Trolling for trout
I have been trolling for trout, whether it is Rainbow, Brown or Brook trout for about 12 years now and it still creates a challenge for me almost every time I go. For some grand reason, trout are a very unique breed of fish and are very sensitive to weather patterns. When the barometer is acting crazy, the trout can shut down from lake trout to speckled trout on the coast. They are related and it shows during tough weather conditions. But trolling for trout in our Lake Jocassee has its moments and every once in a while, you will be rewarded. But for every great trip, there are 10 not so great fishing days and there sets the challenge.
We troll for trout using downriggers. On our boat, we use 2 Cannon Uni-troll downriggers and 2 Scotty electric downriggers. Downriggers give you the option for controlled depth fishing, basically taking your bait to a desired depth where you may think the fish are. With the setup we have, it is best to only use one downrigger per bait. What I mean is that we attach one rod with a lure, lets say a spoon and attach the line to a clip that is either on my downwrigger cable or downrigger ball like illustrated above. So you basically have three import features of trolling for trout using downriggers. Any type of downrigger ( Penn, Scotty
, Cannon
, etc.), downrigger weight, and release clip. Below are examples of all three to give you a visual.
Now that we have covered the main ingredients for trolling for trout using downriggers, we need to start looking at lure selection. I personally have tried a ton of lures. Everything from floating crankbaits to walleye rigs, spoons, Apex lures, salmon lures, and even tried to cut a beer can to make a lure, go figure. Here are some good examples of lures that I have had some success with. I often buy any type of lure that I think can troll at speed from 0.6 - 2.0 mph. Also my favorite colors for trolling for trout are green, blue, purple, black, and fire tiger.
Best of luck and let us know how you did. If you are ever in the area of Lake Jocassee, let me know and I will personally hook you up with one of our finest captains for hire that can demonstrate trolling for trout. Fish On!!!
Check out our video page for trolling for trout videos.
