Trolling for Muskies??

[castmaster]

i completely agree there are some spots that cannot be trolled, and others that can be but not as effectively as casting. there are also spots that can be trolled but not casted, and spots that can be casted, but not as effectively as trolling.

i fish a couple spots on a river near me with depths of 40'+, in which the fish seem to hold on or near bottom. there is no effective way to fish these structures other than trolling or vertical jigging. i have yet to find a lure that will cast to the depth needed in that situation. or take the mud flats on mille lacs. casting, your lure will barely get in the zone before your lure is back to the boat. can catch them casting out there, but trolling is a more effective tactic for getting lures to the right depth and keeping them there.

[markkstanley]

I always start on the windblown shore especially if the wind has been blowing the same direction for a couple of days. Everything tends to get pushed to that side. First the plankton, then the baitfish which follow the plankton and finally the predators following the baitfish. If fishing midlake humps I start on the wind blown side but will check the backside. Just like wingdam fishing on rivers. Last point, a shift in wind direction doesn't mean the fish immediately move so when hitting the lake pay attention to the wind direction for the last three days prior. Don't rely on that days wind direction to determine what the windblown shore is. Took me awhile to figure that one out.

[Giant_Jackpot]

Quote:

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Just to throw in a reminder. With the spread of Eurasian Watermilfoil at the pace in which it is going, in 20 years it will be imposable to troll.

Save a Troller. Check your boat at the landing.

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I disagree with this statement. What about the edge that the milfoil creates? Minnetonka is one huge weed line. I would agree that on some small lakes the milfoil might not leave much room to troll but it certainly will not end trolling.

[Muddog]

I'm right there with you markkstanley with every word you said.

The one thing on the wind blowen side of the lake I look for is the fingers of deeper water that point into the bays and shoreline that the waves are hitting. The water under the surface is going the other way and is pushed down making rip tides that cut these channals (fingers). Try to think of it like a water fall. The finger is where the water is moving fastest and at the tips of the humps between the fingers the slowest. Somewere on the hump the water flow parts. This can be a true honey hole for large Bass. Not all humps are the same. Find the right one and you cracked the code. Just off these humps and closer the the points you will find the Pike and such.

After the wind dies down for awile the fish tend to scatter untill the wind blow again. The wind doesn't have to blow very hard to set this up but the 2-3 day thing is a must.

When casters (which I'm one of) say trolling is the lazy way to fish I allways have to smile. When I'm trolling the windy side of a lake with a 20mph side wind blowing and I'm trying to hit a 10yd square area 50yd ahead with a lure that is 70-100' behind the boat. Well casting that protected bay on the othes side of the lake with all the other fishermen sure does look like the eazy life.

[widetrack]

My best advise is not to become a one dimensional fisherman.

Casting and trolling both have their time and place. I have pictures of over a dozen muskies caught trolling that go from 38-45lbs... I can't think of one of those that could have been reached casting... Probably have another dozen or so past 50 that couldn't have been caught any other way then casting...

[Muddog]

Oh yes, I do my share of casting. Pound the weeds.

I'm from the Large Mouth Bass part of the state. The last 3 state record lg Bass came from Lakes less then 20 miles from my home.

In this area the weeds take quite a pounding and the 10-20 foot range is left mostly undisturberd. When I locate fish I do cast, cast, cast.

What I try to get through is lake maps do not tell you the whole story. To get the finer points you have to get out there and put it under the boat. Look at it with your depth finder and fish it. Sounds like trolling to me. Use you GPS and map the area. Mark the areas were you catch fish casting and trolling with waypoint. Build up a image of the area from the weeds to the deep water. Keep track of wind, Moon and cold fronts.

Don't just work the weed line. Don't just work the docks. don't just troll with crank-baits.

To say one is better then the other is like saying a 2 wood is better then a 9 iron. I wouldn't go to play gulf and only play the greens. Hey you can't get the ball in the hole without the greens but it is only a small part of the game.