Newbie trolling question

[Mattybofmd]

Hey guys I have to ask because I'm always second guessing everything I do. I just want to be sure I'm not doing thing terribly wrong. I use 3 different spinning setups for trolling but they are all fitted to handle 1/2 oz to 1 oz rigging for the troll. I use 20# braid with a 40# floro leader and I know every1 has there own preferences on that. I'm wondering if I'm doing right or half right by trolling my 1/2 and 1 oz bucktails, ratls, and hards the same way. I use an arm length leader of floro on a barrel swivel to my braid and let them go to work. Is just the weight difference enough to get them trolling different depths or am I missing a step? Sorry I'm so new to trolling. I have caught a few stripers and largemouth using this method in the patapsco near me I just want to maximize my potential. Thanks every1 you guys always give me confidence to get back out there on the fish

[kevinfry]

those are the basics....you can vary from there as you start finding what works for you

[Memory Maker]

Also ...... It depends on what you are fishing for and how deep the fish are ......... 1/2 and 1 oz weights seems very light ....... Most boats use 4-16 oz trolling weights

[scorpioreno]

those are the basics....you can vary from there as you start finding what works for you

I agree. You may have to ask yourself after your outing, are you happy with how you are doing when you finish your trips. You can look back and figure out what worked well and what didn't. Repeat what worked and sneek in a new method along with what worked well. That is how you gain confidence in what works.T here are so many variables to trolling. For example if you are fishing in 20ft of water and your lure reaches it's trolling depth at 10ft(because of speed, limitation of the lure and or amount of line out) what you can do is go to a inline trolling sinker and extend your floro off of the trolling sinker to be able to fish your favorite lure to a deeper depth. I think you are ok and you will learn as you go along. I still question a lot of my methods because I too am new to trolling.

[Mattybofmd]

Also ...... It depends on what you are fishing for and how deep the fish are ......... 1/2 and 1 oz weights seems very light ....... Most boats use 4-16 oz trolling weights

People use up to 16 oz weights trolling on kayaks? I had no idea that even 4 oz was a viable option here. I have much to learn yet I see. I'm trolling for stripers. I usually troll the 1/2 oz bucktails with a 4" mullet teaser or a 1" ratl trap and even suspending hard plastics between 3/4 and 1 1/4 oz at depths up to 18 feet in my area usually

[Memory Maker]

People use up to 16 oz weights trolling on kayaks? I had no idea that even 4 oz was a viable option here. I have much to learn yet I see. I'm trolling for stripers. I usually troll the 1/2 oz bucktails with a 4" mullet teaser or a 1" ratl trap and even suspending hard plastics between 3/4 and 1 1/4 oz at depths up to 18 feet in my area usually

Trolling is trolling doesn't matter if it is boat or Kayak ........ my examples were from boats ............ it's all speed, tide, line length and weight .......... you can troll with weight or no weight depending on the depth and what depth the fish are .......

[J.A. Veil]

There are many variables, but for me, the water depth where I am fishing is a main factor. I often troll Storm shads and 4 to 5" paddletails in water less than 10 ft deep (and in many cases, less than 5 ft). I use jigheads from 3/8-oz to 1 oz. I typically put smaller plastics on the lighter jigheads and longer/larger ones on the heavier jigheads. Until you have a clear idea of where the fish are, both spatially and in the water column, it pays to troll several different styles, colors, shapes, and weights of lures. With that mix of lures, I rarely troll in water deeper than 10 ft, and if I do troll there, I catch only fish in the upper part of the water column.

Also, there is not a "right" or "wrong" way to troll. You can experiment to find the technique that provides the best success for you, your paddling/pedaling speed, and location.

[bignose]

You are not far off track.
For light tackle trolling in relatively shallow water, usually done from a kayak or canoe ( I've also done this from a tin boat), you want to generally use lures from the 1/8 oz. up thru maybe 1 oz. range. Some use billed crank baits to get down deeper, but these create a good bit of resistance, harder to tow. Towing something like a Mann's Stretch 25 is a good way to burn up a lot of calories.
The lighter the lure, the higher in the water column it runs, more or less.
If you are paddle trolling, your lures will run a little deeper than they would if towed from a powered craft, because of the relatively slower speeds involved.
Rattl' traps are a good choice, as are jigs with curly tails or paddle tails on them, and Storm Swim shads in the 4 inch range. The jigs range from 1/4 oz., up to 1 oz.
No extra weight is needed to get them down, until you start getting into water deeper than 10 feet or so.
I experimented with a tandem rig of a 4 inch and 5 inch Swim Shad towed off of a 3 way swivel, ( trying to imitate what we do on the charter boat) and was dragging the bottom in 9 feet of water.
BTW, I recommend using ball bearing swivels with solid rings, rather than barrel swivels for connecting leaders to the main line. #40 is a bit much for a leader, except if you are fishing for trophy rock in the spring.

Now, on the charter boat, we often pull enormous jig heads tandem rigged with 9" shad bodies, umbrella rigs, or parachute jigs which create a huge amount of water resistance, and take a considerable amount of weight to get them down where the fish are. You would not like the workout that you would get towing them from a kayak. Some of the weights are heavier than the perch we catch during the summer.