Since the subject of trolling inshore has been touched on I would like to get some discussion of pros and cons of different styles. I have been doing more trolling with limited success and would like to hear from the more experienced anglers who are having success in their styles. I have tried different speeds, grubs, gulp and plugs and different lengths behind the boat. But again I read reports on here and I feel i should be doing a lot better. [:0] What works for you?
When fishing with lures, it is critical to keep the lure in the highest probability zone for the longest period of time. I do not troll because the lure spends to much time outside the high probability zone. Recommend more of a run and gun approach. Hit a high probability location. Cover it with a dozen or so casts. If it is not happening, move on to the next zone. When you hit the bite, simply replicate the pattern.
This is not to say that trolling is an in-effective technique. People catch fish trolling. However, I feel they would catch more fish with a run and gun style of fishing.
Iāve had really good luck with catching the most fish trolling very very slow. Slow as you can! Also make sure you have enough line out, you want the bait to drag the bottom. If itās not catching on the bottom let out more line. I try to find a bank that has multiple creek mouths to drag across. Just like any other fishing sometimes it works sometimes it doesnāt.
I use cast and retrieve about 95%, bottom fishing about 7% and trolling about 3%. I typically only troll for trout and reds, and only from now until early spring.
Just my 2 cents worth:
Most of the fishing I do is with artificial. Cast/retrieve lets me cover more area than bottom fishing (pro), I donāt have to run around looking for bait (pro). I tend to fish arties around structure and can loose rigs if Iām not careful (con). Some of the arties that I use are relatively expensive, like Gulp (con).
A lot of times bottom fishing you can run out of bait while the fish are still hitting (con), if you are in an area with bait snaggers and crabs, you might spend more time re-baiting than catching (con). Sometimes fish just like it natural and wonāt take an artie. Itās hard to beat a shrimp or finger on a carolina rig or cork (definite pro). Sometimes, the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish (PRO!)
For trolling you obviously have to have some type of watercraft (PRO or CON depending on how you look at it.) You can cover a lot of area (pro). You can get snagged or fouled if you are in a sketchy area (con). You are not really focusing on one particular area for any length of time (PRO or CON depending on if you are catching fish)
This is by no means a comprehensive pro vs con analysisā¦
Narcosis
I have two places I typically target to fish. I also have a hard time putting fish in the boat sometimes so take my advice for what you paid for it lol.
But. I fish:
-
The bottom.
-
The weedline.
If the water is moving, and inches above the weedline (or higher), I beat the weedline and the first 3-5 feet from it, allowing the lure to bump the bottom as much as possible.
If the water is just barely at the weedline or lower, I work the bottom around areas I know thereās structure. That put a 33" red in my ugly old tinny a couple weeks ago.
BTW I typically do the same if slinging bait rather than lures. If Iām after more trout than anything else, Iāll use a popping cork and hang around the weedlines.
Oyster beds with a foot or three of water over themā¦ especially if they are near the mouth of a creek that would hold baitā¦ will get a lot of attention from me.
ā¦ The Cross of Christ is the anvil upon which the hammer of evil wore itself out.
When I troll for trout I use two offshore tackle mini planer boards on the Marsh side of the boat. They allow me to fine tune the depth depending on how much line is out behind the clip &
Letās me get close to the edge without spooking the fish. These boards also can be switched from port to starboard without having to re tie. I also run some rods deep behind the boat also.
War Eagle 115 yamaha 4 stroke
Over the Ledge knows how to troll for trout. believe that. maybe heāll weigh in
well today i tried a different approach, i used a carolina rig with artificials for the first time, at bushy park, it was very windy and the tide was just starting to drop from high tide, i cast and retrieve slowly dragging the lead on the bottom and after a while i would move to another spot and i did hook one flounder , but it was small so i let it go, that is the first flounder for me on a carolina rig, i have trolled with the electric chicken, copper penny etc with min success in the past but lately have not had the same success so i am trying some of you guys suggestions, and that is why it is called fishing, not catching ,lol, trolling has its place but i need to widen out and i do appreciate the suggestions and tips, are mud minnows as good as finger mullet when using the carolina rig on the bottom?
quote:
Originally posted by fishtalesWhen fishing with lures, it is critical to keep the lure in the highest probability zone for the longest period of time. I do not troll because the lure spends to much time outside the high probability zone. Recommend more of a run and gun approach. Hit a high probability location. Cover it with a dozen or so casts. If it is not happening, move on to the next zone. When you hit the bite, simply replicate the pattern.
This is not to say that trolling is an in-effective technique. People catch fish trolling. However, I feel they would catch more fish with a run and gun style of fishing.
Yes exactly and the āzoneā can sometimes be very small and vary in a āspotā. So, if at dead low tide the āzoneā is under a dock, as the water starts flowing the āZoneā could move to an eddie that has been created on the back side of the dock by the current. Or a simpler one is when the tide floods a flat the zone would be up in the grass but when it comes out the zone may be on an oyster bed on a point off of the flat. Fish are usually found around one of two places. Structure and or cover. They also go to spots becasue of two thing. Current and tide. To really understand how to find places that hold fish you need to understand cover,structure,current and tide. Cover is pretty much anything that can hide a fish such as: dock pilings,rocks, and grass. Structure is pretty much anything that causes the bottom contour to change like creek channels,points and drop offs. Oysters are a good example of something that can be both. Now, I dont troll much but i would think that it would be beneficial to look for structure like humps,drop offs,points and creek channels. When casting the same structure can be fished but you can be more selective about what cover you can fish. With artifical
WWWEEELLLLL, This fishing is a whole lot more complicated than i thought, and i do understand what you are saying and it makes sense, i think my biggest problem is I am trying different things too much and not getting good at any one of them, like a jack of all trades but master of none, i talked with a fellow angler and he told me that he uses only live bait, finger mullets or shrimp, and uses them on a carolina rig but he does not cast and slowly retrieve, he just casts to a specific spot and lets it sit and does pretty well according to himā¦ i have been watching too many you tube videos and how to videos and now my brain is confused and running in circles and i really want to be a decent angler or fisherman or what ever we are called, but lately i am thinking about taking up knitting,lol, not really, but i am trying to work it out, and i do appreciate suggestions, maybe i should try somewhere besides bushy park