Whats the next step?

[binfordw]

So thanks to help from people here, We now have our new boat setup with some simple rodholders on the back for trolling. We've been able to troll a few area's and had decent luck with crankbaits- although it does seem a little slow at times.

Whats next to try to improve our success?

Seems to me if we do find an area that appears to be holding fish, you can't really keep the crankbaits in it very long. Would it be better to troll and try to mark spots, then return and jig them?


Any other suggestions on ways to improve our success- Either still using cranks, or a different method are very welcomed!

[CrappiePappy]

I overheard "mrdux" giving a seminar on crank trolling ... and one of the things he said that I've had work for me, was to always run "both ways" in an area, because sometimes they tend to hit cranks better when going in one direction than the other.

IMHO -
Pick areas that have large flats ... run those areas w/o lines out & just look for Shad schools, then troll your cranks at the depth of the bottom of those pods of Shad and back & forth thru the area of the flats that have the biggest concentration of Shad schools. This "can be done" while your lines are out, but that's where you're experiencing those "slow times". When you scout first, then fish the areas of biggest concentration, you're "slow times" won't seem so long.

[binfordw]

I'm not confident my current electronics will show shad- atleast not plainly enough that I can decipher.

Your suggestion sounds similar to what we currently do, except I have lines out at all times. maybe it would be better to run the main motor at 5+ mph and mark good looking spots first to speed things up then?

Do you constantly turn back into good areas- or make long runs back and forth?

I have been following a breakline off a flat area that's probably 500-700 + yards long I guess.

[CrappiePappy]

I'm not confident my current electronics will show shad- atleast not plainly enough that I can decipher.

Your suggestion sounds similar to what we currently do, except I have lines out at all times. maybe it would be better to run the main motor at 5+ mph and mark good looking spots first to speed things up then?

Do you constantly turn back into good areas- or make long runs back and forth?

I have been following a breakline off a flat area that's probably 500-700 + yards long I guess.

The worst of the worst unit will show baitfish schools ... usually a blob that's not connected to the bottom. 2d sonar units can sometimes miss the schools, due to the cone shape of the ping (unless you have a 60deg cone angle). Most any DI or SI units will show them as white clouds.

I usually try and make short runs over areas of concentrations of baitfish, back & forth (just to make sure they don't want the bait going in one particular direction)). Now, the schools will move ... sometimes slowly, and sometimes they're moving quite fast ... so, if you make a couple of passes over an area that's holding baitfish & they stop showing on your screen ... you may have to widen your path runs until you come in contact with them again. The fish will follow them (more so than the bottom contour), so there's not much use in running your baits in empty water.

[Cray]

Run through your area making longer runs then big sweeping turns and ease back through same spot.

[binfordw]

Does anyone use crankbaits to locate fish (Or while they are searching), and switch to jigs or something that has a slower presentation?

Seems to me tightlining jigs in spots I found holding fish might get more action? I have yet to try it though

[Hammmerhead]

You could add more brackets for your rod holders for the front of the boat, move them up there and offer a slower presentation with jigs. You can then pull cranks form the rear or spider rig from the font.

[binfordw]

We tried tight-lining some jigs today, I had 4 rods rigged with 1oz weights and single jigs a couple feet below. It seemed to work ok, we just used the same rod holders on the back of the boat and angled them up a bit. It was tricky to get to the rods on the fish we did hook, I might make some more adequate rod holders soon.

We pulled cranks, hit a few fish on a steep point, so switched to the jig rods and cruised back over the point. We managed to catch a decent smallie and 2 crappie on the jigs, although we lost one at the boat.

We switched back to cranks but didnt have much more luck today. Fish were just not where they have been out on the flats. The few we found were close in to the banks, but it was tricky to pull cranks without constantly banging bottom with shallow spots and worrying about hangups.

We ended up with enough for a family meal, including a fat walleye, and caught fish on jigs, so I consider it a decent day.