trolling for northern

[dustin85]

HI,I'm kind-of a rookie at fishing from a boat. I have a duck boat with a 44lb thrust trolling motor that I want to use for trolling a small local lake for northern. The map on dnr page says the lake is about 7 ft deep, and in 2003 the dnr trapped northern from 15 to greater than 29". What kind of speed do you guys recommend trolling at?(half throttle, wide open?), and how much line should I have out behind me to have the greatest chance at catching some fish without plowing mud with my lures? THANKS in advance for any info!

[I'llTakeWhatiCanGet]

Pike can swim much faster than that boat will pull your baits, so I'd just adjust your speed to the lure you're using. Make sure its action is working, and also that you're not pulling it too fast. Changing you're speed up while you're going can be a trigger for toothy critters, so try slowing down and speeding up a little. Turning also mixes your speed up, so don't be afraid to do a little zigzagging. Good luck to ya.

[JoeTC]

When I used to troll for northers a lot I liked to uses a spoon and let it out till I was just ticking the weeds. I'd guess I was usuall between 2 and 4 mph. That was with a 1o horse motor, I'm not sure if a trolling motor can get you going that fast.

[Esoxmn]

Alot of it depend on your lure choice. Casting may be a better option, trolling at a higher speed will drain the battery pretty fast, With the electric motor. Are you out to just catch fish or are you looking for size? A lake with a depth of seven feet most likely wont hold many large pike.

[guideman]

I'm with Gary on this one, I think you'll do much better casting to these fish than trolling for them. Get a couple spinnerbaits and perhaps a red and white spoon and I'm sure you'll catch all you can stand.

"Ace"

[Dave S]

I caught my biggest fish (walleye) in a 14ft. lightweight jon-boat, 15 hp suzuki, and casting a 5-of-diamonds in 3-6 feet of water. I bought the lure from Wal-Mart for 99 cents. It was chartreuse with blaze orange diamonds. We pulled a 2 lb northern, (5) 2 lb walleyes, and (2) 9 lb walleyes out of this lake.

Based on your info, casting would be the way to go. As mentioned before, your battery will drain before you get a chance to enjoy your day. Take it easy with the trolling motor and cast.

[dustin85]

Thanks alot for the info! I will use all the advice when I can get out on the water. I'm not after huge trophies,...just like to catch fish, and with my limited resources, I'd like to stick to smaller local lakes. Thanks again, I'll try casting like you guys said!

[Fisher Dave]

As these guys stated.. casting is the way to go in your case. If your going to troll.. bring a couple full charged high quality marine batteries and you should get by if need be.

I have been using electric motors for years(20 years) on the local minneapolis lakes.. and some do require trolling to be successful at certain times of the year. My trolling motor on a mid range setting (50#) on a 14' boat gave me an entire days fishing easy... high settings will drain your battery in a couple hours.

I believe you stated you had a 14' boat and a 44 lb thrust motor... your top speed will be about 4 mph without a heavy load if its a basic aluminum boat... mid range speeds usually keep you just over 2 mph... and allows you to get some battery life.

I do fish for pike quite often on other lakes that I can run the outboard... The best success is ususally starting at 2 mph, and goes as high as 7 mph for common productive speeds... Casting will give you the ability to run the lure at whatever speed is neccessary to catch fish.. your not going to get 7 out of a trolling motor.

Low speed trolling could be very effective with shallow running crankbaits in your situation... slow trolling and *pumping* or *jerking* the rod can be deadly. I often do this when the fish get scattered throughout a large area, and casting turns into too much work... this can also be very effective for walleyes.

when fishing pike... you dont need a long line when trolling.. even with a running outboard, they usually wont have a problem nailing baits just behind the motor wake.

good luck

[dustin85]

Thank you for the info! (The boat is a 12 ft.)I'll try casting when the time comes, maybe a little trolling, too.I appreciate all the help from those of you with the experience that I don't yet have.-Later!

Dustin

[Polar Bear]

Hey Dustin, One of the deadliest things you can do is to "speed troll" for pike with the right equipment. By far the most productive technique for me has been to use a #9 Shad Rap in the chartruse color. I've caught many big northerns on lakes all over the state including a nice 39 incher on Lake Hanska, not far from where you are.

Here's the deal: toward late June after the water has warmed up you let out your Rap right next to the boat and open the throttle gradually while watching the action of your bait. Keep speeding up until the action of the lure can't handle the speed then slow just a little to regain control. The idea is to go as fast as your lure will allow. Once you get the speed right let out enough line to get behind the boat only 30 feet or so. Northerns are not afraid to enter the wake to get fed. You will be amazed how fast you're able to go. My brother in law said we were trolling almost fast enough to get a water skier up the day I got the big one on Hanska!

My advice is to go as fast as your trolling motor will go once the water temp is warm enough. Of course, this only works with diving lures that are well tuned. Spoons and spinners are good too but they will definately not handle "speed trolling". For those type lures you've gotta slow way down. A Daredevle will just rise to the surface if you go too fast.

Also, when going fast for big pike, your drag better be set right. I like mine set just tight enough to easily be able to pull out more line while trolling. The shock of a 15 pound fish hammering a lure traveling 10 mph is really hard on tackle, but it sure is a blast! Good luck.

[8-Ball]

Hey Polar- I hear ya on the speed deal. Ever try it w/ a silver or gold rattle-trap? Deadly. 8-Ball.