I got on the lake for two hours today for my first attempt at trolling two rods. Because of difficulties with wind I am considering running the experiment (comparing my FLUR fly/lures to trolled Nightcrawlers) with only one rod at a time. I landed my first fish after stopping the trolling motor. The wind whipped the boat around so the second rod had it’s line across the boat and tangling with the net!!! I was not in an area where the trolling motor could be kept running as it has a tendency to head to shore lol. I then had to reel in the second rod, remove weeds from it sinking to the bottom, and recast both rods again. Recasting both rods after each fish will be a pain.
I considered dropping both anchors when I hook a fish, but that can be a pain and might scare fish away as I would not be gently lowering them to the water. I think just running one line at a time is the way to go, randomizing the routes and lures / Nightcrawlers. This will double or more the hours needed to get statistically significant results. However, I can bundle up in the winter and chill out, figuratively and literally.
I landed four fish on the FLURS while trolling over 90 minutes. In one hour I trolled from the Marina to half way through the Ten Mile Lake. I then motored back and trolled from the bottom of the reach that has the boat ramp up to the rock pile. I landed one fish near the boat ramp and three fish between the island and the rock pile.
This brings up the question: Do I just troll in straight lines away from the marina or can I loop between the rockpile and island (or boat ramp) as I know fish are there now. Do I troll through historically dead water or compare results where I know there are fish? I really don’t know what to do. I could add the looping area as a third option to straight line transects based from the marina. Hmmmmm.
I took my phone out to test several gps apps that I have downloaded for bike touring, to see if they work with trolling. The last one I tried today was Sportstracker and it is perfect for my needs. It gives current speed so I can keep the trolling surface speed at 1 to 2 miles per hour, changing the throttle to changes in flow rate and battery strength. It also creates a Google Map snippet that shows your route. Awesome.
So, I had fun, landed 4 fish in 2 hours, and now have to rethink my project. That’s okay. It will all work out in the end.
Tight Lines!