Favorite trolling lure?

[Elsea]

I've done very little trolling in my kayak. Will troll from spot to spot but haven't really spent much time trolling. I'm curious what your go to trolling lures are. I fish mainly in the skinny water around the norther neck area where Stripers, Specs and Pups are found.
Thanks

[Big Mike]

For the skinny water I love a 4" paddle tail plastic on a 1/8th ounce jig head. White or chartreuse produced well.

[whenican]

Same or heavier plus pink fluke or ZMan biteproof paddletail has worked for me.

[J.A. Veil]

My favorite is similar to Big Mike -- a paddletail soft plastic on a jighead. Depending on the water depth and time of year, I use paddletails from 3" (my personal favorite is the 12 Fathom 3" Fat Sam mullet) up to the 4.5" BPS Saltwater Sally. I use jigheads ranging from 3/8-oz to 1.5-oz (typically I only use jigheads heavier than 3/4-oz when the water depth exceeds 4 ft). I also like 3" to 5" Storm shads that have the weight molded into the paddletail fish body. Several examples are shown below.

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[Redfish12]

I too like a lead head/paddle tail combo and all you need to do is change the weight/size to match your conditions. If it is nighttime, then I prefer a shallow diving (no more than 6 ft) plug like a bomber long a or a rattle trap for the places I fish around the bay.

[Shady]

for the the 8-12' range you cant beat a rapala x-rap, but i also like a rapala trolls-to-10 minnow

[Cowpokey]

Jig head with paddle tail is my go to. 1/2oz white head with a 6" tail has been the favorite all around if the water is deeper than 5'. For water less than 5' a 1/8-1/4oz head with a 4" tail works well.

[Longtrav]

I've done very little trolling in my kayak. Will troll from spot to spot but haven't really spent much time trolling. I'm curious what your go to trolling lures are. I fish mainly in the skinny water around the norther neck area where Stripers, Specs and Pups are found.
Thanks

Can't beat a pet spoon.

[Yak Fish]

Unlike many of the others, I prefer crankbaits, but it all depends on the situation. They dive to very specific depths that you can count on, and you select lures to run where the fish are. If you can't do this in many seasons, you'll be completely skunked.
If you are in really shallow water, 6' or less, then trolling jig heads will be a good ticket because there's less hooks to hang up on and you don't have to know exactly where they are running. For deeper water, it's very difficult to know where jig heads/paddle tails are running....not a good situation.
It all depends on the time of year as well. In late summer, early fall, jig heads/paddle tails...and the pet spoon which is one I really like can be trolled along shallow shore lines.
As the season progresses, those fish move to 15-25' which is where Chesapeake Rigs are the absolute best thing I've used are the ticket. Then 35-50' in late November through Feb I "jig troll" BKDs, so your lures and tactics need to change through the year.

Spring: X-Raps, Yozuris
Early Fall: Pet Spoon, shallow yozuris or jig heads/paddtails.
Fall: Chesapeake Rig, Deep Divers
Winter: Jig Trolling
Summer: Deep Divers

[kevinfry]

My favorite depends on the species

Bluefish---- TonySpoon--silver
Sea trout--- brook trout pattern xrap plug
Rockfish---Bassassasin Salty Shad....3 main colors salt/pepper with Char tail/Electric Chicken/firetiger (those are my most productive, but I LIKE trolling Rapalas of various types best)
Puppy drum----trolling shallow with chartruese drone spoon or gold reflcto spoon

[DanMarino]

Lucky Craft pointer 78.

[dsiekman]

XRap in olive and a red 3/8 oz jig head with glow/redtail saltwater assassin out the other side.

[rwh]

I'm not really familiar with the X-Rap baits. I have a couple in my tackle box, but I think they are for freshwater. It says slash-bait on the box (XR-10, I think).

Are these saltwater lures the X-raps that i see people mention for trolling? http://www.basspro.com/Rapala-Saltwa...product/58001/ or are they the Magnum series: http://www.basspro.com/Rapala-XRap-M...product/72190/

What size is most effective for trolling?

Thanks!

[reel-em-in]

I'm not really familiar with the X-Rap baits. I have a couple in my tackle box, but I think they are for freshwater. It says slash-bait on the box (XR-10, I think).

Are these saltwater lures the X-raps that i see people mention for trolling? http://www.basspro.com/Rapala-Saltwa...product/58001/ or are they the Magnum series: http://www.basspro.com/Rapala-XRap-M...product/72190/

What size is most effective for trolling?

Thanks!

The freshwater ones are the same as the saltwater ones except the saltwater ones have beefier hooks. The XR-10's (the ones you have) are good in the fall as well as the SXR-10's (saltwater version). In the spring the next size up (SXR-12's) work well.

[mweber02]

The freshwater ones are the same as the saltwater ones except the saltwater ones have beefier hooks. The XR-10's (the ones you have) are good in the fall as well as the SXR-10's (saltwater version). In the spring the next size up (SXR-12's) work well.

I think the saltwater version also comes with a feather dressed tail hook where as the freshwater does not.