If you enjoy catching trout and want to extend your season into the summer, here is the page to be. Reservoirs and lakes are a good bet if this is the case.
You will, but you need to alter your strategy. Trolling is the most efficient method of locating and catching large water trout. When trolling for Lake and Rainbow Trout, your trolling approach changes your speed.
So, how fast should you troll? You can determine trolling speed by several factors. More so, it includes lure selection, water conditions, and the type of fish. Trolling speed’s between 1.5 to 2.5 mph. This is determined by GPS. See, that’s the appropriate starting point for most walleye, trout, and salmon species.
When hunting food, predator fish don’t pay attention to their speedometers. The only thing that matters is if what they’re following resembles live food. You should be concerned about this, too. Take a peek at your closest bait or lure the next time you set your speed. If you see it spinning uncontrollably, you should slow it down. You’ll know you’ve hit the appropriate pace when you see the bait or lure moving naturally.
The Optimal Speeds for Fast Trolling for Trout
Trolling is a fishing strategy that involves dragging a hooked bait or lure across the water. It goes from a moving boat. Have as many lines as you want. But it’s still the same concept in water: you’re trying to fool the fish into thinking your bait is moving prey.
Trolling, of course, entails much more than just pulling lines through the water. You may troll for fish in various methods. Still depends on where you’re fishing and the species you’re after. There are infinite possibilities when trolling, from required fishing equipment to choosing your places and presentation strategies.
For lake trout, trolling speeds of 1.5 to 3 mph are ideal. Why not limit yourself to one speed? The intended motion varies based on the type of lake trout lure and the depth of water in which you’re trolling. You should troll slowly in deep water and quicker in shallow water in general.
Anything faster than 3 mph is excessive! This is the most typical blunder made by inexperienced lake trout anglers. You aren’t targeting an aggressive hunter like a pike or musky.
The Optimal Speeds for Slow Trolling for Trout
Slow trolling for trout is a very successful method that isn’t challenging to learn. It’s a technique to include in your trout fishing arsenal. All you’ll need is a boat or kayak, bait, rod, reel, and a trolling speed of no faster than 2 mph.
Slow trolling for rainbow trout requires a few critical elements. One of them is speed. You’ll find yourself altering your speed often, so make sure you do so. Your lure will have a varied motion as you speed up and slow down. The tighter the wobble, the quicker you move, and the looser the wobble, the slower you will be.
The second consideration is not to troll in a straight line. You may need to do so on occasion, but a large, gradual “S” turn is best. On the S pattern, the turn’s outside rods and lures will speed up, while those inside will slow down. The reverse will happen when you progress through the next leg of the turn.
Trout may track your lures for a long time before deciding whether or not to strike. A simple twitch or shift in speed might sometimes inspire that strike to happen right away. It’s a truly magnificent sight to behold. Give these suggestions a chance and see if you can boost your numbers.
What Lures Should You Use for Fast Trolling for Trout
There are different types of lures, but there are also specific lures for fast trolling for trout.
Mack’s Lure Cha Cha Squidder
The Cha-Cha Squidder works better for Kokanee fishermen. But it has become a trout favorite. Let the squid skirts give the traditional spinner rig an enticing hint of flare. So, you have an unparalleled offering for selective trout. It is when you add in the vibration and flash of a smiling blade.
Additionally, its tandem hooks make it ideal for trolling with a delicious nightcrawler. This added motivation makes large rainbows go crazy. There are wide color ranges to choose from.
The Cha-Cha Squidder is like the Wedding Ring in that it may be trolled for trout. When used behind a dodger, the only change is that the leader must be shorter. Moreover, the 8-14 inch range is only a recommendation. The squid skirt’s activity increases when the Cha Cha is placed closer to a dodger.
Mack’s Lure Wedding Ring
The Wedding Ring is a tale in and of itself. Without one, no tackle box is complete. This in-line spinner weighs a thing and has the right flash in perfect spots. This trolling lure is lethal to every trout that crosses your way. Thanks to its iconic “wedding ring” band. Plus, the hammered metal blade is placed between colored beads.
Using various blade designs and color combinations is an advantage. You can customize your lure to maximize the bite.
Troll wedding rings 12-20 inches behind a gang troll rig or a dodger. If you target larger fish with a more subtle technique, try trolling the spinner alone. Make sure to include a split shot 24 inches in front for additional weight. To clinch the deal, add a bit of nightcrawler to the hook.
Pistol Petes
When it comes to catching more trout, it’s sometimes necessary to scale down and go natural. Trolling flies from Pistol Pete is ideal for the job. These one-of-a-kind prop flies are difficult to come by. Yet they’re definitely worth the chase if you have them.
The little prop blade in front adds a touch of flare and vibration to these lures, besides being modeled from popular streamer designs, such as the woolly bugger. You can get hooks from sizes 6 to 10 and come in various patterns and colors to give your hatch a match.
A single little split shot positioned 24 inches in front is another way to troll Pistol Pete flies. Cast it behind the boat with a spinning rod and troll. Don’t add weight to long-line troll Pistol Petes. If you notice trout getting spooked and pressured.
What Lures Should You Use for Slow Trolling for Trout
You may slow troll for rainbow trout with a broad range of baits. From elaborate spinner rigs to living nightcrawlers, we’ve got it all.
Rapala CD3
These are from Rapala’s “CountDown” collection. Within the CD3 series, they provide a broad choice of colors. These baits may be connected straight to your line or affixed with a snap.
Anglers often use a little snap to make it simple to swap out these baits frequently. All you have to do with these baits is toss them behind your kayak or boat and drag them along. Trout are enraged by the dancing and swimming.
Kastmaster
This is an old favorite among trout anglers. It’s a simple “spoon” style bait with a lot of unpredictable movement and activity. If you can locate them, they come in bronze, silver, and brass.
You can use them in the same way as the CD3 baits were. You can toss this behind the boat and let it to its own devices. But be careful, as these are heavy and might fall to the bottom when slowing down. You can directly tie them or use a snap. Most anglers prefer using swivel and leader. While fishing, Kastmaster baits since they tend to twist up your line.
Worden’s Rooster Tail
This next bait may be thrown from the shoreline or slowly trolled behind the boat with great success. The Original Rooster Tail from Worden’s is a fantastic bait. Thas caught many trout throughout the years.
This may be fished directly to your line or with a clip. If you’re going to troll this, a swivel is suggested because this bait has a tendency to twist your line.
What Speed Should I Use for Trolling Worms and Plastic Grubs
When trolling plastic grubs or worms, the optimal pace is slow, less than 2 mph. The ideal approach is to drag it around the ground. Burrow through weeds and climb over logs.
Using worms has a disadvantage. They’re a catch-all and in places with a diversity of species. Likewise, they always guarantee a mixed fish bag most times. Here are three suggestions for rigging.
Dropshot Rigged Worms
Drop Shotting necessitates a light line, often a 4 to 10-pound fluorocarbon line. It is a technique for targeting deep structures in shallow water.
- For setting up, make a Palomar knot on the line and attach a tiny drop shot hook, leaving roughly an 18-inch tag.
- Run the tag end through the eye on the hook’s face side. Snap the knot through to ensure the hook sticks out perpendicular to the line.
Carolina Rigged Worms
The Texas rig loses its capacity to deliver vibrations. Fishing in windy situations or deep waters. Because it brushes underwater obstacles or takes a bite. Now, the Carolina rig performs well in these situations.
- An egg weight or bullet was utilized in the original Carolina rig.
- On the first line, the rig’s followed by a glass bead. This produces a noise when the weight strikes it and protects the swivel knot.
- Attach a swivel to a short leader, then tie the swivel to the mainline using the leader.
- After that, connect your preferred hook to the leader’s end.
Texas Rigged Worms
Texas-rigged worms are weedless because the hook tip is lodged in the worm. So, most anglers fish with Carolina-rigged worms from a long snell’s bottom.
Texas-rigged worms fish slowly after being cast at precise spots and structures. Carolina rigs approach the presentations by trolling them in open water. It might sink down in the weeds or be suspended off the bottom.
What Speed Should I Use for Trolling Shad for Trout
The above pattern will be successful until mid-June. Water levels decrease, and fish are drawn away from coastal breaks. But, if water levels stay high, the bite will continue.
You may raise your trolling speed as the water temperature rises in June. Pull your Shad Raps at 3.5 to 3.75 mph when you detect the pattern slowing. It’s efficient because you’re covering water so quickly. You’re also bound to fill the boat. Since you’re covering so much territory at that speed, throwing bait in front of so many fish is good too.
As a result, you should think about it. This is the bite you go for if you want to practice reeling in fish. You’ll have a lot on your plate.
Recap / Final Thought
Take note that predator fish like pursuing their prey. When a baitfish is fleeing a predator, it does not swim at a constant speed. Instead, it makes short bursts through the water.
Consider how you retrieve a crankbait or spoon after casting it. You don’t keep reeling it in at one pace. Remember to yank the line and change the pace of your retrieval to give the lure more lifelike activity.
Find a steady tempo that allows your lures to perform at their best. Then change your throttle every few minutes to imitate a bait. Burst through the water in an attempt to avoid a predator. Then, choose lures that resemble baitfish
Try Wiggle Hoochies, spoons, plugs, and bucktail flies of different varieties. Have contact practice of the strategy. This will almost certainly boost your hook-up ratio and result in more trout than usual.
Trolling follows the same logic. Obviously, planer boards produce excellent results for many fishermen. And there’s a reason for it. When the waves give the planer boards an in and out motion, it lures with an unpredictable movement. It’s a burst-like motion. That stimulates the trout to strike. Whether you’re fishing with a downrigger or long lining, use this trolling method.
