I’m slowly getting into trolling. So far I have 2 – 8’6″ rods and now I’m looking to add 2 more trolling rigs to my set up. My boat is a 1650 Lund Explorer tiller. I have 2 planner boards so the question is what length should the other 2 rods be? I have 6 rod holders in the boat 2 up front, 2 middle and 2 back, 3 per side. Any input would be appreciated. I have a couple of gift cards burning a hole in my pocket.
A pair of 12′ st croix eycons and a pair of 6′ shorty eyecons would fit prefect.
I should clarify I meant just 2 more rods. I think in that size boat 4 rods with 2 guys (in Iowa anyway) would be enough without getting to “crazy”. So would you use the 2 shorter rods or the longer ones?
You can still pick up the 5′ stubby jason mitchell rods buy one get one free from reeds. Just picked up another set 2 weeks ago.
Stay with the same rods you have because with two boards you will be movining the from holder to holder and dont wont to be thinking about witch rod is witch rod
^^^ solid suggestion but if just looking for 2 more 10-6 wild river croix and angle the 8-6 and u r golden. 10-6 WR great longline, snap weight, 3way rod. If you are running boards alot u may have to re- gameplan.
I third the short rods and 2nd the 12footers I’ve also been known to use the 86 at a 45 degree angle out the back with the 12s on the sides… I got my setups from Limit creek and I love them!!! They’ve got great action and a sensitive tip to em 
For your boat length, I would recommend going with a good 10′ – 10’6″ planer board rod. The 12 footers are nice but they are a little more difficult to work with when it comes to attaching/removing the planer board. If you think about the logistics, you would have to get the butt of the 12′ rod all the way up to the bow of your boat in order to get to the planer board by the rod tip.
You can long line your 8’6″ rods out the back (braid or lead core). If you decide to fish with 6 lines, then I would run your 8’6″ rods to the middle rod holder and stack your planer boards (2 on each side), then long line 2 other rods (shorties up to 8’6″) out the back.
Like Tim mentioned above – the St. Croix Eyecons are nice.
Bass Pro Shop Walleye Angler Signature Series also make a decent 10′ rod for a little less money.
While the shorty rods are fun and not expensive they have limitations. When running 4 rods are you always using boards? Ever lead core 4 rods? In a 16 ft boat long 10 ft plus can be a challenge but awesome if running 4 non board sets. Sounds like another set of 8’6″ would do just fine for your applications.
All good suggestions. I don’t do a lot of trolling but when we do it it would be nice to have the right tools for the job. There are only a couple of lakes near Des Moines where I can troll fairly “easily”. I’m going to have to think about how I’m going to use these rods the most. With boards, without, 3-ways, bottom bouncers. Good info, keep it coming!
I’ve never tried lead cord, right now the rods have Fireline 10/4. I only have two boards so 2 more 8’6″ might be the ticket in my 1650.
If I were looking for 2 new rods I would call Dean. Have an in depth conversation about what exactly you want to accomplish.
Dean has always given me the honest truth when rod shopping. Sometimes the rod I thought I “wanted” was not the rod I “needed” and he helped me realize that
I just upgraded to an 18 foot boat this past fall, but before that I was in a 16 footer as well. And cut my trolling teeth in that boat. Before I sold it, I was able to run up to 9 lines without a problem, even in tight corridors. Having rods of different lengths is key. Starting off, I would pick up two longer rods than your 8’6″s. I found twelve footers to be a bit cumbersome in that small of a boat, but 10 footers were just fine. With two 8’6″ and two 10′ rods, you have a lot of options. You can run four boards, four longlines or two boards and two longlines. Most of the time, with those four rods, I would hook the 8’6″ rods to planer boards and run the 10 footers straight off each side. Nice thing about that set up, is that you won’t have to worry about “shuffling” boards if you get hit on your outside rod. You can just quickly reel in the ten footer on that side, or as you get more experience, leave it in and work your one board in around it. The other nice thing is if an inside rod gets hit, you just pick it up and reel it in. No board to fight or unclip, which makes trolling a little more fun. I’ve found the Okuma Deadeye rods to be perfect for this application. And a great value as well! Either way, as you get more and more into trolling, I’m sure you’ll end up with a lot more than four rods. Ive got around 20 at this point
Have you got a picture of that setup? That would be interesting to see on a 16′ boat.
Quote:
I just upgraded to an 18 foot boat this past fall, but before that I was in a 16 footer as well. And cut my trolling teeth in that boat. Before I sold it, I was able to run up to 9 lines without a problem, even in tight corridors. Having rods of different lengths is key. Starting off, I would pick up two longer rods than your 8’6″s. I found twelve footers to be a bit cumbersome in that small of a boat, but 10 footers were just fine. With two 8’6″ and two 10′ rods, you have a lot of options. You can run four boards, four longlines or two boards and two longlines. Most of the time, with those four rods, I would hook the 8’6″ rods to planer boards and run the 10 footers straight off each side. Nice thing about that set up, is that you won’t have to worry about “shuffling” boards if you get hit on your outside rod. You can just quickly reel in the ten footer on that side, or as you get more experience, leave it in and work your one board in around it. The other nice thing is if an inside rod gets hit, you just pick it up and reel it in. No board to fight or unclip, which makes trolling a little more fun. I’ve found the Okuma Deadeye rods to be perfect for this application. And a great value as well! Either way, as you get more and more into trolling, I’m sure you’ll end up with a lot more than four rods. Ive got around 20 at this point
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
