trolling and the current?

[Gill-T]

21 hours ago, Smart Troll said:

Like skipper19 said...I also think that dragging your lure in the same direction the current is flowing is best (if possible). For one thing, if the fish are below the current (resting and waiting) then any food in the current will likely be coming from that direction. In addition to that, fish cannot think like us but they do have instincts. If I have to run up hill against the wind (against the current to the fish) to get something I want (food) then it better be pretty close to me to begin with or it will just take too much energy and effort to chase the food and there is higher risk that I won't catch it. If I can run downhill with the wind at my back (with the current to the fish) then maybe it can be a little further away and I still might go for it.

 

Except bait fish are filter feeders and most likely facing into the current also.  Salmon, lakers and browns follow and attack from the rear.  The easier meal (that which is moving slowest) is probably going to get attention over the one buzzing by.  Put it into the current.

[Smart Troll]

Gill-T

That seems pretty likely correct for bait fish...they would be moving slower if swimming against the current. They sometimes probably swim slower than the current so they would be carried "down-stream" even though to the bait it might seem like they were swimming up stream. I would think their instinct would be to turn and dart downstream the moment they sense danger.

 

In any case, bait fish would be going slower swimming upstream but your lure wouldn't be going slower upstream relative to the fish. It is going boat speed relative to the fish weather you are dragging it up stream or down stream. If something was going 2 MPH away from me I would rather run down hill with the wind at my back to catch it.

 

Having said that...if you get close enough to the big guy he will chase it either way I think.

[Gill-T]

Agreed. Facing upstream but pushed with the current. Any fish not tied to structure that goes inactive and/or sleep for 4 hours can wake up 8 miles away. 

[Blambam88]

What if the surface current is different than the current 40 feet down and different again 70 feet down . I've ran into that problem a lot. Very hard to make everything work when you are running different depths even with the fish hawks.

[Gill-T]

1 hour ago, Blambam88 said:

What if the surface current is different than the current 40 feet down and different again 70 feet down . I've ran into that problem a lot. Very hard to make everything work when you are running different depths even with the fish hawks.

 

Figure what species you want to target. Figure out where their preferred temp is in the water column that day. Figure out current direction in that preferred zone. Keep you baits in the zone at a direction into the current .......or you could troll North-South on East-West currents.