how fast to troll
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What are you trolling for Taff? I've done some close in trolling for bass around rocky coastline with some pretty experienced bass fishermen and been told by them that one to two knots is a pretty good speed - they also reckoned if you're catching a lot of stuff on your lure other than bass it can sometimes help to speed up just enough so that the slower fish can't easily catch the lure but still slow enough to allow the bass to strike. Maybe someone else has a few ideas on this?
Be carefull if you are using the gps for your speed when trolling. The GPS gives you the speed over the ground, not what you want. It is the speed through the water that matters. For example you are going against a 4 knot tide at 2 knots over the ground, your speed through the water would be 6 knots. You have to ballance the current with the speed you want and decide which direction in relation to the flow that you need to troll. Quite a difficult thing to do at the speeds you want for trolling.
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Now that you mention it MarieK we did catch quite a few pollack. The lure we were mainly using was the black & silver Rapala sliver which was about 13cm long.MarieK said:I have done a fair bit of trolling for pollack along rocky coastlines - using a red gill lure it can be a deadly technique - 1 - 2 knots sounds about right to me, unless of course you are going after some blue marlin
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We've done plenty of pollacking with the sliver, doing 3-5mph on the sounder. I don't quite get the bit about ground speed, surely the satellites are tracking your speed inclusive of any current?? Please explain, am I just being thick??
The water is moving so if you are going against the current you may only show 2mph over the ground, if there is a 6 mph current the boat has to do 6 mph to stand still relative to the ground. The speedo on your FF would show 8mph but the GPS would show 2mph. A fish would have to do 8mph to catch your lure.
If you are drifting with the current the GPS would show your speed as 6mph over the ground, your FF would show 0mph as that is measuring your speed through the water.
When trolling a lure it is the speed through the water that matters so a speed reading from a GPS is not mutch use unless it is slack water, or you are trolling at 90 degrees to the current.
If you are drifting with the current the GPS would show your speed as 6mph over the ground, your FF would show 0mph as that is measuring your speed through the water.
When trolling a lure it is the speed through the water that matters so a speed reading from a GPS is not mutch use unless it is slack water, or you are trolling at 90 degrees to the current.
I must say first of all I don't own a boat at the moment. I understand the point with regard to the tidal effect and that GPS measures your speed by measuring your position between two points. Lets say I am heading into a tide which is running at 4 knots, my boat speedo tells me I am doing 6 knots, thereover over the ground I am doing 2 knots.
The important bit must be the speed through water. A silly example. I am in a tide of 50 knots. To stand still over the ground I must be doing a boat speed through the water of 50 knots. Fish can,t swim at 50 knots, so there is no point trolling.
Have I got it right ChrisP
Fred
The important bit must be the speed through water. A silly example. I am in a tide of 50 knots. To stand still over the ground I must be doing a boat speed through the water of 50 knots. Fish can,t swim at 50 knots, so there is no point trolling.
Have I got it right ChrisP
Fred
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well it would be spot on, except 20 years ago commercial Bass fishermen used to "stem the tide" in the Portland race where they were motoring quite hard and using 50lb class boat rods with 2lb + of lead to take the redgill down.
I guess that there the Bass are either in shelter behind a reef ledge/ sharp edge of a bank - and dash out to intercept this lure wich is hardly creeping past them, but they had to go acros a 5 knot current to hit it or the Bass were going with the current and would snatch the lure in passing (either with a high closing speed or by suddenly turning into the tide for just a moment and swimming as hard as they could)
What do you reckon ?
I guess that there the Bass are either in shelter behind a reef ledge/ sharp edge of a bank - and dash out to intercept this lure wich is hardly creeping past them, but they had to go acros a 5 knot current to hit it or the Bass were going with the current and would snatch the lure in passing (either with a high closing speed or by suddenly turning into the tide for just a moment and swimming as hard as they could)
What do you reckon ?
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I must be getting ratty in my old age!!
I have heard rumours that the larger Bass carry VASCAR radar speed detector guns so they can check out accurately the speed of aproaching red gills, so I can really see the point of checking ones trolling speed with a GPS.
My goodness I often wonder how we old 'uns ever managed to catch a bloody fish at all back in the dark ages.
The idea is to make your lure look natural as it goes through the water. If you are pushing with a 3 knt tide and add another couple of knts to that with your engine your over the GROUND speed will be 5knts. However to a fish in the water holding it's nose into the current as they do in a tide way your lure will saunter past him at about 2 knts AND LOOK NATURAL. Turn round and try to go at 2 knts over the ground into the 3 knt current and you will have to put the boats speed up to 5 kts and the prey fish will suddenly be overtaken by a sandeel clocking along at a speed sandeels don't swim at apart from the odd burst to escape.
I was told as a lad and have always followed this advice... When trolling for Bass & Pollock always go with the current with just enough speed to get the lure to work. When you get to the end of the patch you are fishing, lines up turn round and beetle back to fish once again with the current on the next run.
Afishionado
I have heard rumours that the larger Bass carry VASCAR radar speed detector guns so they can check out accurately the speed of aproaching red gills, so I can really see the point of checking ones trolling speed with a GPS.
My goodness I often wonder how we old 'uns ever managed to catch a bloody fish at all back in the dark ages.
The idea is to make your lure look natural as it goes through the water. If you are pushing with a 3 knt tide and add another couple of knts to that with your engine your over the GROUND speed will be 5knts. However to a fish in the water holding it's nose into the current as they do in a tide way your lure will saunter past him at about 2 knts AND LOOK NATURAL. Turn round and try to go at 2 knts over the ground into the 3 knt current and you will have to put the boats speed up to 5 kts and the prey fish will suddenly be overtaken by a sandeel clocking along at a speed sandeels don't swim at apart from the odd burst to escape.
I was told as a lad and have always followed this advice... When trolling for Bass & Pollock always go with the current with just enough speed to get the lure to work. When you get to the end of the patch you are fishing, lines up turn round and beetle back to fish once again with the current on the next run.
Afishionado
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Predator fish can swim damn fast if they need to. In the US I fished off a boat called"Fish Buster" and they trolled at 10 knots and covered more ground. Hardly UK fishing but you get the point. I have also known of a trout taking a fly that was being trailed behind a motor boat as they were moving back up the loch to do anothere drift, it was reckoned to be doing 15 knots at the time. It is all to do with how the fish are hunting, if they are in small bunches like over a reef then trolling fast will whip through the holding area too quickly. If they are well spread out over banks then a higher speed will cover more ground and still catch. You just need to experiment, start slow and build up. In my experience I have caught using lure while drifting, dead slow tickover and up to 5 knots but more usually 2 knots is best (in my area).
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I needed a masterclass in relative speed. Seriously I did!
I've been struggling with trolling speeds for ages. It was so easy with a Seagull Century Plus and a hand held compass!
I've been struggling with trolling speeds for ages. It was so easy with a Seagull Century Plus and a hand held compass!
In the USA they use a planer to take the lure down to a certain depth, a No 2 planer will hold your lure about 10ft under the surface at 2 / 3 knots, the bigger the No the deeper the planer will dive.
When a fish hits the lure , pressure is taken of the planer & it comes to the surface so you are not fighting the planer as well as the fish.
They are pretty cheap, made of stainless steel & cost about $7 .
The trace length from the planer to the lure wants to be about 20ft or more, too short & some fish will hit the planer , which then will come to the surface & will need to be reseat.
You should be able to buy these direct from any USA fishing outlet on line, or if you know somebody going over get them to bring back a few.:boat:
When a fish hits the lure , pressure is taken of the planer & it comes to the surface so you are not fighting the planer as well as the fish.
They are pretty cheap, made of stainless steel & cost about $7 .
The trace length from the planer to the lure wants to be about 20ft or more, too short & some fish will hit the planer , which then will come to the surface & will need to be reseat.
You should be able to buy these direct from any USA fishing outlet on line, or if you know somebody going over get them to bring back a few.:boat:
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I caught a bass on a surface plug that I'd cast out and was reeling in at speed when the boat was steaming to another mark!It almost pulled the rod out of my hands!I don't know who was more shocked me,the skipper or the bass! The boat was doing 12 knots and I was reeling in pretty quickly so I haven't got a clue how fast we were going!
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Hi mate,
Cascars and myself have done loads of trolling last year and have been very succussful. It makes a great end to a good or bad days fishing resulting in many fish. We have had loads of pollock, bass and a sea trout (which was returned before anyone asks). We find that trolling at 3.5 knots is just the right speed for most of our takes.
But dont forget to either tie down your rods or put them in a rod holder or you could be losing your gear as cascars found out when he lost one of his favourite rods and reels to a very large bass!
Tight lines
Cascars and myself have done loads of trolling last year and have been very succussful. It makes a great end to a good or bad days fishing resulting in many fish. We have had loads of pollock, bass and a sea trout (which was returned before anyone asks). We find that trolling at 3.5 knots is just the right speed for most of our takes.
But dont forget to either tie down your rods or put them in a rod holder or you could be losing your gear as cascars found out when he lost one of his favourite rods and reels to a very large bass!
Tight lines
C
Cascars
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Thanks for reminding everyone Ray about my lost rod (and Bass). We generally troll plugs at about 3 to 3 1/2 kts whether with or against the tide and always get hook-ups, but as Ray said ensure you are holding the rod or put it in a rod holder (not one of those plastic ones though, I almost lost another rod and reel when it snapped as a fish took the lure.
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