Finding active predatory fish in large bodies of water often becomes a tedious wait if only static methods are used. Boat trolling allows you to quickly survey large areas, find pike, perch or salmon and provoke them to attack with a moving bait. This method requires serious preparation of the boat and the right equipment, but the effectiveness of the effort justifies the effort.
Unlike the classic jig or glitter from an anchored boat, trolling involves constantly wiring wobblers or glitters behind a moving vessel. Speed, depth of dive and wiring trajectory are controlled by the angler, which gives a huge advantage in finding the "working" horizon. trolling-kit It can pull the trophy out of even the most passive fish.
But mindlessly skiing on a pond rarely brings the desired catch, you need to understand the hydrodynamics, the behavior of fish in different seasons and be able to read the readings of navigation electronics, in this article we will examine all the nuances, from the choice of the motor to the intricacies of fishing line.
Selection and preparation of a trolling craft
The ideal trolling boat should have good stability and a spacious cockpit. Metal boats with a flat or moderately keeled bottom are often preferable to inflatable PVC boats, as they allow more tackles and provide stability when catching large fish. flyboat Hard floorboard or inflatable floors are also used successfully if their length exceeds 3.6 meters.
The key is the ability to install multiple rods. For comfortable fishing, you need to provide mounts for 4-6 spinning on the sides and in the stern. It is important that the tackle does not overlap during maneuvers. Outriggers (removable bars) allow you to breed fishing lines by fan, increasing the catchable strip of water to 20-30 meters.
Speed control systems are particularly important. Accurate wiring of wobblers often requires speeds between 2 and 5 km/h, which not every motor can provide at low speeds without stalling or jerking. Using an electric motor or a special trolling mode on a gasoline engine solves this problem.
- 🛶 Dimensions: The length of the hull from 3.6 to 5 meters is considered optimal for balancing between maneuverability and capacity.
- ⚓ Anchor system: The presence of an anchor assembly on the nose and stern is mandatory for fixing the boat above the point after catching the fish.
- 🔋 Energy consumption: Installation of an additional traction battery to power the sonar and electric motor.
⚠️ Attention: When installing outriggers and a large number of tackles, watch for the centering of the boat. Shifting the weight on one side can lead to a dangerous roll, especially when braking or turning sharply.
Equipment: motors, sonars and navigation
The heart of a trolling boat is the engine. Gasoline engines, 9.9 to 20 hp, are the gold standard for medium-sized bodies of water. They provide the necessary traction against wind and current. But for quiet and accurate wiring, a bundle is often used: the main motor for junctions and junctions. electric motor The electric motor allows you to move at a constant speed without jerking, which is critical for the game of a wobbler.
Without a modern sonar, trolling becomes blind shooting, the device must clearly show the bottom relief, thermocline and fish, and the presence of a GPS tracker allows you to return to catchy trails. Side scanner Side Imaging allows you to see what is happening on the sides of the boat without passing over a point, which is especially useful when looking for snags.
Downriggers are devices for precisely burying baits to great depths (up to 60-80 meters), which are a rack with a coil, a cable and a ball load. The bait is attached to the downrigger cable with a special clip, which allows you to use light wobblears at depths that are not accessible to conventional slugs.
| Equipment | Appointment | Criticism |
|---|---|---|
| GPS sonar | Fish search and navigation | High. |
| downrigger | Precise entrapment | Medium (for depths > 5m) |
| Outriggers | Handling of tackles | Medium |
| Electric motor | Quiet wiring | High. |
Selection of tackles: rods, coils and fishing lines
Trolling rods are different from spinning rods, they are usually shorter (1.8-2.4 meters), have a more rigid structure and reinforced fittings. SICThe rod test is matched to the weight of the wobbles, but usually ranges from 20 to 80 grams, since when wiring, the water pressure significantly increases the load on the form.
The coils are mostly multiplier. They're more robust, they're more forest-intensive, they provide better control when you're out there. Friction has to work very smoothly. thread-cordSince it has no extensibility and clearly transmits a bite, but for some techniques (for example, when fishing for careful fish) fluorocarbon or monolesc is preferable.
The most important element of the tooling are the vertebrae and winding rings, which must be reinforced, because they are constantly subjected to dynamic loads when trolling, and the use of cheap components can lead to a trophy break at the boat itself.
- 🎣 The rod: Specialized trolling rod with a test up to 100 g.
- 🔄 PERSON: Size No. 3-No. 5, necessarily with a bearing.
- 🧵 Leska: Ticker 0.12-0.18 mm or fluorocarbon 0.35-0.45 mm.
Posting tactics and selection of baits
The main rule of trolling is constant experimentation: fish today can peck on a red wobler, and tomorrow prefer a natural perch bloom. The speed of wiring also varies: passive pike can be sensitized with slow dying wiring, and active pike can be accelerated by sharp acceleration. Minnow-class wobbles and Shad They are the most universal for this method.
When a boat is moving, you need to constantly monitor the nod of the rod. Any change in rhythm - a game malfunction, a snag hit or a careful bite - should be noticed instantly. Experienced trollers hold their finger on the form or use special alarms. The depth of the bait depends on the length of the line release: the longer the thread is released, the deeper the wobler goes.
☑️ Checking before starting the movement
There is a stop-and-go technique where the boat is periodically stopped or dramatically slowed down, allowing the wobblear to surface or change the game, which often provokes the predator to attack when the fish is sluggish, and it is also effective to change the depth of the wiring by winding or releasing the fishing line without changing the speed of the boat.
⚠️ Attention: When passing shallow water or a rod, always keep your hand on the rod. In the case of a hook, you should immediately slow down and perhaps pull the rod to release the bait without damaging the outboard motor.
Safety rules and etiquette in water
Trolling is a task that requires increased attention not only to fishing, but also to the environment, and a boat with loose gear becomes less maneuverable and occupies a large area on the water. Life jackets You should wear all participants in the process, especially if fishing takes place in windy weather or in cold seasons.
Keeping distance is a key point of etiquette. Don't go close to other fishing boats, as your gear may overcoat. If that happens, don't try to jerk abruptly -- it's better to come gently and untangle the knots together. It's also important to remember to ban more than a certain number of hooks in some regions.
Pay special attention to the condition of the rod attachments. When a large fish jerks or gets caught, the rod can be pulled out of the holder and float away. Using safety ropes for rods is good practice, especially at high speeds or when catching trophy fish.
Error analysis and typical problems
A common mistake for beginners is to wiring too fast. Many people assume that the faster the boat goes, the more area they will catch, but for most wobblers, the optimal speed is 2.5-4 km / h. Exceeding speed knocks down the bait game, and the fish stops responding. Use GPS or lag for control.
Another problem is that the gear is not balanced properly, so if you have powerful, stubborn wobblers on one side and lightweights on the other side, the boat will be constantly led aside, which puts extra stress on the engine and tires the steering wheel. Try to spread the resistance of the baits symmetrically across the sides.
- 📉 Monotony: Moving along the same line without change is rarely effective.
- 🌊 Excitement: On a large wave, control over pecking is lost, it is better to switch to bottom fishing or anchor.
- 🔋 Discharge: Forgotten on sounder can discharge the battery in the middle of the reservoir.
Remember that The optimal wiring depth for the pike is often 10-20 cm from the bottomAnd the accuracy of the dive is critical, and the slightest change in the terrain requires a correction in the length of the line or speed.
Which motor is better for trolling: gasoline or electric?
The ideal combination is a petrol engine (9.9-20 hp) used for long-distance crossings and against strong currents. The electric motor (with traction from 50 lbs) is ideal for the catch itself, as it provides noiselessness, no vibrations and the ability to accurately control the speed in the range of 1-5 km / h without jerks.
Do you need a downrigger to catch a pike?
For pike, which often stands in half water or above grass, downrigger is not necessary. It is enough to use wobblears with their own working depth or entrapment-miners. Downrigger is necessary if you purposefully catch deep whitefish, palia or pike at depths greater than 10-15 meters, where ordinary wobblears do not reach.
How to avoid the overhang of tackles when trolling?
Use outriggers to set lines to the sides. Follow the chess-based vacation order: gear close to the boat should be released less, long-distance gear should be released more, and using different colored lines for visual control and installing special dividers on the trunk of the boat also helps.