Veteran Insights To Big-Water Trolling Success

“Before the introduction of MinnKota’s Genesis electric bowmount, we couldn’t maintain steady boat speed against waves at less than 2 mph. But as in many cases, the change in equipment came because we were screaming for a heavy-duty bowmount autopilot electric that would withstand the rigors of big waves without breaking off the bow. Prior to that, we couldn’t maintain the speed of the day. But now, the boat is more fluid in the water. In fact, even when trolling downwind, it’s a good way to easily maintain a desired direction, and your lines won’t tangle when you’re netting fish.

“To get the best bite requires wiring the pattern, and that takes continual experimentation and refinement, because the fish can and will change behavior on you. I seldom troll all four lines with the same lures at the same depth. Instead, we run control lines—1 or 2—that consistently catch fish, based on what we observed in practice. In addition, we always vary the remaining lines, sometimes just slightly—a lure of a different size, color, or at a slightly different depth. A different lure style. Fish continually change, and you need to react as quickly as possible to maximize your catch.

“We also always run a high line, unless the fish are obviously deep. If you see high fish on your graph, even the occasional one at 10 to 15 feet, those fish may be the tip of the iceberg. You have no way of knowing their activity level unless you run a line high, sometimes just a few feet below the surface. High fish tend to be active fish. Walleyes really don’t care how much water is below them, just what’s above and where baitfish might be.

“I’ve also had a lot of luck trolling for walleyes suspended just above the thermocline. On the Great Lakes where oxygen is often sufficient below the thermocline, however, like in the eastern basin of Lake Erie, walleyes can, in fact, be below the thermocline. Deep fish also can be big, although generally fewer in number than those above the thermocline.

“A big wind, however, can break up the thermocline and send fish to the bottom. As a rule, with any type of blow where the surface temperature drops 5°F, your existing pattern will fall apart, almost guaranteed. Walleyes normally go to the bottom. Either fish near bottom or fish structure.

“The underwater world of open-water fish involves current, temperature, and baitfish in continually changing combinations. I believe that walleyes are more fickle than trout and salmon; salmonids are perhaps more predictable because they’re so temperature-oriented. I also believe that walleyes are more current-oriented in the Great Lakes than anyone realizes, and we’ll likely never really understand it all.”

Sage advice from a savvy veteran. Successful open-water trolling isn’t all tackle and technique. It’s in large part observation, reaction, fine-tuning, and a sense of suspended fish behavior in an ever-changing world largely without bottom structure or other visual clues, except for the presence of—or lack of—fish on your electronics. In other words, a challenge.