trolling crankbaits

[northernpike56]

I have been getting really interested in trolling crankbaits for walleye lately but have no idea how to approach it. Could anybody help me out by outlining some spots I should be trying (points, drop-offs, etc), how much line I should be letting out, and what lures I should be using (flatlining only). I have no electronics, line counter, trolling motor, etc. I'd like to have the basic idea figured out by opener.

 

For lures I have:

 

3x husky jerk

2x wally diver

1x hot n' tot

2x shad rap

 

Is there any other lures I should pick up so that I have lures for the entire water column?

 

How much line should I be letting out? Would a long cast behind the boat work?

 

How fast should I be trolling? I would guess just run the outboard as slow as I can?

 

 

Thanks,

 

Matt.

Edited September 1, 2012 by northernpike56

[DRIFTER_016]

It's really dependent on what type of water you're going to be fishing.

 

Shallow, deep, sandy, weedy, muddy, rocky.... Lake, river?

 

Depending on where you are, cranks might not even be the best choice.

 

But to answer the topic, I'd include some more slender stick baits like Reef Runners, Tail Dancers, Wally Stingers, Mann's Stretch 20 etc.

 

Don't forget the ripplin' redfins.

[Roy]

You can either become a fisherman or a lure collector. You have what you need as it is now. Go for it, catch what you can now and work your way to other baits as you go. But that's just my opinion.

[mike rousseau]

Really really depends on your water body and main forage...

 

And opener is very different on a lot of water bodies....

 

I'd start with any rock/gravel structure you can find...Walleyes use these areas to spawn and lots of males stick around after the spawn...

 

Also any rivers or tribs where walleye run up to spawn are good areas to start your search come opener...

 

Most of the time you should be letting out 80-120 feet of line when flatline trolling.... I've found that 120 gives me my max depth... Any more is useless...a trick for knowing how much line is out is to count wraps as you let out... What I mean is you count how many times your line goes left-right-left-right... On your spool as your letting out... If you get a fish at 10 wraps then at least you can try to repeat what you did...

 

As for speed... Slower in colder water...

 

Over time you'll know by experience how far back to cast before you troll...how deep each lure goes at that cast length... What lure dives to the right depth for each spot...

 

And like Roy said... You don't need a lot of lures... from opener to ice up I pretty much use 3 crankbaits...if I can't catch on those 3(wich is incredably rare) the rest of my box usually can't get a bite either...and I have about 100 crankbaits in my box...

[OhioFisherman]

I would tend to agree with Roy, years ago I spent many days trolling for them on Lake Erie. Back them we only needed to carry two different lures, a hot n tot or a wiggle wart, in chrome and black or gold and black.

 

I used baitcasters with 10# test mono on Lake Erie at the time on a 6 1/2 or 7 foot medium action rod. You didn`t need heavy line on Lake Erie, the only structure you were likely to encounter were rocks on the bottom, those areas were well known and you could control your depth by the amount of line you had out, usually between 60 and 80 yards.

 

Locating them wasn`t much of a problem, boats on Lake Erie trolling or casting for them looked like islands in the distance. There could be 100`s of boats working a small area.

 

I have caught them trolling in Canada, water depth and structure may change the lure but the principal is the same. No electronics will make it more difficult, you will be guessing at water depth and bottom structure, even a cheap depth finder helps.

[kickingfrog]

Practice and experimenting will help a lot. There is (was?) a book out called Precision Trolling that would give you trolling depth of just about all the major baits.

 

Another option to control the amount of line out, is to mark your line every 10 feet. Diawa has a line counter that can be had for about $65 new if you're going to get into it a bit more.

 

I like the shad raps and the deep taildancer. For me, for walleye, in the water I fish the most I like: perch, silver/black minnow, and gold/black minnow.

 

How fast/slow to run the outboard depends on the size of the boat/motor and conditions. But yes, usually just above stall, or a little faster will work. Don't forget to check how the lure is running at the side of the boat at the speed that feels right.

 

The baits like the original rapala and the husky jerks work really well but, need some weight to get down below 5-7 feet. This can be done with either a split shot or two or a bottom bouncer or 3 way rig. I find that the split shot option is nice and subtle but more prone to snagging then the other options.

 

A web search should turn up some other options as well.

 

http://www.thenextbite.com/Precision_Trolling

[northernpike56]

thanks alot just one other question: does the loud drone of the outboard scare the fish as you pass over them? I really don't know im a total newbie and only caught 1 bass and a pike last year trying to troll, and i think walleye are more finicky. Thanks

[mike rousseau]

thanks alot just one other question: does the loud drone of the outboard scare the fish as you pass over them? I really don't know im a total newbie and only caught 1 bass and a pike last year trying to troll, and i think walleye are more finicky. Thanks

 

its not advised to run over your spots full pin... but go around the area you will be fishing...

 

when lines are in and your trolling... i dont think they are a spooky as some make them out to be... ive caught walleye trolling flatlines behind the boat in less then 5 feet of water...i have one spot i have to trim my motor up so i dont hit the rocks... and i catch walleye 50-60 feet behind the boat with floating rapalas...

 

suspended walleye can be spooky because they arent hidden by cover that they feel will protect them... but walleye on rocks or in weeds dont seem to mind the motor...