Gearing Up!

[eyepatrol]

Not sure about the rest of you, but I'm already thinking about gearing up for this year's open water walleye fishing. I recently sold a bunch of fishing equipment I don't use anymore so I've got some cashola to spend! Here's my list:

Depthmaster trolling rods: 2 - 8' rods (2-piece) medium action.

Okuma Convector Linecounter Reels (2).

18lb Richter anchor.

Drift sock

Quickdraw flush mount rod holders (2)

Spare tire bracket and spare tire for trailer.

PowerPro 20lb line (green)

And with the rest of the money, some more shad raps or Salmo raps (is it worth getting some Salmos?).

Anybody else gearing up yet or am I the early bird?

[Rost]

Looks like a great list!

Have you looked at the 8'6" Depth Master Downrigger rods? They are much more forgiving and work really well when trolling with Power Pro.

[eyepatrol]

No, I haven't. But, I'm in need of some direction for the trolling rods. I've also considered the Shimano Taloras (sp?), but they're a bit more spendy and I'm trying to get as much as I can with the budget I've got.

The one problem I have is understanding the difference in the trolling rods. Some of the descriptions used in the catalogs for trolling rods are as follows:

Trolling, Downrigger, Planer board, Dipsey/Diver

Here's the problem I'm faced with: Can each of these rods be used to troll rapalas using rod holders? Does it matter really? Like I say, I could use a little direction on this matter. If I'm better off with an 8'-6" rod, I'll get it....the cost between an 8' and 8'-6" rod is the same I believe until you get into telescoping rods.

[Team Otter]

Eric,

Nice looking list. Longer, downrigger or planer board rods work well for all applications. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't buy anything under 8'. Forgiveness is a big deal. There are many brands to choose from but Cabela's makes nice versions of all mentioned that often times come equipped as "combo" units. If the reel is not included, go with Daiwa Sealine.

As for purchasing Salmo lures, fire me an e-mail before moving forward with that. Thanks!

[DinkADunk]

I really, really like the 8', 2pc, M or ML Shimano Talora trolling rods for pulling cranks for walleyes, Perch, Pike, and Bass (or whatever wants to eat my Rapalas). At $60 they're a pretty good value. I teamed them up with Daiwa Accudepth 17LCI reels with 10lb Trilene XT. I usually use a swivel and an 6lb or 8lb fluorocarbon leader to crankbait. The only thing I don't like with this setup are the Daiwa Accudepth's, one of them doesn't want to freespool when I ask it to. This year I'm replacing the Daiwa Accudepth's with Daiwa Sealine's.

I use these rods in Cabela's rod holders when I'm trolling fairly shallow (say under 20') or with downriggers when I'm going deeper or want to run shallow baits (original Rapala's) at depth. The tips are very responsive and broadcast every movement of your crankbait. The ML telegraphs this a bit more than the M. These are fairly tough rods too, I did land a 38" Muskie last fall (on a 6lb test leader) and the rod performed very well.

As for the other Talora's it's just a matter of getting the one that is the right size for you. I also use the 10'6" medium power Talora's to troll for Muskie. I use Daiwa Sealine SG47LCA reels loaded with Powerpro on them. It's a real hoot when a large fish strikes those

[Mille Lacs Guy]

BC,

I would suggest looking at the Shimano TDR trolling rods in the 8'6" length and medium action. In the spring they usally have them on special at fleet farm for 2 for $30 or something like that. I have several of these rods and they are perfect for leadcore and also work great for long lining either power pro or mono. If you were to want a rod strictly for running power pro or mono I would suggest the Bass Pro Shops walleye angler series trolling rods in either 7'6" or 8'6". They are quite a bit more expensive than the TDR but they are a very good value. I have several of these and for the price they are great. You can get a good deal combining them with a variety of different trolling reals as well.

Salmos are awesome as well. By far my favorite crank bait is the number 5 Hornet. They work better for me than Shad Raps when the water warms up a bit. I prefer the shad raps in the spring and fall and the Salmo hornet in summer.

[Rost]

I can't comment on the Shimano rods. I'm sure they'll do the trick though-as long as they are forgiving.

I have 6 Cabelas 8'6" Downrigger Depthmasters (4 I use with PowerPro and 2 I use with lead). I also use planer boards about 90% of the time I troll. And I troll about 70% of the time I fish! These rods work well for every application.

Couple reasons I like them...

1. They're suprisingly sensitive even with the foam handles. I can feel if a #5 shad rap is not running right in a second.

2. They are very forgiving. Trolling with line such as powerpro requires a rod that is very flexible. Otherwise you'll rip lips You still need to set your drag ultra loose though..

3. I like them with planer boards. On windy days in big waves, a longer, more flexible rod will not "surge" or "jerk" your board as much.

4. They are not very expensive.

Guaranteed, if you pick this rod up in Cabelas, you will think it is way to flimsy! However, you'll learn to appreciate this when you hook into a 6 lb eye trolling at 2.5 mph!

Good luck with you new stuff!

[PerchJerker]

Lots of guys like using long rods for trolling. I use them too, planer board and dipsy rods up to 8.5 feet for pulling boards when I'm targeting big fish, but I don't like them for flatline trolling.

For flatlines with superlines like powerpro I go with 7 foot graphite rods, ML action, which I WAY prefer over the longer, heavier, mushier planer board and dipsy rods. I just think they're more comfortable to use, and more fun.

For trolling leadcore I use a combination of 7 foot to 8.5 foot rods, occasionally even a shorter rod for an inside line combined with an 8.5 foot rod for the outside line, to spread them as much as possible. ML rods are too light for this but M action rods work great, as do planer and dipsy rods.

I would look at how you plan to do most of your trolling and what size fish you mostly expect to catch with them. I just don't think it makes sense to get superlong planer board or dipsy rods if most of your fishing is not going to be be with planer boards, or is going to be on smaller lakes with smaller waves (ie. not Mille Lacs, Oahe, Erie, etc) and most of the fish you catch will be under 22 inches. Smaller, lighter rods will do just fine for boards in those situations, and I think will be more versatile for trolling in other situations too. Just my opinion, lots of guys have different opinions on this.

Hope this helps, good luck.

As for crankbaits, you can never have enough, let alone too many. I haven't used salmos very much but am going to try using them more this year, especially the hornet and the bullhead.

[eyepatrol]

Thanks for the info guys. It might be a "game-time" decisions as to what I get.

Most if not all of my trolling will be done using the rod holders on my boat. Eventually I'd like to get into planer boards, but I better "perfect" my trolling skills before I get too carried away.

[insurance guy]

I would stay away from Okuma's in the reel category. The Diawa Sealines are very nice reels and if you want to take it a step further go with the Shimano Tekota 300 LC's. The Sealines don't have the nice microclick drag like the Tekota's and aren't built quite as solid, graphite vs aluminum frames, but they are still a very nice reel to get started with. The Tekota's are about twice as much but they'll last twice as long and would possibly be the first and last trolling reels you'll ever buy. I have some Shimano Talora rods which are probably the best option to get started with and for trolling cranks I'd go with the ML's if you're running braid. The Cabela's Depthmaster rods are pretty nice for the money if you don't want to buy the Taloras as are the Diawa Heartlands. I'm a walleye trolling addict and it can get expensive My equipment purchase list this year might involve a couple Loomis walleye trolling rods but we'll have to wait and see what's in the fishing budget come spring time

[eyepatrol]

Why stay away from the Okumas?

[Mike Walerak]

Do yourself a favor and buy the Sealine. You won't be disapointed. I do not feel they are of the same quality that the Sealines are. Some of my sealines are going on their fifth year. They still perform like new, I do do a fair amount of trolling.

As for the rest of the list, it sounds like a darn good start!

My list pretty much consists of only stick baits. Its funny how new rods and reels will some how work into the picture as the season wears on. Come to think of it I need 2 more 6' baitcasting rods for 3-ways. Better through in a new bait caster too! I better just not pay attention to this post anymore, it's getting expensive!!!!

Have fun and do your best to make till open water season.

mw

[eyepatrol]

Thanks Mike. Looks like there is some consensus/agreement on the Sealine reels, so I'll look into getting those instead. They look like a fine reel and when "combo'd" with a rod, the price is pretty similar.

Sooo many options on the market now days! Can make for an arduous task trying to decide.

I too need more equipment than what I listed. Could use some new spinning rods and reels in a big way, but I can work with what I got for one more year.

[insurance guy]

Quote:

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Why stay away from the Okumas?

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I have never had good luck with Okumas the same with Pfleuger and I feel they are inferior reels from a quality standpoint to the higher end Diawas or Shimanos. You will not regret purchasing the Sealines if you're trying to keep it under a $100 a reel. The Tekota's are the Cadillac but again, they're almost twice as much as the Sealines and if you're not going to troll a lot you don't really need them. Another quality trolling reel option that's often overlooked by people are the Tica Seaspirits. I like to experiment with equipment so I bought one last year and it's an excellent reel right on par with the other Tica products I've used like the Cetus models.

[Team Otter]

Go with Mike's recommendations. If there is anyone in this forum that has a very good handle on trolling, it's him.

[StrosLit31]

i know this if off your guys subject. But i used planner boards this summer for the first time walleye fishing in shallower water with a buddy who said they work great. but we had no success. If you are fishing a fairly weedy area, is it even worth using these, or are these used more just to get your lure away from the boat more? Seemed to me we spent more time with the line out of the water then in the water? Just looking for some input??

[PerchJerker]

Planer boards and weeds don't go together. If the weeds are deep enough and you're running your bait over the tops of them, then boards will work and getting your bait away from the boat is an advantage. But if you're trying to troll a weedline with boards, or trying to run your bait through the weeds, you're asking for trouble. About the only way to effectively troll cranks in weeds is to flatline them with a superline, and try to snap the weeds off when the baits foul up.

[Team Otter]

PerchJerker has you covered.