How deep do you troll?

[YakCapn]

I'm new to this kayak fishing game and learning the ropes. How deep do you troll? And how do you know how far out your line really is? I've been using 2 ounce in line sinkers to troll Rapala Rattlin 05 and Rapala jerkbait 06 lures on two rods. I'm not sure exactly how far out behind me they are (maybe 60 to 100 feet???) or how deep they are getting. Not sure if I'm using too much or too little weight and if I'm trolling far enough/too far behind me. I'm generally in water 10 to no more than 20 feet deep.

[sparky1423]

I generally cast out as far as possible and then let more line out before closing the bail, so your 60-100ft is right on the money. Actually I troll closer to 100ft out...more will chime in with personal linear footage. If your running a rapala or lipped crankbait I tend to use just the bait and no weight in 10 ft of water. If I am trolling deeper, I will replace the lure with a medium to deep diving plug to adjust accordingly.

If using bucktails or paddletails....in 10 ft of water I used between 1/2-1oz jighead depending on the speed I am trolling. 20ft, I would use a 2oz head and do a few test runs to see if you are hitting bottom and/or bring up laying debris.

A great resource is a book written by our very own "Yakfish"....https://www.facebook.com/chesapeake.kayak.trolling

[Yak Fish]

The depth I troll is dependent upon where I see fish. I troll a lot of crankbaits because it takes a lot of the guess work out of it. I also like that they float while at rest. While fighting a fish I don't worry about them snagging on the bottom, which is a huge pain. I do troll weighted lures and I know the depth they run based on experience. Troll over a known depth and watch your rod tips for when they hit bottom. Generally, you're trolling much shallower than you realize.

At some point, letting out more line does very little to get deeper. The line is not straight from your rod tip. It is curved.

To comment on your particular setup, I'd pass on the trolling sinkers in front of the rapala's you're using just because they make them in deeper diving versions. Also 9's - 14's are the sizes that I use for stripers. If you want to hit deeper depths, they make those too. So does Yozuri which I like a lot.

If I want to use a paddletail deep, I'll throw on a jet diver...they come in all kinds of depths.

Just a few things to think about.

[YakCapn]

Awesome tips....I have some larger Rapala lipped crankbaits I'll try without the weights...I have a couple of 9s, 10s and a 12...in my zest for the new sport, I bought a variety. I was concerned they wouldn't sink at 3mph dragging them behind me. I have this huge Yo-zuri Crystal Minnow thats over 5 inches long...I'm actually concerned what I might catch on that thing! I'm just getting my feet wet in the sport and don't need to catch the monster just yet. By the way, I bought all these based on your recommendations in your book. I got it a few weeks back, I had no idea you were a member here. I need to re-read portions of the book now that I've been out a few times. You've been a great inspiration!!! Thanks for writing that book.

Sparky, I'll try the SPro bucktails I got recently too. I got a 3/4, 1 , 1.5, and a 2 oz. Looks like I might be done with my trolling sinkers altogether! I'm just wishing the weather were a little bit better, I didn't go out this weekend at all because of the wind. I probably should have gone yesterday morning, but I went to a trout lake instead to shore fish. I just need a bit more confidence before I head out in less than ideal weather.

[Cowpokey]

I've been trolling with 1/2 oz jig heads and 4" or 6" tails, with a good length cast (60'?) and they start bumping the bottom when it's about 7' deep. Shallower water use less weight, like a 1/4 or 1/8 oz head. I have some Norman Middle N lures that run 6-8' and they bump the bottom about the same.

I think every fish I've caught on the bay was within 10' of the surface, regardless of how deep the water is.

[daolai]

Alan has written a great book that has helped me and a lot of others out on trolling as I am new to kayak fishing as well. It's the most read book by my commode

[Yak Fish]

Alan has written a great book that has helped me and a lot of others out on trolling as I am new to kayak fishing as well. It's the most read book by my commode

I know I've hit it big when my book is by your toilet

[Cowpokey]

I know I've hit it big when my book is by your toilet

Superstar! LOL

[daddyg]

I know I've hit it big when my book is by your toilet

That's too funny I did not read it on the toilet. I read it making double time on Sunday when I should have been fishing.

[Yak Fish]

I know it probably sounds really weird, but I've got a copy in my bathroom....I am not kidding :-)
My wife laughs and asks me how I think it'll end.

[Frankthefitter]

At this point in the season I'm using tandem parachutes in the channel. I'm still using smaller parachutes until the water temps drop a bit. One rod has a 2oz and 4oz tandem and the other rod a 1oz and 3oz tandem. No weight on either and running one rod at around 75 foot and the other 100 foot plus. According to a trolling chart both set ups would be close to the surface. 5 to 7 foot deep maybe. I did notice last week that when trolling around working birds that going into the current (slower) I was picking up larger fish then with the current. Slower would put the lures a little deeper below the small fish on the surface.


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[CryptoSquirrel]

I know it probably sounds really weird, but I've got a copy in my bathroom....I am not kidding :-)
My wife laughs and asks me how I think it'll end.

Hopefully it wasn't a crappy ending :-)

[AbuMasgouf]

I'm certainly no expert and don't have hard and fast data to support any claim, and I'm sure temperature and time of year has something to do with it... but I recently had a great learning experience from Goody.

I used to always make sure I had about 100 feet of line out while trolling anywhere between 2 -3 mph. My hookup ration was pretty good but not like I wanted. When I used to troll with Goody, I noticed he was doing 4 lines and would have all four hooked up on numerous occasions. We were both using the same weight and color and traveling the same speed. The difference was how much line he put out. I payed close attention when he cast out and realized he wasn't doing a full strength cast, it seemed more like a lob and the line went out no more than 20-25 feet. Interesting, I thought and decided to give it a try. We were in an area that had no more than 8ft depth. Having shorter lines out made a huge difference... My hookup ratio easily doubled.

The next time I went out, the area we fished at had about 14-16 ft depth. I again did a short cast about 30-40ft or so and closed the bail and started my test. The shorter casts produced more than my experience with longer casts with lots of line.

My point here is to keep an open mind and experiment. I was adamant about letting out a lot of line to troll (which at times made it daunting when going over fish and structure to try and figure out when the bite will hit), but I decided to try different things and test my environment. To be honest if you would have told me 1 year ago that you can just do a short cast out and that's enough I would have never believed it because of what I was reading and seeing from others. But seeing Goody hook up consistently made me realize that I need to learn from others and try different things. I'm glad I did...

Thanks Goody

[Goody]

I'm certainly no expert and don't have hard and fast data to support any claim, and I'm sure temperature and time of year has something to do with it... but I recently had a great learning experience from Goody.

I used to always make sure I had about 100 feet of line out while trolling anywhere between 2 -3 mph. My hookup ration was pretty good but not like I wanted. When I used to troll with Goody, I noticed he was doing 4 lines and would have all four hooked up on numerous occasions. We were both using the same weight and color and traveling the same speed. The difference was how much line he put out. I payed close attention when he cast out and realized he wasn't doing a full strength cast, it seemed more like a lob and the line went out no more than 20-25 feet. Interesting, I thought and decided to give it a try. We were in an area that had no more than 8ft depth. Having shorter lines out made a huge difference... My hookup ratio easily doubled.

The next time I went out, the area we fished at had about 14-16 ft depth. I again did a short cast about 30-40ft or so and closed the bail and started my test. The shorter casts produced more than my experience with longer casts with lots of line.

My point here is to keep an open mind and experiment. I was adamant about letting out a lot of line to troll (which at times made it daunting when going over fish and structure to try and figure out when the bite will hit), but I decided to try different things and test my environment. To be honest if you would have told me 1 year ago that you can just do a short cast out and that's enough I would have never believed it because of what I was reading and seeing from others. But seeing Goody hook up consistently made me realize that I need to learn from others and try different things. I'm glad I did...

Thanks Goody

Anything to to help a fellow fisherman. I'm always learning new things from everyone when I'm out. I 'm always observing and picking up new things

Mobile

[Yak Fish]

I caught a fish today with about 2' of line out :-)
For plugs a simple cast is all you need.

For weighted lures it depends on your particular setup. Just realize that letting out a ton of line does not necessarily make the lure go deeper. At some point it really just goes backwards not down because of the added drag on the line. Take a look at your line when you have about 10' in the water. The line will take a sharper slope in the water than when you have 100' out. With 100' out, the line will come off the rod with a shallow angle to the water. At this point, you're not really getting any more depth by letting line out. The line shape in the water is curved, not straight.