BAD WEATHER FISHING TACTICS

More On Trolling

EDITOR'S NOTE: For too long, many of us have allowed competitive bass fishing to dictate how we catch bass. In doing so, we may have forgotten one of the deadliest bass fishing tactics ever. Most bass tournaments don't allow anglers to troll, but this technique can produce more bass on any lake in the country - at any time of the year - than most other methods of fishing.

If for some reason your fishing code won't allow you to troll all day, use trolling as a faster way to pinpoint schools of fish. When you catch a bass, crappie or walleye by trolling, mark the spot where you've taken the fish. Then bring in your trolling lines. Return to that same area, and fan cast crankbaits, plastic worms and/or jigging spoons until you find the exact location of the school of fish. Continue to fish that school until you catch all the fish you want or until the fish quit biting. When the action stops, break out your trolling rod again, and troll until you track down another school of fish.

SECRET HOTSPOT:

Many anglers often fail to realize the first breaklines close to a large marina or public boat ramp will hold big bass. Learn which boat ramp or marina hosts the most bass tournaments, and you'll have a honeyhole for catching big bass. Since anglers usually release most of the bass caught in a tournament at the boat launch or marina sponsoring the tournament, that area often gets restocked with sizeable bass. Those bass generally swim to the nearest breakline before dispersing into the lake. Troll this fish-rich region to take the best of the bass those recent tournament anglers have caught and released. If you don't find a breakline near the release site, go to the nearest point, usually a main river point, to find the caught-and-released bass. If you troll these two places, you can catch all the bass you want in a short time.

SUSPEND SAVVY:

Also, when fishing for suspended fish, troll a 4-inch Slider worm or a ¼-ounce jig on a 4- to 6-pound test line. When you discover bass suspended and holding up off the bottom, lower these baits down to the depth at which you see the fish on the depth finder. Hold your rod still, and use your trolling motor to move your lure slowly back and forth through the schools of bass. Your lure should look like an extremely slow-moving, small baitfish - an hors d'oeuvre a bass can take a bite of, even if it's not hungry. When big-bait strategies won't produce bass, especially in deep, clear lakes, trolling these small-profile lures at a slow speed on light line will often cause a bass attack.