amateur trolling,asking for some tips.

[Redman84]

Hey there everyone,

Im working on the trolling tactics ,this time of year .I have basic trolling experience.

i gave it a try a week ago out of wilson and ran 3 poles ,2 planner boards and one straight,i ran  sticks  not sure what i did wrong. 3 hours and only a couple of hits ,no hook ups.

Any tips will be much appreciated.

Edited April 3, 2019 by Redman84

[brucehookedup]

I would suggest a short trip with a charter captain in the area you like to fish. You should learn alot from most captains that would take alot of time on the water for you to get that knowledge. This time of the year we all basically fish the same. Whether it's your port or not. I would be happy to show you what i know. Good luck.

[Redman84]

I attempted the trolling a few time before i took a charter .once ,i took the charter i took notes on the process. Maybe ,i just was in wrong location,or depths?just looking for tips to tune 

[brucehookedup]

You have a message.

[hard knox]

Well lets start with location dont no where your fishing but east end of lake starts later then west end i find Oswego and Mexico are better then Henderson early season . That being said there should be fish to catch so first thing i do is look for water with color i avoid clear water for early season browns and feel the teal colored water is best and then milky or muddy colored water witch is brought in by the creaks witch brings warmer water and food . Finding the colored water that is just a few degrees warmer is the key and thats were you begin your search for browns . I run boards and flat lines with mono . leadcore .and weighted steel with long set backs and use 15 lb floro leader .  I like stick baits early when working in 10 to 20 feet of water and use a mix of natural and brighter colors . If i feel i am on a goby pattern i will try to tick bottom with natural colors if its more of a bait fish bight i will slip some spoons into the spread . When you hook up save a way point and make a few more passes you may find a spot they are stacked up on . When you are trolling allways keep thinking about what your doing and do not just keep driving around doing the same thing if it is not working .GOOD LUCK

[Redman84]

hard knox ,thanks for the info ,it is much appreciated. i usually go out Olcott or Wilson.When i went out there was clear water and i think i was out to far.The colored water you explained ,makes sense because i did go through a spot with murky water and the pole started getting hits .i just picked up 17 lbs floro . and im give heck again this weekend. Defiantly, appreciate the info man!

[TyeeTanic]

How fast were you going ... slow down to 2.5 mph GPS (as I doubt you have down speed yet).

 

How deep were your lines?  Try attaching weight, or use a 7 color or 10 color leadcore setup for your stick baits.

If you use a weight, get something decent like a 4 oz weight (min).

[Redman84]

TyeeTanic i was crusing at 1.5 to 2,then at times 2.8,I think i had it running right ,but i noticed as hard knox mentioned was the water color. i was in very clear water.

Edited April 4, 2019 by Redman84

[skinny420]

Lots of things can make you wonder what went wrong. Id stay away from clear water mid day. Really early id run thru clear but once the sun is up find the green water. Zig zag thru the edge of any color and 2 degrees warmer is more than enough to get active fish. Just gotta try again. What times did you fish? and did you go tward the bar or olcott?

[Sk8man]

It is always tempting to conclude that you've done something wrong when you don't connect with fish but even the best fisherpersons out there have been skunked before. The early season bite can be incredible or a bust and it may have more to do with Mother Nature, your location, and water conditions more than anything you are doing or not doing. Basing things on just one time out there is also sketchy as one data point in any situation is always a question mark Take the information offered and see what happens on another outing and go from there.It is also relevant that when you see posts of successful outings with all sorts of pics of fish there is always the question of "Yeah but how about the last time out or tomorrow?

Edited April 5, 2019 by Sk8man

[Chowdaire]

You got that right, Sk8man. I went 29/33 my first trip this year, my best day ever on browns, and thought I had it down. The next day I fished the same water for longer and went 3/4. Found out later that the fish were still there I just had them so dialed in the first day that when I went back the next day I played with colors/profiles/speed, but not depth. Ended up that the fish were just feeding higher the second day. Should have known that when I picked up my leadcore rod over my head to avoid a snag and it got slammed but I just couldn't get away from the set from the day before.

 

Every day, or even hour, is a little different and you just gotta search and play around until you find what works.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Chowdaire

[mrclean]

There is only three things you need to do. Fish FIsh and Fish...Have fun out there take your time, experiment on your own desire. The more time you spend on the water will gain experience. Im certain you have ample equipment and lours to get the job done. Browns are in close fish those, even try flat lining with spoons. Your knowledge will grow with time spent on the water. There are no guarantees but with time and energy you will catch fish on a regular basis...Good luck

[Redman84]

Thanks guys for the plethora of encouragement and tips.I am heading out tomorrow morning, running out of Wilson going west.

[rdebadts]

Just keep tryin. But I would focus on finding green or muddy water, and as warm as possible


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[Redman84]

Today, i put it all together and managed to get 3 fish .the lake was flat and found action around 15 to 20 fow. Spoon and sticks 

[hard knox]

Redman 84 there is one thing i forgot to say when you fish that colored water sticks with rattles in them work well as it helps the browns to locate them when visibility is very poor. I like mag lips and mutzua as well as flicker shad and storm jr thunder sticks.

[RCBROWN316]

On 4/3/2019 at 6:58 PM, brucehookedup said:

I would suggest a short trip with a charter captain in the area you like to fish. You should learn alot from most captains that would take alot of time on the water for you to get that knowledge. This time of the year we all basically fish the same. Whether it's your port or not. I would be happy to show you what i know. Good luck.

just sent you a pm