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| Well, let me first say that I'm a Wisconsinite (please don't hold that against me.he,he,) and we have very limited water to troll on. But I do have some water close by that I may try this coming year for skis. I have a couple questions concerning trolling tributaries that flow into big water(If you haven't guess, I'm talking about fishing for some great lakes muskies).
Here is a run down of some of my questions:
1. If I'm trolling a river that appears to be quite muddy and fairly stained, will I have luck shortline trolling?
2. What speed do you suggest that I troll in these type of water conditions?
3. This river system has rock and rubble as it primary structure. A good portion of it has deep river channel that maxes out at 25 feet). There's also some bridges and discharge areas that are found along the river's bank. What areas should I key on and what areas should I avoid.
4. What terminal tackle and equipment is a prerequisite for trolling river muskies?
5. Is there a "must use" bait or technique that I must employ to increase my success?
Thanks a ton in advance for helping out this lost soul. I want to give it a serious try next summer and plan on making it a mission on hooking up with a river gator.
catch ya later,
Krappie |
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| I spend a lot of time on some lakes in southeastern Wisconsin that allows trolling but have not done to much trolling in rivers.
One thing I do believe in is that it is a MUST that you have bait fish in the area that your going to troll deep water! They might not be on your screen all the time, but they need to be out there in order to hold the muskies. I have always struggled when I did not have some sort of bait fish suspending and tried to troll open water.
When trolling a break line or drop off having bait fish helps but I have caught fish while trolling structure and not seen any thing on my LCR screen.
As far as your questions I'll give you what I can:
Question #1:
I would think short line trolling would work great in this type of condition. My advice would be to try it and let the fish tell you if it will work!
Question #2:
This is another thing that you'll need to let the fish decide. Some guys you talk to like to go like a mad man. Five to eight MPH and some faster. I seem to do better at the slower speeds. Two to three seems to be the best for me.
Question #3:
Fish the bait fish areas or anything that will attract fish or bait fish. Sounds like structure trolling (short Line) might work real good in this situation.
Question #4:
For trolling I use a 8 1/2 foot Diawa down rigger rod and a Penn 209 reel. It is fairly cheep and has held up for the last 10 years with out any problems. 50 pound Spectron and a longer leader ( about 3 to 4 feet) of 7 strand wire. Make sure you invest in a lure retriever. It will pay for itself the first time out.
Question #5:
A Slammer Deep diver!What else?
Really, any good crank bait will work. Just pick one thing that you have confidence in. Big spinner baits have been real good for us when trolling shallow breaks and weeds.
One thing when trolling, don't just put the rod in the rod holder and drive around! Pay close attention to what is under you ( get a good LCR) and what your rod is doing. Look to see when you make bottom contact, this is important when trolling a break line. |
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| Krappie,not much I can add,Bill has convered most of it.
Look for the biggest feeding shelf around,a good spring place to start from.Weed flats and weed lines.Muddy or stained water is good
Locate breaks in the vicinity of your weeds,next find the deep pools for the fall and some suspendos during the summer.As Bill mentioned you need food in those areas,generaly they hold food.
Trolling speeds,summer 4 to 5 mph,spring 3 to 4.5 mph,fall 1 to 3 mph.
Let the fish tell you what they want.
Your graph is the eyes to the underworld.Pay attention to the level the food is at,up or down.This will tell you where your baits should be.
take care
marc
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| Couple other things,when acounting for your trolling speed,you need to look at the speed the water is moving as well,if you have 3.0 mph water and you go 3.0 mph over bottom going up stream,you will already have 6.0 mph at the crankbait.If you troll down stream,you need to go much slower,because you will be moving fast with the water,this is where crankbaits with metal lips come into the picture,you can bend the lip downward to get more action ,so as you go slower you still have enough action in the crankbait to trigger the strike.Other good places to start are where other feeder streams or drainage ditchs or pipes add water to the system,looking for a temprature change or clear rain water that is hitting the normaly brown water giving you a change line that will usualy hold baitfish and feeding Muskies as well.The tail end of deep holes is another great place to start as well.
Capt. Larry |
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| These guys know their trolling, that's for sure. About the only helpful thing I might add is.....
in your trolling travels, you'll probably find a few totally premium "spots on spots" for walleye. Like I once found where the current had created a pile of stumps on the outside bend of a deep drop-off in a local river system. There are ALWAYS walleye hanging out there all spring, summer and fall. Anyway, when you stumble on these gems, mark 'em on your GPS and once in a while you might try dropping a jig to bring home a wonderful dinner.
Ranger |
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| One more thing to add....CONFIDENCE
I know alot of folks that give up on trolling after an hour. Keep an open mind and if you see bait fish..then there will be muskies. Maybe try different speeds, depths and bait styles but stick with it.
Just remember how long it takes between each muskie you catch casting. So if your trolling for only an hour....dont give up.[;)]
Bring some tunes out there and keep yourself busy cleaning lines and looking for different patterns. In time you will find your fish and may boat many of them in a short window. I sometimes troll for four hours and catch nothing, then the graph changes and I catch three in the last hour. |
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| Hey guys I want to thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions on trolling. I realize I had quite a few questions asked and it took some time to answer. I really appreciate the help, and I have printed out your responses on my printer to act as notes for when the season rolls around. I'll review them as reminders and guidelines. Again thanks and I'll put the info in good use. [:)]
catch ya later,
Krappie |
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| Krappie,
Many Big One's to your boat in 2002! Need more help I,m only an e-mail away,[email protected]
Capt. Larry |
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| Give me a call in July...I should be able to give you a crash coarse on Pewaukee. |
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