Newbie looking for Trolling help

[Shloim]

Hi folks, Ive never trolled for anything until this past winter in Jamaica and want to try some here. Have my 16' side console and just bought a couple of rod holders. Can use help on where to mount them (scotty's) and can i just use dipsy divers or whats the easiest way aside from downriggers? Have a chance to fish Lake Rosseau may 24 and want to target lakers if I can figure it out. Otherwise well chase the pike...Any help appreciated.

[DRIFTER_016]

Plenty of ways to fish without riggers.

Dipsey's, wire line or lead core as well as trolling sinkers can all be used.

You can also use bottom bouncers to get your lures down deep.

I will even troll very slowly with a 1-2oz jig and catch fish.

My rod holders are mounted just in front of me so they are easy to access when a bite happens.

Between me and the console on the gunnel. The other is in the same place on the other side.

I also have mounts forward and at the back but for most of my fishing I use the middle ones.

 

I was looking to see if I had any pics of my rod holders in and I don't seem to have any.

[wormdunker]

I use #1 dipseys to get down 100' for Erie walleye. In line planer boards have also helped me to improve my hook ups. Get your bait out 50 or 60' from the boat is the trick.

[Joeytier]

Won't need dipseys or riggers on the 24 for lakers, get 1-3 oz snap weights or bottom bouncers and experiment with various spoons and minnow baits until you put together a pattern. Finding what depth they're holding at is usually most important, late may I wouldn't be looking deeper than 40 ft. I like 1.3-1.7 mph

[Shloim]

I saw a guy fishing there with a couple rods and a really fancy weight setup I dont know id even be able to tie on my own, without losing a bunch of stuff. Fact is he didnt catch much....also my 16' has a forty 40hp and I dont think it trolls very slow, I may hang a drift sock off the back to slow it down if needed. All new to me stuff I wanna try this year!

[Joeytier]

If you can tie a clinch knot you can run a bouncer or keel sinker...no need for gang trolls until they're in full summer mode, which they definitely wont be in May.

[captpierre]

Find them near bottom and jig for them.

[Sinker]

On may 20 you won't need anything but a fishing rod and a lure. I prefer crank baits that run at different depths, and switch up until you find the one that runs at the right depth where the fish are.

 

I always start with a taildancer td7, then move up to a td9 if the first one doesn't work.

 

Its not very often I can't get a laker on one. Just flatline it 100ft back on braded line and they will run 12-18ft depending on the size and speed your going. I try to keep speed between 1.3-2mph.

 

S.

[chris.brock]

May long weekend we are usually getting them flat lining (no added weight) with heavy spoons over soft bottom flats and jigging them like you would for summer smallmouth with plastics (swammers, tubes) off rocky points.

[4x4bassin]

Like others have said , no need for downriggers or dipseys on May long weekend this year for lake trout .

I go on a boys weekend into the backcountry every may long weekend and chase lake trout and I can tell

you all you need is a heavy spoon like an egb or a cleo and flat line those 100 ft back . If that doesn't work

tie on an inline weight (1 oz) and that will get you down to 30 -40 ft depending on speed . We also use

taildancers and they will get down to 20 ft no problem . Remember lake trout feed up so you want your bait

to be above them and they will chase it , if bait is below them you will have a less likely hood of them hitting .

Jigging them is also a great way to catch them but from my experience that pattern doesn't really start to shine

until they go deeper in July but it will work in may if you can find them schooled up .

Here is my top producing baits from last May long weekend

 

1 oz bucktail

Egb

Cleo

Inline weight (1oz)

Good luck

[Old Ironmaker]

Shloim, I can't see why you shouldn't be able to get to 2 MPH trolling with that 40 HP. With a change in prop pitch and some tuning of the idle we got buddies 5LT Mercruiser down to 2.5 MPH. I troll regularly with my 115 Mariner down to 2.5 MPH. I do not like trolling socks especially on a light boat like yours. It can be a real pain to get her to run true. You don't even need rod holders really. Unless using heavy rigs for deep fish I like that rod in my hand so I can feel every bump and nudge and feel how the lure is moving. I really don't like rod holders but it's a must for deep water trolling with the heavy rods and terminal tackle like dipsies etc and snap weights to get down deep here on Erie. You can't feel when you have picked up flotsam on your line or lure when it's on a holder. After a few years of trolling the Ottawa in fast water I did get a mean case of Tennis Elbow though. That's what my Dr. said I had. I told him I don't play tennis anymore I fish. He said OK "fishing elbow". I asked him for a prescription for some rod holders, he kicked me out of the office.

 

Keep it simple Shloim, have fun and hammer them Lakers. When you need to get down past 35 feet just come out here and I'll take you out on my boat. We trolled for years with what's called Wolf River rigs on Nippising for Pics in 30 to 40 feet of water. Simply a 3 way swivel with the presentation on one eye and a heavy bell sinker on a lighter line bouncing bottom. Weights then were cheaper than harnesses we used. Not anymore, Harnesses are cheaper than the weights now. I know because I picked up a few at CTC tonight at 2 for 3 bucks, wow. I think I might start using big nuts like the old days. When I had big nuts.

 

edit: yep 4 @ 3/4 oz bells sinkers for $5.58 plus tax. I better shop better. I had bags of them as we made them during a cast on the furnace. The guys at the pattern shop made us the molds, no one bought weight back then. That's insane. My bad.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Old Ironmaker

[BillM]

That 40 should troll down to nothing without any help at all. As for tips, long leads, think shallow and put some hours in, you'll figure it out.

[DRIFTER_016]

If i can get my 115 on my 18 footer down to 2 MPH you should have no issues with that 40 on your 16 footer.

[smitty55]

Just get a small trolling plate mounted and all your issues are gone and you have full control right down to big hammer speeds in the low 1's. Simple and effective.

 

Cheers

[Sinker]

My 40 won't go any slower than 2.3 mph unless I'm trolling into the wind. I use my bowmount to slow me down. Works mint.

 

S.

[Shloim]

OK so Im gonna give it a try with holding rods and changing lures around. I didnt realize that new rods and stuff were recommended for dipseys etc. Sheesh nothing is ever easy is it??? Thanks for all the advice folks> I feel pretty lucky to have the support from such a great bunch!

[Fisherpete]

Sheldon my boat with the 30 Honda trolls down to 1.6-1.7 just as a reference

[huzzsaba]

What do you guys say about about cattail sinkers? I heard that they are pretty snag proof. And as for the the point that lakers feed upwards, if using bottom bouncing with a 3 way rig, how much line do you guys keep from the 3 way to the sinker and to the lure considering the lakers are sitting on the bottom.

 

The reason I am asking about cattail sinkers is suppose you are paddling instead of using a motor and cannot keep a steady speed.

Edited April 26, 2016 by huzzsaba

[Moosebunk]

May 24 laker opener here and north...

 

Fish the top 40... really even top 30, which means you can pretty much run 10-25 feet down and the lakers will come to you. How you get there has been covered above. Totally your choice.

 

And for speeds, I like to keep it 2.2 and under but if the lake has BIG fish you can probably motor up to 2.5 pulling bigger stuff.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Moosebunk

[4x4bassin]

^huzzsaba - I know nothing about the cattail sinkers but they do look pretty snag proof and would be effective in certain applications but from my experience this is not one of them .

I know a lot of guys use the three way rig and yes it is effective but I find a inline weight to be better . Reason being is that it is a "cleaner" presentation and as well the

3 way rig can become a real time consuming mess when you catch a lake trout (lakers love to roll up in those rigs) Another thing is the trolling weight is there to get your bait

down to proper depth not all the way to the bottom . No need to be on bottom this early in the year . If you are in a canoe I would use a heavy spoon (egb , cleo) or I have had great

success in Algonquin from a canoe using a Rapala countdown .

[huzzsaba]

^huzzsaba - I know nothing about the cattail sinkers but they do look pretty snag proof and would be effective in certain applications but from my experience this is not one of them .

I know a lot of guys use the three way rig and yes it is effective but I find a inline weight to be better . Reason being is that it is a "cleaner" presentation and as well the

3 way rig can become a real time consuming mess when you catch a lake trout (lakers love to roll up in those rigs) Another thing is the trolling weight is there to get your bait

down to proper depth not all the way to the bottom . No need to be on bottom this early in the year . If you are in a canoe I would use a heavy spoon (egb , cleo) or I have had great

success in Algonquin from a canoe using a Rapala countdown .

Thanks for the advice. In the end, I think it's best to find the fish and start jigging like Chris mentioned

[Joeytier]

In the spring, trolling is often far more effective than jigging, since they tend not to be balled up in tight schools like they are in summer, but rather spread out on feeding flats soaking up the sun. The only time I will jig in the spring is immediately after iceout (as in 2-3 days), a few days before the shallows really heat up and the trout are set up in winter haunts. A day or two of warm sunny weather will change everything and get the flatlining bite really hot though.