Wanting to put boat in neutral when fighting fish while trolling?

[Jeff Mick]

Good Morning,  

 

Have a question for you guys.  Usually I fish with my Dad on the big lake.  We are running a 17 foot Lund walkthrough.  Just picked up a planner board mast this past winter and have used it a time or two with some success.  The question I have is there any way to put the boat in neutral while fighting a fish that you hooked while trolling?  

 

Is the only option running stickbaits on the planner board lines so they float when in neutral?  We usually just have 1 line running off of each side of the boat on the planner board lines.  Then I have been running a line in the wash with some bigger shot on it.  And a flat line also off the other corner of the boat set back 125 + feet.  4 lines out total.    

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.  I release most of the fish we catch and would like to be able to revive them with the boat in neutral and it also makes things easier with the boat in neutral so the second person can clear a line or net the fish without steering the boat also.  Just trying to simplify things and make it less stressful when we hook up. 

 

Thanks again.   

 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by Jeff Mick

[sherman brown]

i just throttle down but keep the boat moving forward. but if you clear the other lines there just isn't any reason to keep the boat moving. but if you go to neutral the boat will turn side ways and may get the other lines tangled or get them into the props or motor. you might get away with it a couple of times but sooner than later your going to have problems unless you clear lines. just my opinion though.

[mr 580]

Think you would quickly find that putting boat in neutral with planer boards and one/two lines out would fall in category of “bad idea”.  Better to idle boat in gear and if still fast then slow down by putting out trolling bags or 5 gallon buckets.  Years ago when I trolled with an I/o I would use 2 buckets when trolling and when I was hooked up had 2 more to toss out to slow down.  Much better to land fish with some forward momentum.

[000]

T

Edited October 29, 2021 by JSfish

[TyeeTanic]

I wouldn't put boat in neutral if you have wire divers, copper, leadcore or riggers out ... you're for sure gonna bottom out those lines, unless you are fishing shallow lines in VERY deep water.

 

Plus you don't know what the underwater currents are doing and whether they'll send the wire divers into the rigger lines ... just asking for big trouble, could cost a lot of money and time to fix that mess. Not worth it.

 

Plus, more chance the fish spits the hooks, if not well set, and you go into neutral.

Edited October 28, 2021 by TyeeTanic

[Jeff Mick]

I appreciate it guys.  

 

Pretty much what I was thinking.  

 

Besides the use of the planner boards, is there another way to get the lines away from the side of the boat for line shy fish?  I would say for  fishing in water that is 30 feet or less.   

 

 

Thanks again.   

[PD Buoy]

47 minutes ago, Jeff Mick said:

I appreciate it guys.  

 

Pretty much what I was thinking.  

 

Besides the use of the planner boards, is there another way to get the lines away from the side of the boat for line shy fish?  I would say for  fishing in water that is 30 feet or less.   

 

 

Thanks again.   

Slide divers or mini dipseys will get  you out to either side.

[Jeff Mick]

Cool. I have heard about the slide divers on this forum. Can you run noodle rods with light line with them? 

[Misdirection]

If you have someone else in the boat with you, you can have them slow the boat down and slide it in and out of gear just enough to keep forward momentum, lines straight, and the boat on a heading.

Or if your boat is like mine before autopilot, doing crazy ivans!

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[sherman brown]

1 hour ago, Jeff Mick said:

Cool. I have heard about the slide divers on this forum. Can you run noodle rods with light line with them? 

no you cant run light line with any of the divers that have to be tripped to bring them in easy. you would want to use 30# braid for lite bite slide divers, dipsey divers, or deeper divers. a better option for running boards in 30' of water or less would be to use true trips. they make a 20 for getting down 20' once enough line is out. but the make a 30 that can be run up to 30' deep depending on line let out. you would need a copy of a dive chart for the 30 but that's what i would use. the line would depend on the release used. but you can go a lot lighter with true trips. and you can use noodle rods but you need to set your drag for the rod as much as the line. lots of guys use true trip 40's and 50's on erie to get down but i think 40's would be pushing it on boards. another option is using clip on weights if your using deep diving cranks to start with. but i would order inline weights for running spoons. rednekoutfitters.com has a dive chart on their website. they also sell inline weights. you tie them on the end of your line then add a 6' or 7' leader then your bait. you can use them with cranks harnesses or spoons.

 

[Jeff Mick]

I appreciate the info on the true trips. Can they be adjusted to run away from the boat for some stealth? 

[Misdirection]

I appreciate the info on the true trips. Can they be adjusted to run away from the boat for some stealth? 

No.

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[sherman brown]

2 hours ago, Jeff Mick said:

I appreciate the info on the true trips. Can they be adjusted to run away from the boat for some stealth? 

they would be best run off the boards. if you want something run of the boat that runs out to the sides you would need a slide diver or a dipsy diver or a dreamweaver deeper diver. i use the lite bite slide diver but dont use the slide feature but tie on a 7' leader. the thing i like best about the deeper diver over the dipsy is its the same diameter as a dipsy with the ring on it. the deeper diver doesn't use a ring. i thought about using the dipsy without the ring but the ring helps pull the diver to the side. the only thing is its very hard to trip the diver with mono line. use 30# to 50# braid to the diver then use a 7' 15# seaguar premier fluro line for a leader.

[tuffishooker]

Ditto on " Bad Idea " !

[HB2]

It's tough to  Do do neutral running boards , unless you are trolling with the wind 

 

But for deep water , I do it all the time when I get a good king on . 

 

On the hit if it's screamer , I clear my dipsys  first , while I am turning the boat slowly away from the fish and  Down wind  and then let the wind push me slowly along . Sometimes I leave the riggers  down . And have had doubles while the boat was drifting along , especially on flasher rigs . 

 

I get the fish in the boat in 1/3 the time , lose less fish , and it's more fun .  

[sherman brown]

the best advice i can give you is to ask on here for an open seat that uses divers or go out on a good charter that uses divers. and be sure and tell then your wanting to go to school. i moved from the western basin to the central basin and didn't have a clue about running dipsies. the only place i had even seen them was on the shelf at bait shops. we got a group of guys together and took a charter out for a day. by the end of the day we were helping set lines. so he was open the next day so we chartered him again for a second day. by mid day we were doing all the work with his supervision. then we went out on our own. we were able to run 3 lines per side with 1 downrigger per side. we did get a few tangles but as time went on and we gained a little experience we got much better at it. 

[HB2]

Buy a 9 to 10 ft dipsey rod and decent line counter reel . Load it with 65 or 80 # power pro . Get the standard size dipsey . Put some 20# Flouro or mono for spoons ,8 ft  . 40 for flashers dipsey to lure .  . And a good rod holder . Set the dipsey release screw light at first and adjust . 

Put direction weight  2 at first . Let it out . Set the drag and drive the boat around  . Pretty simple . 

 

A lot of the fun is figuring this stuff out on my own . I don't want  someone to cut my meat for me . And yes , you will make mistakes . 

 

But it will be more Satisfying when you hook up . 

 

A slide diver is basically the same . But the leader setup Is a little different . Better when fish are higher in water column.  

 

Good luck 

[Jeff Mick]

Thanks again guys for the information here!  Unfortunately we don't get up to Lake O very often so this site has been great for learning about your fishery and all the different techniques used.  

 

Appreciate your insight and ideas!  Will have to give some of them a go for sure in the future.  

 

 

[Chuck Smth]

When you hook up the last thing you want to do is to stop trolling. You're on fish! Keep the troll going. You can't get a double if you stop fishing .

 

 We've had as many as four on at once. Just keep the boat going straight and all will be fine. 

 

And real important - if if you have one, when you stop your autopilot doesn't work.

 

As for kings being line-shy? Nah. Think about it. Wire/Dispey/snubber/Spinny/twinkie rig  combo and they still smash it. The only reason I like Flouro leaders is because they're tough. Leaders take a lot of abuse because we use nets.  Others my have different opinions on that and that's cool,  but in my experience (almost 40 years) the fish don't care. Kings are eating machines.  A four year old king can weigh two times more than a 25 year old walleye.

 

For me, boards are more about being able to run more lines without tangles than anything else. We generally run the lead off the boards, dipseys inside them and then downriggers. 

 

Once you get your spread set stop never stop fishing.  Truth be told, slowing or stopping makes it a lot harder to keep the fish under control. If you keep moving forward it keeps the fish behind the boat and all the lines straight. As long as you take your time and don't bring in a big one too green it will an easy net job. 

 

 

Anyway, it works for me, others have their way of doing things, try different things and see what works best for you. It's more fun to lose one than to be sitting on the couch.

 

Chuck

Edited October 29, 2021 by Chuck Smth

[Mike M]

Agree 100% with Chuck Smith.  To put the boat in nuetral with a full trolling spread is nuts in IMHO. If that's how you want to  catch Kings then go to Devils Hole and cast from shore. We will slow the boat on a big King and sometimes turn almost 90 degrees to  reduce pressure on a freight train run of 400-600 feet on  a big King. But never would we put the boat in nuetral . Doubles,Triples  and Quads are alot of fun. Just my HO.

[Bad_Influence]

Invest in a Minn Kota bow motor with "I pilot" ... it will steer the boat for you. I fish alone and never touch the other lines or the wheel when I hook up. Best money that I put into my boat.

[sherman brown]

one year after hearing that you get more hits with light line we gave it a try. i put 8# line on the reels and adjusted the drags accordingly where the drags would slip. we got out on lake Michigan and i hooked up with a nice summer king about 20# to 22# and the fight was on. we kept trolling for a short time turning the boat as best we could but after a few long rune we pulled lines and went after him. we got the fish some time later and we lost so much time with this fish and the next 2 fish was just like the first. we lost at least an hour or more in the fight and rigging our lines. we lost half the morning bite fighting 3 fish. this was the heyday yrs on lake Michigan when limits could be had. we normally caught 5 or 6 fish by 1:00 pm. so we cant say how the bite was any better as we didn't get enough time fishing. that night i bought a large spool of 25# line and respooled all the reels.

 

the best advice i can give you is don't use light line. but if you insist be ready to clear all lines and go after the fist. once the lines are cleared you can shut it down and drift. but if the fish decides to go to the bow to come in a couple of times before being landed have fun running back and forth without power.

 

with light line you still need to pull lines even if you kept trolling when the fish gets close to the boat. it can still make long runs getting tangled in lines, boards, or getting tangled in the riggers. it just not worth it.

 

if you really want to fight a king on light line just run your riggers and when you get hooked up clear lines and riggers. never leave your riggers down with light line and shut her down. you sure don't want your fish getting into your board lines. these fish go pretty much where they want go go, and theirs nothing you can do about it.

[Jeff Mick]

Hey guys. I hear what your saying in these responses. Remember seeing posts about the ipilot trolling motor and the upside there. 

 

I dont come up in the warmer months to fish is why I am so focused on the shallower water. We are mostly trolling for browns and what ever else is around in the spring season. I realize that spring kings can be caught shallow also we just havent experienced it yet. 

 

There is certainly a lot to learn about fishing Lake Ontario. It is a cool challenge!

 

Thanks again for the responses - this forum has been great! 

 

 

[tuffishooker]

My bad news story on the topic ! Was fishing on an exfriends boat ; on my boat the fisherman with the fish on directs the boat . Not this guy ! I get a nice keeper King maybe ~10lbs. putting on a good fight ; boat owner is on his cell phone with fishing pal . He puts the boat in NEUTRAL and the Chinook salmon charges the boat at the same time ! I cannot real in fast enough , with slack line the fish getting to the stern of the boat . The line wraps around the prop and BREAKS OFF !

Things got bad nasty between us ! We do not talk !

[fisherman21]

58 minutes ago, tuffishooker said:

My bad news story on the topic ! Was fishing on an exfriends boat ; on my boat the fisherman with the fish on directs the boat . Not this guy ! I get a nice keeper King maybe ~10lbs. putting on a good fight ; boat owner is on his cell phone with fishing pal . He puts the boat in NEUTRAL and the Chinook salmon charges the boat at the same time ! I cannot real in fast enough , with slack line the fish getting to the stern of the boat . The line wraps around the prop and BREAKS OFF !

Things got bad nasty between us ! We do not talk !

Sounds kinda childish if you ask me. Throw away a friendship over a fish, and it was only a 10 pound king at that.