Willard Is Not Over Yet

[Paddler]

Paddler, I do have one rod holder I can mount to the left side. I hand-hold a rod on the right while I drive. With my 50-hp at idle, I go 2.5 mph and that's how I spent the day Monday. I can pull the same lures at the same speed and troll the same areas as others who are catching fish, and I get zip. Dunno. Maybe there's a warning in fish language on the bottom of my hull, LOL!

Frankly, I don't much care for trolling anyway. I'd much rather cast at targets and work lures back. I'll concentrate on Echo, East Canyon, Hyrum and similar lakes. I refuse to fish Pineview due to the insanity of how it's run.

Rocky,

I'd suggest you try your electric motor for trolling or else maybe planer boards. I had my electric motor controller go out on Willard recently so I used my big motor with a trolling plate and noticed a major decline in my success. Willard is so shallow that I think the boat noise moves the fish away from the boat when it passes with a big motor churning. Your electric may not go 2.5 but even a little slower should work if you can quiet things down in my opinion. That's my theory anyway.

I think you're probably right.  I always troll with my main as I don't have a kicker or a trolling motor.  I use planer boards except when I have more than 100' or so of line out, especially if I'm using deeper running lures.  I have run 1/4oz Thin Fins 20' off the boards, which puts them down 3-4'.  I run 80' of line to the boards when I do that.

I can't imagine hand holding a rod while trolling, especially while using planer boards.  I put lots and lots of fish in my Alumacraft trolling on my Mercury 50HP 4S.  It wasn't even EFI.  

I think it also may depend on the chop.  One day I was out and it turned pretty ugly, too rough to run boards.  So I just flat lined a couple of SR7s, I forget how far back.  Picked uo three fish on my way back to the North Marina.

I do wonder about engine noise moving the fish, though.  With all the wake boarders, jet skiers, water skiers, and tubers the fish should be pretty used to noise.