Refined Tactics For Lakes, Rivers, & Reservoirs

Longline trolling crankbaits quickly eliminates unproductive water when walleyes are suspended, spread out on flats, along contour edges and shallow shorelines, or roaming open basins. It’s a good candidate anytime you need to cover large expanses at a similar depth; a time-saving method to locate and trigger neutral and negative fish to strike; and to learn a new body of water while you fish.

Barring a few mechanical and mental fishing fundamentals, longline trolling isn’t difficult to master. The key is presenting crankbaits at the right depth and speed near walleyes. Structure, water depth, fish location, and lure choice determine refinements to make to your longline trolling presentation.

Longline trolling is effective during the day or at night. Daytime longlining tends to work best in dark or deep water, and in the shallows on windy days. Nighttime longlining is productive almost everywhere, especially in waters that are clear or have heavy fishing and boating activity.

Things You Need At Trolling Speed

Good equipment is required for longline trolling. Purchasing the most expensive gear isn’t mandatory—some of the best walleye trollers use inexpensive rods with the right action—but you do need rods of correct length and action; dependable reels with ample line capacity; correctly positioned rod holders; motors that troll at the right speed; and true-tracking crankbaits in popular colors, proportions, wobbles, shakes, and sounds.

Use a motor that allows you to troll at the correct speed and that properly controls the boat in wind and waves. Tiller outboard motors in the 20- to 90-hp range perform well for longline trolling. Larger walleye boats generally are rigged with outboard engines from 100hp to 225hp and have console steering, making it difficult to troll effectively at slow speeds. A 9hp to 15hp outboard kicker motor on the transom enables slow forward trolling.

Use medium-power, fast-taper rods ranging between 61⁄2 and 9 feet, and baitcasting reels spooled with either 8- to 12-pound mono or 14- to 20-pound superline. Line-counter reels easily monitor the amount of line out, although you can also count passes of line across the reel spool to estimate the amount of released line. Or place a simple slip-bobber knot along the line (say 100 feet from the lure), which you can feel with your thumb (particularly at night) as line passes off a baitcasting reel. Once you establish the right line length to position lures at productive depths, adjust the knot to repeat the presentation.

Thin-diameter superlines don’t stretch, are more sensitive, and allow crankbaits to dive deeper. Superline sensitivity allows you to stay in contact with the lure to detect when it’s running properly versus fouled by weeds or wood. It also helps you stay in contact with the bottom and determine bottom content—mud, sand, or rock.

When fishing with multiple lines, properly-set rod holders position lures away from each other, prevent tangling, and allow you to cover more water. Stationary rod-holder designs, like Driftmaster, are durable, simple and easy to use. Adjustable rod holders, like R-A-M rod holders, along with many others, are also durable and easy to adjust.

You’ll need a good net, too, like a Beckman net or Loki rubber-coated mesh net, which prevents crankbaits from tangling in the net. Frabill’s Trolling Shovel is another net designed for scooping up fish while trolling. For fishing alone, use a lightweight net to land fish.