Speed Trolling ?

[allegheny river kid]

Last year was my first year really messing around with speed trolling..I've been having somewhat steady success as far as boating fish this year with it more northerns and saugers then musky but getting a few rips here and there. My ? is as far as speed goes, i've been mainly sticking with 4.5 to 5.5mph and having all the success with these speeds, but have been reading some articles about guys pushing 6.5 to 10mph steady trolls. Has anyone had much success with speeds like this? And do you think that at times fish will pass on a bait going 5mph and react on a bait going 8 to 10mph? Any input would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

[Joe M]

I usually fish between 4.2 and 5.2. My best action is between 4.6 and 4.8 gps speed. I have caught them at 6mph but have not really went faster except to see what speeds the lures can handle. I have ran the Wileys at 10mph just to try it for a few minutes. I may try more speed this year the way it is going..it cant get no worse.

[Red Childress]

This concept was tough for me to buy into because I thought it would never work in ultra-clear water with boat noise and casted shadow so I resisted it for years. After talking to other fisherman and guides who had been successful with this, I finally broke down and started doing it about 3 years ago because I was struggling to catch fish during the low/clear water of summer... plus, I had nothing to loose anyway. At first, I went back 25-30 feet over 7-12 FOW and thought that was crazy but it worked so then I shortened my spread and moved in shallower and it still works.

I know guys and guides that run 7-10mph and do very well. IMO, 7-10 is no 'riskier' than 5-7 in terms of getting a reaction strike and is probably a better idea in the first place since this faster presentation is not meant for hungry fish but to induce a reaction strike....plus the amount of water you can cover is almost twice as much.

Is 7-10 too fast for a muskie?? Considering they can swim 30mph in short bursts and sustain 15-20mph for a minute or two, I would say absolutely not.

I am not a seasoned vet with this technique because my boat will primarily be casting on this section of river, but when the bite becomes tougher in mid-late summer, bump up the speed and give it a try.

[ThreeRiversEsox]

I agree with you guys where speed triggers a reaction to get the fish to strike. One thing that I have noticed about alot of other trollers out on the water is the little they change direction. It's like watching NASCAR out there sometimes! I think it's important to keep in mind if you're straight trolling a lure it's just creating the same monotonous action. Sure that can trigger strikes, but just think about what lures do when make a turn or slow down for a second. I think by this time we've all seen some fish follow on our casts, so why wouldn't they follow when we're trolling? We've probably all seen the video trolling segment on youtube where the fish follows for a long time while trolling, even to go as far as bumping into the bait with it's face.. Sometimes it's the little things. This is why some guys prefer trolling in tiller controlled boats due to the more precise and quicker turning speeds and having the throttle in your hand. Just a thought.

[Muskiekid]

My fishing has been (so far) been with Tigers. I've caught about 1/2 of them up to 7 MPH in my propwash on 8" Believers. Amazing when they come flying up out of the water. Awesome.

According to what I've read, a Musky can travel from a stop to 30 MPH at the length of your boat. You can't outrun them!

[toothyfishman]

It still is amazing that it works at all !!!!!

Clear water or not..........But it does :D

[allegheny river kid]

Thanks guys for all the replys!!! I guess i'm gonna drop the hammer and troll alot faster when nothing else is going on...

[Red Childress]

We were having a tough time moving muskies while casting yesterday so I put 2 rods 12 feet back and ran 7-7.5mph.........netted a mid-30's muskie 23 minutes later.