Troll into wind or with it?

[troutman10]

What does everyone else do? What is your justification?

[jmyers8]

Troll with it I'd say 75 percent if the time. If its calm I'll make circles and troll against them other wise it's not worth fighting boat control and speed. That's on o tario salmon fishin and erie walleye fishing 

[Frogger]

If speed at the ball is consistent and not crazy and the AP can stay on course I’m comfortable in the wind. Have to keep the ball on point though. Any little thing can wreck havoc. 

[Mike M]

We troll with em probably 90% of the time. Boat and speed control just seem better. Auto pilot works better and we seem to catch alot of fish going with em. If its getting rough but were catching fish we won't even attempt to troll back to a good waypoint. We'll yank all rods and run back against the waves set down and troll back thru productive area with waves at our back.

[Sk8man]

I prefer t go with the wind whenever possible. I don't use an autopilot and primarily use my 9.8 for trolling, but it can also depend on which way the currents are running and the strength of it. If I have to go against a strong wind I use my 135 Optimax motor for better control. It helps to know your boat well and how it handles in various weather conditions to make decisions.

[HB2]

I use to catch most of my fish trolling with the wind . Untill. I learned how to fish into the waves .  A lot of days I catch more going into the waves . Down speed is a big help for this . And a limited spread is also important . 

But the most important thing is a good driver , which is pretty much everything .And out of frustration  , it's usually me . The boat can't be wagging back and forth . Your lines have to be tight to get the right speed at your baits , especially your dipseys. And I would guess your coppers ,etc. 

 

On days there is a heavy current your SOG could be 5 mph . If you trolled with it all morning you could start at Sandy and wind up in Rochester . So you have to troll into it more than half the time . So learn how to do it . 

Edited February 16, 2023 by HB2

[Legacy]

5 hours ago, troutman10 said:

What does everyone else do? What is your justification?

 

Wind isnt my concern but current direction is. Priority is cutting current and achieving the desired speed.

[sherman brown]

you have so much more boat control going with the wind/waves. if your going into the wind/waves not only will the wind catch the bow but so do the waves. the only time i don't go with the wind/waves is if the lake is calm. so i can honestly say about 98 percent of the time i go with them.

[GAMBLER]

I'm with Rob.  Do what it takes to get your speed right.  Direction of troll can be huge on some days.  

[Earl28]

The lake currents can be different at various deeps when the lake flips. Please share your thoughts on how you adapt to this.

[GAMBLER]

42 minutes ago, Earl28 said:

The lake currents can be different at various deeps when the lake flips. Please share your thoughts on how you adapt to this.

Troll and pay attention to your electronics.  If you are marking fish and not catching, change direction until you find which direction produces best for that day.  

Edited February 16, 2023 by GAMBLER

[Sweet Tee]

Which ever has em' chewin!!!!!

[Sk8man]

Hb2 made a very good point about the driver...you don't want to be wandering all over the place going into the wind or heavy current and you do have to adjust your setups accordingly. Usually  lures operate  more effectively going against or across current and going with strong or cross currents you can experience more tangles especially on turns so it pays to keep things simple.

[woody 184]

One of my first jobs was as first mate out of Sodus and he taught big sweeping turns until you figure out exactly what the fish want..

[TyeeTanic]

with the wind is going to be easier I suppose, but you'll need to be able to control speed, which may be difficult if the wind is hectic.

[HB2]

There is a difference between a light breeze and a 3 ft chop . I see it as either going with the waves or against  . Trolling sideways to the waves is uncomfortable and unsafe . 

I speed up on turns to get back in line. 

 

If there is a west wind and I hookup and turn around to get back to my waypoint , it can take what's seems forever . Then I get past my spot and turn around and fly back past it  in half or less the time it took to get back. while maintaining my down speed . You can be a mile or more  past the waypoint by the time you land the fish 

 

To be good at this salmon trolling thing  , you need to be able to catch fish going into the wind . 

 

On a good chop , I drive  . You sometimes have to kick the speed up to maintain a heading and keep your lines straight . Mt dipseys seem to shine on those days . When I drive I turn around and watch to make sure they are behind the boat . 

Edited February 16, 2023 by HB2

[rolmops]

It depends on how high your boat is on the water. An aluminum boat is light and high on the water so you might end up going way too fast with the wind in your back. A fiberglass boat lays deeper in the water and is held back by the water. That said, I usually try to ride the trough which is on an angle to the wind. It makes for less banging and the wind direction is not as crucial. But it all depends on how much wind and how high the waves are. I wish there was a golden rule, that would make it easier.

Somebody mentioned way points and I do have a bit of a problem with that, because way points are static LAND marks, but if there is wind there usually is a current as well, which moves at let's say one mile per hour, the fish move right along with that current and one hour from now they will probably be about a mile away from your waypoint.

Edited February 17, 2023 by rolmops

[Mike M]

Agree with almost all said here. Bottom line is direction  of the troll is hugh.  Don't be in such a hurry to turn the boat around cause you had a flurry of action, It could be good for a couple of miles. Trolling direction good be the key to that good action. We try and use the Trails feature on my Lowrence carbon.  We're saving less waypoints and more trails to stay on fish. Good Luck.

[Legacy]

22 hours ago, Earl28 said:

The lake currents can be different at various deeps when the lake flips. Please share your thoughts on how you adapt to this.

 

True but we tend to fish offshore when the lake flips and the water offshore is much more stable. 

[Ecto2]

Almost always start setting lines with the wind at my stern.  Once spread is set, If probe is showing good down speed i keep going.  If im running too fast or too slow or not getting bit i will turn it into the waves.  My boat trolls like crap when trying to go perpendicular to the wind/waves, so its either with them or against them for me.  Hope that helps.  Tell Dorothy Manntooth I said hello!  

[woody 184]

Basically it’s all about lure presentation 

[HB2]

The question was trolling with or into the wind . Wind causes waves and current . So I feel the better question is with or into the waves . If there is breeze with a small chop , you can troll any way you want and direction relative to wind and current is probably most important . But if it gets a little snotty or gets to the point of you are ready to pull lines and head in , having a stable fishing platform able to get a stable speed is probably most important . So with or into are my best options . Trolling sideways to waves pretty much sucks . And you are going have to fish into it at least sometime , so master it and make the best of it . 

 

Also IMO , fish , especially lake fish , kings and steelhead in particular , use current to there advantage probably more than we know . They have no problem maintaining and holding position in water of there choosing that has  nutrients and baitfish plentifully . This is historically proven.  . 

 

Most springs , most kings are west . Summers they are midlake , and fall 

( at least after they stopped raising kings at Calidonia) most are east . If they just got pushed around by the prevailing west to east current , the best king fishing would be on the east end and we know that's not the case. 

 

A lot of guys ask what spoon or flasher or dipseys or whatever . But presentation as stated above is the most important thing . And that comes a mostly from boat control . 

[AnglingAddict]

Whatever direction generates the bites.....

[AnglingAddict]

In all seriousness though - find a direction you can troll where you aren't crabbed out and you can maintain your desired speed - trolling bags will also help in almost all situations so if you don't run them you should consider them.

[13owhunter]

 

I run a 19ft aluminum that is fairly wide but doesn't have particularly high sides so when it gets a little choppy, my options are limited. Speed is not an issue for me going with the wind as I use a throttle controller, but at some point my kicker doesn't turn enough RPMs to provide much thrust which makes steering very difficult.  I will be installing an ipilot TM in a few weeks which I hope provides some more options. 

 

I was under the impression that bags were only for big boats to control speed but talking to a few folks at Niagara this weekend changed my mind and I will be trying a set of small ones at some point this season.  Folks seem to agree that they are a game changer to asset with boat control.  As others have mentioned, do what you need to do to make speed control reasonably easy and experiment if and when you can to see what generates hits.