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Thread: Lake Trout - Trolling

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Boone, NC
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    Default Lake Trout - Trolling

    I ordered a few trolling rods, my boat is at Watauga Lake in a marina not too far from my house. I've been researching trolling spoons and crank baits for lake trout, rainbows, browns, and the occasional walleye and small mouth. When I lived in SC I'd go troll Alabama rigs for striper and did ok, I've been off shore trolling but it was always someone else's operation and I wasn't in charge.

    Someone educate me on snap weights. I'm going to be pulling spoons, I have 3.5oz and 7oz weights on the way with an array of spoons. I don't feel like messing with a down rigger. The rods I ordered have line counters on them. Goal is to get the spoons anywhere from 30' - 100' depending on where I'm marking fish. I've looked at the charts for trolling with snap weights.

    Any tips or basic info that would be helpful? It'll be a learning process, but I like to shorten the learning curve as much as possible.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
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    'Down in the Holler', SC
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    14,556

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    It’s been years since I’ve used them up on Jocassee, but I recall having plastic planers with the snap weights so I could troll the spoons out to the left, right, and dead center of the boat. I don’t recall if the planers were adjustable or came set that way.

    Have fun.

    Edited to add... I checked my fishing supplies and I did use the larger size Pink Lady. They aren't very big and I picked some up on close-out sale somewhere years ago. They work down to about 100' or so, and then I think the weight may overcome the snap strength. But for what you want to do, they're the easy ticket.
    Last edited by WoodieSC; 05-12-2023 at 08:58 PM.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    Ballard's Landing
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    First and Foremost, I don’t know shit about trolling for mountain trout 100ft down.
    But I’ve watched it on YouTube lol.

    Get 2 downriggers dude.
    Be proactive about improving public waterfowl habitat in South Carolina. It's not going to happen by itself, and our help is needed. We have the potential to winter thousands of waterfowl on public grounds if we fight for it.

  4. #4
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    Jul 2009
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    Upstate
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    Without downriggers, you need some pink ladies and I would spoil a couple reels with lead core line. Literally count the colors to know your depth. If you have any old 6500 ambassadors they work great with lead core.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    Summerville
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    That’s fun fishing when you can get on them. Can’t speak to snap weighs but we ran some pink ladies and down riggers. Back in the day Sutton 44 was the spoon of choice.
    Last edited by reeltight; 05-12-2023 at 08:11 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    Downriggers and Sutton spoons.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    And the lightest flurocardon leader you can get away with.

  8. #8
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    Jun 2010
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    I use to troll for stripers in the summer in front of the damn. They would be down around 40-50 feet in the water and I had my best luck with a down rigger but also caught them on dipsy divers. I learned you had to tie a loop knot so they would track straight but they would get your lure down there. It’s been a long time since I have done it and I don’t know if they even make them anymore. Wish I could be more help but that’s all I got.

  9. #9
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  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
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    Wateree, South Carolina
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    Quote Originally Posted by BOGSTER View Post
    First and Foremost, I don’t know shit about trolling for mountain trout 100ft down.
    But I’ve watched it on YouTube lol.

    Get 2 downriggers dude.
    Me either, but my boys crush them on Fontana in the coldest weeks of the year trolling some shit or other. I can catch trout without freezing my ass off, so I always declined that one. Hope this helps.

  11. #11
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    Dec 2007
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    Lowcountry
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    I like to catch trout. But they taste like shit anyway but smoked.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    SC
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    Check out dipsy divers. My buddy in Ontario uses them for walleye and rainbows on Erie. You can set them to pretty good depths and to troll to them left or right.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Boone, NC
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    I already have a downrigger mounting plate on my boat from the previous owner, went ahead and bought a manual downrigger. I’ll run that and some snap weights on the other side of the boat, I’ll figure it out sooner or later … maybe.

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