Today we’re going to go over five tips that will help you be more effective when you go trolling. And this counts whether you’re going for striped Marlin or striped bass. No matter what kind of trolling you do this will help.
I don’t care what kind of trolling you do people before you let a lure out behind your boat hold it in the water next to the boat and watch it as it moves. Make sure that thing is swimming, right? You want to be absolutely sure the lure isn’t moving too slowly or too rapidly and spinning or something like that. So as you watch it next to the boat.
If it doesn’t look right, try bumping up your speed a little bit or maybe pulling it back a hair until that lure swims just like it’s supposed to.
Tip number two: Don’t forget about the effect of wind and current. You might set your speed perfectly. Those lures might be swimming just like they’re supposed to be, but then you make a turn and everything can change. All of a sudden you might be going into the current or across the current instead of with it. All of a sudden you might be going into the wind or across the wind instead of with it. All that will change your boat speed and, yes, that will change how those lures are working their way through the water.
Our third tip: do your homework on the species you’re targeting. You know some fish, let’s take striped bass, for example, a lot of times of the year they want a really slow trolling speed 3, 3 and a half miles an hour might be all you want to be doing. On the other hand, you have some species like saying Spanish mackerel that we want to see we’re moving at 7, 8, maybe even 9 miles an hour.
Four: Don’t forget that these variables we’re talking about, like your boat speed, are also going to affect your lure depth. Now just what depth do you want those lures to be at? That depends quite a bit upon where you’re fishing, what you’re fishing for, and what time of year it is. Again you’re gonna have to do some research to figure out where you want those lures to be riding in the water column. But, that said, the problem that a lot of people have is they may get all their lures set just right, let’s say at 15 feet down and a hundred feet behind the boat, but then they turn, boat speed changes and those lures sink deeper or maybe they speed up and the lures come up. You may need to either add weight or take in some line or let out some line to keep those lures running at the right depth.
And let’s go on to tip number five Sometimes something as simple as a 1 mile an hour speed change, faster or slower, can be all that it takes to start triggering bites. So if you’re trolling around and you’re not catching fish, change it up!
Well, folks, I hope you find these tips helpful, and I hope that the next time you go out on the water you catch more.
So trolling lovers, hope you also like this article about Trolling Rods For Walleye.
