Need advice on trolling

[elrodphil]

Hello, 

I am a Georgia angler who needs help from you guys who are experts at controlled depth trolling. My wife and I just finished a trip to some lakes in North Carolina. My wife and I just finished a trip to some mountain lakes in North Carolina. We are used to bass fishing and the weather was really hot. We tried every technique, including vertical jigging on deep structure and points, but we had absolutely no luck. We were kind of isolated in a cabin with no cell service. When we went to town I happen to run into one of the game wardens and I ask him about fishing. He said that the way to catch fish when it’s really hot is through fishing with Dipsy divers. I watched a few videos about this technique and I wondered if you guys could give me some adviceI on how to get started. I have a 16 foot bass tracker boat with a mercury two stroke 50. Any advice would be really helpful including gear such as rods, reels, line sizes and sonar options. What features do I need to help me be successful? Also does anyone know of a good guide that would teaches these techniques? Thank you and good fission!

[BobT]

On 7/17/2020 at 9:07 AM, elrodphil said:

Hello, 

I am a Georgia angler who needs help from you guys who are experts at controlled depth trolling. My wife and I just finished a trip to some lakes in North Carolina. My wife and I just finished a trip to some mountain lakes in North Carolina. We are used to bass fishing and the weather was really hot. We tried every technique, including vertical jigging on deep structure and points, but we had absolutely no luck. We were kind of isolated in a cabin with no cell service. When we went to town I happen to run into one of the game wardens and I ask him about fishing. He said that the way to catch fish when it’s really hot is through fishing with Dipsy divers. I watched a few videos about this technique and I wondered if you guys could give me some adviceI on how to get started. I have a 16 foot bass tracker boat with a mercury two stroke 50. Any advice would be really helpful including gear such as rods, reels, line sizes and sonar options. What features do I need to help me be successful? Also does anyone know of a good guide that would teaches these techniques? Thank you and good fission!

My favorite fish to target is walleye with jigs so I don't do a lot of trolling anymore and am far from an expert but from my experience when we get into the late July to early August warm water period I find faster speed and long-line trolling crankbaits can get some results. My favorite lure of choice is a #5 shad rap and I'll troll it anywhere from 3 to 5 mph and find it can be effective for pulling out walleyes in 10' of water or less on bright sunny afternoons with no wind. I know it breaks all the rules but it works if you can find a place that is more or less weed free.

 

Trolling live bait rigs like Lindy rigs tipped with a minnow, leech, or crawler can also be effective.

 

If you're after northern pike, various spoons and Rapala type lures can be effective. My most effective spoon for northern pike has always been a red and white spoon with a copper back. Don't know why but I have caught more on that lure than anything else. 

 

As far as rods, specifically when trolling crank baits, I like a medium power rod so that it has enough backbone to set the hook against the drag from the lure and line. Spinning reels can work but for some reason I actually prefer my bait casting reel for trolling although I really can't answer why. 

 

Heavier lines are usually thicker so as you get heavier it will increase resistance in the water causing your lure to run higher in the water column, especially at higher speeds, and may also affect lure action. For most of my trolling I use 10# braided line but this will be a choice you can make with some experimentation. In fact, I'm currently experimenting with 10# fluorocarbon coated copolymer on my bait caster and so far it seems to be working okay although I haven't used it too much yet so take it with a grain of salt.

 

Other options to consider might be planer boards to get your line off to the side of the boat. This can be especially helpful in shallower water conditions where the boat may tend to push the fish out to the side or when you have more lines in the water. Back trolling, especially if your boat is a tiller, can be a good way to gain boat control. Aside from allowing for slower speeds, this can really help with following a depth or weed edge because your transducer is most likely right under you in the rear and it makes it easier to adjust your position as you monitor your sonar. With a tiller you can make much faster changes in direction too.

 

Hope this information is helpful. 

[Borch]

Welcome to the forums!

 

I use a lot of these trolling strategies whether it's long lining crankbaits, using snap weights, dipsey divers, leadcore, copper or downrigger.   There's a lot of info out there on using these different techniques.   The depth control comes from knowing how deep lures dive with different lines, lengths of line out and boat speed.  The BWCA/Duluth forum here is a great to check out as they are very knowledgeable in these techniques.