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| I don't know about most of you folks but there doesn't seem to be much accomplishment in driving a boat around and letting the boat motor set the hook for you. I know there must be some technique to trolling and I also know that you can put a pile of fish in your rig, but to me that's not muskie hunting. I feel that a muskie should be worked for by casting until your arm falls off. I think trolling is a good idea to get kids or other folks interested in muskie fishing, but to me I haven't taken much pleasure in the skis I've caught trolling..... |
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Posts: 70
| When you've trolled GB for 17 days this fall without a rip.....It would be satisfying to get one |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | TT,
This post shows a complete lack of any understanding for the technique. There are as many (if not more) variables in learning how to properly, consistently, and accurately present a lure trolling as there are for casting, and that's an indisputable fact. And, 'what you feel' isn't much of a guide as to how the rest of us pursue our passion, anyway. |
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Posts: 194
| It's called a personal choice. Don't like trolling, don't do it. Simple. I find plenty of satifaction in the fish I catch trolling. Trolling presents its own different challenges. Seems like a pretty loaded question. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Wishin I Was Fishin' | I'm glad you feel this way....at least one less to worry about on Green Bay |
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Posts: 8844
| I used to feel the same way. "Oh, the boat caught the fish. I just reeled it in." "What challenge is there to driving the boat around and waiting for something to happen?"
That's called ignorance, and I was as guilty of it back then as you apparently are today. Then I spent some time trolling with guys who really know what they are doing. Wow. 6 lines, knowing what lures to run where in your spread, how much line to put out, using downriggers and boards, and then knowing the structure and the lake and your electronics well enough to actually put those lures in the right place, without getting them fouled up together or snagged...
Any idiot can cast at a weed edge and reel and do figure 8's. Any idiot can throw a lure or two out and drag them around the lake. But to be effective at trolling? THAT is an art form. |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | Trolling with 5-6 lines is a art form, the one thing I hate is you have to keep the boat moving so your lines don't get twisted up, and with planer boards and the boat moving forward it is a different kind of fight then if you were casting. I think alot of guys will fish one way because they like it and if they only catch so many fish so be it, but they did it there way, and then there are others that will fish anyway trolling, casting, suckers, even if they don't like that style of fishing just to say that they caught a fish, so to each there own.
Edited by PIKEMASTER 11/26/2009 10:51 AM
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| Dear TT----I guess it depends on your definition of satisfaction. The fact IS----trolling has caught some of the largest muskies ever boated. While it may not be your preferred method of musky hunting---there are many people who have spent countless hours perfecting their trolling techniques down to a science. Unfortunately for some casters---trolling often puts many more/larger fish in the net. It also has to do with the bodies of water that you fish. I fish Indiana ALOT----the lakes are small. Casting works most of the time----BUT when the lakes get heavy pressure---these fish are a sucker for a trolled minnow bait at high speed. If you're catching fish trolling when everyone else is casting---that's what I call satisfaction. Good luck--PP |
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Posts: 222
| I have been trolling LOTW in Oct. Nov. for about 10 years, sometimes we do 50% trolling 50% casting and over that time we have boated 10 over 50" trolling and 1 over 50" casting. I am very satisfied catching 50" fish trolling, and there is a LOT more technique (in my opinion) to trolling then casting. Here are two fish we got this year on the same spot about the size of a truck about 150 yards off shore on a hump 14 ft. down in 25 ft. of water and the only reason we found it was we where TROLLING from one island to another.
Darren
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| Sounds like there are a few jealous people who can't consistently catch fish trolling. I catch probably 90 percent of my fish casting, but the fish I have caught trolling are not any less satisfying to me. I have friends that are great trollers and it is not something that is learned over night. There is definitely some skill to it to become a good troller. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | In a word, yes. Trolling isn't rocket appliances, but it isn't a cake walk either. It can be a good resort if it's a tough day or frigid cold out. A good tool to any good fisherman's arsenal. |
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| I will state my opinion and a fact..
Opinion=
I personally take more pleasure in the HUNT of a fish casting. I chose my baits that are appropraite for the surrondings and also work them to the situation. Locating a fish and having to come back to it is also more rewarding especially when it is large fish that has been to the boat a couple of times. Nothing like crossin the lake to go back at a huge fish anticapating the bite before a calm sunset, No? Having 2-3 anglers in a boat ALL contributing to the game and hear the whiping of the rods and the reels workin. What about the figure 8? That is what makes this fish even more unique. How many stories are there of a fish doing something "out of hand" at boatside????? We cant forget about top water either, watching a wake behind your bait as the fish is tucked in tight nose to tail is way more of a rush as you anticapate the bite.
I LIke to troll also but i feel i am the one doing ALMOST all of the work in the boat. I love to roll into an area and attack the underwater
world beneath my hull staring at my electronics planing my route over the structure rolling across points, working the breaks etc, while starin at the graph and only leaving once i feel confident i have worked it properly from my plotter trail (thank you for a gps). Changing your speeds, powering in and out of turns is also more of what the wheel man has fun with. This is why i do not like to hop in someone elses boat during the trollin season unless i know i will walk away learnin somethin new. A few times this fall i chose to fish alone and risk losing a cannon then hoping in a fellow anglers rig. I personally would rather troll myself and hopefully hook into fish then someone else playing the game for me. Kinda like rally racing, theres a driver and a passenger.
Up here in LOTW there are way more anglers that luck into fish trolling than casting. It may be different from up here to down there as the systems are different. I believe it is more of a challenge on LOTW to catch fish casting than trolling, though you definatelly will average more higher # casting once you have got some game. Really good trollers love trolling because they catch fish controlling the situation. Some people will not go vertical jiggin for ski's, as they may find it to slow and boring but it works.
Fact=
Catching muskies is always rewarding though sometimes its more of a preference.
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Location: Ogden, Ut | TwitchbaitTommy - 11/26/2009 7:32 AM
I don't know about most of you folks but there doesn't seem to be much accomplishment in driving a boat around and letting the boat motor set the hook for you. I know there must be some technique to trolling and I also know that you can put a pile of fish in your rig, but to me that's not muskie hunting. I feel that a muskie should be worked for by casting until your arm falls off. I think trolling is a good idea to get kids or other folks interested in muskie fishing, but to me I haven't taken much pleasure in the skis I've caught trolling.....
Most of the satisfaction comes in recognizing trolling when I see it... 
S. |
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| Trolling is a lazy mans sport. clearly. A lot easier way to fish than casting. |
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Posts: 814
| IMO if you aren't getting satisfaction from fish caught trolling.....then flat out you have no clue as to WHY you caught those fish(zombie trolling). There is tons to learn to troll effectively, as I learn all the time. There also is a time when trolling is the BEST way to contact and catch fish. season, thermocline,water temps,baitfish,bar pressure,clouds,skies. all these are factors that need to be looked at. Step back and ask yourself the why's, then you'll start to get satisfaction that your looking for.
The best thing that I have learned so far is. Find the bait and you've found the muskies, no matter what season it is!
Fair Chase.....your wet behind the ears! Watch the Gregg Thomas video and Learn before you speak!
Edited by mskyhntr 11/26/2009 12:40 PM
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| Your missin the point!
Not lazy, it is sometimes required. |
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| The fact of the matter is if your only casting your missing out on a lot of muskie and most likely the biggest in the system. Some instances trolling is the only way to contact fish in certain situations.
Deep water like 15+, or suspended fish over deep water. These are definate times to troll. But hey if you choose to leave these fish for people in the know thats your choice. I'll be out there burnen gas. |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | Fish caught trolling don't count as much in your overall catch records. A fish caught trolling is worth about 70% of a casting caught fish. Sucker caught fish have even less value than trolling fish.
There' a formula floating around here somewhere.
Kevin |
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Posts: 1530
| trolling requires skills. maybe you could try with your popeil pocket fishing rod,,,and a few banjo minnows. |
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Posts: 32935
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Fair chase, I'll put Gary Parsons or Todd Riley or Mark Courts or any of the real trolling gurus of the walleye world who also fish a few muskies now and again up against your obviously uneducated and unsophisticated anonymous trolling experience any day, and we'll see who works harder and catches the most fish trolling. It's a science, and the anglers who excel at it are also some of the best at the other techniques out there, because they can control a boat under the worst possible conditions using ANY manner of propulsion and know how to read the water and the fish....really really well.
Spend a day with one of the Walleye Pros out there trolling some day. Learn 'slow death', learn how to 'stall a board' on a turn to elicit a strike, learn how to read the water actually USING the electronics to the true potential for which they were designed, learn how to position the lure in exactly the right place in the water column to get a Muskie to eat it (and actually know where those muskies are so one can do that) and much more. Bruce Samson would put on a clinic even the idiots who claim trolling is 'easy' would be completely floored by...especially when he hits submit on his onboard networked Panasonic Toughbook and produces a 3D map of what your water looks like you've been casting and 'thought' you knew well.
http://www.hightechfishing.com/
By the way; Doc was fishing the Goon and other locations back in the 70's and early 80's in search of the ultimate Muskie water and knows his 'skies. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | fair chase - 11/26/2009 12:31 PM
Trolling is a lazy mans sport. clearly. A lot easier way to fish than casting.
Yeah,it's lazy to work a weededge with a tiller in one hand moving back and fourth while the other hand is working a bait and trying to view the depthfinder at the same time. |
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Posts: 568
| trolling catches fish --zero doubt --but assuming I'm healthy enough to cast I'd give up muskie fishing if forced to do nothing but troll. if the weather is decent I'm falling asleep within 5 minutes. just not my cup of tea either --but to each his own. Talking musky not any other fish here but I still see it as dragging lures around . there is some skill involved , but it's boring as all heck IMO. MD |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | I think this thread is trolling.
But as a muskie guy fishing the muskie trolling capital, I don't do it. Just not my thing, but more power to those that do it. It puts the fish in the boat for sure. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | There is a time to cast and a time to troll,both work and produce.If somebody thinks trolling is for lazy people or think it's just a easy way to catch fish,your not doing it right.Try trolling by yourself with three lines out,one in your hand working a bait,and checking lines for weeds every ten minutes or so.You will realize casting that bucktail out there is alot easier.I guess most people just think trolling is sitting back and driving around the lake and taking it easy,not in my boat. |
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Posts: 17
Location: Brighton, Ontario, CANADA | My personal preference is casting, but I would never look down on trolling or any other technique, they all have their place and all require skill.
BTW my personal best was caught trolling on Pigeon Lake (a 44" x 22" muskie)
Tom |
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Posts: 906
Location: Warroad, Mn | Trolling from a boat control standpoint and structure knowledge is much more demanding than casting. I feel I earn every fish we catch trolling. Sometimes casting is too easy! Doug Johnson |
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Posts: 182
Location: musky waters of SE, WI | Anyone can go and throw a bait in the water let it out a ways, put in the rod holder and sit back and drive around the lake. Yeah they may get lucky and catch one. But you really have to know what your doing to be able to catch fish consistently. Knowing the lake structure, lure depth, amount of line out, speed, boat control, and other factors take some skill and perfect technique to be able to catch fish on a usual basis. It is, i think, more work than keeping your boat on structure and casting. This is why i can never really get into it, its hard to do, plus sitting there can get down right boring at times.
Edited by Ryan_Cotter 11/26/2009 8:56 PM
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Posts: 556
| Casting or Trolling??? Both have their places--I too was guilty once of thinking I could just throw out a line and motor around and catch fish. HA !!! was I wrong. I love to cast BUT I have also learned there is an Technique to catching fish while trolling. I am a believer in both methods now and now know that it is far more than LUCK and a easy way to catch fish when it comes to trolling. Try it--Learn about it and you too will see there is a place for it in your Musky Fishing World. |
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| Id quit,,;) |
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| "When you've trolled GB for 17 days this fall without a rip.....It would be satisfying to get one".........
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Posts: 688
Location: Northern IL | The way I see it is most fisherman/ trollers arn't getting the answers they should be getting or they don't know the purposes behind making a trolling pass.
Let me just say if your trolling Green Bay, St Clair, or similar type waters, Milwaukee harbor ect, with very few depth changes and you have located hard clean areas, rock humps, slight depth change edges ect. and you're running the boards/ flat lines ect your probably doing it right. However, these are some of the last places I would ever take anyone new to trolling, but unfortunately this is how most of the fishing world views trolling.
The greatest troller who ever lived Buck Perry, said "it normally took him about 4 days to put a "new" lake in his back pocket. This was with no map, no gps or any of the so called high tech equipment or gadgets we have
today. What he used was a small tiller boat, a few lures designed to run at exact depths, (spoonplugs) and later on built himself the 1st green box, (flasher).
Another thing he said was "Trolling is the teacher". Trolling correctly teaches us the bottom make up, it shows us the true contours and the shape of the structure being fished, Anyone who trolls knows those gps maps at times are not even close! Trolling teaches us migration routes, and most importantly for all loyal casters,, it teaches us "where" to cast. If you call yourself a troller and aren't aware of some of these things, you are not a troller, your dragging baits around hoping to get lucky!
A good troller after a day on the water can draw a map of what he has learned, he knows at what depth the drop off (deepest breakline) takes place, he knows if there are multiple breaklines or just one, he know the depth of the base breakline, he knows if it's sand, rock or covered with shells, he also knows where the fish 1st make contact and the route they take to the shallows on the structure, still calling yourself a troller? Sounds boring doesn't it?
Once the fisherman learns how to troll and the purposes behind "A" trolling pass, a knowledgeable troller at the end of a day or week can point his finger in the water and say "if a fish is going to be caught the chances are extremely good that it will come right here, casting or trolling." Satisfaction? Absolutely!
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| fair chase - 11/26/2009 12:31 PM
Trolling is a lazy mans sport. clearly. A lot easier way to fish than casting.
Yeah, that casting can be difficult... You have to train for that #*#* for YEARS, man. And the ice packs, the pain killers, the injuries, surgeries, cortizone shots, the stress fractures, torn ligaments, broken bones... Oh wait, we're talking about fishing, not rugby or hockey or football...
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| Holy smokes...I must say I'm impressed on people's passion for trolling. There have been some good points made about techniques and what not. Believe me, I wouldn't kick a 50 plus out of my rig if I caught it trolling. I would probably have 90% more satisfaction if I caught it casting, but that's just me. I couldn't just sit in a boat for hours on end unless the packers were on the radio and I had an endless supply of delicious coffee.... |
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Posts: 299
Location: Nowheresville, MN | Is there any satisfaction in trolling? No. |
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| How ironic that he is trolling around the boards and caught you all on a trolling topic.....well played sir! Well played.....
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Location: oswego, il | Suckers are taboo, so is trolling now we can't even take any pictures of fish under 40", oh well, I have to delete my 13 year olds photo of his 37"er, shoot, I have to go visit some bass message boards I caught some of those this year, crap, I even cought a few drum, catfish and carp this year on crankbaits, I have no idea if I am fishing correcty for anything!   |
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Posts: 556
| ToddM--I'm with you on that--I guess the only fish that count anymore are over 40" and only if I catch them casting---But casting what kinds of baits--Do I have to use bucktails or can I use a jerkbait?? what about Topwater--only in the summer???? This relaxing hobby of mine--fishing for Musky is getting complicated. I find this whole thing CRAZY--guys can't even post pics of fish they have caught anymore because someone will rip them about the size, girth, the way it's being held, if it was netted, what body of water it was caught on, the method used to catch it--- It really is Nuts!!! |
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| Here is my take...I 100 % agree that it is an art and a skill to troll properly. There are guys that are outstanding at it. That is great. BUT, for me a big part of muskie fishing, is feeling the initial hit. I need that. I just don't have a desire to troll. So I am happy for people who troll and have great success. But that is not for me. As much as I respect trollers, I hope they can do the same for me. I just don't find it appealing. If it means you catch more fish than I do..I can live with that. |
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Posts: 618
Location: Michigan | jerryb said it!!! I would much rather cast, but trolling definitely teaches you tons about the lake and tells you where to cast. Everyone on here should read Buck Perry's book as it teaches you TONS. I don't troll, but I know a handful of spoonpluggers and trolling isn't just sitting back listening to radio and drinking coffee. It was amazing to see how well these spoonpluggers can read a map and know where the fish are going to be. I gave a casting presentation to a spoonpluggers group and marked a map of 'hot spots' that I had learned about over the course of 3-5 years. After my presentation they put up a map that a spoonplugging instructor marked without ever fishing the lake and the maps were almost identical. |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | There is alot of skill associated with trolling. I never really thought so until being outfished on my favorite river every single time by a particuarly skilled angler. There can be 75 boats on the water and this guy will be in the top two every time. He focuses on speed, depth, location, lure color, and experience. His speed changes by time of year, the lure color may change daily. Sometimes he trolls in 80' of water and sometimes only 5' of water. To be really good at trolling is not nearly as easy as it sems and like any other kind of fishing to become very good at it would certainly generate a certain amount of satisfaction. I would rather catch a huge fish casting but I will take two fish trolling over one casting.
RM
Edited by RiverMan 11/27/2009 8:12 PM
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Posts: 1462
Location: Davenport, IA | I think trolling is more work than casting personally. Boat control is just as difficult, if not worse trolling. You have to constantly check your baits for weeds...whereas casting you can feel them and shake them off. It is a lot easier to control one line than multiple. Also, a lot of casting is done with structure. If you are trolling for suspended fish there is more things that are out of your control. You have to learn more about using electronics. I do prefer to cast over troll. I have caught more fish casting, but I do love the excitement of that clicker going off. If you want to be the best angler out there, then you need to be good at both. I think you will see a bigger difference in the number of fish caught amateur vs. pro trolling than you'll see amateur vs. pro casting. |
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Posts: 203
Location: Alexandria, Minnesota | All I can say is that if trolling is not part of you arsenal then you are missing out on alot of fish. I boated a fish for a guy that was 87 years old this year. If I did not have a good trolling pattern for him. He would not have been able to cast more then maybe one or two spots. Also with all of the fishing pressure that our lakes are seeing here in Minnesota, I think trolling gives you some advantages over casting. 1. You are able to present your lure in front of more active fish. 2. It allows keep the lure further away from your boat which allows you to catch those fish that might be boat shy. |
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Posts: 91
| To the detractors. I, like most good muskie anglers I know pay their dues on more than one body of water and with more than one technique. Each of which has it's own upsides and downsides. I have spent time on water from the Great Plains to the Canadian Shields. While I hope to be good at this I would prefer to be lucky, and if you are are the type of person to begrudge the lucky that is your own misfortune. |
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | I have great satisfaction in trolling because I'm catching fish you can't catch casting. I have even great satisfaction in knowing I've invested thousands of hours getting to know my lures, the lakes I fish, the fish I'm after, the boats I owned and how to use them.
If you can't cast, and troll, and fish live bait, you are no fisherman in my book. Each has its place and time. If you can't do them all and do them well, too bad for you!
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Location: Iowa Great Lakes | My preferd walleye tactic is trolling, flat out catches fish but for some reason I just don't get the same excitement out of trolling muskies.While we do troll so we are far from good at it and can't seem to stick with it long enough to get good. Can't buy suckers here and don't take the time to get our own so we cast cast cast and troll between spots or back to start a new drift. I know several good trollers in the area and at seasons end we normaly have 2x's the numbers they do but also possibly spend way more time on the water than they do. We don't have the suspending baitfish you northern guys do our baitfish are gamefish and they stay in or near the weeds. Different waters different tactics. |
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| LOL, come back to find this predictable thread going.
ie somebody baits the trollers, and then they get on here glorifying the knowledge and tactics of trolling. funny stuff.
I wouldn't say trolling is very satisfying(responding to the original question), though it can be somewhat interesting when you pop fish up off the bottom in shallow water situations. But, c'mon guys, muskies hit free swimming baits, they suspend, they are held captive by temperature, and oxygen availability in many lakes, and strict adherence to structure is not nearly the requirement it is for bass or walleye. So many cases where you just have to drive the boat around that it actually gets kind of silly discussing the whole thing. Sure you can get an 87 year old, or a 7 year old, a muskie trolling, I mean heck, it IS that easy! |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Jay,
You need to spend a day in the boat with Mark Courts or Doc Samson. Especially Doc, he'd amaze you and change your perspective in a hurry. |
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Posts: 2361
| Sworrall, if I was to begin WALLEYE fishing, and my main satisfaction was just derived from catching walleyes("like pulling in wet laundry"), I'm sure it would make a dent........but, LOL, you know me pretty well, you think my perspective is going to change in a hurry?? I mean.............really?
Here is a continuom to help rank musky trolling(it can be quite simple after all)...
ROCKET SCIENCE>putting your kids toys together for Christmas>balancing your checkbook>starting a small gas engine with a choke>assembling 100 piece kitten puzzle(Slamr hits right in here)>reading the captions in Playboy(ToddM)>fixing a 3 course meal with all 3 microwaved(firstsixfeet's highest level of attainment)>buttering bread>washing golf balls>musky trolling>bass fishing
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Jay,
Doc and Mark fish muskies too, and they are both very good at it. I originally met Doc on the Goon in about 1979.
Doc created a 3D map of the Anderson Island complex and the narrows opening to Contac for me while we fished the Goon a couple years ago. It was nothing short of amazing what I learned from that day on the water with one of the very best trollers and best in the world at fully utilizing electronics.
Some of the comments in his thread sort of remind me of a line from 'Men In Black'...you know, the one about the world being flat, etc.
And I bet KVD would argue your placement of Bass fishing. |
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| If Mr. VanDam starts posting on this thread I will probably bail, but...not until after I mention that I have caught smallmouth bass on corn when fishing for carp, and largemouth bass on rank cut bait lying on the bottom fishing for cats.
BTW, "size of a pea", that is your frequent argument, but now it is a technological challenge to beat the odds???
If one overstates the challenge, then one will likely overstate the skill involved in overcoming it. It all breaks down into very simple components I think, and it is not a complicated thing.
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| Go Jay Go Jay Go Jay LOVED THE CHART ! and argee 100% but you left off crappies at the end LOL |
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| there is no doubt in my mind that all trollers would love to catch fish casting. period!
theres nothing like the feel of the strike, hammering home the hooks, and bouts of headshakes and aerial acrobatics.
but.... whoever says trolling is easy, lazy, and mind numbing, you are just in the unknown there.
try running 9 lines and keeping from getting tangled, or keeping your baits clean and running where they should. All the while pounding 3-4 ft waves while you are half peeed up. thats living on the edge! hehe
Anyway, we fish GB a lot, and what it really comes down to is combing areas to find fish. the river has structure, which is able to be casted, and we cast whenever we get the chance, but if you want to put multiple fish in the boat, and im not talkn 2-3, im talkn double digits,
we will out produce any caster up there. hands down!
why? because its more effective, like said, I would much rather cast all day,
but if it means the difference between catching more skis, or not having any action at all. whats your choice?
isnt the point to catch fish? isnt the point to have a good time? isnt it about commradrery on the water? well I do believe us trolling does meet the same
outcomes of those benefits, only minus feeling the strike,
There is nothing boring about the rod screaming, nothing boring about a fish hitting a propwash bait with 4 ft of line out, and immediately going airborne.
nxt thing I know im staring eye to eye with a ticked off fish, yeah, if that doesnt get you going, you might as well switch to crack.
Yes weve had boring days on the water, like said GB this year has been pretty disappointing, I have tried casting it quite a bit, really tried to do something different than everyone else. It hasnt landed us a single fish or follow. Been very tough, but, the guys I know who pound it hard, put their time in, are ending up with some rather large fish, There hasnt been the extreme numbers this year, heck, not at all, but, Im sure anyone who's spent enough time on GB trolling knows what can happen on any given day.
It all boils down to catching fish, more fish, and making people happy.
I take a lot of friends out in my boat who arent the best casters, nor can they handle a 14 hour day of doing it, but, they are happy as hell when they get to take the rod, crank in something that theyve never caught before, and the whole while, really enjoy a great experience that they probably wouldnt have done sitting on the couch.
Oh, and heres one more for you! anybody that has a young kiddo, its a great way to get them their first musky, my daughter just turned 4 in august, she has 3 skis under her belt for the year. all 26-32, which was all made possible by trolling.
Attached is my buddies first ski, and my daughters 3rd. any questions?
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| Trolling is just as easy and just as hard as casting can be. Once you've got a pattern down, and fish are "on", fish can come in bunches. True statement whether you are casting or trolling. It can also be equally difficult...whether you are going hours on end without a "rip" or without a follow or strike. Muskies are muskies, and they hit baits just as easily whether cast or trolled....just like they can be super-finicky.
Trolling can be just as boring or just as exciting as casting can be. Maybe this statement is true only in the "eye of the beholder", but thinking out a pattern and then applying it successfully is equally rewarding, to me, whether casting or trolling. It's true that it isn't exactly the same, the big difference being the amount of physical exertion. Casting for 10hrs straight will wear me down moreso than trolling for 10hrs. This is the issue that the non-trollers seem to hang their hat on in begrudging the trollers. However, I don't think the non-trollers understand that there IS an amount of physical exertion to trolling...it's not equal to casting, but it shouldn't be dismissed or discounted so easily. Also, there IS an amount of physical skill and mental skill involved in trolling that I'd argue is basically equal to casting. Bait selection, depth, speed, boat control, etc., are just as important in trolling vs. casting, if not moreso for the troller in some instances. The caveat to that is that boatside maneuvering via the figure 8 technique is the one area of our sport that requires THE MOST physical skill, in my opinion. And that is something that can't be practiced by trolling.
It's true that I'd prefer to catch fish casting, whenever I can. But I've had a lot of success trolling, and there are times when it is flat out the best way to catch fish. And since catching fish is the most fun way for me to spend time on the water, I'll often opt to troll when the situation calls for it.
To be honest, I don't understand why there's a need to compare the merits between the two techniques. Both methods have their time and place and both require a level of skill to do it correctly and successfully. Sure, any idiot can drag some lures behind a boat and catch a fish. Just like any idiot can cast and retrieve a black bucktail to/from a weedline and catch a fish....what's the point? And why the need to compare "skill levels"?
It would be "more challenging" and take "more skill" to catch muskies blindfolded and with a cane pole....but so what? |
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Location: Contrarian Island | Imo the guys that don't think trolling takes much skilll are the same guys that have never tried it and probably never caught a fish doing it...I might have said the same thing when I was new to the sport....but after trying to catch fish trolling and with not much luck I realize it does take a lot of thinking/work/skill to get fish in the net...try trolling the Madison lakes in the summer and you will quickly realize how "hard" it can be simply by constanty having to clear your lines/baits of floating weeds... there is a lot more that goes into trolling succesfully than one probably thinks about unless you try it....I'd rather catch fish casting to the point I rarely troll....but I know it is fun to hear the clicker go off...It's all about personal preference and what YOU enjoy...how much skill does it really take to set your boat up off a weed edge on the north end of Mille lacs and casting a double ten til your arm falls off....???? c'mon.
trolling, casting and live bait fishing all take as little skill or as much skill as you want to put into it...the guys that do it well are obviously putting more skill into it and getting more satisfaction from their success than the guys that suck ....
Matt says it pretty well above...
Edited by BNelson 11/30/2009 1:04 PM
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| I get it now, it is so difficult 2 year olds can't catch a fish trolling, only 3 or above?
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Location: New Hope MN | I can honestly say, I am a lousy troller. I give huge props to anyone who is captain of the boat and catches a fish. It's freakin tough stay on the breakline consistantly. You need to know your structure, how your lure is running, ect. Tons of variables... |
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Location: Aurora IL | Wow dogboy,what a fish! |
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| boy thats a stab if ive ever read one!
my point was that i was able to get my daughter a few muskies this year by trolling, ever imagine a half pint getting yanked outta the boat by a muskie?
She took great pride in those fish, and didnt mind having to grab the rod when handed to her, crank it in, and smile for picks.
didnt bother her one bit cause now she's a musky fisher, only thing she was mad about was droppin her ring-pop in the water when it was go time....
I wouldve never been able to enjoy such a moment with her this soon in her fishing career had it not been for trolling.
and Shes 4 btw, the #3 is how many skis she has in 2 outings! |
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Posts: 568
| my kid also caught her 1st at age 7 or 8 , a fine 48 incher . running a spread sounds more like great lake salmon than muskies but thats just my opinion , and that doesn't mean you are wrong and I'm right . it's just my opinion. MD |
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| "The greatest troller who ever lived Buck Perry"...funniest line i have read on m1.com all year! |
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| Ok, I give up, my new motto will be...
"Trolling, only 4 year old rocket scientists need apply!"
PS this is all new info for me, I thought you had to be 7 to catch them trolling, my bad....... |
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| i like muskie fishing because of the follows and the strike. While trolling you don't see follows unless you are running the lure very close or have a camera and you dont feel a stike unless you are holding the rod. So for me there is very little satisfaction in trollin
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Posts: 134
| I've been casting for Lake Trout in Lake Michigan for the past twenty years without a bite, am I doing some wrong? (just kidding)
There's a time and place for everything that works. I am not a troller, but mainly because I fish lakes where you can't. What ever floats you're boat and is legal is fair game. Those that choose this method should not be criticized. It goes back to the same arguement that compond bows should not be used, just traditional long bows used in archery. To each his own !!!!!!!!!!!
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Location: Nowheresville, MN | dogboy - 11/30/2009 11:13 AM try running 9 lines and keeping from getting tangled, or keeping your baits clean and running where they should. All the while pounding 3-4 ft waves... EXACTLY! First of the two reasons I despise trolling. |
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Location: Aurora IL | No,dogboy I was trying to complement your buddies fish.What a pretty,clean,fatbellied pig! Sorry if you took it wrong.I think it's great your little girl got her's too.Nothing but positive out of me,life's too short. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | 'BTW, "size of a pea", that is your frequent argument, but now it is a technological challenge to beat the odds???'
Boat control, depth control (lure selection, size, speed, line weight, amount of line out, etc) , reading and understanding the water, locating and actually catching the targeted fish while keeping the selection of lures in the 'zone' at all times.. it ain't as easy as you make it out to be. No amount of dry humor will make it so. Seriously try it, and show us the images of the fish you --easily-- applying the the experience of a 7 year old--catch. Has nothing to do with the fish's intelligence or lack thereof, it has everything to do with the exact same set of variables and knowledge a caster needs, PLUS a plethora of boat control issues a caster may never learn. Most really experienced trollers I have met are also experts at holding a boat with a bow mount...and some even successfully use the kicker and the bow mount at the same time!
By the way, I don't troll. I never have, I just don't enjoy it....too stressful.
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| You guys keep thinking "might be the best musky fisherman of all time" has never trolled, but, he has. It is an easy way to get muskies. How many do I have to catch before I realize how hard it is? Maybe that is my problem?
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Probably, yup. |
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| There is an art form to everything in fishing. Trolling is a technique just like any that requires an extreme amount of knowledge and skill to be successful. As I do most of my fishing in the Eagle River area of WI, I do not troll too much but I have a great respect for the guys that are good at it and consistently putting big fish on the board (i.e. Tom Gelb and others). It is much more than driving around! Any good musky hunter knows that both casting and trolling have their time and place based on many factors. It is a science! As a guide I will do anything (legal) to put fish in the boat, and that makes me and my clients happy. If trolling gives us the best odds on a certain body of water, then that is what we will likely do.
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com |
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| That is funny, the "requires an extreme amount of knowledge and skill to be successful".
Just not true, either that or I may just be the "best musky fisherman ever". |
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Posts: 95
| It depends on what your definition of success is...? What do you call a successful season of trolling? I'm not trying to start anything but I think that is a valid question. Look at the guys in the musky industry who are clearly a cut above the rest, who are year after year after year boating the biggest, baddest muskies. That takes "extreme knowledge and skill." If you argue it takes basic knowledge and skill, you may be talking about "basic" results. And your or anyone's results are just as rewarding as the next guys but I believe the unanimous decision is that trolling, and being consistently good at it, takes some serious skills. *Especially if someone is paying you lots of money so you can put them on fish in a limited amount of time. That adds a whole other dimension of skills to the mix.
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com
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| joe vancora, I wasnt knockn what you said, just FSF knock on my daughter catching fish, cause we all know that 4yr olds can cast with the best of them.
sorry im training my soon to be musky slaying goddess earlier than most.... she’ll be putting most of the guys I know to shame by the time she’s 8. sure of it.
You guys are missing a valid point of trolling. Maybe I try it another way?
Would you rather go out on a body of water and catch nothing casting or would you sheepishly catcha handful of nice muskies while trolling?
Yes, for those of you that think its so easy to catch them trolling, Id like to see all these mammoth skis you catch immediately upon inserting a bait into the water and magically driving around blindfolded....
Im guessin that those who knock it, havnt ever tried it, amongst other things in life, prolly stick with the old missionary position as well, just cause it gets the job done, sometimes.... or so you may think it does for her
I troll because I can, most effective way to learn a body of water, and learn it fast, I lay down marks, I return to them to cast, I put X's all over my GPS to return to the areas weve bagged fish, eventually, I have shortened my learning curve as fast as I can for a certain body of water, that it becomes as easy as casting over a cabbage patch with a topwater. plop plop plop.
hehehehe yeah, i dont knock casting at all, I love it, would rather do it on a regualar basis, but my main goal is to put fish in the boat, for myself and my friends and familly. They certainly enjoy it!
I will do whatever it takes to keep putting fish in the boat, for those who are in the know, we have a one up on you suckas!
I dont agree with being able to troll Class A up north muskie waters, cause yeah, that would be way too easy, The fish we are mainly trolling are spotties, and have a huge tendency to roam open water, flats, suspended at any given location. very very seldom are they ambushing prey like their brothers the barred or natural strain. If I explained anymore, id be preaching to the choir.
This is pretty much the best way to find fish, many fish, and up our success rates, Im not a rich man, cant afford to drive to minnesota or canada on a weekly basis, let alone northern wisconsin like i used to when gas was cheap and Id sleep in my truck. Things are different now,
and with times changin, so has my presentation, my methods to catching what we are all after. I do both, cause I enjoy both, and will continue to do so,
all the while smiling that theres guys out there that hate it, have never tried it,
and wont do so. I smile cause that will keep you guys off our bodies of water that are necessary to troll.
And for anyones information, the skis I caught this year, split the #’s right down the middle, half casting, half trolling, with my biggest to date, coming on a figure 8.
Maybe GEICO could do a caveman commercial for trolling? So easy even a Neanderthal grumpy old man can do it? Hehehehe
So is tip-up fishing a lazy mans sport too? How about deer hunting with a rifle? What about drinking beer on your couch watchin football?
Yeah, suppose row-trolling is as well? Betting Tom Gelb never had a gut like a lot of guys I know.
Oh yes, its time to fire up the arguments, winter is here!
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Posts: 568
| my mother in law doesn't know how to cast , or know a pike from from a ski, would'nt know a walleye from a bass . But she's caught a 48 and 49 by just riding along with her husband with her rod in a holder. Came within an inch of winning our week long tourney fishing against 18 guys (including some other trollers) who are seasoned musky guys.
it takes some skill to be good at it. but it also requires absolutely zero knowledge to boat fish doing it. that is 100% fact --- teenager who had never musky fished before busted a 48 last year with us trolling a buchertail over 20 plus ft of water. MD |
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Location: Detroint Lakes, MN |
It's also 100% fact it takes zero knowledge to catch a muskie casting.
And my dad can beat up your Dad.
A good friend of mine had 17 muskies over 50" visit his boat last year in Nov. while trolling.
If you think that it was luck, or that this angler isn't as skilled and as "smart" as those who only cast you are blissfully ignorant.
The same guy will school most of us casting the rest of the season.
JS
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | MD,
We are talking about those who are accomplished and expert trollers, not the folks who ride along with them...unless, of course, the person riding along is as skilled. Big muskies are caught off the dock on a bobber every year, too; that doesn't make casting 'simple'.
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| JS, I couldn't agree with you more!
Casting or trolling can both be done successfully while having very little knowledge of what the angler is doing/trying accomplish. I think the main point here is that we are talking about what it takes to be CONSISTENT at putting trophies in the boat. The words consistent and trophy both carry a lot of meaning. There will always be stories about grandma or grandpa jones who caught a couple big ones.....and that's not what were talking about.
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com |
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Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Trolling is so satisfying, guys can't even stop doing it up in Vilas co. it appears. Spoke with the creel study guy from the DNR on Saturday, he said 23 people got trolling cites on Palmer/Tenderfoot and the Cisco Chain this fall. I told him they could give out that many on Palmer alone on any given saturday.
Fishing is supposed to be fun. Who cares how other people fish as long as its legal? |
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Location: Lake Tomahawk, WI | BNelson - 11/30/2009 12:50 PM
I'd rather catch fish casting to the point I rarely troll....but I know it is fun to hear the clicker go off...It's all about personal preference and what YOU enjoy...how much skill does it really take to set your boat up off a weed edge on the north end of Mille lacs and casting a double ten til your arm falls off....???? c'mon.
Exactly.
JS |
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| fair chase - 11/26/2009 12:31 PM
Trolling is a lazy mans sport. clearly. A lot easier way to fish than casting.
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| MD has it right.
Here is an interesting position on this thread, guys that haven't trolled much, or not trolled, extolling the difficulty level of trolling, and then suggesting that those who think trolling is pretty easy have never done it!!!
Take a bow Sworrall and cmartin. Maybe it is actually you two that need to get with the program and do some trolling to understand that it isn't this complicated picture you have drawn for yourselves. I will bet the most successful trollers do not see it as a complicated thing to do. It breaks down into simple components, and is often made much easier by the fact that musky hit free running lures.
You can "tech" up, and you can "gear"up, but the end result is just having better tools available for what are essentially simple, and basic applications of fishing knowledge. Give me the best electronics available, line counter reels and a full stable of lures and colors and I can be a BETTER troller, but give me a boat seat I can snap down to use as a rod holder or two(I'm too lazy to hold it until my wrist aches), give me a simple selection of lures, minimal depth finding equipment, and I can catch fish trolling. Don't need a gps, don't need side scanning sonar, don't need a lot of technique, just drive the boat and muskies will appear. They have for me and in less time per fish than casting. Following contours and breaklines? Hey, it's following contours and breaklines, if you want to do that. Following a weedline is also just following a weedline. The more times you do it the better you know it, but the compnents of the process are VERY simple. Eutrophic lake, suspended forage, find the thermocline and stay above it. Muskies are trapped because they have no oxygen below that level. Zing around and spoonplug the living H%%% out of em! If weeds are a problem dip the tips and hang a big weedcatcher hook on the line above the bait. Zing around the shoreline at max stablility speed for your baits. Fish are there and they will hit. Bounce it off the timber on points. Bounce it off rock and gravel points. Dip it into creek channel potholes. These aren't difficult strategies to understand, nor to execute.
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Said I don't troll myself much, never said I haven't spent a ton of time fishing with others who do. You are oversimplifying a complicated technique because you are a well versed angler who is versatile and has been in the company of Muskie anglers who are way better than average; in short, you are very good at what you do, and expect that this should be as 'easy' for everyone. It isn't.
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Location: Contrarian Island | FirstSixFeet, what I don't understand in your posts is how casting is any more difficult? Or are you saying that casting is just as "easy" as trolling...the fact is, trolling can be as dumbed down as you want it, just as well as casting...or can be as thought out as you want it...guys that catch a lot of big fish casting are doing something more than the avg FirstSixFeet, and guys that are succesfull at trolling big fish are doing a lot more than the rest as well... any dummy can put out a few depth raiders and catch fish...yes, that is possible...just as easy as any guy can go cast a weedbed w/ a double ten and catch fish..they both take zero thought....or, maybe just maybe the guys that catch LOTS and LOTS of fish and big fish doing both methods just might be putting a little bit more thought into it than your brain can handle....
maybe I'm missing what you are trying to say...
Edited by BNelson 12/1/2009 10:24 AM
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| Well said Brad. I find myself scratching my head often after reading FSF's posts. Or should I call him "Mr. One Dimensional?" Perfect nickname for him IMO. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Careful, gents, FSF lays many virtual traps for the unprepared or unwary. And, he's one hell of a good muskie angler, although a bit of a recluse at times. Believe me, he knows how to catch Muskies using almost any technique...except corn. |
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| "master of the english language" and "don't dream of winning an argument with me" are 2 other good nicknames for FSF. don't mess with anyone who catches fish on ugly unweighted, non squirley burt's. LOL |
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| FSF,
I get one of your points - that to you, muskie fishing is just not complicated enough, just too easy. Then I would say you should probably start making it harder for yourself. Bring yourself back to the good ol' days when it posed a challenge. Maybe take the hooks off your lures and then go trolling. It will add a whole new dimension to such an easy task....jk
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com |
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| Is there "any" satisfaction sure - its better than being at your job ... as already stated its a personal choice. Personally I would rather catch one fish at my feet or on topwater than 5 trolling.......If i wanted to catch fish trolling it sure would NOT be muskies. |
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | MD, you are right on those counts...sort of. I wonder how much of this is directed at a certain fellow who spanked the Muskies pretty badly this late fall...trolling. |
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| FSF, you could just admit that you suck at trolling and leave it at that? hehe
Its a heck of a lot more complicated that most of you think, far from easy.
Senseless driving around will get you those poor results.
putting your time in and doing your homework, learning what makes the fish in your body of water tick
is just being a better fisherman than most are willing to do.
I love casting, do it all the time, but wont bat an eye to troll up a fish or two because thats what it takes some days to get them. |
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| ManitouDan - 12/1/2009 11:13 AM
"master of the english language" and "don't dream of winning an argument with me" are 2 other good nicknames for FSF. LOL
I'm gonna remember this when I see my older sister. |
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| cmartin - 12/1/2009 11:19 AM
FSF,
I get one of your points - that to you, muskie fishing is just not complicated enough, just too easy. Then I would say you should probably start making it harder for yourself. Bring yourself back to the good ol' days when it posed a challenge. Maybe take the hooks off your lures and then go trolling. It will add a whole new dimension to such an easy task....jk
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com
Over time I have come to the conclusion that successful musky fishing is much more about faith, opportunity, and tenacity, than it is about being the brightest bulb in the carton. You can musky fish by many methods, but all methods boil down to what you ELIMINATE, and that is why it becomes simple to troll. You wanna cast? Simple also. You wanna pound, even simpler. I could make it harder, or pretend it was harder, just like I could pretend that my musky IQ jumped 40 points when I switched from Lake Vermillion to northern WI late this summer. Other fisherman have discovered some very successful methods for catching musky that I don't even want to try. I don't consider them complicated, but dissatisfying might cover a bunch of them. Jigs, rubber, pounding, double 10's, fishing deep. All good numbers and size producers. Just not very thrilling for me, and frankly when I dip into them, my heart isn't in it. Trolling, excellent for size and numbers, and EASY to do if you choose to do it. Done it. Eliminate casting, and trolling becomes a LOT simpler. Not satisfying for me, but easy.
Edited by firstsixfeet 12/1/2009 2:51 PM
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| FSF so youve made your point, you hate trolling, so why knock others for doing it?
I dont find any satisfaction in running 1 rod out the back of the boat if thats your version of trolling. That is easy, that is mind numbing,
but 6 or more, there is never a dull moment, it is far from easy,
and doesnt automatically put fish in the boat. You still have to pick stuff apart just like you do for casting, except there are a lot more variable in it than throwing your black n silver bucktail out and reeling it in.
You and I would never be able to fish together, I love jigs, some rubber, deep suspended fishing too, pretty much anyway I can catch a fish I will give an honest run at. I fish in some of the dumbest condtions too. all because Im addicted to muskies, Only thing dumb in my eyes about fishing muskies is not being open minded and trying new things or using everything in your arsenal to catch one.
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| "Over time I have come to the conclusion that successful musky fishing is much more about faith, opportunity, and tenacity, than it is about being the brightest bulb in the carton."
FSF, I agree with you on the traits that you say are important but I think that the consistent winners on tours such as the PMTT and WMT have more than faith, opportunity and tenacity working for them. I bring tournaments into this because I feel that a tournament is a very true test of "who is the best" on a given day. The consistent winners understand things that other anglers do not understand. They do not beat them out with more casting and willpower. To me it is all about strategy and brains. I think that being smarter than the pack is part of what separates winners from average anglers. Everyone out there can throw with the best of 'em.
Chas Martin
http://www.muskymastery.com |
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Location: Ogden, Ut | This is getting so fun...wait, is that a chum slick above me?
S. |
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| sorenson - 12/1/2009 5:25 PM
This is getting so fun...wait, is that a chum slick above me?
S.
Another genuinely funny post in this thread!
You other guys gotta do a better job of reading my posts, you're creating positions for me faster than I can occupy or deny them.
And now the only successful trollers for musky are the consistent tournament winners? What? How does it get to that? LOL!
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| I'm just trying to keep things interesting!!!!! It's off-season discussion time...!
Edited by cmartin 12/1/2009 9:27 PM
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Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | FSF, I did so try to warn them...
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| Trolling has produced the Biggest Muskies close to a World Record in the past few years! |
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Location: Warroad, Mn | Oh come on FSF, you know that you love to troll! Rememeber that big one from Green River. You couldn't wait to tell me. We'll do a little trolling this winter, should be fun. Good work in keeping this thread going! Doug Johnson |
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| NINETY-NINE
Doug, now your confusin em! |
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Location: The desert | I think FSF got some satisfaction out of this thread..... |
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| Four pages long now...that's gotta "feel" good, huh TommyTwitchbait? I don't know...maybe you were genuine, and actually believe that stuff. But it seems intended to stir up argument more than anything.
Because it's hard to completely believe that when there have been years worth of information put out now on productive trolling techniques verses non-productive, that someone could "feel" that way. It just not an educated position to state that casting is a superior to trolling as the accepted musky hunting approach. (You did disqualify it as "not Muskie hunting".)
Either technique can be equally done in an educated or non-educated fashion. And for those who say that Sworall is making it more complicated than it is with his posts---OK, sure---you can always catch a few by pure luck. Just like you can with casting. But if you're a successful musky HUNTER, you're going to be applying the best trolling methods presented over a period of years now.
I'm all for Musky HUNTING, but the goal is to CATCH one, too. And if trolling can up the odds, I'm ALL for gving it a shot now and then.
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Location: The desert | Hawkeye - 12/3/2009 11:08 AM
Four pages long now...that's gotta "feel" good, huh TommyTwitchbait? I don't know...maybe you were genuine, and actually believe that stuff. But it seems intended to stir up argument more than anything.
Because it's hard to completely believe that when there have been years worth of information put out now on productive trolling techniques verses non-productive, that someone could "feel" that way. It just not an educated position to state that casting is a superior to trolling as the accepted musky hunting approach. (You did disqualify it as "not Muskie hunting".)
Either technique can be equally done in an educated or non-educated fashion. And for those who say that Sworall is making it more complicated than it is with his posts---OK, sure---you can always catch a few by pure luck. Just like you can with casting. But if you're a successful musky HUNTER, you're going to be applying the best trolling methods presented over a period of years now.
I'm all for Musky HUNTING, but the goal is to CATCH one, too. And if trolling can up the odds, I'm ALL for gving it a shot now and then.
Seems like you took the bait hook, line and sinker. |
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| First of all it's TwithbaitTommy eyeHawk.....secondly, it's fun to stir things up a bit and perhaps make people realize that they take things a little too seriously....everyone count to ten....exhale....however, I still think trolling stinks which is why I deliberately chose not to put a kicker on my rig which may come to bite me for resale purposes........................................................................ KICKER-LESS BOAT OWNERS UNITE! AND STAND FIRM AGAINST THE TYRANNY OF THE TROLLERS!!!!
Editor's Note: Two guys, first one using AT&T and the second Road Runner. |
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Location: Twin Cities | Hmmm, I don't have a kicker but i troll....uh oh.... |
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Posts: 2069
| Kickers are nice to have when you have main motor failure! Lets see... in the last 7 years I have been in 4 boats that have had the big motor die - everytime we were serveral miles from "anywhere" - one time we had a kicker, no problem.....the other three times...well I'm alive but NOT fun!
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Posts: 793
Location: Ames, Iowa | Schuler and Brad Nelson said it best. It's work, and you make a lot of mistakes in boat control and placement as you learn... if you're trying to do it right. I get the idea some of you think it's an easy way to catch fish. Not easy at all- unless you mean just driving about aimlessly, eatin lunch and drinking a pop waiting to get lucky. That's easy...that's not trolling, it's wasting gas. Some of you are real elitists. Welcome to winter. |
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Posts: 8844
| Elitists?
I has been fun watching everyone argue about where in the hierarchy of musky mastery trolling falls. It was a nice change of pace from arguing about where you fish, what you fish with, or out of, or with whom, and with what methods... Not to mention the arguments over who is better because of length, girth, numbers of fish, biggest fish, years of fishing, type of boat, size of motor, what state you fish in, how you measure your fish, how you hold them, what sort of net you use, whether it's ok to put them in the livewell, what temperature you should stop fishing them for and if you should even take a 40 inch fish out of the water for a picture...
I don't know. Seems to me that most of the people here have forgotten what the fishing is supposed to be all about. Makes me wonder if any of them ever have any fun out there anymore...
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| FSF is the Al Gore of the fishing world...pretty simple... |
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Posts: 20263
Location: oswego, il | I seen FSF go 100 yards from the launch, make two casts and catch a 36" fish on a lake he had never been on before. The temps were in the 40's, he was wearing shorts and he was barefoot. All of the aforementioned is true and completely relavent to this thread. |
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Posts: 32935
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | FSF is soooooooooo far afield from Al Gore it's like comparing a banana with a meat grinder.
Serious.
And, he's totally impervious to cold, hot, and poorly executed debate. |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | When I'm old, a little older than Steve, I'm going to eat banana run through a meat Grinder.
Kevin
Connected
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Posts: 468
Location: Not where I wanna be! | fair chase - 11/26/2009 12:31 PM
Trolling is a lazy mans sport. clearly. A lot easier way to fish than casting.
I like being lazy!
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