Trolling outfit for walleyes

[jmg]

Hi! Trying to get some ideas about which way to go for a trolling rig for some fishing up at Leech next week, with walleyes as the target. I don't have any linecounter reels or long trolling rods. I do have an older Abu Garcia 5000 series reel and I could maybe pick up a relatively inexpensive 8+ft. rod(any brand suggestions)? Also, can I get by with some braid or do I need leadcore line? I don't know how often I will otherwise use such an outfit so I really didn't want to have to get a linecounter reel if I can get by with something else. Usually, when I go trolling, I just use my Mitchell 300 on a 7 ft. med. spinning rod with 10lb Fireline and a fluoro leader, throw out a crankbait and wait for a hit. Apparently, that's not good enough for the "pros" I'm going with. So, as usual, any ideas will be appreciated. Have a great, safe Holiday weekend.

[amateurfishing]

I just went to c's tonite, saw online they had their fishermans trolling rod series combo on sale again, plus wife got coupon of $20 off a $150 purchase so got a really decent deal on new counter combo rods with lead core and some new cranks. was out yesterday on mille lacs and everything was loooooow, so gonna hit the lake again in am and see if the lead core thing is the kittys meow.

[jmg]

Thanks for the input.

[amateurfishing]

out on lake this am for 10 minutes with son, too much wind and waves with cold front for us, 2 foot swells & too tough to maneuver boat with equipment so gave up to be safe & try another day

[Ufatz]

Tell the "pros" to take a hike! Your Garcia #5000 is perfectly fine loaded with Trilene or the braid of your choice. If you have a 6'-7' rod with reasonably/moderately stiff action you are now ready to go get walleyes. And of course the requisite number of the "hot colors" in med and deep runners.

Don't over complicate fishing. It's the "pros" who have turned the fishing world inside out by making everything appear to be specialized and single purpose, mainly because they make their living SELLING you stuff!!LOL But I give 'em credit, they've done a helluva job of making people believe a lot of malarky.

Lead core line does work of course but I doubt you need it.

Does your life depend on catching a few walleyes....to the point where you buy things you won't use again? No, of course not.

Relax, you'll do fine. And if all else fails, just BORROW a rig from one of those pros!!

[Comit 2]

Spool your Abu up with mono then top it off with Sufix 10 lb metered line and your reel is good to go. Any 7ft med/heavy rod should do or something with a lighter tip if your fish size runs on the smaller.

[John Mickish]

The combos that the "pros" are suggesting or using simply allow for faster more efficient fishing. Linecounters give you the ability for specific repeatability. With a non linecounter, even with metered line you are just taking an educated guess.

My take on the rods is like this. Take the same professional golfer and have him play a round with just a putter and a 3 iron, then play a round with his full arsenal of clubs, each one tailored to a specific duty. Will he accomplish two rounds of golf? Yes he will. Will one round be more efficient? Yes it will. Fishing rods are like golf clubs. You can do it with one or two, but having things tailored to what you are doing can make the difference between catching the fish and netting your buddies fish.

[Comit 2]

Quote:

Linecounters give you the ability for specific repeatability. With a non linecounter, even with metered line you are just taking an educated guess.

I do agree but all reels have to have the same amount of line on them to read the same + most line counters are somewhere around 3:1 gear ratio which is great for plainer boards, leadcore, Vary large lures and such. If you are fouling your line often you are cranking the reel handle twice as many turns and taking twice as much time to get it in.

I also agree with you in no one trolling rod reel combo covers all bases. Here in South Central Mn For Walleyes, trolling crankbait (#4 Hornets, #5 shadraps). I use a 7' med/light spinning combo with metered line. Most of the time I'm ticking bottom (Spoonpluging style) in shallow water near weedlines. 90 feet back (3 colors) will put me at 7' deep with a #4 Hornet at 2.5 mph. If I foul the lure I can crank in at 6.3:1 or so clear the line and cast out give the rod 2 pumps, get the color change at the last eye of the rod (at the reel, at the water surface) and be fishing in the zone quickly. No setting the lure in the water and waiting for the boat to travel 90+ feet at 2.5 mph, stop the reel and wait for the lure to dive to depth.

The whole though process is, the longer your lure is in the strike zone the more fish you will catch. With this style of fishing a line counter is just to slow. When I'm on fish and the bite is hot the last thing I want to do is be wasting time cranking in and waiting for line to feed out. So be efficient as you can at keeping you lure in the strike zone. Why be happy that you caught 2 fish when you should have boated 5.

[John Mickish]

You are correct that they all have to have the same amount of line on them. I use the same model and size for my LC reels with the same amount of line on them. I've got 6 with 10 pound mono, 6 with leadcore and 2 with fireline. Once you have all the tools it's a pretty easy game to play.

I've got the power handles on mine, and even with that, it only takes a couple seconds longer to the get lures in if then are fouled. Running the lures out until then tick bottom is a good practice for many lakes, but for those lakes/rivers that are covered with zeebs and trash it's not a good thing to do, or for fishing suspended fish a linecounter is a priceless tool.

[Comit 2]

I guess you can see my back ground in production with my post.

[jmg]

Just kind of a follow-up on my original questions. I did as Amateurfishing suggested and picked up a Big C store brand linecounter combo and leadcore. Put a 30 ft. fluoro leader on it and had a blast with it up at Leech this past weekend. Caught 7 keepers and 4 throwbacks, a 21", 2 22" and 1 23", all with a #7 Shad Rap in Blue with silver sides and orange belly. It is one of my "go to" lures when I need to win some cash from my fishing buds. Anyway, despite the heat and strange weather conditions, we did quite well. Always cherish those good times on the water. Thanks to everyone, again, for their input to my questions.

[amateurfishing]

glad to hear it worked out for you, hopefully I will have same results when I get a chance to use it