Trolling rivers, up or down??

[Preacher]

OK, dumb question of the week. I am a bass fisherman, learning about eyes. When trolling a river, with moving current do you always troll with or against the current? Thanks for the help.

[IOWA RIVERRAT]

I troll both ways. Sometimes it works ,sometimes it does not. In high water with strong currents it is impossible to troll with the current.

[Ristorapper]

99% of the time I'm going against the current and darn sure my bait/plug is on or very near the bottom

[Meat Hunter]

I'd troll with the current since the walleyes are facing up current.

Remember that the lures will run deeper that way.

Meat Hunter.

[Juls_OH]

Just remember, if you go with the current, you will have to troll faster than the current to achieve the best action for your lure.

85% of the time I troll against the current. It gives you more control working the breaks, and better bait action.

Juls

[Olyolson]

Rule of thumb...harnesses downstream and cranks upstream.

[DaveB]

I troll both ways. In strong current w/ snags-trolling downriver is a real headache. Dont forget to troll across(or at angles) current too if you are fishing a large flat.

[Suzuki]

Around here trolling against the current works best with cranks. I fought that one for a long time thinking the fish face up stream but after hearing from some local pro's and experience, up stream almost always takes more fish in current.

[Unlogged T-Mac]

Actually, the same lures will go deeper running down stream. The line has less resistence and less lift is imparted. (especially Fireline...or othe small daimeter super braids).
I troll both ways and have done well both ways. The main thing is getting it in the strike zone.....with proper action.
Going downstream means you can throw away your speed sensor...you have to do it by feel, because the current down where the lure is, may be faster or slower than the surface current.

[Unlogged T-Mac]

Although I worded it confusingly, I agree with "MeatHunter" and was just explaining why the lures go deeper downstream.
:0

[Whacked T-Mac]

Ha ! Man... I am gettin goofy! Or can't read...!
In re-read "MeatHunter"'s post. I disagree...downstream...the lures go deeper...Much deeper with a fair amount of line out. (I said it right the first response).
I believe he stated to go into the current to get lures deepest.
Sorry, that is not true.

[REW]

I agree with the upstream group.
Particularly if the current is strong - you go so far so fast trolling down stream.
Lets say that you have a 6 mph current.
Lets say that you want your lure to work at about 2 mph.
If you are going down stream, you are going to be going about 8 mph.
That works fine, but you have about 1 second in the strike zone.

However, in the same 6 mph current, and if you are going up stream, you can essentially hover, or work about as slow as you want to make progress. Your lure will be getting lots of action from the flow of current over the lure.

Take care
REW

[Juls_OH]

LOL ;-) That's ok T-Mac...we still love you, you goof! You are an "old fart" (long standing joke for those that don't know) afterall, and that's expected. hahah

Juls

[Unlogged T-Mac]

Heh heh.
Yah sure, you know. And yah... I know, too... LOL.
;)

Keep old "Bigfoot" in line.

[Secret]

No up stream, its not even natural! It is best to troll cross current or Zig Zag, I shouldnt share my secrets.

[SUPERTROLLER]

If you are trolling cross-current or zig-zagging, you are still making upstream progress. By slipping sideways, you are presenting your baits to fish that have not been run over by the boat. You're also working farther from the boat to get to the same depth than you would be if fishing in a lake. It's not really a secret. It's pretty common knowledge for river fishermen. We jig down stream and troll back up. Last couple years the trolling has produced more fish.

[sevenmmm]

I'm not a river guy, but will offer my dumb answer.:-)

2ce I visited the Illinois River and trolled both ways with 95% of the bites happening moving upsteam. However, since we concentrated on short runs, trolling downstream (you move very fast!) was nearly as quick as picking up your lines and motoring back then resetting. So the 5% fish were view as a bonus.

[Sportdog]

I slip-drift, zig zagging down stream if the current is strong enough. This puts the bait right in the nose of the fish for a longer period of time and the boat doesn't spook them. But, a PWT pro told me that he did not feel that river walleye were that spooked by the boat. I say, why take a chance. Just my .02 cents.

[Vitreum]

against

[Preacher]

Hey guys, I really appreciate the responses. It seems the consensus is troll upstream. We'll give it a try. Thanks again . . .!!

[DaveB]

Fished the might Miss in St Paul last night. Thinking of this post, I made a mental note of numbers.

Up stream-30 eyes, biggest 19 1/2".

Down stream-15 eyes, biggest 24 1/2, 21" sauger and a 15lb cat (that I thought was a snag-talk about fun).

We probably spend 3 times as long trolling upsteam.


Try both-you might be surprised.

[DaveB]

Fished the might Miss in St Paul last night. Thinking of this post, I made a mental note of numbers.

Up stream-30 eyes, biggest 19 1/2".

Down stream-15 eyes, biggest 24 1/2, 21" sauger and a 15lb cat (that I thought was a snag-talk about fun).

We probably spend 3 times as long trolling upsteam.


Try both-you might be surprised.