Trolling Questions

[shorthairman]

I saw Capt Ahab started a thread on leadcore lines, and I thought about just putting this there, but I need a little more help and don't want to interfere with his original question.

I need some help figuring out how to troll for walleye. I have no current gear for trolling, but I am going to order a couple of Cabelas Depthmaster combos to get started. Do I put leadcore line on or should I use braid? Snap-weights? Planer boards? Is there a time of year when you guys switch from a certain presentation to trolling? Etc., etc.... Any help would be appreciated. I mainly fish the Missouri River above Fort Randall Dam and in April/May/June I usually do pretty well casting jigs or jig/minnow and lindy rigs or BB's with live bait, but when the heat of July/August hit I have a hard time finding fish, and I guess this is where/when I should start pulling plugs thus my start of the post.

 

[cooter00]

I pull plugs all year in April May they tend to be shallower 15 ft and under so I would run braid or mono come June July from what I find they move a little deeper 15 to 25 I run bigger plugs then come Aug I'll use lead core and fish 25 to 40ft with smaller plugs again just my experience but it works depths very of course but on average that's what I have found out

 

[powerman]

My advise would be to get the precision trolling app or book, but book is harder to find. That app has an amazing amount of info from snap weights in different sizes and ways to run them. Also tells,the depth of crank for the kind of line. Also has lead in there too. This will get you in the ballpark as to what depth you will be able to put your bait with your trolling setup. Simplest thing in my opinion to speed up the trolling learning curve.

 

[shorthairman]

I have heard about and did a little research on the precision trolling app. Should I get that before I start purchasing trolling equipment? I guess I thought it was more about lures and depths, and that I would get it after I got set up. Thanks.

 

[powerman]

Also Google Ross Robertson, he has a book out that explains trolling from the beginner level to advanced stages. Its a good read. Bigwater trolling or something is the title.

 

[Skullet]

Hop in a boat with someone who does what you hope to do.

 

[Ristorapper]

Hop in a boat with someone who does what you hope to do.

My best reply as well even before you start buying equipment. Jump in with someone you may know or someone that will take you out and give you a basic understanding of pulling cranks. Ask as many questions as you can come up with. Ask about gear; what's junk and what's worth buying.

I like braid. Some of my best friends like mono. Stick your money more so into the reel and not so much into the rod so to speak. Master one rod before you want to put two in the water. If you are a river fisherman like i think i heard you say, you need to have those baits on the bottom. That app will give you the lures types, the line in feet out and how far down that will get you.

This winter during the dead of the year, (unless you ice fish) pull up everything you can read about pulling cranks. There is an amazing amount of video as well.

I remember all too well the first many, many times i pulled cranks on the Missouri without any help. Took me a long time by myself to try to master it, and that i did (I think). Now go out and do all the things we are telling you, to cut that learning curve way down!!

good luck.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Put lead on all of em. Super line leader. Don't need a book let out until your lure hits bottom you will know. Use the same rod reel combo on all so u stay consistent. Buy diawa sealines vs Cabela's imo I went with Cabela's when they had digital line counters either a they ate though batteries or they didn't work. If u shop the diawas online u can get em as cheap

 

[Captain Ahab]

I’ve avoided deep trolling in the past because I thought it was boring and could usually find a good bite without it. That said, up at LOW it is THE DEAL late summer and early fall. Been snap weighting with the Guppy weight system with great results so far, but expanding my options are always good. Riggers are the knee jerk, but I don’t want to drill a bunch more holes in my glass boat. Precision trolling info is guarded like grandma’s secret pie recipe. I’d rather have the book, but they are rare as hen’s teeth. Ha

 

[guywhofishes]

drill baby drill

 

[Captain Ahab]

drill baby drill

I just need to get dad up with his boat. Riggers are on already.

 

[Rowdie]

I had the book, found it on ebay about 8 years ago. Lost it with my other stolen stuff about 2 years ago.

 

[DirtyMike]

I have a precision trolling book.


Let the bidding begin.

 

[Rowdie]

One thing about the book, the best curve/chart they have is for 10 lb diameter. You're always having to apply the formula if you're using a smaller diameter. My buddy has the app. and I like it, except it needs to have more lead curves and more lures. FYI Flicker shads have the dive curve as part of their packaging! I wish every lure did this.

 

[shorthairsrus]

That book is outdated and imo worthless. So many variables with speed, current, line that leadcore brings to the table. No sense it making more complicated trying to read a book when the wind is blowing 20mph and going in circles ------- i have lost very few crank baits (much less than the cost of the book) finding the bottom by letting out line until i hit bottom.

 

[Loebs lake cabin]

I agree with the post above. I've been trolling for 25 years and running lead for most of that time. I can run baits from 5' to 50' without changing anything and anyone that spends time on anyone of the Missouri River reservoirs will tell you how much these fish can move from one break line to the next. Anything over 40' and I usually switch to snap weights just takes to long to let 170' plus feet of lead out and it's tough following sharp contours with that much line out. I run suffix 832 which runs 30% deeper with the same amount of line out vs other lead lines. I spool new line on every year because the suffix does kink easily but it's much more efficient than any other lead lines I've used. As far as rods I run the scheels trolling rods, good rods for the money and the return policy is priceless imo. I ran the daiwa sealines for one year and two out of the 4 barely lasted one year, switched over to the tekota's and they're the best trolling reels I've ever used, twice as much money but well worth it. I do run mono on some reels but those are just for the setups I run boards on. Lead is hard on reels so a good high quality reel is a must or they just don't last. Best advice I can give a new troller is, just get a few setups and go out and do it, no different than any other technique, you get good through practice!

 

[shorthairman]

Loebs,

When you switch to snap weights, do you still use leadcore? How sensitive is leadcore? Will I be able to feel/see the action of the bait if it get weeds hung up on it? Thanks

 

[Loebs lake cabin]

I normally run two snap weight setups and two lead setups out the side of I'm running 4 rods.. Anything over 45' or so I normally run all snap weight setups just gets to be too much line out on the lead core setups. This last weekend I was running on a 44' break line and had two snap weight setups and two lead with 155' of lead out but o was running at 1.6 so I was getting more sink and could still get away with not letting a ton of line out. You'll be able to tell of your baits aren't running right with lead the more you run it the better you'll get at knowing how your rod tip should be acting if your baits are running true!

 

[DirtyMike]

That book is outdated and imo worthless. So many variables with speed, current, line that leadcore brings to the table. No sense it making more complicated trying to read a book when the wind is blowing 20mph and going in circles ------- i have lost very few crank baits (much less than the cost of the book) finding the bottom by letting out line until i hit bottom.

well no kidding. $100 for a lifetime of free lure upgrades. the book is a collectors item.

 

[Rowdie]

I hope your wrong about those Sealines, I have 4 of them now. The first one I ever owned I bought in the mid 90's. They must not make them the same because that thing was the CHAMP. I had lead on it for a few years, and ran PP or Spider wire up until I lost it 2 years ago. That thing out lasted a lot of reals. I pulled a lot of trees out of the bottom with it too. So, because it was so durable, I replaced it with the same thing, and got one more because the other line counter I had was crap. They don't seem to be as good as the old champ though. I'm having a few issues with them. Then last spring bought 2 more and had them put lead on them. I put the high dollar stuff on so I hope its the good stuff. It seems to kink and get down fast so must be.