Trolling Live Bait For Stripers: Beginner to Ninja
Fishing in the northeast requires anglers to be well-rounded in their techniques to catch fish consistently as the seasons, and the stripers' feeding habits change. To be successful, you can't be a one-trick pony, even if that requires you to use a technique you may not love. Trolling gets a bad rap as being slow and tedious, but I find the contrary true. Most of my dynamite fishing days have been trolling live bait in the river or the ocean. Once you find the pod of fish, you can have a field day. There are so many ways to troll live bait, and certain places fish differently than others, but you can keep it as simple as possible or crank it up to Ninja Level precision. In this blog series, we will go over trolling techniques for three different skill levels:
Beginner
Advanced
Ninja
Before we get into how to troll live baits, let's list some fundamental axioms to abide by, no matter which level you are at:
Rods and Reels - You can use either spinning reels, conventional reels, or baitrunner reels for this type of fishing. For trolling specifically, I like softer action rods to absorb the strike. I prefer to use conventional reels for their inherent line capacity, stopping power, and loud clickers over spinning reels. You can fish mono or braid as mainline, but I feel we get better hooksets with braid and a long 20 ft mono top shot before tying off to the leader. Dan and I use Seigler SG's on Tsunami Slow Pitch rods, Mike uses Okuma Metaloid 5's on Custom Rainshadow Rods, and John uses Shimano Thunnus spinning reels on Diawa Harrier rods.
Troll Slow - Ideally, I want my boat speed to be between 0.5 - 3 mph. When looking for fish, I will troll just under three mph; when I find them, I will slow down to around one mph.
Fish as many rods as you can handle without making a mess. I can barely keep up with three rods when I'm fishing solo, and that is WITH autopilot.
Weighted Lines - When I discuss weighted lines, we use the same rigs we use to drift fish in the river. The rig is simple and consists of an egg sinker on the mainline, which attaches to a swivel to a 3 ft leader of 40# flourocarbon to an 8/0 circle hook. On my boat, we use the uni knot for terminal connections.
Understand Your Electronics - Set your electronics to show your chart and fish finder. If you have it, Side Imaging is also incredibly beneficial in finding success when trolling. My Humminbird Apex is fantastic at picking up schools of fish and structure, but when paired with the highly detailed Coastmaster Charts, I can find all kinds of ambush points where the big bass will be lurking. It would be best if you were running a "track line" to follow your path and know how to drop a MOB Waypoint over a school of fish or where you got a bite. Wow, this may be a whole blog in itself!
Use Visual Aids on the Water - A string of lobster points, a tide line, and a house on the shore are some examples to keep an eye on to use a quick reference point to keep you on the fish.
Keep a Network - Splitting up and working in different places with other boats can help you cover more ground as long as the people you work with respectfully keep that info to themselves and are courteous when you call them in.
Trolling Drag Settings- I'm always on the fence if I want to use light drag to let them run for a few seconds and then whack them with stopping power or just fish locked up and take my chances. If I'm getting killed by short-striking schoolies, I will opt to let it run before engaging the drag. My thoughts on trolling drags have evolved over the past few years, and now I'm a believer in fishing the drag locked up. We either come tight or don't, but the hookup ratio seems much higher than letting the fish run.
Bait Hooking - Mackerel will take a circle hook centered through the top jaw, and pogies will be bridled using a rubber band and a needle.
Read each section - To completely grasp the fundamental thought process and vocabulary, I suggest you read each section in order, no matter what "level" you consider yourself.
Part I - Beginners
As a beginner or a solo fisherman, it's easiest to start with two lines in the water. Pick the stretch of water you'd like to fish and set lines out one at a time with the boat in gear. With the boat in gear, baits will get back farther and straighter, allowing you to estimate where they are sitting. Knowing how far back the baits are is critically important, as we will cover later. Too often on the water, I see guys pull up and stop the boat, drop lines back, start spinning in circles, and get tangled up. Don't do this.
With two lines out, you have an option to run lines both weighted, one weighted and unweighted, or two with different weights. I'll leave those decisions to you, as I change mine frequently throughout the day and let the fish tell me what they want. But if I'm starting my trip, especially early in the AM, I would fish one unweighted and one weighted. Two unweighed lines are too easily tangled, especially if there is some wind.
Setting your lines out is the first important decision you make. You want your spread to cover as much area as possible. Staggering the distances of the bait behind the boat helps cover different zones where the stripers will lurk. It also allows you to make tighter turns when circling back on a school of fish without getting tangled!
When setting your spread, set an unweighted or lightest weighed line out first and send it the farthest back. When fishing two lines, I'd set my furthest bait WAY back, around 150 feet. As mentioned in the Axiom list above, I am using metered braid that changes color every 30 feet, so I know precisely how far back my baits are. If you're into trolling, I suggest you think about the same next time you spool your reels. Another way to know how far back you are is to count off seconds. For example, for my farthest line back, I would count to 90. The second bait should be dropped on the opposite side of the boat about 100 ft back (or 45-second count). Throughout the day, experiment with how far back you put your lines, but this is a general starting point.
As you troll, I like to pick an area and cover that for about 20 minutes, looking for life. For example, I will troll in 20 feet to start, but if I don't get anything or see anything on my screen, I will turn out to 25 feet or into 15 feet to see what is happening there. If I get a fish or pass over a large school, I will turn around and work back over that area. If I get a fly-by hit, I take note and keep on my path until I find the mother load of stripers.
Boat traffic doesn't mean shit half of the time when trolling. Navigating through a fleet of boats and lobster pots is often a hindrance rather than good fishing. Plus, all the pressure most certainly affects the schools of fish. Trust me; you are better off moving up or down and finding a pile all to yourself. You should use your chart to target steep edges, points, sandbars, and humps. Use visual indicators such as birds (even just casually flying around), rip lines, tide lines, and strings of lobster pots! When you develop a good eye, you can catch stripers swirling on top, pushing water, and basking in the summer sun.
If you are around other boats, please be mindful of spacing and follow the general direction of flow. Don't be a dink and anchor up or drift when everyone else is trolling! Be a good captain, and don't perpendicularly cut off too close to someone's bow or transom. Give them at least 200 yards of space.
Keep an eye on your speed and keep it below three mph. Ideally, you want your boat to move as slowly as possible, but everyone's setup may treat them differently. The wind influences your speed, so take note of your speed over ground when going into the wind versus going with it.
HOOKED UP! The line is peeling off the reel, and you got a big one! Everyone's first intention is to stop the boat, grab the rod, and yank back! DON'T DO ANY OF THAT! Instead, it is crucial to remain calm; hit "Man Overboard" on your MFD to mark the spot while the fish runs for a few seconds. Keep the boat in gear to try to double up! If no double hookup occurs within a minute, slow the boat down while your buddy reels in the fish. Using the boat to keep tension on the line is crucial when trolling and allows you to keep the second line in the water for a double hookup. I lost the biggest striper of my life on July 4th, 2012, because I was with a buddy who doesn't fish, and I had to leave the wheel. The wind blew the boat back onto the fish, created slack line, and the monster spit the hook. It is the only fish to ever take me down to my backing. And it was 50 yards into it.
If you double up, mark more fish as you fight, or get a cow, you have your waypoint on your chart because you smartly hit the Man Overboard button upon hook up. By seeing the point on the chart, you can follow your exact path through the point due to your preparedness to set a track line! You will find that these points over the years may seem random, but you will probably catch fish there again in the future. At this point, I have so many waypoints on my screen I usually delete new ones after a couple of days so I don't get confused. I know where my mainstays are. Continue to circle or follow a figure 8 pattern through the point until you are no longer hitting or marking. At this point, the school has moved, and you should move too. My first instinct would be to move down the contour line (depth) to try to find them again.
Part II - Advanced
Trolling live bait is a technique I love because of all the creative possibilities at your disposal to help catch more fish. I'm always conjuring ways to get more baits in water to enhance my spread. What if you go through a school of jumbos? Will you be content catching two when you could have had four? That mindset of maximizing opportunity should be your only mindset when planning a trolling spread. I want to preface this section by informing you that I have autopilot on my outboard and on my Minn Kota trolling motor, both of which make setting my spread on charters a breeze. Without autopilot, I would struggle setting lines as the boat would not track straight enough for long enough to set the spread. I can rarely rely on customers to set lines, clear lines, and land fish. You will likely need at least two people to help set these spreads.
3 Rod Spread - My basic three-rod spread consists of a weightless way-back bait around 150 feet. Next, I deploy a weighted bait back 120 feet. And lastly, another weighted bait (typically, I use the same weight as the first weighted rod or heavier) back about 90 feet. I put the two weighted rods in the gunnel rod holders, preferably the angled mid-ship ones, to spread them horizontally. I place the way-back rod in my leaning post rocket launcher. If I were taller and could quickly access my T-top, I would put it up there. That way back line for me is always weightless. When we turn, the lines will go over the others but never tangle since they are so far back and higher in the water column.
1) Way Back Weightless - T-top/Leaning Post
2) Far Weighted - Forward rod holder
3) Short Weighted - Forward rod holder
4 Rod Spread - As you gain confidence in your ability to fish multiple lines without tangles and pure pandemonium, I can add a fourth rod into the spread. The fourth rod has a heavier weight (4 - 8 ounces depending on bait and depth) that is dropped down under the prop wash. I place this rod on the back corner rod holder. So to review, the four-rod spread consists of:
1) Way Back Bait - Weightless
2) Far Weighted - Forward rod holder
3) Short Weighted - Forward rod holder
4) Heavy Weighted - Corner rod holder
Other Advanced Skills to Master:
"Dropback" to Missed Strikes - I prefer conventional reels over spinning reels for trolling because of the ability to do a controlled dropback. When your rod gets slammed but the fish never comes tight, immediately drop your reel into free spool for about five seconds. If you still have your bait, you will get hit on the dropback a very high percentage of the time. Be mindful to keep your thumb on the spool, as the fish can bite during the drop back.
Moving rods around while fighting fish - With multiple lines in the water, it can become a mess while reeling in a fish while keeping your lines out, hoping for a double or a triple. It is essential that the person not fighting the fish keeps an eye on the line angle and moves the other rods over or under while the angler entirely focuses on the fish. Again, this is easier for me with autopilot but can be done with two people with no problem if you're quick enough to get back on the throttle and the wind isn't too strong,
Tight on the Turn - Many bites will come as you turn your boat to track over your previous spot. As you turn, the baits drop and rise in the water column, speed up and slow down, and go "off-track," which triggers strikes from nearby stripers. These bites can be tough to hook depending on hard you turn. I'm a hard turner because I know my lines won't get tangled it I keep an eye on them and move their positions quickly. Because of the tight turn, my baits are looped to the side of the boat, which creates slack. I let the fish run until the line is completely tight when we get a bite. It takes a little bit of patience and awareness of the situation. If you pick the rod up right away and try to fight it, you may create slack and lose the fish.
Part III - Ninja
Ok, you made it to Part III: Ninja Level. We will discuss some 4,5, and 6 rod spreads along with some fantastic products that help maximize lines in the water. Other than my charters, Dan, Mike, John, and my Dad, no one else I know utilizes these techniques, products, and ideas in the north shore area. If you are fortunate enough to have a trolling motor or autopilot, it will make Ninja status much more manageable. That being said, you can undoubtedly accomplish these spreads if you have a well-oiled crew working deck.
Before we get into the spreads, you must add these do-hickeys into your trolling gear. Last year I picked up Zak Royce planer boards after watching some Youtube videos of guys in the south fishing for freshwater stripers. I will do an entire piece, specifically on planer boards, in great detail, but overall they are straightforward to use. Planer boards are used to pull lines on the side of your spread, replacing the need for outriggers. With lines off the side of the boat, you can put more lines in the water without fear of tangles. Using two planer boards, I have fished up to six lines, and if I ever feel the need, I have two sets so I can fish four boards and four other lines. I don't think I will ever do that many rods, though!
As a paid MOM member, please keep this info between us. I have never shared it with any other captains or fishermen in our area
4 Rod Planer Board Spread
1) Way Back Unweighted Bait - TTop or Leaning Post
2) Weighted Bait Straight Back - Corner Rod Holder
3) Planer Board Port - Forward Rod Holder
4) Planer Board Starboard - Forward Rod Holder
5 Rod Planer Board Spread (My Typical Charter Spread)
1) Way Back Unweighted Bait - TTop or Leaning Post
2) Weighted Bait Straight Back - Corner Rod Holder
3) Weighted Bait Straight Back (Shorter) - Corner rod holder
4) Planer Board Port - Forward Rod Holder
5) Planer Board Starboard - Forward Rod Holder
6 Rod Planer Board Spread - Very Challenging but doable!
1) Way Back Unweighted Bait - TTop or Leaning Post
2) Another Unweighted Bait - TTop or Leaning Post (Or add a heavily weighted rod tight to the boat)
3) Weighted Bait Straight Back - Corner Rod Holder
4) Weighted Bait Straight Back (Shorter) - Corner rod holder
5) Planer Board Port - Forward Rod Holder
6) Planer Board Starboard - Forward Rod Holder
Other Ninja Tactics and Tricks
Have a Pitch Rod Ready - Many times, when trolling, a hooked fish will have some friends follow it to the boat. Having a pitch rod ready can help you convert to catching that fish. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity! I use a Shimano Thunnus 6k on a Shimano Trevla 6'6 rod for my pitch bait rod. I use the same fish finder rig we use when drifting, but I use a light half-ounce weight. I usually pitch a dead tinker BEHIND the fish that is hooked. I like dead bait because it won't swim around and tangle with the hooked fish, and I think it's easier for the follower to grab!
The light weight gets the bait to drop (remember, you should still be in gear), but it doesn't torpedo straight to the bottom. This rod is also deadly effective when you are trolling WITH the wind. If you hook up, and the wind is behind you, and you start to mark a school of fish, pop the boat in neutral and drop a couple of pitch rods (I usually have two ready to go) on the school. (I'm sure the jigging spoon would murder in this situation as well) When it's on, we have had as many as six fish on at a time using this technique. When going with the wind, your lines on the troll will also drift over the school. If you are going against the wind, this would not be an intelligent thing to do. If you stop the boat, the wind will push you back into your lines, creating an absolute disaster of a spider web of fishing lines. You can also set a rod up with a big spook like the Musky Mania Doc.
The Bird is the Word - Another old-time trick is an adaptation to your way back weightless line. To keep the bait high, have a visual marker, and create some attraction on the surface, add a 4" - 6" bird commonly used in tuna fishing in front of the leader. The bird creates a commotion on the surface, luring the big ones up for a vicious strike. Back in the day, for three years in a row, I caught my biggest striper on the bird bait.
Trolling Motor - My Minn Kota Ulterra makes trolling for stripers much simpler. I can set my path and move freely by pressing a button on my remote. This allows me to set lines, keep the boat straight when fighting a fish, clear weeds, and look for signs of life rather than just focusing on keeping the boat straight.
There you have it. Trolling for beginners up to the most advanced trolling techniques I can think of. I'd love to hear some feedback in our Forum and hear about how some others might troll for stripers. This is just the way we do it, and I'm sure lots of anglers have some methods that have proven effective for them. Come over to the forum so some high-level discussions!