trolling speed

trolling speed (Full Version)

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parker31 -> trolling speed (6/18/2008 4:24:52 PM)
guys what is the right trollong speeds under most conditions when trolling with dipsys and boards

Carpet Bagger -> RE: trolling speed (6/18/2008 4:42:04 PM)
It really depends...One guy will tell you one thing another will say another....Its really dependant on what baits you are fishing and to what species... Personally I dont like to pull dipsys with harnesses over 2mph. Generally im from 1.7-2.0 on average. Some days they want it a little faster but generally under 2.0mph. Harnesses are my go to weapon to load the boat with walleyes....and for the past 10 or so years I have been very successful with this method and trolling speed...But thats just one guys opinion... Spoons and plugs are a whole different ball of wax and require a little faster speed to get the full action or dive curve out of them. IF I am pulling plugs or spoons I try to stay over 2mph...Some of the newer spoons are designed to be pulled at lower speeds as well, others (like Stinger) get full action over 2mph. Its really a choice...pay attention when you make turns and get hits on which rod takes fish...inside rods are slower, outside rods are faster, on the turns...Noticing these small details allow you to catch more fish.

ShutUpNFish -> RE: trolling speed (6/18/2008 5:46:29 PM)
CB is right, you get varying feedback from different people. Due to my background as a muskie fisherman, I like to troll faster to cover more water not that 1mph is that much a difference, but its kind of in my nature. In the early spring, I try to keep my speed just around 2 and under, if I can keep it there....BUT Once things heat up for the walleye, in the summer, I generally never go under 2 mph. and rarely exceed 3. These speeds have been successful for me whether running cranks, harnesses or spoons. Bottom line is this: Don't try to turn it all into "rocket science", just get out there and experiment and you will find what works best for you. Good Luck

MuskyMastr -> RE: trolling speed (6/18/2008 10:59:43 PM)
Ditto those two, 2.2 is about my max with harnesses, I like to stay around 1.9 but that is all relative to water conditions. You should pick up less junk fish the faster you troll. If I find myself dragging a lot of white perch, white bass or goats around I usually bump the speed just a hair. Shut, I think I might be the last musky fisherman on earth that doesn't subscribe to the 6 mph theory. A lot of the plugs I like to troll (which I hate in the first place) just don't run well that fast.

Indian Summer -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 9:59:25 AM)
A simple question...... I've chased hundreds of muskies and once things heat up we usually run around 4.5 to 5 mph. They will hit at a slower speed but to cover the ground to find them is the key. The question is..... for CB and all the harness guys (which I am) Once I've found a pac of eyes and am no longer concerned about covering ground, can I go too slow with Dipsies and harnesses? If you musky guys want a crank to troll at ANY speed try the Wiley Lure's. I've caught skis on Chautauqua at 11 mph!

leadmen -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 10:26:45 AM)
if your trying to pull harness with dips no faster than 1.5 max 1.7 spoons with dips or plugs you can pull no faster than 3.5max a good speed is 2.5 when its in late july cold front down to 2.3 mph i will run a shallow shad rap or use spoons like scorps now i would use med to large wtr/mln good gold good copper confusion sometime boy /grl if you lookin for steelies the trick is fast chart/ deep purples some time oranges /reds just standerd colors

Carpet Bagger -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 10:31:57 AM)
Once you have a group of fish and have them keyed in on depth, speed, and colors should only take a few passes to fill the cooler...lol So why slow down?? Just keep circling and taking fish. If its rough pull rods and go back through it. I try to never go over 2mph when pulling harnesses. 1.7- 2.0 is my speed... Once I have em dialed in it seems as though you can do very little wrong. Just pay attention to your electronics and your rods...Do i think you can go too fast?...Absolutly...to slow?...You betcha!...Speed is a key issue that needs to be addressed before you even think about what color harnesses your are running...Once you dial in depth and speed you can then worry about color, but as i have always stated I have about 10 colors that i can run almost anyday and catch fish with great results, and i try to not confuse myself beyond that.... If you have 500 different harnesses, thats good for you. But when will you ever be able to utilize that entire color scheme?? If you have 5 or 10 go to colors that always seem to work for your with consistant results, stick to your guns...dont confuse yourself....sometimes these walleyes can become very elusive, thats what makes them such a prized game fish....

MuskyMastr -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 11:05:53 AM)
Indian Summer, I like the wileys, but am partial to another Ellwood City made bait. Jimmy lures, he quit making them a few years back, but rumor has it that he is going to make a comeback soon. They troll well also. P.S. Trolling sucks.

Indian Summer -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 11:41:13 AM)
MM..... I am familiar with the Jimmy lures. How about the Leo Lures? They are top quality too with first class paint jobs and they run great..... and they're also made by a heck of a nice guy out of Ellwood city. He makes an awesome jerkbait too since trolling isn't your bag. I do both depending on what they want. You can't cast for the BIG muskies in St Clair or the St Lawrence. In the Kawarthas however I've casted up hundreds of them. Chautauqua too but the biggest are still caught trolling. I once heard a person say that sitting in a tree stand is like a day off. Try it from sunup to sundown even in nice weather and let me know how you feel. Same with trolling. I've heard some say trolling is for lazy people. I say this.... if you completely rule out trolling for muskies or say you hate it.... you probably just did it the lazy way or never quite got good at it. Same goes for the people who only or mostly drift for walleyes. Trolling is a science and once you take the time to get technical it will produce and you will like it. I can recall a St Clair trip about 4 years ago. We had 4 boats up for a week and caught 287 muskies of which 15 were over 50 inches. All trolling. I had a friend from Canada who took 1st place at the first ever PMTT tourney at Cave Run. Everyone down there is a modified bass guy. They all cast. My buddy and I were the only two boats trolling. He got 7 the first day. The following morning we laughed at the glittery Ranger boat guys who were in the Wal Mart parking lot by our hotel screwing rod holders into their gunnels. All we could think is...if they think trolling is throwing a rod in a holder & driving around man do they have alot to learn. Casting? Trolling? Every dog has it's day but I don't see me casting Erie for walleyes either but the river fisherman love it. After that some of the guides down there, Gregg Thomas, Crash Mullins etc. had Dale Wiley & Todd Young (PMTT Top Guns) go down to teach them to troll. LOL During that trip Gregg caught a 50+ which was his personal best and he'd fished the lake for a lifetime before that.....all casting. Oh yeah.... I'm on a walleye thread. woops

MuskyMastr -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 12:18:11 PM)
Make no mistake, I know exactly how many big muskies are caught trolling, and I do my fair share of it depending on the water I am fishing. If I had my choice I would do it casting. The Leo Lures are great. The thing I don't like about his jerk baits is that there is too much wood and not enough hooks. They raise a ton of fish, I throw almost exclusively jerkbaits, and happen to like all the ones I throw to have 3 sets of trebles. My favorite jerkbaits were/ are the muskie hunter that windell use to make.

chipmunk -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 1:37:04 PM)
Not to mess with everyones speed theories, but I remember the first time I ever tried trolling for eyes on erie we hadn't had a bite until I accidentally bumped the throttle. The speed changed knocked me over and by the time I caught my balance and slowed the engine back down 2 of the 4 rods went down. We limited out in about 2 hours trolling 4-5mph when no one else was catching them. Both harnesses and spoons were working at that speed. It's tough on your gear but if you arent hitting them at normal speeds don't be afraid to speed up.

Carpet Bagger -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 1:49:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: chipmunk Not to mess with everyones speed theories, but I remember the first time I ever tried trolling for eyes on erie we hadn't had a bite until I accidentally bumped the throttle. The speed changed knocked me over and by the time I caught my balance and slowed the engine back down 2 of the 4 rods went down. We limited out in about 2 hours trolling 4-5mph when no one else was catching them. Both harnesses and spoons were working at that speed. It's tough on your gear but if you arent hitting them at normal speeds don't be afraid to speed up. When whas this??? 5mph........sounds like you were calling up tuna...lol

Dream Catcher -> RE: trolling is an art. (6/20/2008 2:00:36 PM)
Were you going by the speed on your GPS or fishfinder ? Using dipsys , bottom bouncers ? There are alot of variables here ..... Trolling is not as easy as one might surmise . Trolling with weights oppossed to divers is a whole different ball game . Divers tend to run an even dive curve while your weighted presentations are entirely speed dependant in relation to depth of your lure .

Carpet Bagger -> RE: trolling is an art. (6/20/2008 2:03:36 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Dream Catcher Were you going by the speed on your GPS or fishfinder ? Using dipsys , bottom bouncers ? There are alot of variables here ..... Trolling is not as easy as one might surmise . Trolling with weights oppossed to divers is a whole different ball game . Divers tend to run an even dive curve while your weighted presentations are entirely speed dependant in relation to depth of your lure . I dont know if you could even crank a dipsy down to hold at 5mph let alone release it once you get a strike.......Im pondering the speed in question here as well as you DC.

Dream Catcher -> RE: trolling is an art. (6/20/2008 2:14:49 PM)
When I have an inexperienced guy running the motor once they hit 3 MPH the dipsys release themselves ..... That makes for a long day .

Storm Warning 2 -> RE: trolling is an art. (6/20/2008 3:35:21 PM)
4 to 5 mph seems more like trolling for Tuna... However, that may be possible if you were going into the waves. It is unltimately all about "down speed". What is the speed that they want at depth, you need a depth probe to calculate this. My best luck on 'eyes has been from 1.9 to 2.3 at the ball, sometimes as high as 2.5, crank it up from 2.3 to 3 at the ball for the chromers in open water. DC if your divys are tripping at 3, you may want to tighten your tension screw a bit.

Carpet Bagger -> RE: trolling is an art. (6/20/2008 3:49:38 PM)
3mph seems fast in all aspects...even for steel...Underwater currents can reek a little havoc on your baits, but usually a lil jump in speed on a turn will usually compensate for that....If the underwater currents are that strong, i dont think you would want to turn around anyways.... under 2 for eyes with harnesses, under 3 for steel with spoons...lol thats an easy equation.

Storm Warning 2 -> RE: trolling is an art. (6/20/2008 3:53:54 PM)
Yeah, but how fast is that bait moving on the outside of a turn??? I'd bet you are pushing 3 or over a lot of the time... The worst is Salmon fishing at the Niagara Bar, there are some CRAZY underwater currents there. This spring I had it going into the surface current (waves) so against it going 3.7 GPS but my down speed was only 1.9, to get it to "salmon speed" I had to go 4.5 GPS!!!

X-KUZ-ME -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 4:14:16 PM)
FYI 4-5 mph is to slow for tuna's try 6-7 ...wahoo we have caught over 9-10 mph dolphins ( MahiMahi) is a good bet at 4-5 mph

chipmunk -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 10:25:43 PM)
Sounds crazy but yes the gps said 5mph! Mid summer last year. Noone believed me when I talked about it at walnut afterwards. I was using jet divers at the time so no releasing to be done. (Yes I know I was crazy trying to run 4 jet divers at once, but I had no experence at the time) I did break a rod on a strike, but those rods werent actually good trolling rods so...idk. I haven't ever gone quite that fast again and you probably shouldn't either. But the moral of the story is to try a lil faster sometimes if they aren't hitting slower presentations. Maybe something like 3

leadmen -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 10:38:08 PM)
yes you were going 5 mph but with the flow of the lake you can pick up a 2-5 or a 2/7 under tow and on gps will read a 5mph or faSTER you were in a under tow you can see most under tows at a bio map or a current or will see a thermal cline thus if u fill the boat going faster and as soon as your lures or ball or dips hit it you can see the differeance best to look for thermalclines this time of year set up will be at 38 ft or so pending on wheather front do not know if that is what u mean but that is what happend to you if you have any questions ill dirrect you to a gov site that will show a good schm of such

chipmunk -> RE: trolling speed (6/20/2008 10:55:35 PM)
I didn't quite follow that but I'll take your word for it! So guys I guess I may have not really been going 5. Whatever

ShutUpNFish -> RE: trolling speed (6/21/2008 12:16:39 AM)
Do you know Jimmy? I sure do. Jim Housholder. Him and my dad are good friends and I'm close with the family. The Jimmy Lure will out work any plug, but no faster than 3 or 4 mph. The lips and the erratic action cannot hold up to the speed. If you you are a troller who won't speed up to 5mph then they are perfect for you. Also, do not anticipate them coming on the scene anytime soon, because they are not. Jimmy is retired now and focusing on fishing local lakes for walleye and panfish. Did you know that he has made some awesome walleye lures as well? Yes....I still catch many Erie walleye on them still, until they sh!t the bed on me that is. Leos are good lures, but Wileys are pretty hard to beat. When are you going to acknowledge my rips Joe!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????? P.s.- don't troll too slow with Dipsys......or you lose 'em!

MuskyMastr -> RE: trolling speed (6/21/2008 4:38:31 AM)
Jim and I are related. Although I haven't seen him in a few years. Word was circulating through the family that he might start making a few again. Doesn't matter much to me, I have 3 boxes full of them.

ShutUpNFish -> RE: trolling speed (6/21/2008 6:41:46 AM)
MuskyM, I'm headed up to Tamarack this morning for some muskie action. Where are you from? We should hook up sometime and stir up the water!

dublvision -> RE: trolling speed (6/21/2008 10:58:39 AM)
They were probably hitchhikers and the speed surge finally made your poles bend enough so you could see em.

ShutUpNFish -> RE: trolling speed (6/21/2008 6:45:34 PM)
Lost two skis today...one was a definite 45+ trolling up to make another drift....Wild when they hit while the pole in hand! Raised 9 other fish....nothing under 35 to 38. Action packed day out on the water.

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