* Trolling reels are typically used for offshore big

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Trolling reels are typically used for offshore big-game trolling in open water.

Trolling is the process of dragging both bait and lures behind a moving vessel, which is a productive way to locate schools of migratory fish. The reason being, when a boat trolls over a school of fish, the wake and commotion on the surface emulates a ball of bait. This triggers the feeding instincts of many offshore species and immediately sends the leading edge of the school towards the commotion to investigate, with the rest of the pack following. As the most aggressive fish in the school frantically try and chase down this commotion, the trolling lures, jigs and baits are the first hint of a meal that they come across. They charge at them with reckless abandon, inhaling what appears to the fish as vulnerable stragglers, desperately trying to catch up with the rest of the pack.

As soon as one of the trolling lures or baits is inhaled, the trolling reel begins to sing, with the clicker of the reel creating a loud noise that notifies the angler to get ready. This sends the anglers into a dash for their gear, yelling "hook-up", which immediately causes the captain to throw the vessel into neutral to stop the boat. As the momentum of the vessel carries the boat forward, the crew begins to throw live bait, either by pieces or in full scoops. By now, the rest of the migrating school has caught up to the commotion and is met with the temptation of live bait, sending them into a feeding frenzy.

However, a wide-open bite is not always the result of a hook-up while trolling. When the fish are down, or when the conditions are far from ideal, trolling will produce the majority of the catch, with no feeding frenzy following the trolled up fish. On these days, it is essential to land every troll fish and having the right equipment is critical in accomplishing this. Trolling rod and reel combos are the most expensive combos on the market today. Due to their importance in locating roaming schools of open water fish, manufacturers like Shimano®, Penn®, Daiwa®, Okuma® and Accurate® incorporate the finest materials and technologies to ensure strength and durability in producing the best fishing reel capable of handling record-breaking trophies.

Trolling reels are typically found in the lever drag system. On these types of fishing reels, the drag pressure adjusts with the slide of a lever, which is located on the top of the reel to the right. Designated markings of, or similar to freespool, strike and full are found on reels like the Penn® International series, Shimano Tiagra® and the Acurrate Twin Drag® saltwater trolling reels. Most later models come in a two- speed version, with two separate gear ratios that serve different purposes. The high gear is to gain as much line as possible with every turn of the handle, sacrificing torque and power. Low gear, on the other hand, provides tremendous torque and in return, sacrifices the ability to retrieve a substantial amount of line per crank. When properly utilized, both gears are designed to maximize the chances of quickly and efficiently landing scale-busting size fish.

The most noticeable difference in a trolling reel are the two rings that sit atop all trolling fishing reels. These rings are part of the frame and hold an enormous amount of strength. Trolling straps are attached through these rings, as well as big game harnesses and on some occasions, a back-up rod and reel combo, a common practice when fishing on long range boats out of San Diego for huge bluefin and yellowfin tuna. Trolling reels are so strong and powerful, I have even seen anglers cut these rings off and even go so far as to make custom frames to readily access the spool and use trolling reels as live bait reels. I do not recommend this practice, as many of the latest star-drag conventional reels will serve the same purpose.

With the high prices of fuel, trolling around in offshore waters can be very costly. That is why every serious big-game angler should consider having the best saltwater tackle available when it comes to their arsenal. The properly maintained saltwater combo can mean the difference in coming home with a trophy of a lifetime, or coming home skunked, carrying an empty sack.
I have been fishing for over 20 years of my life and hope to continue to do so for the next 30. I have dedicated myself to sharing what I have learned through those years in the hopes of promoting this popular outdoor recreational activity by providing commentaries and reviews, video tutorials, fishing tips and more. Come visit my site at http://spinningreels.com for freshwater and saltwater fishing information.

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Wireline Trolling For Bass

Author: Chris Bell

Overview. Wireline trolling is a techinique that is used by many thousands of New Englanders every year to catch striped bass. It can be very productive if you know what your doing, but many people think you simply put the line out and motor around in your boat to catch fish, and are surprised when they see others catch fish after fish in the same area and apparently doing the same thing and even using the same rig. Well, there must be something different. Knowing where the fish are holding, what their feeding on and the speed to troll at are just some of the considerations to take into account.

Where are the Fish. You have to go where the fish are, not where you want them to be. You also have to go when the fish are there, not when you want them to be there. For any kind of Bass fishing, early morning is usually the best. Early in the season they may feed throughout the day, but as the season progresses and the sun gets higher in the sky you won't find them feeding during the day unless there is tide and a lot of bait or a weather pattern to entice them into activity. You may find them holding on structure and be able to catch them but its pretty certain that there is something in the way of food down there to keep them interested. If the fish are holding on structure, you have to present your offering over that structure, if you are off by 50' there is no joy. If you are trolling and mark and catch fish, turn around and keep going over the spot until you stop catching. Don't go trolling away unless your damn sure there is something better to head to. And don't spend too much time trolling around a spot and not catching.

Tides and currents. Bass are ambush predators and a current will provide them with the opportunnity to lay in wait for a small creature to be swept past their position so they can gobble it up. It is the current generated by the tides you need to pay atention to. An example of this would be the Block Island North reef. The currents there provide areas which bass like to use as ambush points, and some of these are places to troll wireline.

Trolling Speed. Never troll at the same speed all the time if it isn't working. Often fish will follow your offering and are waiting for that trigger that tells them that their prey has detected them. Speed up, slow down, change speeds, speed up during your turns. You will be surprised how many times you hook up fish immediately or very soon after a speed change. Sometimes only going at a particular slow speed works, or a particularly fast speed. The most important thing to do is pay attention to what is going on when you hook up. You need to notice if it is always during a speed change, only when you go fast, only when you go very slow, etc. If you speed up and turn, and the inside line picks up a fish, you may not have enough line out since the inside line will usually go deeper, the outside line shallower.
Current can be used to control your speed. If you want to go very slow, troll directly into the current. There is one area I fish trolling to the same spot and slowing down as the boat gets near it, going into the current. At times we are barely moving forward, and when I reach the spot on my GPS one or both rods will go down with fish on (tide is very important in this case.) There are times when you will catch most of your fish only trolling in one direction in relation to the current. Pay attention to what is happening when you hook up.

Trolling Depth. This is extremely important. Your depth finder can mark a million fish below 30' but if your trolled rig is only 20' deep you will end up being very frustrated and catching very few fish. Your offering must be presented in the "strike zone", which is the area close enough that the fish will be interested in hitting your lure. This strike zone can be very large when fish are feeding aggressively, or very small if they are "turned off".

If you see fish smashing bait on the surface, try letting out a small amount of wireline and troll around the feeding fish, not through the middle of them. So many fisherman shut down the fishing very quickly by trolling through the middle of breaking fish. It is the most idiotic thing they can do. You need to have the lure down near the bottom if you are targeting Bass that aren't feeding aggressively near the surface. If you are in water under 30' deep, it is only necessary to be within 5' of the bottom unless the fish are very sluggish. In deeper water. light penetration becomes an issue and it is necessary to get as close to the bottom as you can without dragging.

The rule of thumb is to let out 10 feet of wire for every 1' of depth. This is varied by boat speed and the weight of your lure. Naturally, going slower will cause the rig to go deeper and faste will cause it to run shallower. Remember, if you aren't dragging bottom once in a while, you're trolling too shallow.

Matching the Hatch. You need to troll an offering which is representative of what the fish are feeding on. If there are hordes of sand eels then you shouldn't be trolling 6" soft plastic shads. Bass most often eat bunker, sand eels, and squid. Lures that represent these species are ones you should have available to you. If you catch a keeper, open up its stomach and see what it has been feeding on.

Sport Fishing. This is supposed to be a sport. Keeping the boat in gear and continuing to troll after you have hooked up a fish is winching, not fishing. I have seen so many bass skipping across the surface of the water as they are being reeled up, it's absolutely ridiculous. You should be fighting the fish and not the boat. Where is the fun in that? So the advice is take the boat out of gear after you hook up.

By following the guideleines presented here the reward will be more success for your fishing trips. The last and most important piece of advice when your not catching is this: remember to ask yourself: "what do I need to change?" Are you going too fast, using the wrong rig, trolling too shallow, etc. Watch what other people are doing, it may give you a clue. Catch 'em up!

About the Author:

Chris Bell has fished Rhode Island waters for 11 years. Before that he was a writer and PC administrator. He now guides Rhode Island fishing charters out of Jerusalem on several boats and in the winter writes on various aspects of fishing for stripers, flounder, and other species and fishing techniques. He also works with several other captains who guide Striper Fishing Charters out of Jim's Dock.

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