Trolling

[fishnsled]

I was wondering who uses rod holders while trolling or not? Personally I have only started to use them when using inline planer boards. While trolling I prefer to hold onto the rod and be able to feel what's going on. Whether it be a Lindy rig, a small crankbait or even a big Jake or Believer, I've always liked to feel the fish slam the bait.

 

What's your preference and why?

 

I should mention that I'm more of a caster then a troller but both have their time and place.

[ccmtcanada]

I haven't done a lot of trolling, but I also prefer to hold onto the rod....with the line lightly resting on my finger. When using inline planers though it gets a little hard to do that for any length of time.

 

I also hold onto the rod when I carp fish. I like to feel when the fish takes hold of the bait. For me, it doesn't really feel like fishing if I'm not holding on to it??? Does that make sense?

 

That being said though, I'll troll with rod holders and use downriggers any chance I get if it means I get off the shorelines....LOL.

[Terry]

light line I like to hold on to it

dragging larger lures/ planer boards/ dipses all day can be hard on you without rod holders, so I like holders for that

and steering a boat while holding a rod..(wheel more then tiller) can wear you out

 

so let me throw my rod in a holder and sip on my coffee

[fishdawg]

almost allways rod holders (Down Easters)

2 exceptions though....

 

a) I am finesses trolling and need to feel my bait regularly making bottom contact, as wel as the soft pick up of a fish

 

I will do some musky trolling with the rod in my hand generally if I am fishing less then 15 FOW & weeds are present, depending on the pull of the bait - it helps to feel when I pick up the green stuff and you really cant beat feeling the strike in your hands as opposed to "watching" it!

[lew]

I always use holders when trolling big baits for musky, Will.

 

When we troll small baits for pickeral in the spring though, I prefer holding the rod.

 

[Raf]

rod holders too, there's no way you can hold on to some of the big baits for several hours.

[Guest gbfisher]

rod holders too, there's no way you can hold on to some of the big baits for several hours.

 

 

hahahaha you can say that again....although we used to ....all....day ....long...AND IT HURT!!!

 

 

I troll 95% of the time that Im on the water. I used holders.....

[walleyejigger]

for the life of me i cannot use em unless necessary, like downriggers, while trolling i can put my rod in the holder and within half a minute i half to pick it back up again. I hate to put a rod in a holder, we used to fish back lakes for lake trout with "gang troll"/ "christmas trees" and it would kill your arms but i just couldn't put it down, now we find just a plain silver williams wabler as a flasher a couple feet up your line works just as well and isn't nearly as hard on your arms

[Musky or Specks]

I use them most of the time except when I jerk troll Suicks.

[Squid]

I trolled the entire day with raf on the upper holding on to my musky rod. That was a lot of work!! Rod holders are the way to go for big baits. When the water gets colder <50 degrees and you have slowed down your troll to under 3MPH, you can troll big baits with the rod in your hand.

[fishnsled]

Yep, trolling big baits all day does burn out the arms. What I'll do is start off with a big bait like a 10" Jake or believer and when the arms get tried I'll go to something smaller for a bit and then back to the bigger bait. We had a day a couple of years ago where the 10" Jake hot. 2 boats, 4 guys, 8 muskies in about 6 hours of speed trolling (7-8mph) with the big baits. The arms were very sore at the end of that day but well worth it.