Trolling Lure Depth

[HangOutdoors]

I used to have a chart where I could determine how deep my trolling lure was by the length of line, line weight, speed, and lure type/weight. This was quite some time ago. Now that I am fully rigged for fishing and trolling, would like to figure it out.

Rods are 8.5' and I bought these reels which appear to be decent.

Okuma Cold Water Low Profile Line Counter Reel | Sportsman's Warehouse (sportsmans.com)

Any advice or link to a good chart/source would be appreciated.

 

[MilesPrower]

Have you tried using a planer? Unless I'm trolling at less than 2 knots, I use a planer to control the depth of my lures, so even when I switch lures/baits, I can consistently hold depth and distance from boat. I keep three different size planers on board, so I can troll at any speed and depth, down to ~30 ft.

(I could go deeper with the planers, but when I'm fishing 30-150 ft depth, I'm usually using a deep-drop rig that I'm bouncing off or holding on the bottom.)

 

[zipper]

It depends on your rig, speed and lure. I use this chart based on using a Dipsy Diver.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/fishing-rods-reels-downriggers-and-gear.33733/

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I used to have a chart where I could determine how deep my trolling lure was by the length of line, line weight, speed, and lure type/weight. This was quite some time ago. Now that I am fully rigged for fishing and trolling, would like to figure it out.

Rods are 8.5' and I bought these reels which appear to be decent.

Okuma Cold Water Low Profile Line Counter Reel | Sportsman's Warehouse (sportsmans.com)

Any advice or link to a good chart/source would be appreciated.

@HangOutdoors did you have any luck?

 

[HangOutdoors]

Not really. Haven't been fishing much, mostly watersports with family. But I plan on going out tomorrow to Lake St. Clair to troll for Walleye's. Pretty excited to get out for the day by myself so I can stay out as long as I want and do what I want.

Shallow lake so getting just above the bottom weed line is where I believe I need to be. Should be around 15' of water or so, most of the lake is under 20'. I get to go alone so I will be spending all day out there. Going to look around today to find some trolling depth charts. Just need to figure it out off the 30 degree rod holders. Also have lures for Northerns and Muskie on board.

Could go into the St. Clair river and North Channel out of Anchor Bay, but without a down rigger, I would have to vertical jig or use some serious weight to get down there, depth is 80' 90'.

@FSH 210 Sport saw a picture of your rig with the downriggers in the other thread. Awesome setup. Very envious.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Not really. Haven't been fishing much, mostly watersports with family. But I plan on going out tomorrow to Lake St. Clair to troll for Walleye's. Pretty excited to get out for the day by myself so I can stay out as long as I want and do what I want.

Shallow lake so getting just above the bottom weed line is where I believe I need to be. Should be around 15' of water or so, most of the lake is under 20'. I get to go alone so I will be spending all day out there. Going to look around today to find some trolling depth charts. Just need to figure it out off the 30 degree rod holders. Also have lures for Northerns and Muskie on board.

Could go into the St. Clair river and North Channel out of Anchor Bay, but without a down rigger, I would have to vertical jig or use some serious weight to get down there, depth is 80' 90'.

@FSH 210 Sport saw a picture of your rig with the downriggers in the other thread. Awesome setup. Very envious.

@HangOutdoors here are a couple of trolling charts I found a while back, hope they can give the edge to get to the depth where the fish are!

Sounds like you will be in control tomorrow!

If you want to go deep and don’t have down riggers, try those clip on weights. I‘ve used them and they work pretty good.

Thanks for the compliments on the down riggers. They do work well, and I can see the weight on my fish finder, and sometimes the lures behind them. On numerous occasions I’ve see the lakers come up to my lure then go back down.. they are a picky fish!

Who knows, you may get into some Muskies or NP! I just found the other day that Orman reservoir has muskies so I may have to give them a go as well. Today I just want to add to the pile of walleye fillets I have from May for a future fish fry with all my friends.

Best of luck tomorrow! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Can0n11]

It depends on your rig, speed and lure. I use this chart based on using a Dipsy Diver.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/fishing-rods-reels-downriggers-and-gear.33733/

View attachment 159895

View attachment 159896

I have caught many Lake trout in the Drumond Island area with Dipsy's- and in Canadian lakes as well. We would run them just above the Thermoclines with spoons trailing maybe 15 ft back!

Also Walleye Divers 115-135 back on 30pd braid @1.4-1.7mph (no Dipsys).

 

[Scuba_ref]

In shallow water use a bottom walker/bottom bouncer for walleye!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Not really. Haven't been fishing much, mostly watersports with family. But I plan on going out tomorrow to Lake St. Clair to troll for Walleye's. Pretty excited to get out for the day by myself so I can stay out as long as I want and do what I want.

Shallow lake so getting just above the bottom weed line is where I believe I need to be. Should be around 15' of water or so, most of the lake is under 20'. I get to go alone so I will be spending all day out there. Going to look around today to find some trolling depth charts. Just need to figure it out off the 30 degree rod holders. Also have lures for Northerns and Muskie on board.

Could go into the St. Clair river and North Channel out of Anchor Bay, but without a down rigger, I would have to vertical jig or use some serious weight to get down there, depth is 80' 90'.

@FSH 210 Sport saw a picture of your rig with the downriggers in the other thread. Awesome setup. Very envious.

Well? How was it?

 

[HangOutdoors]

I didn't go today. The raft up was going on. I am sure they were tearing up the lake and a lot of impaired drivers at launches, etc.

17th annual RAFT OFF (Sat. August 14th, 2021) Muscamoot Bay, Lake St Clair! - JobbieCrew.com

I just hooked up the boat and packed the trolling motor and fishing gear. Plan on going out tomorrow morning. First time out fishing alone.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I didn't go today. The raft up was going on. I am sure they were tearing up the lake and a lot of impaired drivers at launches, etc.

17th annual RAFT OFF (Sat. August 14th, 2021) Muscamoot Bay, Lake St Clair! - JobbieCrew.com

I just hooked up the boat and packed the trolling motor and fishing gear. Plan on going out tomorrow morning. First time out fishing alone.

Right on…. I hope you have a great time alone tomorrow, hopefully you will find it as peaceful as I do.

 

[Master Blaster]

Like the one person said, bottom bouncer at 1-1.5 mph for Walleye with a Walleye rig or spinner works best in that shallow of water.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I didn't go today. The raft up was going on. I am sure they were tearing up the lake and a lot of impaired drivers at launches, etc.

17th annual RAFT OFF (Sat. August 14th, 2021) Muscamoot Bay, Lake St Clair! - JobbieCrew.com

I just hooked up the boat and packed the trolling motor and fishing gear. Plan on going out tomorrow morning. First time out fishing alone.

Well? How’d it go?

 

[HangOutdoors]

Went good. Launched and Retrieved well. Heavier boat when you are by yourself. Did some casting on a couple mile drift. Didn't catch anything. Set up for trolling running 75 back on a couple of Bandits. Something hit hard and I ended up with no lure. Caught a couple of small walleye threw them back. So basically no fish in the boat. Weather was awesome. Wanted to troll with the big engines to experiment out in the main channel of the lake. It is a rough by myself running rods and steering.

Really wanted to get the hang of everything going out solo. I noticed things that I want to do to be more efficient.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Went good. Launched and Retrieved well. Heavier boat when you are by yourself. Did some casting on a couple mile drift. Didn't catch anything. Set up for trolling running 75 back on a couple of Bandits. Something hit hard and I ended up with no lure. Caught a couple of small walleye threw them back. So basically no fish in the boat. Weather was awesome. Wanted to troll with the big engines to experiment out in the main channel of the lake. It is a rough by myself running rods and steering.

Really wanted to get the hang of everything going out solo. I noticed things that I want to do to be more efficient.

Right on… sounds like a good day on the water!

Did you use your trolling motor? For sure you are busy running the boat and putting out rods!

 

[HangOutdoors]

Yes. Used it a lot. Works great. Prefer the wireless remote over the foot pedal in a big chop. Was awesome standing on the swim platform and using the remote to move the boat with the trolling motor. It worked fine in the heavy chop as well in the main lake.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I was talking to another fisherman who was coming off the water. He had some fish in his ice bucket. He was schooling me on what to do next time out.

Anyhow he mentioned that there was a trolling app for the phone where you select your lure, line weight and depth and it will give you how far back to go with line. It is called "Precision Trolling" I checked it out and it is real pricey to add lures and such. Didn't know if anyone else would have a good recommendation for another Phone App to use.

 

[ShireRider]

Yes. Used it a lot. Works great. Prefer the wireless remote over the foot pedal in a big chop. Was awesome standing on the swim platform and using the remote to move the boat with the trolling motor. It worked fine in the heavy chop as well in the main lake.

i take it your trolling motor has ipilot? I have for needed to try it yet (I’m on a 16’ cc with an evinrude), but you can idle forward with your i pilot running and it will steer you. I’m able to troll 3.5 with my minn-Kota so I have yet to need more power for land Erie walleye.

Fwiw this weekend I was out to 72’ with purple/chartruce spoons behind a jet. 170-200’ out and I couldn’t keep the line in the water!!
My co worker & i didn’t get the program until we had about 2 hours left including the 12 mile ride back.

 

[Can0n11]

Went good. Launched and Retrieved well. Heavier boat when you are by yourself. Did some casting on a couple mile drift. Didn't catch anything. Set up for trolling running 75 back on a couple of Bandits. Something hit hard and I ended up with no lure. Caught a couple of small walleye threw them back. So basically no fish in the boat. Weather was awesome. Wanted to troll with the big engines to experiment out in the main channel of the lake. It is a rough by myself running rods and steering.

Really wanted to get the hang of everything going out solo. I noticed things that I want to do to be more efficient.

Precision Trolling jogged a memory, I found my 7th edition tonight. Pretty spot on for depths. And holy HE double hockey sticks. My boat book is selling for 140.00: Precision Trolling - 7th Edition - Spiral bound- Original packaging | eBay Of course this was before the age of cell phones. I threw a pic in of my poor diver being shredded by a large pike last month.

 

[sunbyrned]

Okay. Checking out this thread and some of the connected threads, I’ve decided to give trolling a try this year. I can’t catch anything casting from my 242, but on my son’s Jon boat, we pull them in. Looking like trolling is the way to go. I’m going to invest in a few suggested rods, etc. (I really want to avoid the trolling motor though.) Two questions…1) How do you know you caught something? Do I just stop every once and while and check? And 2) Does a fish finder help with this method? I don’t have one. Thanks in advance!