New Troller. What tackle to use?

[Bassy]

Husband and I are vearing into a new territory; trolling.( I trolled as a kid and into my teens, but Dad always set our rigs up). What tackle do I need for lake trolling- fishing? This lake has bass, crappie and trout( I don't know what else). We don't know what we're trolling for. Just fish! Anything! Hee hee! Anything that will bite! <br />We don't own a lure( I know that's probably scarey to you all, but it's true). We are beginners. We've done live bait and plastic worms so far( hooks and worms). We've been happy, but not VERY HAPPY! We want to be VERY HAPPY! <br /> So, what do you lake fishers use when trolling? and what do you catch if you use that?<br />Thanks for anything you can contribute.<br />Bassy

 

[rc581]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

are u using downriggers, or light tackle? and it all depends on what u want to catch. if fishing for trout, use cowbells and an 18 in. leader with a weight, or u can use rappalas and highline. many different ways. i suggest u go to your local bait shop or tackel store for info, and they will give u pointers on what the locals use, and i'm sure u will get many replies in here lol as we all like to talk about fishing... good luck...bob

 

[John Nutter]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

I think RC has pointed you in the right direction, and that is to go to your local independent tackle dealer.These folks should always be your best bet for honest answers and almost always go out of their way to help you with problems and want rip you off.

 

[gonfishn]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

About 90% of my time is spent trolling for fins of my choice..I have caught all types with this method..casting lures can also be used trolling be it a jig or a deep diver..Variable speeds should be used depending on what type of fish you are huntn..<br /><br />I use rapalas alot but also will put live bait on a spinner and cruise at different depths..trolling allows you to cover more area and use different lures..If it looks good try it..<br />one is not better than the other if the fins are hittn. I am a musky fanatic and I have been known to troll 3-5 MPH while hunting for these warriors...So throw a line or two out and enjoy the lake and save your arm...good luck..

 

[Bassy]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

Thanks gonfishin. That's the best advice I've heard so far. Wednesday we will ask our local fishing store and see what others are using. Thanks for taking the time to answer. <br />Bassy

 

[gonfishn]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

Before you get sucked into buying lures.. Do a little research on what fin you are going after and what they suggest..Most salesman do not fish and they will sell you what you may not need for the fin you are after..the internet is where i go to search for a specific fin that I don't know...let me know how you do...try different troll speeds...

 

[Bassy]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

We plan on trolling for rainbow trout. Stories are that people are catching stringers of them at the lake we go to( Pine Flat Reservoir). What do you suggest?

 

[gonfishn]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

Almost any other fin but Mr. Trout..I'm afraid that I have fished for that fin only once in my life...I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with some down home advice...now if ya gots some Muskies i'd be able to help..still let me know how you do...Looks like RC got the scoop on what to do..

 

[Bassy]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

[are u using downriggers, or light tackle? and it all depends on what u want to catch. if fishing for trout, use cowbells and an 18 in. leader with a weight, or u can use rappalas and highline.]<br /> What is a downrigger? How do you set up the cowbell and 18 in. leader? I understand what a rappala is, but what is a highline? Oh my! All new vocabulary for me.

 

[rc581]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

sorry, i should not have mentioned downriggers yet, thats getting kind of sofisticated right of the bat.... but if going after trout, especially rainbow , try this... run your line about 30 feet or so off the back of the boat, at a speed of about1.5 to 2.5 mi. per hr.. run rappalas or small lurs such as little cleos and even flies. use a small lead weight ahead of your swivel to get the lure down and sit back, enjoy the ride and see what happens.remember, alot of fishing is trial and error so, vary your speed, try different depths and lots of different colors.. a good graph with speed indicator comes in handy here.. and above all, please dont get discouraged. u are about to have some very good fishing once u get the hang of this. good luck....bob oops allmost forgot to mention, dont add so much weight that u keep snagging the bottom...keep me posted

 

[Bassy]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

rc581,<br /> Now you're talkin'. Great details! Thanks a bunch!! <br /> Bassy

 

[bluewater19]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

A good choice for rainbows in your area is a ultralight trolling flasher and a 1/4oz castmaster. Also any kind of mepps spinner or crocadile work well with the trolling rigs If you are lucky you might get a nice brown trout also. I fish alot of alpine lakes and resivors around your area in the early spring. and I use a 1 Oz bannana weight to get the rig down to the fish. troll 2-3mph. I have had good luck this way. As the water warms you need downriggers or lead core line to get you down to the fish. Good luck

 

[rc581]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

too many different methods of trolling to list them all in a single post bassy, so start off easy and ask lots of questions at the dock, most people are more than happy to share info with you [except where the favorite spot is lol ]and if i can give you any more info, dont hesitate to ask. again, good luck.....bob

 

[Bassy]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

Well, we bought ourselves some Mepps, flashers and some Kastmasters. We're headed out to try them out tomorrow trolling. Wish us luck. Thanks for all the advice.<br />Bassy

 

[rc581]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

your welcome bassy, good luck, and let me know how you do

 

[Bassy]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

We had a great time on the lake today trolling. We tried all of the lures we bought and we had luck with the little Kastmasters. The Kepps were difficult to figure out. It kept coming up to the surface and seemed to drag strange. I guess we just need time to see the good in them. Both of us caught on this little Kastmaster; Hubby caught a Bigmouth bass and I caught a beautiful 13 in. rainbow trout( yum! Lunch tomorrow). <br />I see what you mean with trying different speeds and depths. This is fun learning about and we can kick back and relax while we catch fish. Life is Good!! <br />We'll be headed out again Friday to troll again. We're hooked!

 

[rc581]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

if your mepps lures are coming to the surface on you, then try a little more weight ahead of them, or try keeping your pole tip closer to the water. again, experimentation is the key. this is the type of fishing the wife and i enjoy the most, so we enjoy sharing the info with others.so glad you had success the first time out ....bob

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

i tried to look up alittle info. near fresno, sierra's. i guess a highland reservoir, clear & deep? saw pic, have this so far:<br /><br />Pine Flat Reservoir VALLEY <br /> <br />Best spots: Lower river behind the dam, Lombardo's to power lines in main lake.<br />Comment:Gilbert said the trout bite is still close to nil. But the bass bite is decent for fish up to 11/2 pounds with crank bait. Fish with shad patterns. Most are fishing with crank baits or drop-shotting shad-colored worms 15-25 feet deep. Neither catfish nor bluegill are making any noise, and there haven't been any big fish to report.<br />Call: 787-2387, 225-1838, 292-3474.<br /><br />hmmm, not a highland lake i guess:<br /><br />Notes: <br />Located at elevation 952 feet, offering year round fishing for bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted), crappie, bluegill and catfish. Summer action good for trout for anglers willing to troll deep. Lake also offers fishing for landlocked king salmon. <br />Summer temperatures commonly over 100*, bringing surface temperatures to 80* plus. <br /><br />bassy, if you have a depthfinder, then you should get as much info as you can from local baitshops, then look for concentrations of fish on depthfinder. i guess you might find trout deep, like maybe 30+ft, but i don't troll for trout. if you do want to troll deep like that, then to avoid the expensive downriggers, you might use a 1oz weight in front of the lure. i would tie it up like a carolina rig. that's used alot here for deep striper fishing.<br /><br />if your lures are only getting 4-5ft down when trolling, then you might have good luck when crossing over points that extend off bank , running (the boat)in the 20-30ft depths/range. <br />- just a thought

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

http://www.anglernet.com/web/lakes/pineflat/pinerprt.htm <br /><br />8/14/00<br />Bassbite is poor. Many small fish 8 to 12 inches are being caught. Find the bait and you find the fish. This applies to the salmon and trout fishing as well. <br /><br />Jeff rates the Trout bite as good. Trollers using Needlefish in nickel or chrome in 40' to 100'. <br /><br />The Kokanee bite is fair. A few landlocked kings being caught at night. The key to night fishing is to use floating lights and nightcrawlers.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: New Troller. What tackle to use?

i think i found your new home page! oops, er, uhhh, i mean favorite of the favorites folder, as we all know Iboats.com is the homepg...<br /><br /> http://www.westernbass.com/ncalifornia/reports/reports.shtml?pineflat <br /><br />it goes from 01/00-7/03, just find the months for all years listed and read the goods