Trolling Rods and Reels
Guest
Posted 3/31/2012 10:24 PM (#549850)
Subject: Trolling Rods and Reels


If I am going to be trolling no faster than 4mph, and will be trolling mostly depth raiders, baby DR, ernies, lil ernies, grandmas, 8" jakes, and similar lures in size, can I just buy cheap rods and reels from walmart? As long as the rod is a Heavy or Medium Heavy and it is 1-5 oz lure weight it should be find right? and the reel is one of the catifish counter reels. both together are 60 bucks and i dont troll often and if it would work id rather not spend hundreds of dollars on 3 more trolling set ups if i can get them for 180. what do ya think?
Jerry Newman
Posted 3/31/2012 11:58 PM (#549864 - in reply to #549850)
Subject: RE: Trolling Rods and Reels




Location: 31

I use the Walmart catifish rods and reels in my boat and they are awesome! The only problem is the line counters aren't accurate. I just mark off the line with a black marker every foot, then just count how many marks while letting out line (10 marks equals 10’ btw) A good tip is finding garage sales with old used fishing equipment. You can find some pretty good deals, just last week I found 221 feet of old 30 pound dacron fishing line for $.50 a foot.

horsehunter
Posted 4/1/2012 7:59 AM (#549882 - in reply to #549850)
Subject: Re: Trolling Rods and Reels




Location: Eastern Ontario
Jerry unless that is a typo you paid too much for the line 100 yds 36 lb $13.99 =4.7 cents foot (R&H)
I just use my old bucktail rods for trolling I put a piece of tape 2 feet in front of the reel ( Abu 7000 ) and count as I pull line off in 2 foot pulls.

Brenden Reid an St Lawerence guide from the 60's used to say " lay the lure in the water beside the boat and watch it work..Expect a hit right now.....let out 10 feet let it work....let out another 10 feet......let it work...continue till you get a hit or have the distance and depth you want to work.
Not a big fan of line counter reels as most are only semi accurate. I am old enough to remember when a local guy would drill the sideplate af a Penn 309 and mount a bicycle oddometer for the lake trout trollers.
Jerry Newman
Posted 4/1/2012 8:48 AM (#549891 - in reply to #549882)
Subject: Re: Trolling Rods and Reels




Location: 31

It's not a typo, I actually thought there was going to be more line on that spool but a lot of it ended up being dry rotted. I was hoping someone accidentally spilled some battery acid on the top layer of line when I bought it… but it was just really old line... from like 1949? I think that fishing widow knew that line was dry rotted and fooled me into paying too much?

You just can't trust anyone these days!