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hello, im new to this forum, I need some adice. I just got into trolling and bought 2 downriggers. I have been fishing nubenusit lake for lake trout and salmon and i have been skunked everytime, im an avid bass angler but new to trout and salmon, i am using mostly spoons and ive tried dodgers and flashers, i've fished bunchof depths from 60' - 20' Im not sure what im doing wrong, all i have is a 40lbs thrust trolling motor and i run it at pdout 1/2 spd. Im going out tomorrow and that will prob be the last tim till ice fishing and really want to catch a laker, its the only fish I have yet to catch native to this area. So any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Joel
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Hi Joe,
It sounds like to me you are fishing blind.
Picking a depth is about as productive as just casting any where and hoping there is a fish there.
I would first find a topographic map of the body of water you are targeting, Then look for the deaper holes, and try to hold your presentation 5-10 feet above the bottom. That is just a basic for trolling for lakers,
as you know they can be suspended at any depth so targeting near the bottom could easily be to deap if they are 20 feet up. This is where a fish finder will become your best buddy,
spotting a target is the first half and probably the hardest half of catching trout, the upside is that once you find them, they are not usualy to far from where you found them last time, Higher or lower or over a bit.
When they are suspended they wont travel far to strike, so it is real important that you get your offering to thier depth. Be sure to account for the drop your lure may have behind your cannon ball. Make sure you add that drop to your cannon ball depth so you can match the best you can what the fish finder says.
if posible get your lead behind your cannon ball to be level, this means you should get your trolling motor up to speed before lowering to its depth.
3-7 miles an hour seems to be a magic number for fish, but heavier lures may call for a faster speads, so get it running flat befor you lower it.
Get your lead to at least 10 - 20 feet behind the cannonball so the fish have had time to forget about the cannon ball passing by.
The only other thing I can add is, take plenty of things to offer, attracting a trout is like trying to feed a finiky cat. But you can put a tidbit on your lure, an egg or a pickled minnow or a peice of cut shrimp or clam to make the presentation a little more tempting.
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