Trolling advice

[greenhornet73]

Trolling advice

I have been trolling for a few years out of my kayak and have had some successful days but many more failures to get hits. I always try changing up speeds and slow S curves but not getting results.  I finally have 2 line counter reels instead of just 1 so I can be more sure of my lure distance behind the boat.  I am usually running deep diving cranks or dixie spinners and want to hear what you guys are doing if only running 2 rods.  Run both at same distance or stagger them maybe 20' apart?  It's been a tough season out there for me and know I am doing something wrong if I am not even getting smallmouths to hit.  I would love to hear any tips you guys would like to share.  Thanks

[flyboy7]

I used to troll Lake Ontario for salmon and trout. I would normally only troll one rod at a time. Too much risk of tangles if a fish gets on. My method was to drag a magnum dipsy diver on the 0 setting. That allowed me to fish up to 100' down. If the fish were 50' or shallower, I preferred to drag a lead core because it doesn't produce the heavy resistance that a dipsy does.

 

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[greenhornet73]

Thanks for the reply.  I assume you must have had a rod holder centered somewhere in the kayak to keep from spinning around in circles?  I have run dipsy's and they definitely created a lot of drag and wore my arms out quick but I had one off each side to balance the resistance.  I ended up running 4oz of lead instead ahead of the spoon to get it down last fall in 120' off the "wall"  and actually hooked up.  Did you ever get walleyes off the dipsy?  We used them with Muskie Joe up north for muskies and caught 2 nice walleyes but I haven't had any luck with them down here on the finger lakes or ontario.

[flyboy7]

I used flush-mounted rod holders behind my seat to reduce the torque on the kayak. When the drag starts clicking, you know one is on. I never tried for walleyes.

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[greenhornet73]

Good to know. I didn't know dipsy's could get down that deep, I have only run jet divers that get to 30' and dragging 2 was a tough pull.  Maybe running one dipsy will be a little easier.   If I get a calm day this fall I may have to try running deep again for staging salmon.

[Romansmoke]

I use torpedo drivers on my trolling rods for my kayak they get down super deep and cause no drag on the kayak like dipsy divers do also check your speed 1.5 to 2.0 should be your speed on the kayak good luck and tight lines.

[justtracytrolling]

Basically any trolling spread is designed to cover your bases.  Cover the column you have to work with likely patterns, ie perch, alewife etc and let the fish tell you.  I know you troll otisco some and I'd be running at least 2 rods off boards.  2 lines is plenty of you have a pattern that's working, but it's not enough to figure it out on your own unless you start trolling in the middle of the night.  If you aren't running a full spread with  boards or know exactly where, what, when and how it's gonna be poke and hope at best in daylight on otisco. 

[greenhornet73]

Thanks Justin, I felt like that was the case since it is so hit or miss for me on Otisco.  On the days I get a fish I usually end up with at least a few but most days I'm just getting a workout on the water without a sniff.  Got a tank of a smallie Saturday morning, a short 17" 'eye and one dropped and that was the best morning I've had out there in 5 trips.  I usually only have a short window to fish from 5 am until about 10 or 11 at best maybe once every couple of weeks.  No pattern finding that way, haha. 

[greenhornet73]

Romansmoke, I have researched those torpedo divers and they seem nice because you can run them pretty much straight down beneath the boat to keep an eye on the screen depth without much drag but they are pricey.  I ran 4oz of lead last year for salmon in a similar way but couldn't adjust the swim direction like you can with a torpedo. 

[JJBat150]

Not necessary walleye specific info - just yak trolling in general.

 

Spend more time of the Finger Lakes then lady O, but here's my $.02

 

Lead core works well, and It's pretty much idiot proof. Just need to watch for tangles if you"re running 2 lines.

 

I usually run # 40 or # 50 jet divers and use 2 rods to stagger them behind the boat to get 10-25 ft separation in the water column.

 

This year I started playing with a torpedo diver on a church clip. Only ran it one trip so far, and it seemed to get a lot of line twist, so more testing is in order.

 

My yak is peddle drive, so it's easier to keep it moving when I have a fish on - that helps avoid tangles.

 

 

 

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[Romansmoke]

Hey jjbat150 I use the torpedo diver also never had the line twist issue I use a 6ft leader off a


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[Romansmoke]

Not necessary walleye specific info - just yak trolling in general.
 
Spend more time of the Finger Lakes then lady O, but here's my $.02
 
Lead core works well, and It's pretty much idiot proof. Just need to watch for tangles if you"re running 2 lines.
 
I usually run # 40 or # 50 jet divers and use 2 rods to stagger them behind the boat to get 10-25 ft separation in the water column.
 
This year I started playing with a torpedo diver on a church clip. Only ran it one trip so far, and it seemed to get a lot of line twist, so more testing is in order.
 
My yak is peddle drive, so it's easier to keep it moving when I have a fish on - that helps avoid tangles.
 
 
 
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With a swivel off of 20lbs power pro never had that issue


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[justtracytrolling]

Greenhornet,

Lake isn't trolling easy at all right now, but if it gets any bit consistent I'll show some stuff.   

 

If you choose speed dependant methods like lead core, jets, clip weights etc you need a fishery that precise depth control isn't necessary....not otisco!  I don't think you get your speed consistent enough with a light kayak.  A plug program is near as fussy.

[greenhornet73]

Thanks Justin, yeah my speed as I paddle fluctuates back and forth so I stay within a range rather than counting on one steady speed.  I have been running worm harnesses the past 2 trips and have had more action, just not the quality you get from running plugs.  Last night I hit a couple pods of suspended fish over deep water and stopped to jig and got into some nice smallmouths.  The debris in the water made for tough trolling especially inside the 30' breaklines.  If you see any consistent patterns I would love to hear what you are doing to at least give me some direction, even if I can't mimic your presentation.

[Gill-T]

If you are looking for walleye, blind trolling is often just that.......trolling blind.  You have to research where 90% of the fish are caught in 10% of the water.  For example, you can open water troll Lake Erie for walleye using a lot of muscle power and never catch one.  If you learn where there are some small humps and depressions are and mark them on a handheld GPS, you can drift over them and catch fish every time out.  Also if you want a diver that pulls straight out the back, look at the Deep-Six diver or the Double-Deep Six diver- use with wire or a braid line-counter set-up.

[greenhornet73]

Thanks Gill T, I have not tried the deep six divers and will check them out.  I mainly stick to areas where I have caught walleyes before and know will hold fish but Otisco is a different kind of beast.  I will say I am not at all impressed with the quality of Rapala TDD's. I own 6 of them and only 1 of them performs the way it is supposed to and has caught fish.  The rattles don't work or the paint has bubbled on all the others.  At $12 per lure you would expect a better quality lure out of Rapala.  I have written them twice and even sent 2 back to them and the reply was they could not replace them without the original receipt.  Who saves lure receipts on the way out to the lake??

BTW - I see you are from Amherst and am a fan.  I went to school there at Daemen College many years ago and have lots of good memories.

[Gill-T]

I have fished Otisco once.  Weeds on trolling gear is a problem on that lake.  I know from Justin's posts, he catches a lot of fish approx. 28' down or so.  It would seem to me torpedo divers may be the easiest way to get you to that depth. Yes, Amherst is perfectly located.....1/2 hour to Lake Erie, 20 minutes to the Niagara, 35 minutes from Lake Ontario, 1hr 20 minutes from Canandaigua, 1 hr and 45 minutes from Lake Chautauqua........so many options.....so little time.