A “G-Force” Trolling Program

Turbo-Trolling

In-Fisherman has often suggested that your boat is a vital part of the presentation package. In trolling, the boat in a sense becomes your fishing rod in charge of lure speed. You wouldn’t just cast a jig out and reel it straight back to the boat all the time. Yet, this is exactly what most trollers do with crankbaits. Certainly, depth control always is factor number one in trolling. But given proper depth and lure selection, the overlooked trolling factor is recognizing when to get radical with boat moves, as opposed to when to stay the course.

Openwater Basin Moves: The addition of short but intense jolts of speed is my key to success in open water. Some days the moves trigger a couple walleyes, providing dinner from what otherwise might have been a fishless trip. Most times, though, the moves consistently trigger not just more fish, but the biggest fish of the day, too.

The openwater game in most inland lakes and reservoirs is all about keeping your lure spread within roaming pods of walleyes which are relating to larger schools of baitfish. Given that you can track these schools on sonar, you typically know when lures are running within the right zone. In smaller waters, some of the better openwater zones lie in proximity to structure, such as the end of an extended point or hump. Walleyes and other predators apparently travel between the structure and the adjacent confined open water as food becomes available. As each trolling session develops, anglers enter GPS waypoints when fish strike. Over time these points combine to reveal “sweet spots” within an open basin.

Knowledge of where these spots lie allows you to know when to add a turbo move. As you approach one, rapidly accelerate and make a fairly sharp (say, 60-degree) turn. You might also try this at the end of a trolling pass. The change in boat speed and direction compels following walleyes to strike: Outside lures speed up, while inside lures stall. As you straighten out of the turn, shift the engine into neutral and coast forward for a three-count. With the boat now pointed directly toward your destination, shift into gear and crank the speed immediately up to at least 3 mph, better to 4 or 5. Maintain this speed for another three-count, then slow to the initial trolling speed.

That trolling sequence is the most effective trigger I’ve ever used for walleyes in warmer water. Many variations on this basic maneuver exist, of course. Regardless of variation, use the moves judiciously, like a well-placed change-up in the midst of repeated fast balls. Inject them into trolling runs whenever your lures are near groups of walleyes, when you’ve gone some distance without a strike, or when you believe that walleyes are following lures but failing to commit.

Following Contours: Another good trolling move can be employed when you’re contour-trolling downwind along the edge of an extended point, two plugs in tow. One key area along the edge is at any sharp inside corner. But how do you effectively troll plugs into a tight corner? In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail angler Doc Samson offers this advice: “When trolling an inside turn at the base of a point, most anglers turn gradually in an effort to keep lines from crossing. But then the lures never reach the key corner of the break that usually holds walleyes, because the boat pulls the lures off the break before they get there.”