Trolling speeds that work for you with what lure was best

[Xxx]

I figured I would start this topic since there seems to be a big variation from one person to another. Please tell us how fast or slow you troll for walleyes to be successful and what works best for you, harnesses or stick baits or tail dancers ect. In a way it will help some of us stuck in the 1.5-2.0 mph days understand what works and what doesn't. Not asking any spots, just lures and speed. Thanks PAP.

[zackblain]

For me my walleye season starts out trolling reef runners in the spring at around 1.5-2, after that I go to smaller shad style baits at around 2-2.3, then in the summer its usually spinners at around 1.5 and then the process reverses in the fall until ice up

[Xxx]

For me my walleye season starts out trolling reef runners in the spring at around 1.5-2, after that I go to smaller shad style baits at around 2-2.3, then in the summer its usually spinners at around 1.5 and then the process reverses in the fall until ice up

Thanks for sharing

[Custom Deluxe]

For eye's i troll mostly Onieda with cranks off the boards. I generally start out around 2.0 regardless of what baits i have out on, and do slow S curves until i start getting hits.  If im picking up fish on the outside board in a turn i know they want it faster, if im getting them on the inside i slow down.

[Xxx]

ttt

[justtracytrolling]

I don't think there is right or wrong way and it all too easy to get stuck in a pattern that works or at least used too.  Open-minded approaches like Sammy Dog's that allow for adjusting and dialing in based on the that days results probably will produce most consistently.  Faster speeds also help cover water.  I avoid harnesses if possible because I hate all the trash fish I pick up on them.  Sometimes I feel like I cant even get worms down before I pick up panfish.  I still get occasional off target catches on cranks but not as many.  Plus, it seems cranks produce bigger fish for me on the average.

Justin

[Xxx]

I was talking to one of our fine members the other day and he commented that he couldn't buy a fish using baits such as sticks, tail dancer, ect. He claimed it was a spoon show the whole year, and speeds he used the s turns method and let the fish tell him what they want, also the nk28 seemed to work the best. So to determine what for speed I will try the S turn method and also this week we had a member land a 13#+ walleye on a spoon also, at 3mph. Another post I remember reading was a man & wife going over the water with not their usual boat and headed to their honey hole and the wife says why don't we troll over, he throws lure overboard over 5mph and till got settled in wham fish on, so again speed was above the norm but worked. I think this thread is very interesting so far, putting a bunch of ideas together for spring. Thanks for every ones input, lets not stop here!!!

[fbg14619]

Isn't there a point where you are going to fast that the crank will lose it's action and start to just roll over?

I thought this was around 4.5 mph?

Edited October 21, 2013 by fbg14619

[Xxx]

Isn't there a point where you are going to fast that the crank will lose it's action and start to just roll over?

I thought this was around 4.5 mph?

Yes this is true, and a lot of them before that, there was a post that one was fishing for muskies and catching walleye and they were at 3.8 mph, this  thread is becoming more interesting as it goes. thanks for your input PAP

[justtracytrolling]

Yes every lure has a max...deep reef runners wont run over say 2.5 or so....and speed dependant trolling techniques like lead core can be tough to precisely control depth at those speeds as charts dont go up above around 2.5...not all releases can take fast speeds either, and if the releases can handle it light line wont take the hit...blow back on riggers becomes an issue too...rod holders need to be stronger also...there are many considerations when you get faster than 2.5

Justin

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[Xxx]

With what JT has said is spot on if speed is kept at 2.5 and of coarse that is at the lure, not your boat speed, depending on the currants down at the lure your boat speed may be more or less than you actual lure speed. Personally I think having a speed monitoring device is more important than having a top of the line fish finder, don't get me wrong the both are very important items. I had to choose between a top end fish finder or a down speed device and I chose the down speed device and I personally am happy with the fish finder I have, but the down speed ability has put more fish in the boat than any other device I have.

[fbg14619]

There is a great App for Iphone that fishman930 (Dean) told me about. You can monitor your speed with it.

The free one is buggy. So I paid the 1.99 and love it.

[justtracytrolling]

I think pap is referring to downspeed at the ball. If there is a current under the surface, and there often is your gps speed or phone app speed does not factor that.

Justin

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[Sk8man]

In the old days before the electronic stuff was either here or affordable we used to use a gizmo (can't remember the name) that clamped to the side of the boat with a weight on a wire that hung suspended in the water and at the gunwale it had a metal scale in color bands going from green to red (slow to fast I think) to measure RELATIVE speed of the boat through the water. It was better than nothing (e.g. waves and wind directly affected it)...but not that much better .  The principle was this: you trolled until you connected with a fish and immediately looked at the color and exact position on the scale on the gunwale of the "needle" (used to put a piece of tape on the spot to mark it). You triedto return to exactly this position (much as using line counter function on a reel (same principle)to continue trolling. The relative part of this is important to understand because whether you are measuring the boat speed over "ground" as in a GPS (from satellite signal) or depth/fish finder (with impeller gauging the speed) it is still a relative (not an absolute) measure related to your lure at depth for the very reasons mentioned (currents and current direction, water density, waves and wind etc.). My GPS and depth finder readings for speed vary by a couple tenths when run together too. Lures of different types at different depths run very different from each other as well as from your boat speed but until the recent development of probe sensors attached to downrigger to measure absolute speed at the ball we were stuck with that. It should be noted though that speed at the ball may not be the exact absolute speed of the lure itself either because of factors like the type of lure and water resistance, distance back from the weight, line diameter etc. The point I'm making is that unless you have a measurement taken right at the lure itself it is still pretty much a relative measure of the lure speed and the object still is the same return to the last successful measure). The Fishhawk TD may come a little closer to actual lure depth....but still the same principle - a relative measure. The important thing to me is being able to replicate as closely as possible what you were doing speed-wise (regardless of measurement method) when you caught the last fish....there will still be undetected changes going on with varying conditions like currents

Edited October 22, 2013 by Sk8man

[DARKSTAR]

HEY PAP MY NAME IS STEVE. I AGREE WITH YOU . I HAVE A FISH HAWK WHICH I LOVE. SO WHAT ARE YOUR SPEEDS THAT YOUR RUNNIN  AT THE LURE FOR WLLEYE?

[devoknevo]

 Well, its not trolling but the other night while casting jigs in the river, at the end of each cast you have to reel up as fast as possible to avoid snagging the rocks. So after another ultra slow, stop and go retrieve, the jig gets about 15 feet from shore, I reeled up as fast as the handle would spin, and,..... WHAM! Fish On! Reaction bite!

[mostlymuskies]

Darkstar, Not only down speed from my Fishhawk at lure depth is important, but also surface speed & speed over bottom (gps).

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[justtracytrolling]

Ive been wanting a probe for a while. Not for downspeed, as there isn't much current on Otisco, but for temperature which is far more useful too me. The only fishing I do that downspeed is a major factor is on Cayuga and it also was on Owasco. I fish enough that I can see that current is there in my downrigger cables. Not that that helps me adjust for it much, but I try. Over July fourth last year on Cayuga the only way I could get good laker action was on turns and we realized by watching the downrigger cables what angle was producing and tried to reproduce it. We ended up doing very well on lakers across from Milliken. Owasco the currents were even more noticeable, and we never got the first fish so we just chased our tail. With a probe Id have figured it out.

justin

[Sk8man]

Good idea for a thread Pap. It would be nice if some of the charter guys would "pipe in" on this one....I'd be interested in their "take" on it.

[Chas0218]

I haven't really used my probe while walleye fishing.  I run Storms and Rapalas mostly.  I have a few reef runners but haven't ran them in a few years.  This past season on my GPS I was running 1.9 and was getting a lot more hits going against the waves versus with the waves.  Also if you have a good graph you should let that tell you where the fish are suspended.  I use that and precision trolling book to figure out lure depth. Normally I like to run my lures a little above where I am marking fish. Generally speaking we run 160' leads from release back and stagger them 20 feet this is over 30' of water, looks like this:

 

160                                             170  

     140                                  150

           120                      130

                 100           110

                         Boat

 

If we are shallower we just take up 10' from each.  This way we are working the entire water column and alternate the lures.

Edited October 22, 2013 by Chas0218

[justtracytrolling]

Chas0218,

Thats exactly how i do it, but i run them longer as im deeper than that usually. I also start with shallower dive curves on the outside and finish with tdd 11s on the inside. In addition I add clip weights to get deeper yet if necessary. Braid is a must to get depth and long setbacks make mono difficult to feel weeds as it stretches.

Justin

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[Xxx]

I run the exact same set up as chas, but with 4 less rods in the spread and 2 off the riggers and now that Les has enlightened me with cheaters I will run a cheater on each rigger poles. If the browns are running the north shore of the Black River Bay my setup is like chas but if nothing is happening shallow my mind is set to run the 30ft belly of the bay down to pillar Point .

[justtracytrolling]

If i run 6 rods its 2 on each side 2 on riggers

9 rods i run 3 each side 2 riggers and 1 leadcore down the chute

12 rods i run 4 each side 3 on riggers with a stacker and a chute rod...i have to be real bored and have ambitious guests to even think about 12

9 is a great number and very manageable, as long as there's little or no weeds

Justin

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[Xxx]

I usually only have one other guy with me my uncle, and this year a good friend from the Oswego  area, who has a camper down past Port Ontario who is going too take us for browns, he says it's complete mayhem when they are in. Since he keeps his boat up there and their camp opens a month before ours we are chomping at the bit to go. On the other hand he want's to go for walleye so that will make for 3 guys and 9 rods. I got some great info and a new theory so we will see what happens, One thing to remember about Lake Ontario is it does not give up large amounts of walleye, but quality walleye, which I release unless hooked to hard then it's in the box, I like 20-26" for filleting. More rods in the water at the right speed and in the temp where it meets the bottom and you will be in good hands. 

[mostlymuskies]

Sub-Troll Speed added to Surface Speed added to GPS Speed:Divided by 3 equals Lure Speed.Adjust speeds going with or agianst wind and bottom currents to get same Lure Speed after dividing the three speeds by 3 and the lure action will be close to the same as the other direction.

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