Here's part II of my trolling articles.
TROLLING- TOP TO BOTTOM- Part II
Gear and Gadgets
Please keep in mind that, since I have no sponsors, the specific names and brands that I mention here are strictly my personal preferences and opinions. Lets start with the big stuff and work our way down
Boat Rigging -Electronics
We run a Lund 1800 Fisherman powered by a 75 Honda 4-stroke. The boat, although actually underpowered, trolls great without the need of a small kicker motor. However, if we get more serious about tournament fishing, we may have to re-power as our lack of speed can cost us some valuable fishing time! The boat itself is a very deep, wide, stable boat. Even though Id consider it minimal for Lake Erie, its brought us back in honest 7 footers which I dont recommend as a steady diet! The Honda motor is bullet-proof and trolls all day at an idle without skipping a beat. Because it swings a medium diameter prop, we can usually troll without the need for any slowing device. We do, however, have a trolling plate on the motor that can be dropped to limit its thrust. With the plate down, we can troll at under 1 mph! The boat is equipped with two Walker electric downriggers mounted on swivel bases. These each have dual tube type rod holders attached to them. We also have six more RAM rod holders mounted in various locations around the boat. I should stress here..I urge that you dont skimp on the rod holders! Many trolling devices, such as dipsies and boards, put a great deal of pressure on these holders. Its very disheartening to have a holder spin on you only to watch an expensive trolling rig go swimming (been there). On the dash we have our depthfinder, GPS and compass mounted. Ive had excellent luck with Lowrance finders for years and presently run the X-97. For GPSs though, I prefer the Garmin products. Our model 182 has the maps feature which makes it easy to see where you are and where youve been! It even displays border lines so we can avoid fishing Canadian or PA waters if needed. The compass is a large, lighted, marine model mounted on the dash between the finder and GPS. Its very handy as a quick reference when trying to maintain a heading because its easily viewable even when standing. Because we often venture considerable distances from the launch, for safetys sake, we also carry a handheld GPS and are equipped with a marine radio and cell phone.
Downriggers
These are simply motor driven spools that pull or drop a cable via a boom and pulley. Attached to the cable is a large weight, in our case, a 10 pound, fish shaped weight. The downrigger also has a display (in feet) that indicates how much cable is out. The sole purpose of the downigger is to place and hold your offering at a precise depth. The nice part about downrigger fishing is that your line is connected to the weight or cable with a release, so when you get a release, you have only the fish to contend with.
Planer Boards and Mast
These are commonly referred to as Big boards. In our case, we run Super Ski twin boards with a six foot mast and dual retrievers. The purpose of the boards is to spread your offerings out to the sides. They work great for shoreline trolling as well as open water trolling and can be let out as far as 100 feet or more to the sides. Once in place, these boards normally remain out for the duration. Like the downriggers, the boards are connected to the retrieval spool via the mast and pulleys, however, the tow line is a fairly heavy gauge of light weight nylon. When the setup is completed, your fishing line is connected to the tow line with a pinch-pad release on a shower curtain style hanger. This hanger clips over the tow line and can be fed out to the desired distance. Also like the downriggers, a hit will cause the line to release so its just you and the fish. The release and hanger will work their way out to the board, so you just rig another and let them accumulate. This system works well and has its advantages, but since the smaller in-line boards came out, we rarely use the big boards anymore.
In-line Boards
Like the big boards, the purpose of the in-line boards is to spread your lines out. But unlike the big boards, these attach directly to your fishing line and must be removed during the retrieval of the fish. It sounds awkward, but can actually be accomplished very quickly with one hand after some practice! We use the off-shore brand boards with the tattle-tale system. These boards are about a foot long and incorporate an adjustable spring loaded flag thats connected to the rear release. This flag will drop when pressure is applied, thus telling you when something is pulling your string. The adjustment is used to compensate for different speeds or hard pulling lures. This system really helps to avoid dragging those six inch perch around!
Dipsy Divers / Jet Divers
These pain in the neck little gadgets are probably my least favorite of any device to use. Theyre extremely hard pulling and difficult to adjust for different situations. That being said..we probably use them more than any other device since theyve accounted for more fish than any other! The Dipsy Diver,I believe, is just the trade name for Luhr Jensens version of the directional diving disc. They come in several sizes, but we almost always use the largest which is about four inches in diameter. The disc has a weight on the bottom leading edge and an adjustable fin on the top rear. The release arm, to which your lines connected, pivots from the front and latches towards the center of the disc. When latched, this causes the disc to be dragged from the center with the weight causing it to dive. The fin not only keeps it from spinning, but can be turned..making the disc work to the left or right as well as diving. The amount of line out is the main factor dictating how deep the dipsy will run. Speed and directional setting also have an effect. The lure is attached to the swivel on the rear of the dipsy. Because the dipsy stays on the line, you want your lure no more than a rod length behind the dipsy or netting becomes a real problem! Theoretically, when a fish hits, the release arm should pop free so that youre pulling the diver from the leading edge. This creates far less resistance than when the arm is cocked. Setting the diver for the right pressure required to release it is a bit tricky, but with patience and practice, it can be mastered. The jet diver works by the same basic principle, but unlike the dipsy, has no release. It relies on the pressure of the fish pulling on the rear to cause it to level out and retrieve easily. They also have no directional adjustment. They work well with boards as they create far less pull than the big dipsys, which drag too hard to be run behind boards.
Snap Weights
Snap weights are simply trolling weight that you clip on your line to achieve a desired depth. The type that we use come in kits that consist of assorted size weights from 1/2 to 3 ounces and clips with large snap rings that enable quick changing of the weights. Of course, depth is dependent on the amount of weight as well as the amount of line out.
Leadcore Line
This is another of those nuisance but effective trolling devices. Like dipsys, I dont know why leadcore produces, but it does! This stuff, as the name implies, is a braided dacron line with a thin lead core inside it to give it weight. We run the 18# line, which is a fairly large diameter, but has the same weight as the higher rated, larger diameter lines. Leadcore, like most of the new braided super lines, has no stretch. Therefore, we always run a monofilament leader as well as using a long, soft tipped rod to compensate for this. The line is color coded in ten yard sections. At a speed of about 1.5 mph, this line sinks at a rate of approximately six feet for each ten yards or color out. This allows you to tell by the color how much leadcore you have out. Because of the bulk of this line, it requires a very large capacity reel to hold any quantity of it. One advantage it has is that it reacts very quickly to speed changes. This can be very helpful when searching for fish as it raises and lowers your offerings on turns and speed changes. It also allows you to raise quickly if necessary by simply increasing your speed.
Rods / Reels
Unlike jigging or rigging which require sensitive rods, trolling is hardly a finesse presentation so expensive rods are not a necessity. For light duty trolling, my favorite rod is the Ugly Stix in a 7-1/2 foot medium/heavy action. These are flexible enough to work well with the downriggers yet have the backbone to pull medium size dipsys and snap weights also. For heavier trolling, like we do on Lake Erie, I go with heavier rods like the Daiwa Heartland trolling rods in 8 and 9 foot heavy action for dipsys and boards, and Shimano TDR 8 foot medium action for downriggers and snap weights. For leadcore, I use Bass Pro Shops Walleye Angler series Gold Cup rods and reels which are high capacity, level wind reels on 8-1/2 foot medium action trolling rods. For light trolling reels I prefer to use spinning reels with a dual drag feature such as the Shimano Bait Runner or the Quantum Bait Sensor. This dual drag feature allows you to set both a primary and a secondary drag and choose either with the flip of a switch. These are ideal for downrigging as you can lower your offering with a light tension to avoid prematurely popping the release, then switch to the primary drag and youre ready for fish. Because these reels arent available with line counters, a clip on line counter that attaches to the rod comes in handy when using them for snap weights or dipsys. For the heavy stuff, I like to go with good quality level wind reels. Aside from the Gold Cups that we use for leadcore, all of my big water reels are Daiwa Sealine SG27s. Some are line counter models for use with dipsys, boards and snap weights. Some are not line counters, as there is no need for them with the downriggers.
Lines / Lures / Etc.
Im very fussy when I get to this part. Its inevitable that youll lose a fish on occasion, but its downright frustrating to lose one because of equipment failure! Good quality line is an obvious necessity. I use the newer braided super lines on all of my trolling rigs. The reels that I use for dipsys and boards are all lined with 30# test Power Pro. Most of the others have 20# test Fireline on them. I almost always use a polymer knot and check it frequently for wear. If youre going to have a line failure, the knot is the most common culprit! For leaders, I use Seguar Fluorocarbon Leader Material. Theres a big difference between line and leader material! Leader material is much stiffer and more abrasion resistant and withstands the rigors of trolling much better than line. To attach these, I use high quality ball bearing swivels, normally Sampos. At the end of my leaders, I tie on a cross lock snap. Now Im ready to quickly change from one lure or gadget to another. Another equally important item is your hooks! A good quality, sharp hook is a must! I tie all of my own worm harnesses using 20# test leader material and Gamagatsu Octopus hooks and honestly cant remember the last time I lost a fish due to equipment failure. Most lures come with decent hooks on them, but most can also use sharpening right out of the box! A small, battery operated hook sharpener does the job in seconds. When I do replace the treble hooks on my lures, they get Mustad Triple Grip hooks. Many of these items are surprisingly expensive. The line alone to do one trolling reel costs about the same as the rod! But..considering all the other expenses incurred before you get a line in the water..this is not the place you want to cut costs! In part three Ill be going over some of the techniques we use to take best advantage of all this gear and gadgetry!
Good Fishing,
SluggoNY (Chris)
