Trolling Cranks

[SouthAltaHunter]

Hello guys, im sure this has probally been talked about numerous times here, but some feedback would be appreciated. I am fairly green to trolling cranks. My usual fishing is bottom bouncing, jigging & lindy rigging. I wanna pull cranks this year & learn it proper. I just ordered the book Precision Trolling so hopefully that gives me some tips. If anybody can give me any tips that would be great.

[teamlund]

Save your self some time and money (in the long run) and invest in a quality trolling reel with line counters. I love Diawa Sealines.. I think they are 80 or 90 bucks each but they performuch better than the cheapies and will lasty alot longer....:cheers:

[rabbit]

Make sure you tune your cranks by pulling them at a fast trolling speed (2-4mph) beside the boat and make sure they are tracking true... if the crank is tracking to one side or the other you can bend the eye of the crank to make it track back the other way. A very SLIGHT bend of the eye is needed. keep doing this until the bait runs straight... Check your bait for this after every fish too. While fighting a fish they can actually knock it out of tune. Do this with every bait you switch to. If you don't do this each time you could have a bait roll up and not fishing efectively for you... You can use needle nose pliers to do this but I believe it is ReefRunner that makes a lure tuner to put on your clipper lanyard that works pretty slick..
Some lures come pre-tuned but keep an eye on them.................Paul

[SouthAltaHunter]

OK, I dont know alot about reels with line counters. Are the add on line counters that you can put on your reel junk?

[rabbit]

Fill your line counter reels right up for a more accurate measurement on the line counters.

[slovene]

I have a couple of the add-on-the-rod counters and they work o.k. in a pinch, but my reels with built in counters are really the ticket. You might want to look at purchasing a rod/reel w/line counter combo. Most major retailers (bass pro, cabela's, gander mtn, etc.) offer these types of combos at a reduced rate than purchasing them both separately. Your Precision Trolling book should get you pointed in the right direction and, with the more time you spend trolling cranks, you will learn the little things, such as speed, types of baits/actions to use, etc., that will make a big difference in your overall fishing experience, and, most importantly, put more fish in your boat. I wish you the best of luck! :grin:

[SouthAltaHunter]

Thanks alot guys, I will check out a reel combination. We just got a Bass Pro Shop here in Calgary now, I will see what they have. I just finished useing the search feature here, and there is a ton of info.

[teamlund]

A qaulity extendable (long) net is also worth is weight in gold. Nothing is worse than trying to net a fish while trolling at 2.5 mph with a stub of a net:grin:...

Biggest thing is..... be patient...... When you first start you will feel like a putz.... It will take alittle time to work out your equip and tech. Also remeber that everytime you catch a fish remember or even write down everything that just happened...examples are speed, boat depth, was the boat turning, inside or outside board, deep side of boat or shallow, the list can go on and on.... So on the next pass you can repeat the same exact troll...

[schram24]

There is a good basic article about the ins and outs of trolling at the link below. scan down the page a bit to find it. There is also another article on the same link talking about harness blades and when to use each type of blade. Equipment is important too, but method is most important. To me, speed is the most critical element.

http://www.myfishingpartner.com/mf/mfp/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=23&Itemid=99

[OOC]

Before you go nuts buying equipment,state what kind of trolling you intend on doing,boards or flat,deep or shallow.If you're fishing 4-6fow you don't need a line counter to figure out 18' back.Any cheap reel and a cheap steelhead rod will do.Reef Runners are great but Flicker shads and Wally divers look well,too,are cheap,tune easier,and will suffice until you learn the basics.Some of my best baits came you bargin bins.Keeping the bait in the zone at the right speed is more important then the brand.

[eyeballs]

Depth to be trolling, Depth in the water column to troll, Depth for the most active or biggest fish. Be a freak about depth.

Speed and action of the bait come next. Color is last on the list for a fundamentally succesfull trolling program and it's the easiest to get right by reading the conditions.

Be sure to run baits well off the bottom. For Wisconsin trolling I would invest in 2, 10 foot trolling rods and three 7 footers. A couple planer boards eventually, but they are not must have's unless you're fishing gin clear water and suspended fish.

There are many variations, tricks, and details that go into trolling crankbaits. Take the time to read up on good crankbait trolling literature.:bigsmile:

Good luck, you've got some great water over there just ripe for crankbait trolling!!

[crankie]

If your going to be trolling at 15 feet plus I'd look into lead core.It enables you to get #4,5&7 shad baits deeper with less line at a smaller profile.
I generally run 5 feet per color at 2.2-2.6mph. so on a line counter reel it would be 30 feet of line out will get you 5 feet down 60-10,90-15,120-20 etc. you also want to tie on about 15 feet of mono. I use 12lb.:howdy:

[Anthony E]

Definately buy yourself some good linecounter reels. I have the Diawa Sealine & Cabela Gold Cup trolling rod combos. They are a pretty decent set up for the money. My favorite crankbaits are the banana types like the Deep Rapala Taildancers & the Reef Runners. I also have two other Sealines set up with leadcore. Like stated earlier it allows you to fish some of the shallower divers like Shad Raps & Wally Divers quite a bit deeper. I don't use them as often, probably because we can use only one line here in MN & fish alot by myself. It sure would be nice to experiment with different set ups to dial in on what is working at that moment. I did spend a little more on a Shimano Linecounter & Cabelas TXS rod combo a couple of years ago & really like that more than the Sealines but it cost almost twice the price.
Tony

[SouthAltaHunter]

Thanks guys for the tips, just curious do you guys tie your cranks directly to the line or use a small swivel?

[slovene]

I tie a small crane swivel to my line and then attach a duolock snap to that. Much easier to change baits than to tie direct and with the duolock snap, the crank will run true. Others on here may vary in their methods, but this works for me trolling with mono or leadcore. I try to adjust the size of the swivel and snaps according to the size of crank that I am using as well. Good luck!:bigsmile:

[schaaed1]

Forget about lead core for the time being ... keep it simple. Get the line counter set ups as suggested ... I prefer a 7' rod (personal choice). If/when you want to work at targeting certain depths get some snap weights. Also, I think as was mentioned get the Precission trolling book ... maybe even the Big Water edition (can't recall which book covers snap weights). In line boards can then be added to this set up at a later time.

I won't say that lead core has no place in walleye fishing ... but on most lakes I believe there are better options. I have 7 different core set ups, ranging from 2 color to 15 color. I think I have used them for walleye only a time or two (I use them for salmon).

As far as line, snaps, etc: I generally use Power Pro, small barrell swivel, then 4'-6' of Vanish (or similar) and on the end I place the smallest Dou-lock snap I can find.

Keep it simple & have fun ... that's what it is all about.