Erie.



Long narrow minnow baits is what I started with back when using mono to troll with in the early 2000's.Thunderstick jr's and regular rapalas.Mini rattletraps also productive trolling.
After the switch to spiderwire,I haven't caught a single eye with them.Zilch with the minitraps.Very very few with shadraps.
The funny part,I couldn't catch a saugeye with the short wide body like the Bomber B02's and mono. After the switch to braid and short wide bodied cranks,those bombers were lethal on the saugeye and my #'s skyrocketed. This is why I was pessimistic about the long narrow flickershads.They didn't fit my stereotypical shaped cranks that have been working for me like the bombers and bandits.But wow,did those flickers save my season last year and the quality was over a 13% FO per Keeper ratio.

There was another factor in that transition from mono to spiderwire to cause my skyrocketing numbers. Salmon rods as my flat lines!! Salmon rod on starboard side vs trolling rod on port side and it was no contest.Same bait color and model#,same model linecounter,same spiderwire,similar 8.5' length rods. It was a 10:1 fish ratio for that 1st salmon rod vs the whippier trolling rod setup.Now when running boards,It's a 50-50 rate. I'll use the trolling rods and the repaired salmon rods on the board.The release pretty much kills the action of the crank,but I can feel anything on that salmon side rod. Even 1" minnow/pc of weed in a 2'+ chop!


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Saugmon I noticed you said you switched to braid, what lb test do you use and what effect does it have on lures (dive depth action) over mono. Do you run a mono/Fluor leader or straight to braid?


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

Another trolling related question to shoot out there.. Anyone have any success slow trolling (say 1 mph or less) break lines with baits like jigging rap, blades, rattletraps? Was thinking of giving that a go this year and wondering if others have used this approach? Was thinking this presentation would be better with some jigging/pumping of the baits as you cruise along.

Was thinking this would be a good early season approach as well as later summer but just curious if others have had any success with this technique?


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

kfi said:


> Another trolling related question to shoot out there.. Anyone have any success slow trolling (say 1 mph or less) break lines with baits like jigging rap, blades, rattletraps? Was thinking of giving that a go this year and wondering if others have used this approach? Was thinking this presentation would be better with some jigging/pumping of the baits as you cruise along.
> 
> Was thinking this would be a good early season approach as well as later summer but just curious if others have had any success with this technique?


 Not sure how you'd keep the baits down AND impart jigging action. I'd just slow down even more and vertical jig probably.


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

Has anyone ever done spoonplugging? Even if you don't use spoonplugs Buck Perry's information on structure fishing is invaluable.

I had great success on Hoover back in the 70's and 80's. I have used it on Alum also. If I wanted to catch fish by trolling I would definitely approach it this way.

Just my personal preference to finesse fish for them with light tackle.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Never heard of spoon plugging? Care to share some insight?


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## hanmanjr (Mar 26, 2012)

Fishin Finatic said:


> Has anyone ever done spoonplugging? Even if you don't use spoonplugs Buck Perry's information on structure fishing is invaluable.
> 
> I had great success on Hoover back in the 70's and 80's. I have used it on Alum also. If I wanted to catch fish by trolling I would definitely approach it this way.
> 
> Just my personal preference to finesse fish for them with light tackle.


Love his book that I have. Picked it up after finding some lures at a garage sale a few years back. Can't day I've used them a lot. Did catch a few at Alum once. Lures ended up on display with other old lures.


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## Fishin Finatic (Oct 22, 2010)

It's not just his lure but he shares a lot of information on how and where and how to find fish that bite. I have learned more from his book than any other source.


http://buckperry.com/buck-perry/29-about-buck-perry
http://buckperry.com/2012-09-19-16-11-25
http://buckperry.com/buck-perry/31-structure-must-be-our-fishing-guide
http://buckperry.com/buck-perry/30-water-color-affects-fishing-success


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

kfi said:


> Another trolling related question to shoot out there.. Anyone have any success slow trolling (say 1 mph or less) break lines with baits like jigging rap, blades, rattletraps? Was thinking of giving that a go this year and wondering if others have used this approach? Was thinking this presentation would be better with some jigging/pumping of the baits as you cruise along.
> 
> Was thinking this would be a good early season approach as well as later summer but just curious if others have had any success with this technique?


This can be DEADLY... ive done it with blades,jig/twister,and swims. But no real extra gear needed for it. Just make sure your ticking bottom every once in a while. Alot of times just slow an steady. Great way to pick off multiple species as well. 
Just make sure you add weight as needed,try to keep that line at 45°.


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## ski (May 13, 2004)

What do you mean "whippier" rod? The salmon rod would be a longer and more sensitive rod with more bend, right? The trolling rod would be more like a cue stick, 7ft with more backbone and less sensitive tip?
Why a difference in catch rates between the two? I'm not understanding. 
Ski


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

ski said:


> What do you mean "whippier" rod? The salmon rod would be a longer and more sensitive rod with more bend, right? The trolling rod would be more like a cue stick, 7ft with more backbone and less sensitive tip?
> Why a difference in catch rates between the two? I'm not understanding.
> Ski


Derek can explain this the best, but with the long rods you can get a better "read" on lure action. I.E. you if your lure is fouled up on a leaf you'll know immediately. With the shorter rods I guess it is harder/impossible to tell, and you run the risk of endlessly trolling with a fouled up lure.:S


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

acklac7 said:


> Derek can explain this the best, but with the long rods you can get a better "read" on lure action. I.E. you if your lure is fouled up on a leaf you'll know immediately. With the shorter rods I guess it is harder/impossible to tell, and you run the risk of endlessly trolling with a fouled up lure.:S


Ive found with braid,as long as you rod isnt a "cue stick". Your good. I love his set up for his boat though,the longer rods help keep his lures out of us jokers in the back and out to the side in a narrow boat. But any simaler rod in different lenghts will read the same with braid... 
Im actually wanting to get simaler combos for inland trolling. But will go with shorter rods because im either in the back of his boat,or if in my boat its wide enough theres no issues.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Ive found with braid,as long as you rod isnt a "cue stick". Your good. I love his set up for his boat though,the longer rods help keep his lures out of us jokers in the back and out to the side in a narrow boat. But any simaler rod in different lenghts will read the same with braid...
> Im actually wanting to get simaler combos for inland trolling. But will go with shorter rods because im either in the back of his boat,or if in my boat its wide enough theres no issues.


Yeah, if I were going to get a Boat I would basically clone his setup, (minus the pawn-shop baitcasters  ). Those long rods also seem to be great for keeping fish hooked up indefinitely if you're tied up with something else (fighting another fish, resetting a rod etc) - no need to rush.


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## ski (May 13, 2004)

I thought that might be the answer, but wasn't sure. 

When we are trolling Erie and using boards or dipseys, often you have trash fish on your worm harness hooks, but don't notice difference in rod action with the stiffer rod tips. You end up dragging a fish around the lake until you pull it in to check the bait. 
Then you commonly hear, "crud, wonder how long I was dragging that fish around!!!".
It is especially more difficult for us that don't troll often to read these stiffer rods. I fished with The Zart's last summer and they could tell if there was a goby on the end of their line!!

Ski


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

fishintechnician said:


> Saugmon I noticed you said you switched to braid, what lb test do you use and what effect does it have on lures (dive depth action) over mono. Do you run a mono/Fluor leader or straight to braid?


I used 20# until I upgraded to a set of 4 daiwa accudepths and went with 30# because of the the snags and flatties getting bigger. 13 pound flatties last season and they're getting bigger. I can let out more line now,about twice the length. Usually 75'-85' when trolling 5'-7' water with my B02's,100 series,and the 5cm and 6cm flickers.. Slightly less on the B04s and 200 series.

Tied directly to snap swivel.No leaders.

fishintechnician: By whippy,I'm referring to the huge hollowed rod blanks like they use in the cabelas depthmasters.I also have a couple old erie trolling rods.Harder to feel how that lure is running and it'll have a steady bend to the rod.The rod tips won't vibrate..I could have a 6" weed on the crank and hard to tell any difference until that crank pops up. With the thinner (pencil) blanks on the salmon rods,I'll see every little twitch that crank gives off,even in 2'+ waves. They are long and a pain for wind wrapping the line around the tip with the slightest slack,but they out perform those so called whippier trolling rods when it comes to flat lines/side rods. I do have a 9' medium/light cabelas fisheagle II and the action is too light.Not much wiggle on the tip. 8 1/2' med heavy is what I'll stick with from now on.

On the planers,it don't matter. The rubberband release kills all the action that the crank gives off and identical results regardless if it's a trolling rod,salmon rod,or a broken salmon rod that I had repaired.. Some days they tear up the boards,some days they get skunked. Those saugeye can get picky.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

ski said:


> I thought that might be the answer, but wasn't sure.
> 
> When we are trolling Erie and using boards or dipseys, often you have trash fish on your worm harness hooks, but don't notice difference in rod action with the stiffer rod tips. You end up dragging a fish around the lake until you pull it in to check the bait.
> Then you commonly hear, "crud, wonder how long I was dragging that fish around!!!".
> ...


I have never desired to do a guide trip. But if i were to do one it would be with them,hands down lake erie machines!


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

acklac7 said:


> Yeah, if I were going to get a Boat I would basically clone his setup, (minus the pawn-shop baitcasters  ). Those long rods also seem to be great for keeping fish hooked up indefinitely if you're tied up with something else (fighting another fish, resetting a rod etc) - no need to rush.


I cant hate on his boat its a fish catcher! Hes mod'ed it up good and to his likeings!


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

I'll waterski some small fish with the planerboards. Most of the time,the rubberbands won't snap even with a couple nicks on it.The worst part is If the board has a weed on it and twisting the line because my rider isn't paying attention and 30-50' of line is ruined.

I can't count the times that I had a 1" or smaller weed/minnow snagged onto the side rod and I could tell instantly just by watching the rod tips.


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Just make sure you add weight as needed,try to keep that line at 45°.


How far up from the bait do you attach the weight (if needed)? What type(s) of weight would you use for that?

Would seem like the weight would reduce the action of whatever you got behind it and make it harder to jig/pump the bait. Thanks for feedback.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

I run 2 of the telescopic Cabelas depthmaster rods and don't have an issue not seeing the bait work. They are just something you have to get used to. You can definitely see the bait working at the tip of the rod, just not as pronounced as something 1 piece and made of graphite.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

kfi said:


> How far up from the bait do you attach the weight (if needed)? What type(s) of weight would you use for that?
> 
> Would seem like the weight would reduce the action of whatever you got behind it and make it harder to jig/pump the bait. Thanks for feedback.


Sorry i worded that wrong. Just simply add by switching to a heavier bait. Like going from 1/8 oz vibe to a 3/16 or 1/4 if the lighter ones are not makeing any bottom contact.


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

saugmon said:


> By whippy,I'm referring to the huge hollowed rod blanks like they use in the cabelas depthmasters.I also have a couple old erie trolling rods.Harder to feel how that lure is running and it'll have a steady bend to the rod.The rod tips won't vibrate..I could have a 6" weed on the crank and hard to tell any difference until that crank pops up. With the thinner (pencil) blanks on the salmon rods,I'll see every little twitch that crank gives off,even in 2'+ waves. They are long and a pain for wind wrapping the line around the tip with the slightest slack,but they out perform those so called whippier trolling rods when it comes to flat lines/side rods. I do have a 9' medium/light cabelas fisheagle II and the action is too light.Not much wiggle on the tip. 8 1/2' med heavy is what I'll stick with from now on.


Saugmon - What brand Salmon/Steelhead rods do you use? If it has already been posted I apologize for re-askin...

Regarding the line I started with Braid 20# and agree there is more sensitivity with it but also has downside. First the cost of it and second it can be real unforgiving and can turn into a tangled mess in a hurry. Below is a pic of one of my reels last year. I think my 11 year old first mate helped me out some in ending up with that mess but it was an expensive birdsnest... http://static.outdoorhub.com/static.images/ogf/images/smilies/smile.gif


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

saugmon said:


> I'll waterski some small fish with the planerboards. Most of the time,the rubberbands won't snap even with a couple nicks on it.The worst part is If the board has a weed on it and twisting the line because my rider isn't paying attention and 30-50' of line is ruined.
> 
> I can't count the times that I had a 1" or smaller weed/minnow snagged onto the side rod and I could tell instantly just by watching the rod tips.


Just so the guys asking questions know,your useing big boards,and not off shore type planer boards. Right?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

And kfi. In the long run,the braid will pay for its self. You only need to respool if your running low(generaly),and you will pull free more lures while not haveing to turn back over them. And like derek has showed me the longer steelhead rods are great for getting your line up and "plucking" the lure free bow an arrow style.
And it will also allow your cranks to have a sharper dive curve,allowing you to have less line out... its hard to beleive but im braid ALL THE WAY when it comes to inland trolling.

Now lake erie,mono,but like i said. Thats a completly different animal.


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

I use 8.5 ft med action shimanos, they were discontinued when I bought them.. snapped one due to a bad Bimini top bracket and went on the long search of replacing it..
shimano clarus and convergence series I love
cabelas depth master ml 8.5' rods were too dead for me to stand
cabelas tourney trail ml 8.5' was way too flimsy, a crappie would load it up all the way.
cabelas pro guide steelhead rods are junk junk junk, had 2 they both snapped on the first fish caught.

Needless to say I now have 2 shimano steelhead rods again..


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

I have fished a lot of inland water in my day, as Saugeyefisher can attest to, but now spend most of my time up at Erie. The techniques that are being discussed on here can be applied both at lake Erie and on inland water. They just need to be modified a bit to fit the bite you are on. When I troll inland with a partner, I like to run the inside lines as flat line and use them to follow the structure contour, bouncing bottom every so often. Then I will run two planer boards out to the side. But not very far, just enough to spread my baits and I usually try to run baits for suspended fish. I pick up the occasional bonus Muskie that way too. Saugeye in my experience don't suspend as much as what Walleye do, so I don't spend much if any time trying to find suspended fish out over a main basin. At Erie you are looking for the "mobile structure" ie: baitfish, mud lines, temp changes, etc. Inland you are concentrating more on structure. Inland I find that I keep my speed faster as well, not uncommon to be moving 2.5-3mph. Erie, most of my speed is under 2.5mph, Unless early in the year, cranks I run from 1.5-2.4mph most of the time. Harness fishing is somewhere between 1.2-1.8mph. This is a very general overview and can be taken much more in depth. But Bobby and I both a have very dear friend that takes great pride in rubbing in his flatline abilities on lake Erie. The point with that being said, you must adapt to what the fish want to bite, not what you think they should want.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

fishhogg said:


> I have fished a lot of inland water in my day, as Saugeyefisher can attest to, but now spend most of my time up at Erie. The techniques that are being discussed on here can be applied both at lake Erie and on inland water. They just need to be modified a bit to fit the bite you are on. When I troll inland with a partner, I like to run the inside lines as flat line and use them to follow the structure contour, bouncing bottom every so often. Then I will run two planer boards out to the side. But not very far, just enough to spread my baits and I usually try to run baits for suspended fish. I pick up the occasional bonus Muskie that way too. Saugeye in my experience don't suspend as much as what Walleye do, so I don't spend much if any time trying to find suspended fish out over a main basin. At Erie you are looking for the "mobile structure" ie: baitfish, mud lines, temp changes, etc. Inland you are concentrating more on structure. Inland I find that I keep my speed faster as well, not uncommon to be moving 2.5-3mph. Erie, most of my speed is under 2.5mph, Unless early in the year, cranks I run from 1.5-2.4mph most of the time. Harness fishing is somewhere between 1.2-1.8mph. This is a very general overview and can be taken much more in depth. But Bobby and I both a have very dear friend that takes great pride in rubbing in his flatline abilities on lake Erie. The point with that being said, you must adapt to what the fish want to bite, not what you think they should want.


,

Amen,phil!


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

Had lunch with the ole sheephead poacher today! He tells me your feeling a lot better these days. You gonna come up and fish Erie with me this year? I have all kinds of new gear to play with this year.


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Lot of great questions on here. I would also direct folks to Jim's Erie thread....

In regards to trolling cranks... It seems to me it's not the time you can use them but the speed. Last year we waited 1/2 a day for the ice to move out and commenced to crush em on cranks at .7 to .9 mph. 
If you follow the night fishers on here they always crush em on slow pulled sticks when it gets nice and cold.

Depth and speed....


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Man I have a wealth of info here guys this is great. Thank you everyone that has contributed has given me a lot to consider and play with. Hopefully after this year I'll be able to add some tips for everyone. 

Another quick question. Is there a certain water temp when you start trolling in the spring? Have a buddy that won't troll unless the water temp hits 60. And doesn't troll harnesses at all.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

kfi said:


> Saugmon - What brand Salmon/Steelhead rods do you use? If it has already been posted I apologize for re-askin...
> 
> Regarding the line I started with Braid 20# and agree there is more sensitivity with it but also has downside. First the cost of it and second it can be real unforgiving and can turn into a tangled mess in a hurry. Below is a pic of one of my reels last year. I think my 11 year old first mate helped me out some in ending up with that mess but it was an expensive birdsnest... http://static.outdoorhub.com/static.images/ogf/images/smilies/smile.gif


That dont even look that bad bud! A little work probably could have gotten that out. I'm guessing you got a snag then opened the bail with the rod loaded up?


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

fishhogg said:


> Had lunch with the ole sheephead poacher today! He tells me your feeling a lot better these days. You gonna come up and fish Erie with me this year? I have all kinds of new gear to play with this year.


Yeah he will be.. And he may be bringing a friend.. LOL!


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

kfi said:


> Saugmon - What brand Salmon/Steelhead rods do you use? If it has already been posted I apologize for re-askin...
> 
> Regarding the line I started with Braid 20# and agree there is more sensitivity with it but also has downside. First the cost of it and second it can be real unforgiving and can turn into a tangled mess in a hurry. Below is a pic of one of my reels last year. I think my 11 year old first mate helped me out some in ending up with that mess but it was an expensive birdsnest... http://static.outdoorhub.com/static.images/ogf/images/smilies/smile.gif


I hope he didn't try to cast.I've never tried casting a linecounter.


I keep the side spool brake set so it won't free spool easily.I'm not sure of the correct term,but it the silver knob inside the star.Slip the crank in the water,release bail,thumb the spool and let the line out as the crank is released.That knob too loose,and it'll backlash easily.Too tight and you have to pull it out by hand.Set it so you can release the line out as the crank dives with a slight thumbing. Usually I swing my rod back and forth until I get out the required footage.The line clicker will add friction to the spool so leave it turned off to get the crank out easier,then click it back once the required footage is released.

The thing I found out with brand new spiderwire,you want to spool it onto the reel very tight.It's sort of poofy when it's brand new.If you spool it on loose,1 major snag and the line will sink down to into the spool and almost as bad as a backlash.After a while trolling with it,you won't even notice it.

BassPro has a good deal on spiderwire along with a rebate.Overall,you'll save money. You can also flip it .


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

fishhogg said:


> Had lunch with the ole sheephead poacher today! He tells me your feeling a lot better these days. You gonna come up and fish Erie with me this year? I have all kinds of new gear to play with this year.


Glad to here that. I need to get over more often,just SOO busy with kids,house,fish... but ya i want to! 
I still need to learn the way of the worm up there. All ive ever known is bouncers. Gotta get on that inline bite,then pass down to bob/rich so they can have more summer fun! Ive been researching it alot,lol them boards are just like big bobbers sometimes,pulling worms! FUN lookin stuff!


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

saugmon said:


> I hope he didn't try to cast.I've never tried casting a linecounter.
> 
> 
> I keep the side spool brake set so it won't free spool easily.I'm not sure of the correct term,but it the silver knob inside the star.
> .


Spool tension knob. This is what you use to balance the weight of your lure to your spool tension to keep from backlashing. This applies to casting, not so sure it applies to trolling.


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Glad to here that. I need to get over more often,just SOO busy with kids,house,fish... but ya i want to!
> I still need to learn the way of the worm up there. All ive ever known is bouncers. Gotta get on that inline bite,then pass down to bob/rich so they can have more summer fun! Ive been researching it alot,lol them boards are just like big bobbers sometimes,pulling worms! FUN lookin stuff!


I have gotten pretty good at pulling spinners up there. I can show you what I know, and you will probably have a couple tricks I don't! 50-55 degree water temp is usually when I start packing a lot of worms on board. Although last year I never got off the crankbaits. Just to dam much junk fish. Caught fish all year long, biggest went a tad over 12.5lbs. We will get on em!


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

polebender said:


> Spool tension knob. This is what you use to balance the weight of your lure to your spool tension to keep from backlashing. This applies to casting, not so sure it applies to trolling.


Sure it does, just like casting. I set my Diawa SG27 tight enough that they won't over spool when letting baits out. I even cast mine to speed set. I can cast them 25-50' right out the back of the boat. But, I DON'T let anyone else on the boat do that. I fish with a lot of guys that have never trolled, some it is their first fishing trip ever. So you have to have your reels set up properly, or you get good at fixing backlashes. That is another reason I switched from braid back to mono for trolling.


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## EnonEye (Apr 13, 2011)

OK I'll weigh in on this thread. Lots n lots of good info here. My basic philosophy is this: eater eyes are a very simple minded fish to catch. They are aggressive eaters and if you can find them and put a bait in front of them they will eat it. In other words my thing is KISS. Trolling is just a matter of ticking the bottom like others have said here, maybe using a "z" pattern to get the lure to the bottom on occasion and move move move until you find a pack of em. Type of lure is not that important, they'll eat it if they see it. Speed is not a big factor. One of the best trollers I know out there moves fast enough to create a small wake. The eyes can run it down. Conditions not that important. One of the best days I ever witnessed out there was an 80 degree bikini day with no wind in 3 to 4 foot off water and they were just hammering anything. Don't believe they don't suspend. Many eyes came to my net fishing a 4 foot diver over 7 foot water. Planer boards, not for me. Too small of a lake in terms of where the holding areas are to hog up 50 yards on both sides of your boat to use em. No offense to people who use em, I just move over or wait until you're passed but these are not skiddish fish like walleyes they're eating machines. Worms? Always a #1 bait on days the wind is 5 to 10 drifting parallel by using trolling motor with just enough split shot to tick the bottom with a harness. And don't forget minners n jig, love road runners with a pink tail. In fact my best was on that set up -7 3/4lbs. Nough said, good luck and enjoy Indian in my opinion, the best inland lake in Ohio.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> Yeah he will be.. And he may be bringing a friend.. LOL!


Lol just seen this,ben. Would be great to get 2/3/4 boats up there and bs for a weekend. I MISS IT! BAD! Im luckey to get up 1/2 times a year the last few years. 
Ben,fishhogg is a flat out walleye catcher,an has put up some monster smallies up there! 
He put me on my first ever erie hogg,a summer time 27"er in lorain on a dipsey/crawler harness running the bottom. And showed my uncle the ropes up there and got him into it.


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

As for the question of when to start trolling temp.... As I mentioned earlier, you can troll cranks as soon as you can get a boat on the water. Temp will still be in the 30's. Slow way down and using a bait with a more subtle action may pay off.

To watch this in action show up at Erie off the firing range around March 15ish! Depending on which way the wind blows....

I would have to thing the same thing would apply for local reservoirs. The big girls sure get hungry right before there attempt at spawning.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Awsome that was what I was hoping to here! I have an upground not far from me that actually has walleye. I caught a lot of eater size fish last year but struggled to get anything with size and I know they are in there.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

fishintechnician said:


> Awsome that was what I was hoping to here! I have an upground not far from me that actually has walleye. I caught a lot of eater size fish last year but struggled to get anything with size and I know they are in there.


Yes for this situation cold water trolling would be money. Ice off-spawn. This is were your stick baits will come into play,and planer boards if you have them And a good elctric motor with auto or I pilot. A slow stealthy approach. And will be your best chances at hanging a tru hog. This time of year i **** the nite bite best. But on erie,just off tge reefs you cn get them going mostly all day.
Find places holding bait near some spawning areas,anf big girls should be gorgeing!

Im actually game planning a simaler senario with a couple friends for this march. Cant wait.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Awsome! I have ipilot and boards will have to give this a try!


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## Redman1776 (Jul 14, 2014)

Count me in on following this thread. I hope to troll for eyes at Indian this spring after being away for a few years, Saugmon has already helped me pick out some new trolling gear.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Lucky to have saugmon as a teacher! I'd love to fish w him. Being able to pick his brain and pick up what he is doing would be invaluable.


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## talltim (Jul 25, 2008)

I have trolled a lot on erie and a few times on alum and pleasant hill. Having just retired this past year would like to do more on the inland lakes since we are almost 2 hrs from erie. I am 20 min from pleasant hill and 45min from alum. Questions, 1. what lake would you concentrate on. 2. I have found it hard to stay in the right depth on these lakes, I'm in 10 fow then 30fow and then I'm hung up in 5fow . Any help or ideas would be great.


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## greatmiami (Feb 4, 2014)

I mostly troll in rivers and because of fast changing depths find it be necessary to hold the the rode by hand. I have seen people doing this in lakes as well, just curious what the reasons for doing that in a lake are?

Sent from my QMV7A using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

greatmiami said:


> I mostly troll in rivers and because of fast changing depths find it be necessary to hold the the rode by hand. I have seen people doing this in lakes as well, just curious what the reasons for doing that in a lake are?
> 
> Sent from my QMV7A using Ohub Campfire mobile app


I only hold in my hand while bottom bouncing with live bait. It helps you detect light bites better and adjust to bottom depths


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

talltim said:


> I have trolled a lot on erie and a few times on alum and pleasant hill. Having just retired this past year would like to do more on the inland lakes since we are almost 2 hrs from erie. I am 20 min from pleasant hill and 45min from alum. Questions, 1. what lake would you concentrate on. 2. I have found it hard to stay in the right depth on these lakes, I'm in 10 fow then 30fow and then I'm hung up in 5fow . Any help or ideas would be great.



No experience at pleasant hill but have dealt with your dilemma on alum. No real answers for you when trolling at higher speed. I think you need to target a specific depth and try to make contact with points at that depth and just accept being out in deeper water between points. See an earlier post on this thread.

In early season I intend to try using elec trolling motor at slow speed to try and hold a specific target zone and keep at least one rod in hand so I can better "feel" what is going on. Works for Al Lindner so why not me..


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Keeping a rod in your hand can tell you a lot about the bottom composition. You can feel the rocks and the muck and then target either. I sometimes do it out of boredom as well. Pick it up, check action, drop it back, lift it up. You can do little twitches even. Puts some variation in your presentation. Also getting hit while holding he rod is 10x cooler than getting hit in your rod holder


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## Redman1776 (Jul 14, 2014)

fishintechnician said:


> Lucky to have saugmon as a teacher! I'd love to fish w him. Being able to pick his brain and pick up what he is doing would be invaluable.



Never fished with him, but would love to. Just sent him some pm's on gear suggestions. He knows his stuff that's for sure.


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## "chillin" (Apr 20, 2012)

fishintechnician said:


> Thanks kfi I started reading jome thread and it does have a lot of good Info so far. I have the free trolling app but it is very limited. I have thought about upgrading but it is quite pricy. I will look into that book for sure. Keep the info coming guys!!


I have a precision trolling book. Let me know if you want to make copies of the dive charts.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Chillin that would be greatly appreciated!


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> Yeah he will be.. And he may be bringing a friend.. LOL!


Bring it on, brother. The more the merrier! Bobby just has to leave his sheepherder staff at home.


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

talltim said:


> I have trolled a lot on erie and a few times on alum and pleasant hill. Having just retired this past year would like to do more on the inland lakes since we are almost 2 hrs from erie. I am 20 min from pleasant hill and 45min from alum. Questions, 1. what lake would you concentrate on. 2. I have found it hard to stay in the right depth on these lakes, I'm in 10 fow then 30fow and then I'm hung up in 5fow . Any help or ideas would be great.


A few things come to mind. Do you have a good GPS with a lake map? if not get one, then use icons and mark the areas you are trying to fish and follow the icons. Are fishing from a tiller boat or steering wheel boat. It is much easier to follow depth contours while running a tiller boat. Set up a couple of rods and reels with 20-30# braid, run deeper diving lures, and shorter leads. This will allow you to make contact with the bottom and cut tighter turns. Remember that you want to keep the bait at the right depth zone, not necessarily the boat. When trolling a point and coming off the end, simply go out and make a loop to come back the other side of the point. A good GPS with a lake map will really help with this. Pick up a copy of Buck Perry's Spoonplugging. Invaluable piece of information if you are a troller. Book is very old school, but read it and apply it with todays technology. Buck was using no stretch lines in the 50-60's with his Spoonplugs, it was call Dacron. Hope this helps.


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## talltim (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks for the help fishhogg, I have a steering wheel boat , but I do most of my steering with my terrova trolling motor. I also have some good electroinics with gps and maps. I know its a whole new ball game then erie, so I'll have to put some time in to getting it dialed in. This is a great winter time thread to get some good ideas.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

That is some really solid advice fishogg


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

I just got all my rigs re-tied and ready to go last night. Just need some open water! 4 jigging/rigging/casting rods, 2 bottom bouncers and 2 cranks.


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## ristorap (Mar 6, 2013)

I start out with a stick bait, shad, jointed bait, minnow bait, banana bait. I start out small and work up through sizes. I try different colors . When I get bites and catch fish on a bait I will try other colors in that bait and other brands of that bait when the fish has only the tail hook .


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

I've got about 100 or so harnesses tied and rods and boards are ready to go! Got to stock up on some more cranks but I have quite a few to start with. I love ice fishing but I'm ready to get out now!


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

fishintechnician said:


> I've got about 100 or so harnesses tied and rods and boards are ready to go! Got to stock up on some more cranks but I have quite a few to start with. I love ice fishing but I'm ready to get out now!


Which hooks and #test did you use? I'm guessing you are going to use your painted blades?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

fishintechnician said:


> I've got about 100 or so harnesses tied and rods and boards are ready to go! Got to stock up on some more cranks but I have quite a few to start with. I love ice fishing but I'm ready to get out now!


Ya ive caught the ice bug this year. But ready for some open stuff. I mean,ive hit some nice gills/crappie in open water last few weeks. I want some FISH WITH TEETH. Preferbly bye the way of a stickbait:B... sad thing is though. Once things thaw out it seems everything progresses SOOO FAST!!! 
Threads like this will gwt u pumped to! 

Ben/massilon,what line and terminal tackle on each rig? If i had it my way id have 2 8 - 8 1/2 foot steelhead rods rigged with 20,or 30 lb power pro for my inland crankbait trolling. 
2 8 foot depthmasters rigged with 12-14 lb stren magnathin for my erie cranks.
2 7 foot med action premiers with a quality baitcaster with flipping switch for inland bouncing and live bait rigs.
Then my spinning gear i always use.
The reels for my crankbait rods- eh id just shop around for the smoothest and get 4 to match the rods. 
Probaly diawas. I have a older shimano,i think bantom lc but havnt seen them recently. And it was to pricey anyways. And counts in yards rather then feet.

Oh ya 20 lb power pro for the bouncer rods.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Ya ive caught the ice bug this year. But ready for some open stuff. I mean,ive hit some nice gills/crappie in open water last few weeks. I want some FISH WITH TEETH. Preferbly bye the way of a stickbait:B... sad thing is though. Once things thaw out it seems everything progresses SOOO FAST!!!
> Threads like this will gwt u pumped to!
> 
> Ben/massilon,what line and terminal tackle on each rig? If i had it my way id have 2 8 - 8 1/2 foot steelhead rods rigged with 20,or 30 lb power pro for my inland crankbait trolling.
> ...


My depthmasters have 12# Stren. One has a Reef Runner in my special mistake color(Found 4 that night at Fin Feather and Fur!!) and the other has a flicker.

My 2 bottom bouncer rods(tadpoles) also have 12# stren. Couldn't live without the flippin switches  Both are Quantum Accurist reels and those cheapy Vendetta rods.

Spinning I'm going with some 14# Hi-Viz orange Fireline for my main jigging rig and lighter 8# Spiderwire on the others I think. Which I'm also going to be using for live bait/lindy rigs. I put all my stickbaits out to pasture. Not really, but...


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

MassillonBuckeye said:


> Which hooks and #test did you use? I'm guessing you are going to use your painted blades?


Yeah I'm using the blades I e been painting, did some new ones today and they turned out really good! For hooks I use 2 number 4 bait holders tied inline with snell knots. Line I use 12lb trilene. Has worked well in the past for me. I don't pull mine on bouncers I use the lindy no-snags and a three way swivel. One end to main line each of the other 2 to swivels. Down line I tie 6-12" of braid to a snap and snap on whatever size lindy I need and the other has about a foot to 2 foot lead of braid to another swivel: I tie all my harnesses with a barrel swivel that I can just attach to the snap. This allows me to change harnesses and weight very easily. All my harnesses are 2-3' in length.

Hope that wasn't to confusing!


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## fishhogg (Apr 16, 2009)

For my inline trolling at Erie, I run a 6-7' 20# Seagur flouro leader, 4 red treble and a 1/0 Octupus snelled in. I run 5-6mm beads, then a 4mm, and a small bead next to the quick change clevis. Top it all off with a small black sampo ball bearing swivel. That lets me run no 5-7 size blades. For bouncers I scale it back to a 4' leader and 2-1/0 Octupus hooks snelled in, again for Erie. When I am inland I scale it back to no 2 Octupus hooks snelled in line, smaller beads and less of them to run no 2-4 blades on bouncers. I don't open water troll inland waters.


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