By: Mark Romanack
Crankbaits like this Bill Lewis PWC Lite are so effective because they can be fished at a multitude of depths. Using trolling apps like Precision Trolling Data it’s easy to dial in your baits to be running precisely at the strike zone.
Now that the leaves are falling, it’s time to start thinking about the great walleye trolling action to come in November and December. Not only are walleye packing on the feedbag at this time of year, your chances of catching a personal best will never be better. Big fish and lots of fish are a couple very good reasons for gearing up for some fall walleye trolling action.
At Fishing 411 TV we have a host of favorite products we use regularly with great success. Trolling is a fishing system and those who understand what products make that system effective are going to enjoy the best success day in and day out.
CRANKBAITS
The fall walleye bite is largely a crankbait trolling gig. There are some exceptional crankbaits on the market, but only a handful tend to be productive when trolling in cold water. Topping our list of “must have” crankbaits are the Bill Lewis Precise Walleye Crank (PWC for short), the PWC Lite, the Rapala Deep Husky Jerk 12, the Bandit Deep Walleye 5/8 and the Smithwick Perfect 10. These baits catch walleye day in and day out no matter what body of water is involved.
In the honorable mention category, a few other baits worth owning include the Berkley Deep Hit Stick 10.5, the Reef Runner 800 Series and the YoZuri Deep Crystal Minnow series. These baits have their days when they are fish catchers and worthy of space in the tackle box.
PLANER BOARDS
For longer than I care to admit, I’ve been running the Off Shore Tackle OR12 Side-Planer boards. While there are other board brands out there, nothing runs better or lasts longer. I’ve got OST boards that are 20 years old and still working great.
One of the things I like about Off Shore Tackle boards is you can readily purchase replacement parts should it be necessary to make repairs.That’s one of the benefits of using an American made product that’s built right here in the Great Lakes region.
TROLLING RODS
Not long ago Eagle Claw approached us to help them design a line of trolling rods. We set out on this project with the idea of designing rods that are not only functional, but also affordable. Lord knows a serious troller is going to own a lot of rods. The Starfire X series of rods include two telescopic in-line planer board rods that are perfect for crankbait trolling chores. Jake and I prefer the 7’-6” model because they make it easier to reach the rod tip when putting boards on and taking them off the line. For those anglers who prefer a longer board rod, there is an 8’-6” telescopic model to choose from.
LINE COUNTER REELS
When it comes to line counter reels, we have always recommended that anglers buy good reels up front instead of falling victim to investing in poor quality reels that will need to be replaced in a few seasons. There are clearly only a few outstanding choices when it comes to line counter reels. Our favorites include the Daiwa Lexa 300 LC, the Daiwa Saltist LC and the Shimano Tekota LC models. Nothing else on the market even comes close to the quality these reels offer.
Like the saying goes, you can pay me now or pay me later. When it comes to trolling reels it’s far better to invest in good gear that will provide trouble free service for years to come.
Fall is one of the most productive times of year to troll for walleye using crankbaits. In the fall walleye put on the feedbag and your chances of catching a personal best will never be better.
TROLLING LINES
It seems everyone has a favorite fishing line manufacturer. A line suitable for hard core trolling chores needs to be super tough, very abrasion resistant and just as important affordable. After all you’ll find yourself spooling up lots and lots of trolling reels once or twice a year. For the money it’s very tough to beat P-Line CXX. This co-polymer is very tough and works well with just about every traditional planer board line release on the market. There are a lot of other lines to consider, but nothing is stronger or a better value.
LANDING NETS
For every good landing net on the market, there are seemingly truck loads of nets that are poorly designed and too fragile for trolling. There are also a pile of nets that are outrageously priced. Our biggest complaint is most extendable handle trolling nets are too flimsy to be used for serious trolling. When you extend the handle, net a big fish and the handle bends, that’s a major design flaw.
We use Ranger Tournament Series nets and have found they are the best combination of function, value and durability. An American made product that has stood the test of time, a Ranger Tournament series net with a deep rubber bag is about as perfect as landing nets get for walleye trolling. When the rubber bag eventually wears out, you can purchase replacement bags and be back in business without spending a fortune.
ELECTRONICS
Finding walleye requires using quality sonar, plain and simple. Bargain sonar is no bargain when it comes to finding fish in open water situations. The speed at which a sonar unit processes data and displays that data is critical. Units with fast processors make it possible to mark fish using broad beam and CHIRP technology even when the boat is on plane. Fast processors are also critical when using side-imaging technology to locate fish in shallow water.
For the money it’s difficult to beat the Garmin EchoMap UHD 2 chart plotters. These units are capable of operating all the common and most sophisticated sonar options including broad beam, CHIRP, Side-Vu and LiveScope technologies. EchoMap units are touch screen and feature super sharp displays. Fishing without quality sonar is literally like fishing blind.
PRECISION TROLLING DATA
The key to successful crankbait trolling is the ability to mark fish and then present your baits close enough to those fish to elicit strikes. There are two ways to get a crankbait into the strike zone. You can experiment with lead lengths until a productive bait and lead length combination is discovered. This would be the old school and time consuming method. The other options is to use the Precision Trolling Data phone app to quickly determine exactly how much line out is required to get your favorite baits to the fish.
The Precision Trolling Data phone app has Dive Curve data for all the common crankbaits, plus crankbaits trolled in combination with Snap Weights. In short, the PTD app is the fast track to crankbait trolling success.
GET OUT AND FISH OFTEN
Becoming good at something requires putting in the time. The most successful walleye trollers spend lots of time on the water refining their craft. Fish hard, fish often and fish smart.