Fishing Techniques:
A Trolling Primer - Part I
A Trolling Primer - Part I
This is Part I of a two-part series covering basic offshore trolling techniques. In this part, we cover gear for you and the boat. In Part II, we cover how to use all of the stuff you just bought...
Boat Gear
Obviously, trolling requires a vessel of some sort. This article is primarily oriented towards people fishing from a private boat, a guide boat, or a party boat. If you are using a human-powered craft like a kayak or a longboard to get out BTB, some of the following applies to you, but keep an eye out for a future article specifically covering BTB fly-fishing from these types of vessels.
In its simplest form, offshore trolling requires nothing more than a boat, a motor, and a place to sit. But if you have the budget, here’s a list of gear that will make you more productive. The items are listed with the most important things first :
- GPS – A GPS unit is one of the most useful tools you can have offshore. It allows you to navigate easily while out of sight of land, and also makes it easy to return to spots where you have caught or spotted fish without using any visual reference points. This is absolutely invaluable.
For trolling purposes, your GPS unit does not have to have a large color screen and detailed chart data. Perfectly adequate GPS units can be purchased for under $100, although most people will opt for a little more upscale unit that has at least a small mapping display.
- Water temperature gauge – Abrupt changes in water temperature usually indicate a current break of some sort, which can concentrate fish. A water temperature gauge with a real-time readout in tenths of a degree on your dashboard or sonar display is a big plus. Even better is a temperature display which has a chart of temperature over time. A chart can really make temperature breaks pop out at you, if you set the scaling correctly.
- Binoculars – Sometimes fish will be too far away to be attracted to your spread. That's where binoculars come in. If you spot distant signs of fish (not just actively feeding fish, but hovering birds, nervous water, and signs of bait), you should change course to investigate. While some good offshore fishermen do not use them, for most of us, binoculars are a real help.
The best models to use offshore feature gyro- or image-stabilization, but are extremely pricey ($1,000 - $5,000). Fujinon, Fraser-Volpe, Nikon, Canon and others offer these types of binoculars, and serious offshore fishermen swear by them.
However, if you are like most of us, these units are outside your price range. A good pair of 7x50s binos are the next best thing, and will set you back anywhere from $250 - $750, depending on the quality of their optics, whether or not they have a built-in compass, or are weatherproofed.
For non-stabilized binoculars, stay away from magnifications higher than 7x. Magnifications greater than 7x amplify the rocking motion of the boat, and will render the binoculars almost unusable. And binos with objective (front) lenses smaller than 50mm (like 7x35s) will have a noticeably dimmer image under a heavy marine layer, or in the wee hours of the day.
- Rod holders – Do yourself a favor, and make sure you have some good rod holders on the boat. You don’t want to have to hold a rod for hours, nor do you want the rod to disappear over the side on a strike (don’t laugh, it has happened!).
Gunnel-mounted rod holders with through-bolts and backing plates are the sturdiest, but with modern boat construction, that isn’t always possible. You may have to make do with rod holders mounted with heavy stainless wood screws and a bedding compound like 3M 5200 adhesive.
If you will be using rail-mounted rod holders for the trolling rods, make sure the rod holders are constructed of all stainless steel, or stainless with some other non-rusting material.
Many of the cheaper rail-mounted rod holders have stainless steel rod tubes, but have clamps made from Zamak. Zamak is a chrome-plated zinc alloy which does not do well in salt water. Also make sure you have a safety line attaching the rod and reel to the rail or hull, just in case something comes loose or breaks.
- Flatline clips – Flatline clips are release clips with short lengths of cord that are used to pull trolling lines closer to the water. This allows the lures to run a bit deeper.
In use, a flatline clip’s cord is attached to a transom eye or a cleat on the gunnel. Once a stern trolling line is set, it is pulled down into the clip. On a strike, the line pops out of the clip, and the fish is fought directly off the rod.
Flatline clips are very useful tools. We keep a couple handy all the time.
- Sonar – Don’t forget: fish live in a three-dimensional world. Trolling draws fish from a distance, both horizontally and vertically. Sonar units will allow you to spot game-fish and bait schools passing under the boat, and will give you a better idea of the amount and activity level of life in the area. Side-and forward-looking sonar units are also a real help, if you can afford them.
- Outriggers / rod riggers / flat line booms – Outriggers, rod riggers and flatline booms are used to widen your spread, keep the lures separated, and prevent tangles while turning. Outriggers also lift the line off the water, which can change the way lures run. Some lures and teasers are designed specifically to be run from outriggers.
Outriggers are long poles (12’ or more) with a pulley system (called a halyard) and one or more release clips. The poles (one per side) are mounted in such a way as to allow them to be swung out from the sides of the boat. The halyards and clips are used to carry the fishing lines out onto the outriggers. On a strike, the clip opens up and lets the line drop back so the fish can be struck and fought directly off the rod. Longer outriggers may have multiple release clips that allow you to run multiple lures at a time.
Rod riggers and flatline booms perform similar functions to outriggers. Rod riggers are specialized rod holders that hold fishing rods horizontally, at right angles to the side of the hull. This allows the rods to act as outriggers. Flatline booms are specialized rod holders that have short outrigger booms (4’ or so) mounted to them.
All three of these tools can work well, but keep in mind that when it comes to combining them with fly-fishing, less is more. (See our Skiff Setup article for some comments on using these devices). My recommendation would be to forego using these items until you get some experience. Once you are comfortable with trolling techniques, you can make up your own mind about their usefulness to you.
- Downriggers / planers – There will be lots of times when you see fish deep on the sonar unit, but they won’t come up to hit your trolled lures. Downriggers and planers are devices that are used to get your lures down deep while trolling.
Downriggers use a large (2 – 13 lbs) weight on a wire cable or braided line to carry your lure into the depths. They have a short boom to keep the weight and cable away from the boat, and feature a large spool with a hand crank or electric motor to retrieve or let the weight out. A release clip is attached to the cable just above the weight.
In use, the trolling line is attached to the release clip with a twisted loop or rubber band, and the weight is lowered to the appropriate depth. The heavy weight keeps the lure at the right depth while the boat is moving. A strike causes the line to release, allowing a hooked fish to be fought without the weight.
Planers, like the name implies, use hydrodynamics to get your fishing line deep. Planers consist of a rectangular metal plate that has a weight on one side, and a trip mechanism that causes the planer to run in a downward-facing angle when towed. They are run off a fixed line or a dedicated planer rod. Planers use release clips or rubber bands in a manner similar to downriggers, allowing the fishing line to pop free of the planer on a strike.
Planers work well at higher speeds, because they develop more down-force the faster they are towed (up to a point). Downriggers, on the other hand, require more weight at faster trolling speeds, and there is a practical limit as to how much weight you can handle.
Both downriggers and planers can be very effective tools, but again, are beyond the scope of a trolling primer. We won’t say much more about them, other than that you should take a close look at their use once you feel comfortable with the basics.
- Livewells – I often use live bait in conjunction with trolling. As you will read in Part II, chumming with live bait can be used to hold a school of fish close to the boat after you have hooked one while trolling. If you decide to try chumming with live bait, a good livewell capable of holding a scoop or so of anchovies or sardines is a necessity.
Chumming with live bait offshore is predominantly a West Coast phenomenon, because we have ready sources for live anchovies and sardines. It should be noted that there is a small but growing movement towards using chunks of cut bait, or frozen chum blocks instead of live bait. Chunks or frozen chum offer several advantages over live bait, including cost, space and weight savings (since you don’t have to have a large livewell filled with water), and convenience.
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