• Help Support TNDeer:

How to troll ?

Creek said:
I have never trolled and don't really know the first thing about it, but I have seen them doing it in years past. Ive seen all the rod holders mounted on the sides and back of boats, and soooooo,
Ive always wondered how in the world you keep from getting your lines tangled?? Does it happen on a regular basis?
Or is that the fun part :D
Click to expand...
You will need different length rods to keep that from happening. Look up Kent Driscoll. He is whom I consider to be the GOAT of crankbait trolling for crappie. There are several YouTube videos of his technique. I mirror his setup...except with fewer rods. It's when you get a stupid blue cat on that you are in trouble. They'll tangle every line you have out.
 
Creek said:
I have never trolled and don't really know the first thing about it, but I have seen them doing it in years past. Ive seen all the rod holders mounted on the sides and back of boats, and soooooo,
Ive always wondered how in the world you keep from getting your lines tangled?? Does it happen on a regular basis?
Or is that the fun part :D
Click to expand...
Generally the answer is, "No." I troll jigs for crappie primarily - usually I have six lines out. Sometimes I use planer boards but other times they will all simply be on long lines. I generally have a 10-12 foot rod in the front holder (set at a 90-degree angle), and 6-8 foot rod in the midship rod holder (set at a 45-degree angle) , and then 4-5 foot rods in rear holders straight out the back of the boat. That configuration provides good line separation and allows me to basically cover about a 25-foot swath, and the jigs always run straight and true.

On occasions a good-sized crappie might run sideways and cross another line, or even two lines. However it is generally not a big deal. Often you can simply maneuver the rod over the crossed lines and just reel the fish in, no problem. Even if a line remains tangled, it's usually quite simple to untangle or straighten out, with very rare exceptions..

The only time I've really had a problem tangling lines while trolling is using crankbaits. If your crankbaits are not tuned properly and don't run straight and true, I have created some serious messes. But that was operator-error, not a problem with the methodology.
 
hammer33 said:
Thanks for all the great replies. Here is the scoop. Because of work, I get to fish very little. Maybe 10 times a year. Since I am always hitting the water blind, I want to learn to troll so I can find fish. Anything that will hit a crank bait. Most of my trips are blindly trying spots where I caught A fish Once upon a time.

A trip with Scenic City is on my list but we haven't put dates together yet.
Click to expand...
I have a Walleye trip coming up at the end of this month. I will be reporting back on how it went. I used to catch Walleye all day up north but that was on natural lakes. I have caught a single Walleye in TN yet. That I hope will change soon.
 
Creek said:
I have never trolled and don't really know the first thing about it, but I have seen them doing it in years past. Ive seen all the rod holders mounted on the sides and back of boats, and soooooo,
Ive always wondered how in the world you keep from getting your lines tangled?? Does it happen on a regular basis?
Or is that the fun part :D
Click to expand...
Creek,
Rsimms gave good advice. Starting out I would use a saltwater trolling spread. (until you get additional rod holders/spider rigs etc) Your 2 longest rods in the midship or outside rod holders and put those baits the farthest back. (out 90' is best if you can) Then (if your rod holders allow) 1-2 shorter rods set out closer to the boat. We usually set them back an equal distance. When you turn the boat, the inside lines get "longer" cutting a shorter arc than the outside rods so they don't tangle. When you end the turn, the lines will straighten and go back to the trolling pattern.

** I have not tried this with crappie jigs, only saltwater stuff. Usually 2 topwater baits far back, 2 just under the surface closer in, and one deep rod dead center close behind the boat. It SHOULD work with crankbaits too .....I think?
 
Lt.Dan said:
I have a Walleye trip coming up at the end of this month. I will be reporting back on how it went. I used to catch Walleye all day up north but that was on natural lakes. I have caught a single Walleye in TN yet. That I hope will change soon.
Click to expand...
Where is your walleye trip taking place.
My friend and I will be fishing with Scenic City Charter's Scott Lillie below Watts Bar dam at the end of this month.
Gonna be fun....and enlightening.
 
All you need to do is ask just about any Alabama fan on this site. They are the best Trollers I've ever witnessed.

If you want to practice trolling, just go to an Alabama hunting forum bloviating about Tennessee sporting events....
 

Latest posts

Back
Top