How fast to troll when going with the current versus against?

[carlcmc]

We were out fishing the backwaters by wabasha and the channels.

Something I'm not sure of is should I measure my speed trolling relative to the earth or the flow of the water.

If the current is flowing 2mph and your boat just floats along, the rapala will probably have little movement to it?

So I trolled with the main motor plus my trolling motor (for .1mph adjustments and course correction) up river going 1.7-1.9mph.

But going downstream, just kicking into idle ahead speed took me to 2.4 mph. In Neutral the river was moving me about 1-1.4 mph per gps.

Sooooo,

should if i'm targeting 1.7mph should i got that up and down the river or should i take that 1.4 mph river flow and add it on and go 3.1 mph?

Sucks as well, I lost a rapala taildancer again and this time i lost one color of leadcore. AAARGH.

[markkstanley]

Easy answer is just go fast enough with the current to occasionally tick the bottom. Means you lure is working and not just floating downstream. You will need to move faster than the current flow but length of line out is also a factor in how much faster.

[Tony Boshold]

I would kick it in and out of gear while going down with the current if they want it slower. Usually the hits occur just about as the rod straightens out. Don't give it any slack though, kick it back in as soon as you lose feel.

To be honest this sort of thing can really be day to day. You'll often find me possibly hovering and sliding latterally across the current going upstream while the bait stays down and just as mentioned barely ticks the bottom. Or you may find me hauling along at 3.5 and as much as 5 on a gps, even going against the current. As the water warms into the mid to upper 60's I find 2.7-3.2 the numbers I see on the GPS most. I do a lot of zigzag and mixing of the speeds. Some days the take away and speed up triggers, others it's the pauses or drop backs you add with the rod in your hand. This will even be an hour to hour or week to week "bite".

Most of the time the fish show a preference for going up or down. If I get 3 going up and 1 down, I'll spend more time going up.

Baitfish in current relating to the bottom, scoot along the mini eddies formed by much smaller bottom changes, inches to feet at a time. Holding in the current breaks for moments before scooting some more along the bottom. One of the best triggers I have found is a short snap of about 6"-1' following it back on the drop. A slow steady pull of 3-4' and then drop it back maintaining the slightest contact can do it at times too. A long rip may be what's needed too. Experiment and worry about color last and cadence first. I have found that some days a color change spurrs bites through out the day, usually coinciding with lighting conditions changing, just showing them something different in the same lure.

I see so many anglers stick the rods in holders and just go with as many as they are allowed to, when a rod in the hand can be worth two in a holder. Pulling boards on rivers is not usually practical where I fish, but they do add a little something a flat line in a holder doesn't usually get.

Hope this helps.