Categories: Boating

Trolling With The Best Anglers

Hopefully you have already performed your annual trolling seasonal prep on all of your gear from roller guides to rodholders. Your tackle needs just as much TLC as your boat and its powerplant, especially if you do your fishing in saltwater. So assuming your hooks are sharp and your reels are lubed, now you’ll want to take these five trolling tips into consideration.

1. Troll cross-current to eliminate the need for tweaking speed. If you troll down-current and up-current without modifying your engine’s RPM, in one direction or the other you’re bound to be moving at a less-than-perfect rate. Get your lures moving just right as you troll cross-current, however, and when you turn around you’ll still be doing the ideal speed.

2. Rig up with braid. Trolling is one application where braid shines – the absence of stretch means the fish is more likely to hook itself on the strike. Just remember to back the drags off a bit, to prevent break-offs or hooks tearing out.

3. Always set your temp guage to graphic, not numeric, display. That way you can tell at a glance when you’ve gone through an area with a significant temperature change. If the temp is displayed with a number, you’ll have to be looking at the fishfinder at just the right moment to notice the change.

4. Zig-zag often, especially when fish are on the meter at slightly deeper depths than your lures are running at. Those turns will give your lures a moment or two to sink, and give you the ability to vary depth on a whim.

5. When trolling with spoons, make sure you use a ball-bearing swivel. Regular barrel swivels just aren’t smooth enough to prevent line twist, but ball-bearing swivels will do the trick.

Trolling spoons is a great way to catch fish like this Spanish mackerel – but only if you have a ball-bearing swivel in-line.

Lenny Rudow

Lenny Rudow

Recent Posts

2024 Tony Houseman Conservation Legacy Award Winner Announced

Higher Calling Wildlife® is proud to announce the winner of the Tony Houseman Conservation Legacy…

15 hours ago

An Honest Look At Outdoors Border Dangers

There are dangers in the outdoors along the Texas/Mexico border. And the mainstream media is…

16 hours ago

First Fish On A Fly (A Fly Fishing Journey)

Late August in the Northern Wyoming mountains never reached more than seventy degrees. A cool…

16 hours ago

Choosing the Best Jigging Gear for your Needs

When it comes to rod, reels, and line, we all have our own personal favorites.…

22 hours ago

Here Are The Details On the Proposed Speckled Trout Trophy Tag

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission is set to make a decision on a trophy…

7 days ago

TX Wardens Bust Snapper Poachers

Texas Game Wardens, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)…

7 days ago