Onto something new!

[Robhuntandfish]

Gonna try something new.  Thanks to advice from Treeguy, we are gonna try some trolling. Since I have now mastered the sonar (lol - caught ONE on a sonar a couple weeks ago!) gonna move to something new.  

I have a couple more planers on order to come in and have to install rod holders yet. But in the morn me and a buddy gonna try a planer board and a flat line.  I envision us all tangled up, lines in the motor etc.  But it ought to be a hoot.  

Thanks again Andrew .... I think. Lol.  

 

[grampy]

That's something I haven't done much of either. Good luck to ya buddy, come back and let us know how ya do!

[Robhuntandfish]

Thanks Grampy! I sure will.  expect pics of us with something that looks like the cats in the cradle game... lol with a walleye tied in the middle somewhere. 

[moog5050]

1 hour ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Gonna try something new.  Thanks to advice from Treeguy, we are gonna try some trolling. Since I have now mastered the sonar (lol - caught ONE on a sonar a couple weeks ago!) gonna move to something new.  

I have a couple more planers on order to come in and have to install rod holders yet. But in the morn me and a buddy gonna try a planer board and a flat line.  I envision us all tangled up, lines in the motor etc.  But it ought to be a hoot.  

Thanks again Andrew .... I think. Lol.  

 

Trolling is easy fishing, unless you are the guy constantly changing lures, depths, etc while everyone else waits for you to hand him a rod with a fish on.  lol

[grampy]

6 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Thanks Grampy! I sure will.  expect pics of us with something that looks like the cats in the cradle game... lol with a walleye tied in the middle somewhere. 

Or just a pile of nice walleye, with two smiling faces!  Go get em!  And once you get it all down,  you can tell me how to do it!   

[tommyc50]

trolling is work . I've fished lake Ontario in Rochester for salmon and tuna, bluefish,stripers back in the day most  don't do it cause of the fuel cost . Even on a charter we all lend a hand we had too when a fish is on or multiple fish  bringing the dead lines . helping the guy fighting the fish get in the chair or helping with the harness. I  would go on some boats out in Montauk that specialized in bucktailing stripers w/ wire line it was work the capt would say keep em moving .Moving the bucktail back and forth something like jigging and even trolling bunker spoons got to watch the rod tip to see that the lure is dancing right.Oh and look @ the lures and out riggers/downriggers it aint cheap. Most today prefer to chunk[bait] or jig and drift 

[turkeyfeathers]

4 hours ago, Robhuntandfish said:

Gonna try something new.  Thanks to advice from Treeguy, we are gonna try some trolling. Since I have now mastered the sonar (lol - caught ONE on a sonar a couple weeks ago!) gonna move to something new.  

I have a couple more planers on order to come in and have to install rod holders yet. But in the morn me and a buddy gonna try a planer board and a flat line.  I envision us all tangled up, lines in the motor etc.  But it ought to be a hoot.  

Thanks again Andrew .... I think. Lol.  

 

 

[NFA-ADK]

Good luck, catch the big one!

[DirtTime]

 

Been there done that a few times. These days, no one uses my rods ( yeah I know, waiting for a comment - LOL), not even my open face set ups.

 

 

 

 

As for trolling, never used down-riggers, or the like. Two people fishing, one off one side the other oppisite. The worst part was making turns. Super slow and wide to keep lines right. Used to hammer trout using Christmas tree's that way on some of the smaller lakes in the ADK's.

 

I'm sure you will get the hang of it pretty quick and be hammering the fish Rob.

 

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[The_Real_TCIII]

trolling is work . I've fished lake Ontario in Rochester for salmon and tuna, bluefish,stripers back in the day most  don't do it cause of the fuel cost . Even on a charter we all lend a hand we had too when a fish is on or multiple fish  bringing the dead lines . helping the guy fighting the fish get in the chair or helping with the harness. I  would go on some boats out in Montauk that specialized in bucktailing stripers w/ wire line it was work the capt would say keep em moving .Moving the bucktail back and forth something like jigging and even trolling bunker spoons got to watch the rod tip to see that the lure is dancing right.Oh and look @ the lures and out riggers/downriggers it aint cheap. Most today prefer to chunk[bait] or jig and drift 

How many tuna did you catch in Rochester?!


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[wolc123]

Trolling has its pros and cons.   On the plus side, not needing to detect the strike makes it easier to enjoy a few beers while you are actually fishing.   I find that the ability to detect the strike is the first thing I loose when I get a little alcohol in my system.   Bobber fishing is also good for that.   On the con side, I really don't get to enjoy the fight much of weaker fish (like walleyes), when I take them trolling.  Most of their energy is spent by the time I get the rod out of the rod holder, and bringing them in is just about as much fun as reeling in a chunk of driftwood.   Most of my walleye trolling experience has been on lake Erie in the mid to late summer.  Another problem I have with that is they don't taste as good then.  The meat takes on the flavor of the zoo-plankton that they suspend under.   Those taken near on the bottom in the spring  and early summer taste much better, and getting them on jigs lets me enjoy all of their limited fighting ability.   If I do get any spare time and fuel in the late summer for trolling these days, I prefer salmon on Lake Ontario.   Those taste pretty good and the smaller ones may not be too bad to eat from a health advisory standpoint.  Best of all is that they put up one heck of a fight compared to the late-summer walleyes.

I don't target walleyes too often any more because we eat most of our fish baked, broiled, or grilled and bass are a little better cooked that way because the meat has more oil in it, which keeps it moist through the cooking process.  Bass are also easier for me to locate consistently.  Plus, smallmouth outfight walleyes pound per pound about 4:1, and largemouth about 2:1 and enjoying that fight is the second biggest reason why I fish (just like hunting, meat is always first with this natural born killer).   Most of the walleyes we catch now are taken by accident while bass fishing.   There is nothing wrong with an occasional fish fry however, and the walleyes are a lot better for that.  I am always thankful when a few of those "accidents" occur.   Bass gets a bad wrap on the table because most folks have no clue how to handle the meat (much like is the case with venison).  As long as the bass are kept fresh and alive, until they are processed, they taste great.  A good livewell, is your best friend for that.  You can not get away with tossing a whole bass in a cooler on ice all day like you can with walleye or perch.  They get very "fishy" tasting if you do that.  Vacuum sealing and freezing keeps the bass fillets tasting "fresh caught" up to a year.                  

[turkeyfeathers]

6 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

How many tuna did you catch in Rochester?!


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Technically sheephead are deemed Lake Erie tuna 

[wolc123]

3 hours ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Technically sheephead are deemed Lake Erie tuna 

Sheephead's fighting ability is comparable to walleye.  Their style is a bit different, typically staying deep and swimming in circles, without that characteristic "head shake" that denotes a walleye, or the immediate vertical rise that indicates a smallmouth bass.  They would probably be stronger if they had a little more meat on them.  They are kind of like bears in that respect.  Maybe 15 % of their body weight is usable meat.   Before I was married, I use to take the future wife down to a hunting camp that I belonged to, with my boat and truck camper, every so often in the summer.  The only food we ever took was some onions and bag of potatoes.  We were completely dependent on fish that we could catch out of Lake Erie for protein.   

All but one time, we caught plenty of bass.  The guys who stayed in the cabin down there would always come out in the evenings and join us for campfire baked bass and potatoes.    That time when we could not find any bass, I kept what I thought was plenty of sheephead, maybe (6) 2-3 pounders.   When I filleted them, I could not believe how little meat they had on them.    Fortunately, the guys from the cabin turned up their noses and stayed away when they saw I was cleaning sheephead.   There was just barely enough meat there for the wife and I.   I can not recall if they tasted any different than the bass, but I have not had to eat any since that time, almost 20 years ago.   

[Buckmaster7600]

Trolling is a slippery slope. Once you get hooked just open your wallet and dump it out. Some days it will drive you nuts and some days you’ll think any idiot can do it.

My best advice is to pay attention. Any idiot can drive around a lake slow and catch an occasional fish. I am extremely anal when it comes to details, every leader is the same length and lb test. I know how far behind the ball/board every lure is. There’s a note pad on my dash that is constantly getting notes written in it.

The key to trolling is repeatability. When you get a bite pay attention to depth, lure, direction, side of boat etc. and try to repeat it. That’s the difference between guys that drive around and pull lures and catch the occasional fish and the guys that are regularly filling coolers.


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[grampy]

25 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Trolling is a slippery slope. Once you get hooked just open your wallet and dump it out. Some days it will drive you nuts and some days you’ll think any idiot can do it.

My best advice is to pay attention. Any idiot can drive around a lake slow and catch an occasional fish. I am extremely anal when it comes to details, every leader is the same length and lb test. I know how far behind the ball/board every lure is. There’s a note pad on my dash that is constantly getting notes written in it.

The key to trolling is repeatability. When you get a bite pay attention to depth, lure, direction, side of boat etc. and try to repeat it. That’s the difference between guys that drive around and pull lures and catch the occasional fish and the guys that are regularly filling coolers.


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Good advice! Though I don't troll, it is true with most anything, the more one pays attention to the details, the more successful one will be.

[turkeyfeathers]

5 hours ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Technically sheephead are deemed Lake Erie tuna 

 

[Robhuntandfish]

It was a learning curve but we got one on the planers.  Was a strong southeast wind when we got out there.  Trolled and didn't have any luck for an hour or so.  We drifted for a while cause we were going as fast as a troll in the wind and caught some perch.  Then all of the sudden the wind just died.  Went back to trolling and got this eye. A good one about 20".  So yes we CAN catch them on a planer.  Had a tough time keeping slack in the line by planer for a while and I am pretty sure we dragged this walleye for about 20 minutes . Lol. Knew something hit but didn't know it was on.  We got this.  Thanks again Andrew

 

 

[wolc123]

42 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

It was a learning curve but we got one on the planers.  Was a strong southeast wind when we got out there.  Trolled and didn't have any luck for an hour or so.  We drifted for a while cause we were going as fast as a troll in the wind and caught some perch.  Then all of the sudden the wind just died.  Went back to trolling and got this eye. A good one about 20".  So yes we CAN catch them on a planer.  Had a tough time keeping slack in the line by planer for a while and I am pretty sure we dragged this walleye for about 20 minutes . Lol. Knew something hit but didn't know it was on.  We got this.  Thanks again Andrew

 

 

Lots of big walleyes get dragged for a while when trolling but no respectable sized trout and salmon do.  

Edited June 30, 2018 by wolc123

[Buckmaster7600]

It was a learning curve but we got one on the planers.  Was a strong southeast wind when we got out there.  Trolled and didn't have any luck for an hour or so.  We drifted for a while cause we were going as fast as a troll in the wind and caught some perch.  Then all of the sudden the wind just died.  Went back to trolling and got this eye. A good one about 20".  So yes we CAN catch them on a planer.  Had a tough time keeping slack in the line by planer for a while and I am pretty sure we dragged this walleye for about 20 minutes . Lol. Knew something hit but didn't know it was on.  We got this.  Thanks again Andrew
 
 

Taddle flags are your friends!


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[Buckmaster7600]

Lots of walleyes get dragged for a while when trolling but no trout and salmon do.  

I have dragged 10+lb lakers on planet boards many times.


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[wolc123]

12 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

I have dragged 10+lb lakers on planet boards many times.


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They do get a little lazy when the water warms up and I have also done that out on Lake Erie with a few.   I have also dragged a good number of immature kings cohos browns and steelhead out on Ontario, so I just edited the above post to add "respectable" size.   I have probably dragged more 6 pound plus walleyes out on lake Erie than not however.   Most of them just roll belly up as soon as the rod is taken out of the holder and come in like a water ski.  I always use paper clips and rubber bands for planer board releases and you need to use some pretty weak rubber bands for the walleyes to break them, while a 13" coho will snap even a heavy rubber band with ease. 

Edited June 30, 2018 by wolc123

[Robhuntandfish]

13 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

Taddle flags are your friends!


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Think I had the screw on the flags too tight.  And had a hard time keeping a slack on the board for the.flag to work

[Buckmaster7600]

Think I had the screw on the flags too tight.  And had a hard time keeping a slack on the board for the.flag to work

Were you using braid? If your boards are used you may need to get new pads for the releases.


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[Robhuntandfish]

10 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

Were you using braid? If your boards are used you may need to get new pads for the releases.


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Was using lead core 12lb.  And the board was brand new.   Had to loop it inside clip to get the slack to.stay.  

[Buckmaster7600]

Was using lead core 12lb.  And the board was brand new.   Had to loop it inside clip to get the slack to.stay.  

Half hitch a rubber band and clip the knot in the back release.


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