How to Troll for Trout
Trolling is a fast-paced and exciting way to fish for trout. The advantage of trolling is that it allows you to quickly cover large areas of water and often yields larger catches. Trolling requires a special group of skills that sets it apart from still-fishing; however, understanding fish behavior is as important to trolling as it is to still-fishing. Learning how to troll for trout will ultimately put a smile on your face at the dinner table.
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Instructions
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Select the channel of the river or lake to troll from. Especially in shallow or narrow rivers, you should troll from the channel or else you risk wrecking the boat, increasing hangups or losing bait. Trolling in the channel also increases your likelihood of catching trout because it often positions your bait on the edge of sharp drop-offs where trout like to hang out.
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Place one or more baited poles in rod holders on the boat. The rod holders should be set on the sides and back of the boat. If you do not have rod holders, you will have to hold the poles while you troll. While possible, this may be difficult because you or a partner will have to control the boat while holding one of the poles.
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Let anywhere from 20 to 100 feet of line out. The more line you let out, the deeper the bait will swim. How much line you let out will depend on the depth of the river or lake channel you are fishing as well as features such as debris and bends in the river or lake.
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Troll against the current. Trolling against the current makes it easier for your bait to swim with the proper action and allows you to troll at a lower speed. If you troll too quickly, your bait may not swim through the water properly and fish are less likely to attack the bait.
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Troll near tributaries that supply cold water to the river or lake. Trout are cold-water fish, meaning they tend to congregate in colder portions of rivers and lakes.
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Tips & Warnings
If you decide to troll with the current, make sure you troll faster than the speed of the current or your bait will not have any action.
Areas with high numbers of aquatic insects are ideal locations to catch trout because a significant portion of the trout diet is aquatic insects.
Never troll in areas with less than 4 feet of water or you risk damaging the boat and trolling motor.
References
Resources
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