Why troll for bass?

[Papasown]

Thanks for the tips, Gerry. I also have had the stretch plug rocket out of the water, but I tend to hold it out over the side, so I have been lucky, so far. Over the last year or two I have been changing out the trebles for siwash hooks. They are single hooks with long point, and work very well on Bass and blues. These are typical of the hooks on Maja Spoons.
Also, another point I like about the downrigger, is that you can adjust the depth of your spoon/plug very easily, and even keep an eye on the weight ball while trolling by watching your depth finder. All good stufff. Be well, Papa

[MrAC1980]

I've been out plenty of times when the live lining bite died with the boat traffic and the only way to put more meat on the deck was to put the spread out. I do umbrella's or spools out the outrodders and one or two plugs down the middle. I tend to run slower because of the umbrella's and spoons, but the plugs do sometimes get hit being up higher. Trick is to watch your machine and figure out what depth the bait is at and go from there.

[bunker dunker]

hated it!!!!

[Chrisper4694]

the problem i have with trolling is this:

when fish are busting the surface or you see guys slamming them on sub surface lures and instead of casting at them or jigging guys will troll through them....drives me nuts.

unfortunately there are def days where trolling is the very best way to find and catch fish though.

[makosnax]

The only worse than trolling is trolling on a boat that won't throw it in neutral so you can enjoy the fight. Sometimes you have to do it though.

[MrAC1980]

Funny thing is if you follow all of the bass reports right now, seems trolling is the only way they are putting fish in the boat. Few guys had luck on plastics, but word is that bite died out recently.

[bulletbob]

I have a question about trolling stripers maybe someone can answer.. I don't see much about using downriggers or dipsey divers in salt water fishing.. Any reason for that?? Up here thats all that is used for trolling big pacific salmon in Lake Ontario. I realize stripers aren't as deep as salmon generally, but if you are marking scattered pods of stripers at oh I dunno maybe 25 feet down over 30 or 35, downriggers would get you in the zone very easily. accurately and quickly.. Maybe some saltwater guys do use downriggers but I don't hear much about it. Same with dipseys..
I don't like either, but there is NO doubt, that those methods work, and sometimes thats all that works... bob

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by MrAC1980

Funny thing is if you follow all of the bass reports right now, seems trolling is the only way they are putting fish in the boat. Few guys had luck on plastics, but word is that bite died out recently.

Exactly! Some of the best striper specialists are trolling. They have customers that want to go home with fish. Most customers would rather chunk or live line. Fact is so would the capts. and mates with out a doubt. This is why you have to be diversified! So if you charter and bring six anglers out what do you need on your charter boat? Six conventional rods for chunking or live lining or clamming for that matter. Six spinning rods to cast soft plastics and jigs, with a couple spares in case one breaks. The next thing is some expensive trolling rods. We will need,bunker spoons, stretch lures and umbrella rigs. We will have to have a couple spare 4-0 reels spooled with wire in case one gets back lashed and explodes Lol We have to go see Percy and buy two bunker cast nets. You have to have two in case you loose one on the bottom.If you don't have a big sport fisherman that you can lock up all this equipment in you have to put it all on the boat every day. At the end of the day it all has to come off the boat and repeat this in the dark early the next morning.Then you get a call from a customer and they would like to go striper fishing first and then make a 15 mile move and go ling or sea bass fishing all for the same price lol You have to love it to be a charter boat capt. and be a little insane also:

[Papasown]

Hi BulletBob, The principles of dwnrigger fishing is basically the same in salt water as in fresh water. I have fished salt water my entire life, and have gone through some techniques that are not as interesting to me any more, particularly dragging wire. After many years, it has become more like work than fun. I would much rather snag and drop bunker, but put the bunker on a large circle hook with a fish finder rig and 2oz. sinker to keep it down. The release of larger fish is less damaging with the circle hook. I don't care to keep the big cows as their flavor is different, and the meat is so muscled up, more so than smaller striped bass.
I got into downriggers so I could drag small plugs and spoons using light tackle, and enjoying the fight more. I also cut down the lip on stretch plugs, and enjoy draging them on the downrigger. When your fish finder marks fish or bait at a particular depth, you can immediately set to the depth, watch you rigger ball in the water colum, and even anticipate the hookup. These methods come from frshwater fishermen like yourself, Bob, but the salt water species go for it as well. There is a ton of info out there in all the fishing magazines, and media. Just adapt a little to the salt.
Being a fresh water fisherman, You probably are familiar with "Spoon Plugging made famous by Buck Perry. I also Spoon Plug in the Manasquan River, and back bay locations, and have had impressive catches. For those of you that have not read Buck Perry's book on SpoonPlugging, there is a wealth of info he put out that applies to all inland fisheries, salt and fresh. He was an amazing man that designed his own spoons that have a distinctive shape and porpose. OK, Who's gonna Google Buck Perry first, I would venture to guess it will be Gerry Zagorski, but I would suspect he knows about the SpoonPlugging Nation. LOL Be well, and catch 'em up......Papa