There have been a lot of post lately about long lining so this is an in-depth look at how I personally do long lining for anyone wanting to learn. Remember that everyone does it a little diffeent, but this is how it has been very successful for me. And I uesly only use this method in the spring.

Pole Setup
First up front, I use two 14ft, two 12ft, and two 10ft poles pointing straight out from the boat and with the eyes low twords the water. The 14ft poles go closer to the front followed by the 12ft poles then the 10ft poles to help against any tangles. (kinda obvious if you think about it) When casting out your long poles, you want to cast them as long as you can and then some in some cases. When sitting down at your favorite fishing spot you want to first cast out the 10ft poles then the 12ft poles then the 14ft poles to again help from any tangles. No matter how much experience you have, you will still have tangles. It is just part of long lining and you can't get frustrated. Ok, when another peson or 2 are with me, I use 8 7ft poles pointing staright off the back and again with the tips close to the water making sure you lock the reel in the rod holder so that a hang-up will not pull your rod straight into the water. You also want to cast these out as far as you can in most cases too. Also you want to cast out the ones close to the engine first and then work your way out twords the side of the boat. The rod holders that I have found work best in my opinion are Driftmaster. I know there are some other great ones, but I like these best.


Speed, Depth, and Jig size
I like to travel anywhere from .7 to 1.2 when long lining. I know some people like to go faster but I don't. I just like to switch to a smaller jig instead. I use 1/16, 1/24, and 1/32 oz jigs depending on where the fish are. 6lb test line is what I use. Sometimes you have to make a lot of adjustments to find the fish. Obviously for deeper water you want heavier jigs and shallower water, you want lighter jigs. But sometimes fish are suspended and you may need a lighter jig for deeper water. I am constantly adjusting my speed, depth of water, and jig size, untill I find one that produces best. I usually long line around banks or in creeks off the main channel of the lake. you will need a gps for speed, and a good trolling motor makes things a lot easier on you, I mean a lot. (Minnkota terrova with I-pilot is amazing). Also on another note, when making any kind of turn when long lining, you want to make very wide turns and I like to boost my speed up a little. This also help from lines crossing and getting tangled. You will learn more and more about long lining as you do it and gain experience rather than reading about it. This method can produce great numbers and I love it especially in the spring when fish move in to spawn.

I hope some of you all find this helpful. Remember, everybody does it a little different. This is just my way. Once you start long lining, you will change things to your personal preference too.

Have a good day!