Trolling

[Bluegill]

Looking to buy a trolling out fit what do you guys use. What kind off rod what kind of reel etc.


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[Cowpokey]

I just bought an Ugly Stik GX2, 6' med-heavy action spinning rod and put my Penn Fierce 3000 reel with 20# Fireline braid on it. Haven't fished it yet, but I think it's going to be good for the bay. My other trolling rod is a Berkley Lightning Rod, 6' med-heavy casting rod with a BPS brand reel and the same braid.

The Ugly Stik replaces the Lightning Rod that got broken yesterday...I really like Lightning Rods, but figured I'd try something else.

[Frogsauce]

I can second the Ugly Stik GX2 med-heavy. It's the best one I have bought in the U.S. so far for the price ($30-40). They really improved that rod.

I got 6' 6" ones though, but 6'-7' is all fine. I lean towards Shimano reels... but that's because I can get the Japanese models at Japanese prices. Anything in the 2500 to 4000 range is probably fine for the bay.

[Cowpokey]

I went with the 6', so it will fit inside the my Jeep when I put the hard top back on. I only have one piece conventional rods.

[yakPHISHn]

Buy Yak Fish's book. For $16 bucks you can have the perfect base knowledge for starting off, and then you can use what the rest of these guys say to perfect your approach. Free tip - which the book also mentions - is Med-Heavy rods around 7 foot. I troll with to 7'2 med heavys. The length gives you spread while trolling and when you have a fish on you have clearance if he crosses the bow of the yak. Reels get dipped a lot with fish at the boat, so you should obviously rinse every time. That being said you should still buy inexpensive, but not cheap. I just switched from $100 dollar shimano reels to 50 dollar shimano reels and love them. I use braid and tend to let the rod do the work so i use smaller reels (2500 or 3000). Most people might recommend 4000. I carry a 4000 as my third rod, but it is rigged for live lining most the time. Seriously though, buy Yak Fish's book.

[J.A. Veil]

If you are a beginner at kayak trolling I recommend that you start out with a rod that you can use for multiple purposes. Spinning rods in the range of 6' to 7' and medium light, medium, or medium heavy weight seem to be the most common choice. On trips when you fish in a way other than trolling, you can use the same rods for casting or jigging. As you get more involved in the sport of kayak fishing and decide that having more specialized gear will improve your catching (or at least support your tackle collecting hobby), you can buy other rods that are more specifically designed for the type of fishing you want to do.

A second point is to determine what is the most likely species you will target and (be realistic) how large the fish will be. If you are fishing in an area where most of the fish are 15" to 20", you don't need a medium-heavy rod. You can catch those fish just fine using a lighter rod. A few Snaggedline members did offshore mothership trips earlier this year. They were targeting large, powerful fish and needed something quite strong. Those rods would be overkill for catching schoolie stripers and blues. I even troll some times in the Severn for perch using ultralight rods and small spinners. The technique works -- just size the gear for the size of the target fish.

Third, consider what type of lures you plan to troll. Yak Fish covers this in his book. He often trolls large swimming plugs and has great success on catching large stripers. Swimming plugs, particularly the larger ones, pull hard against the line and work better with a more rigid rod. I personally do not like trolling plugs (I try to stay away from multiple treble-hooked lures). I troll mostly jigheads or bucktails with soft plastic paddletails, twister tails, or Bass Assassin-style rat tails. These do not pull back as hard as the swimming plugs, allowing me to fish successfully with rods in the medium-light to medium range.

[Mark]

This is only my second year of kayak fishing. I had fished mostly fresh water for years from boats or by wading. The thing that has surprised me the most is that my freshwater bass tackle from fly rods to bait casters has served me well for stripers in the Bay. Admittedly I am not jigging or live-lining at the Bay Bridge. But I troll a little and mostly I cast. My medium and medium light weight rods have handled 20 inch plus stripers with ease. Plus I have been able to get the ever-dreaded cow-nose rays to the boat with those same rods. So my advice is stay on the lighter side of tackle if you can. They will make your typical Chesapeake catches from a kayak much more sporting.

Good luck to you.

[Bluegill]

Thanks guys I think I've made my rod choices penn battle 4000 , penn spinfisher 3500 , penn spinfisher 2500 all paired with ugly stick inshore select rods ranging from med light to med heavy depending on reel


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[yakPHISHn]

I have the Penn Battle 4000 and like it, but I also have the Penn Fierce 4000 and I like then equally and the Battle cost more. They are my two main rods on my boat. just sharing.