Walleye Trolling - Need Gear Help

[drewo]

I am new to going after Walleye and was hoping some of you can set me straight on what I should be doing before I spend any more money on the wrong gear!

I have put in over 30 hours on the water in the last week chasing the eyes' mostly on Muskegon Lake. I don't have so much as a hit to speak of let alone fish, it is getting pretty frustrating because I know I am doing something wrong, others are getting them and there are plenty of others out there.

I started out trolling body baits on a standard spinning rod as well as dragging lindy rigs with crawlers around. While doing this I noticed I had no idea what depths my baits were running, that seemed like a problem as I thought you want to be down low along the bottom, not on it, just above it.

After trolling around Wed night playing guessing games at how deep I was running I went to a local shop and talked to them. They turned me on to Precision Trolling. Seems like a great reference to have all those depth charts. I also picked up some snap weights to help with the lighter baits the book references. That all led the question on how to know how much line I had out on my spinning gear and they said it's just too hard and I should get some line counter reels. I picked some Okuma Magda Pro 20 counter reels, had 14/6 Fire Line spooled up and mounted them to some Eagle Claw 8' 6' traditional trolling rods. I added two Tite Lock rod holders to the boat and they are near vertical holders. Went out tonight and tried the new setup.

Here is what I would like to clarify after my experiences....

Am I going overkill on those 8'6' Eagle Claw rods? It seems that when I put them in my rod holders and let the line out that they may 'pulled' the bait to the surface. At times I would reel them in only to find them dragging behind me very near surface with weeds on it. I would get some succesfull trolls where the bait stayed down but it just seemed by looking at it that the lines fought with the tall rods sitting near vertical.

If anyone would help me with info the proper gear and methods to troll these body baits I would sure appreciate it. I have even considered booking with a local charter here as a means of getting going right. Any thoughts you all have are greatly appreciated I don't want to waste time and do things wrong with no hope of catching fish because of my errors.

[slowpoke]

That's what I would do. If you were over here near the Sag Bay I would help. Tell the local charter that you need help and that is why you are booking with him. It's the best way to shorten the learning curve that I know of.

[WALLEYE MIKE]

I use 8ft rods with Accudepth 17 or 27 reels.

[funlund]

just my .02 but first i would check the line counters. measure out 100ft with a tape measure and see if the counters are correct. if your doing a 50/50 you know it's right then.

[slowpoke]

drewo Walleye Trolling - Need Gear Help

What are you looking for?

I will be selling some fishing stuff including 4 linecounters with rods.

[Fishbomb]

The 8' 6" Eagle Claws are fine for rods that you want to put in rod holder but for night trolling you want a rod you can hold too. Using Fireline on linecounter you should use a rod that has a stiff butt section but a pretty limber upper third. That is because Fireline will not stretch and you need a more forgiving tip section to absorb some of the strike. With no stretch line you can miss fish that pull the hooks out. You don't need to sweep set the hook either just a little wrist snap will work fine. I like a 6' 6'' one piece rod but a 6' is good too. You can find a rod like this at Wal-Mart or someplace like that for as little as $10. $15 to $20 is what you will probably spend though. By holding the rod you accomplish 2 things. You want to slowly sweep the rod forward about 2 ft (not super fast, just faster than you're moving) and then slowly let it back and repeat continually. This will impart some action to the crankbait and trigger strikes. Also you can feel the fibration of your lure and can tell if it is running properly and not been fouled with a weed or some perch or goby. If you're marking alot of fish say 2-3 ' off the bottom you want to run that bait 1 to 4 ft above them. Consult you PT book for the proper length of line out to run your lure at that depth at the speed your trolling. I would put those Eagle Claws out on a inline board and run a shallow running stickbait off one that has a nice wobble and a rattle, and a shallow running crank with the same features off the other. Good luck, hope it helps.

[Oldgrandman]

The sportsmans connection CD gives a lot of the where how and when on lakes and has good maps and data. But I have found mistakes with it.
Gear is a matter of what your comfortable with, I like 7+ foot rods with a little bit of a soft tip, mono line, use line counters and spinning reels. I mainly troll cranks, hanging onto a rod most of the time working the bait some. Can feel what the lure is doing hanging onto a rod.
Get to know how your lures run and concentrate on a spot and you'll get into them eventually.
Thats my .02 for ya...

[Blueump]

I am new to going after Walleye and was hoping some of you can set me straight on what I should be doing before I spend any more money on the wrong gear!

After trolling around Wed night playing guessing games at how deep I was running I went to a local shop and talked to them. They turned me on to Precision Trolling.


Welcome to the wonderful world of walleye trolling! I'm thrilled you've found our book already and are making good use of it. Don't ignore the first part of the book, before the charts. That will help you in setting up your rods & reel, and making sure your line counters are accurate.

Another suggestion is to make sure you have good electronics working for you. Without a good sonar, you have no idea if you are hitting the specific water that holds the fish. You also can't be assured that the fish are "on the bottom" or if they are suspended at the thermocline level. As you said, you don't want to put your lures beneath them, and a good fish finder can make sure you know where to fish.

You didnt mention if you were using planer boards or not. One reason many anglers fail to catch as many fish as other anglers on the same lake is that they try to troll directly behind the boat. Inline planer boards enable you to avoid spooking the fish by getting your bait out from behind the boat. The Offshore yellow boards I think have the best quality.

I also personally do prefer to use rod holders, and not hold them in my hand. There is no need to "feel the bit" of a walleye; the speed of the boat will usually keep them hooked much better than if you try to set the hook with a rod in your hand. I prefer the Bert's Custom Tackle holders that have the ratcheting system, making them easier to adjust, and the tracks make them easier to remove if I'm fishing another way.

If you have other specific questions feel free to PM me, or email me paul@fishing411.net, or even directly email Mark mark@precisionangling.com. We're always happy to help out newbies!

[Bluegill]

With all things being the same, the higher you raise your rod tip the higher your lure it will ride. To get your bait to run lower, lower your rod tip. Also trolling too fast will cause your bait to run high.

A pole holder is fine for weedless open water. But I like to troll holding my pole in my hand. It also allows me to get the feel of my lure. Then when my lure picks up a weed I know can feel the difference.

Also the color of your lure has an effect. I have caught them using a silver spinner, but most have been caught on gold spinners or something with orange on it.

Bluegill

[ALLEYES]

If you are trolling Muskegon Lake after dark with cranks or sticks it is CRITICAL that you hold on to your fishing pole. If not you will miss alot of the light strikers and not know when your bait is fowled.

[crossneyes]

without a doubt when fishing at night you need to feel the bite.also i would not recomend a cheap rod for this type of fishing.buy a high quality 6ft baitcasting rod and a good linecounter reel.you are on the right path with the p.t. book it is a must when trolling.i can tell you from experience that a 10 pound eye at night can feel like you just ticked a weed.i would also tell you to spool with a low stretch mono,fire line is ok but it is also easy to pull hooks free on a lightly hooked fish.keep on trying,it will all come together soon.

[Westlakedrive]

If your rod holders are vertical it sounds like you were not back far enough. Thats why your lures were on the surface.
How far back were you running your lures?
Also if you do hold your rods to start pick a run along a break line and run it while holding onto your rod manipulating your depths as you go. Figure out where you want to be bump bottom and crank them back up a few turns. do this a few times get the run down then its easily expanded on with more lines and planer boards etc.

[ManxFishing]

If you’re straight lining.
The rod holders need to be Hor. not Vert.
The amount of line out to get at a certain depth all starts when the line enters the water (surface)
If your rods are Vert. in holders there's allot of line out before it enters the water.
You could use planner boards with the vert. rod holders to solve that or guess how much line is above the surface and let that much more line out.

If you’re marking fish
I myself like to troll 2'-4' above them
If you don't have a fish finder. I'd start with one lure in the middle of the
water column and then one a foot or two above the bottom.

[brdhntr]

Also, be sure your crankbaits are tuned properly. Should be info on that in the PT book. An improperly tuned crank will often pop back up to the surface.

[Oldgrandman]

Also, be sure your crankbaits are tuned properly. Should be info on that in the PT book. An improperly tuned crank will often pop back up to the surface.

:yeahthat: This is a major yeah that!

If a lure runs untrue your really gonna be screwed up. Always check the lure especially after netting one.
My method is to run the lure just under the surface alongside of the boat, and if I can rip it forward without it going off to the side and flipping, its good to go.
BTW, I think it is crucial to hang on to one of the allowed rods for many reasons. Some already mentioned, some not.

[drewo]

Wow, what a great batch of responses. I appreciate the community stepping up and helping a new guy out!

Been fishing a lot lately. Killed some bluegills the other night on North Lake here in Twin Lake just to know I could still catch some fish! Had 2 more nights on Muskegon since I last checked in here and nothing. Tonight we went out and due to mechanical issues we were stuck fishing near the old Standard Oil tanks. I trolled a Smithwicks, Rattlin' Rogue and had a couple of undeniable hits and landed one Sheepshead. I was so pumped when that thing hit I just prayed it was an eye, you can imagine my disappointment but it sure did beat getting skunked!

I ended up running my 9.9 Merc 4 stroke without the thrust washer (STUPID!!) and it ran like hell and made some crazy noises. I needed a new prop anyway and the motor housing seems like it only has minor rub so I am praying everything is ok and not going to cause further problems! The last two days has not gone well with Murphy's Law and that motor, it's a great little motor but I could do no right in trying to install a hydrofoil and prop!

Back to the fishing, I did end up booking a night with Fishmas Charters, we go out Friday night. He suggested we give White Lake a try and says they are doing well there. I plan on booking a trip on Muskegon with one of you guys from the board that has helped out as well. I figure a few trips is like going to classes, nothing wrong with using multiple outlets to learn.

I did suspect as some of you mentioned the rod holders should not be vertical and I have since changed it along with returning my two Eagle Claw rods, I exchanged all that for two more Okuma Magda 20's and plan on taking your advise and hitting Wally World or Meijer to find (4) nice cheap rods for the trolling rigs. I also intend on getting the planer boards as well. Then we can run all four lines with two guys. Keep one in the hand and one in the holder...

I do feel like I am getting there and am taking everyone's advise on how to best approach this. The gear is the most important thing I don't want to get wrong, I just can't afford to get the wrong stuff only to have to get it again so your quick help allowed me to exchange the 'wrong stuff' I already bought, so thanks very much.

[drewo]

I did want to mention that on Saturday night when trolling from Snug Harbor to Pointe Marine just as we hit the drop off approaching Pointe we noticed a massive school of baitfish on the Sonar, they started once we hit 40ft and we immediately started marking an equally large school of predators enjoying dinner... Tried like crazy to drag those crankbaits through it all but had no luck. Perhaps they had to much of the real thing around whatever it was.

[ALLEYES]

Keep at it ....you will get there.

And always remember, it is called "fishing" for a reason. You have to develop a program that works for you and one that you have confidence in.:cool:

[ManxFishing]

I did want to mention that on Saturday night when trolling from Snug Harbor to Pointe Marine just as we hit the drop off approaching Pointe we noticed a massive school of baitfish on the Sonar, they started once we hit 40ft and we immediately started marking an equally large school of predators enjoying dinner... Tried like crazy to drag those crankbaits through it all but had no luck. Perhaps they had to much of the real thing around whatever it was.

Sounds like your getting close
I'd troll right threw the middle of the bait fish myself

Now you need to play with the speed (about 2 mph)
try a little slower and then faster
And then work on the color (change them out if your not catching fish)

Make sure you only use a snap (no swivel) on the line
You get a better action on the lure that way

[drewo]

I feel like I am getting close, I may try tonight again if I can get out there. Got the parts for the motor I needed along with a new prop.

I have never seen just a 'snap' minus the swivel... I will try and grab some from the bait shop before I head out. Now that you say that, it makes sense that a swivel could inhibit action on the lure. Seems the swivel would be rotating alot of the action away. Thanks for the tip.