trolling lines and reels…

Am interested in what size/type line and rod/ reels that people use for trolling cranks. Whats your oppinion on fine leaders to prevent nicks/mussels/bite offs. Thanks Hybes

Hybes, lots of choices here…….I’ll break it down to 3 trolling methods…..1. Open water trolling 2. Countour trolling 3. Leadcore trolling…….here it goes.

In open water when using in-line boards I like 10 lb. Berkley XT (green), a 5500 or 6500 C3 Abu Garcia Ambassador (line counters are nice also), Fenwick Eglass downrigger rods 8 foot.

For contour trolling I like 10/4 Berkley Fireline (smoke), an Abu Garcia 5600 C3, and a Berkley Lighting rod (Gary Roach model 8’6″)

For leadcore I like an Abu Garcia 7000CL with 10 colors of lead and a Vanish florocarbon leader, on a Berkley Lightning rod (7’10” Gary Roach model)

As far as leaders go, Vanish is some tough stuff and since it is Florocarbon it is hard for the fish to see. I use the 15lb test leader material and it seems to combat those pesky zeebs pretty well.

Good luck.

Eric Naig

Hybes,

Eric had some great suggestions for you and a good staring point on rods and reels. I would like to add Spiderwire Braid to the list of lines. The 30lb test 6lb diameter line is basically the only line I use on Lake Pepin and the Mississippi river on pool 4. This line will with stand the zebra mussels better than any other line I have fished with on pool 4. There is very few instances were I would use a different line. Exceptions would be, very shallow water trolling while trying to keep bigger cranks up out of the rocks. I will go to a heavier lb test mono some times to accomplish the lift and depth I am wanting to run the bait. In most cases I will just run a smaller, shallower running bait and stick with the Spider Wire. This helps keep the pocket book in good shape not loseing snagged baits. For more information on Spiderwire, check out my product reveiw Spiderwire Braid

For reels I prefer the Diawa line counter reels. This reel is a must when pulling plugs in my book. This will rule out all the guess work of how many passes you will have to let out on your reel and so on. You will always know how much line you have out. With experience you will know how much line to have out to reach a certain depth on the particular plug you are trolling with.

Rods you can not go wrong with St Croix. They come highly recomended by many users on this board, including myself!

I’m pretty much on the same page as Eric and Dustin. I’d just add that it is a good idea to buy your river trolling Rod & Reel set ups in pairs. A matching set is very usefull on the river where you generally troll 2 lines per person. With 2 guys in the boat, I like having 2 – 8 1/2 foot rods and 2 – 6 foot rods, all with matching reels. You can flat line all four rods or run boards off the 8.5 footers. Works very well and matching sets keeps everything running smooth.

J.

Dustin, are you running boards on Pepin? lead line, long line, snap weights, three ways, bottom bouncers or all the above? Oh yea I forgot…..if the answer to any of the above is yes…….When?

Jon, Your combination of 2 – 8 1/2 foot rods and 2 – 6 foot rods is great. Last year I went from that combination to 2 – 10 foot rods and 2 – 8 1/2 foot rods and really like it for running four boards or four lines off the boat.

Eric, You mention the 7’10” Gary Roach model for lead core. I fish lead core alot and at the worst times (usally during tournements), find it hard to get the big fish to/in the boat. Do you have any advice on this?

Zim,

The 7’10” GR Lightning Rod is a little stiffer than the 8’6″ model. I like the slightly heavier action for leadcore fishing so I can “read” the baits better (it shows bait wiggling).

Whenever I’m trolling, I like to keep the rod angle the same as the when the fish bit. In other words if the fish hits the starboard side rod, I simply take the rod from the rod holder and start cranking with the rod remaining on the starboard side in a similar position where the fish was hooked. No hook set or change in the rod angle (lifting the rod to above your head versus horizontal with the water).

Take your time with big fish and don’t pump the rod when your reelin the big girls in……..slack line is bad!

Hope this makes sense………I would be a heck of alot easier to show you how I fight the fish than to write about it.

Hope this helps

Good Luck.

Eric Naig

Just my 2 cents, I use St Croix rods and Daiwa line counters, along with Spiderwire Braid….on the Mississippi River. I have tried rigging coated wire and numerous lines to avoid being frayed off by the zebies and clams, and have found Spider to be extremely tough without the hassle of wire. I tried 2 other brands of line counters before the Daiwa and was unhappy with the inaccuracy of the mechanism. With Daiwa, I measured the line at home in my yard, and spooled it on, only to find it was less than a foot off from indicated actual length in 150 yards. That’s close enough for me although being able to repeat a pattern is probably more important than actually knowing exactly how far out the lure is running.

Big B,

I do use boards on Pepin and on up in to the river. When doing so I still use the spiderwire. The super lines do not stay on the boards as good as mono. I just wrap them around the clip one more time and usually do not have a problem. I am not an avid board puller. To tell you the truth I do not like to use them. Not being able to see my rod tip vibrate and knowing the crank bait is running true, just drives me up the wall.

As an example, I was on the upper end of the lake one day last fall fishing by myself, casting cranks to the rocks. About every other cast I would have to remove leaves and debris from my crank bait. There was another boat fishing the same area pulling boards. I watched this guy for over an hour and he never once pulled in the boards to check and see if the bait was fouled. I wanted to let this guy know that about 5 minutes after he started trolling the chances of his bait being fouled were about 100%. In other words this guy was just wasting his time when he could have just been flat lining with a longer rod and still been able to keep his eye on the rod to make sure his bait was running true. Boards do come in very handy and should have a place in everyones fishing arsenal. The only time I get serious with boards is when nothing else is putting fish in the boat, and of course for open water trolling.

I have to agree with pretty much everything pertaining to the reels and line. Rods can be a personal preference I seem to htink that each person becomes “trained ” in how his or hers rod action looks. Some rods are easier then others, Irecommend experimenting with a couple different lengths, makes, and models. Remember these rods dont have to be ultrsa sensitive , expensive,or look like a million bucks, just as long as you can read them . I’ve been “testing” a new line that seems to be indestructible and will change peoples perspective on superlines, its called P-Line and is made by california firm. You will be hearing more about this later, but in the mean time go out and buy a spool, its awesome for ice rods!!!!!!

Hybes,

I troll on the river or lakes. I have two of the Daiwa LCW-27 (walleye model) reels and they have worked super. I want 2 more. They have plenty of cranking power. Clicker on the drag can is useful at night. Large spools hold alot of line.

About $90 each if I remember right. Made for trolling though-not casting.

i like fire line for trolling. you can get it in small diameters and it’s still pretty strong.i like line counter reels they work nice all around for long lineing and for three waying. but with the line counters it takes some experimenting to get the right amount of line out for certian depths.

The Okuma Magda DX 20’s sell for $69.00, and are very servicable. They are 2 ball bearing drive, and also have the clicker for night trolling and cat fishing. I am going to do a product review on line counters in the coming months. These reels are gaining a lot of popularity both on the Great Lakes, as well as the River. Match these up with a 7.5′ St. Croix Surf cast, or Glass trolling rod, and you got a combo that can’t be beat!

Tuck