Looking for a relaxing, productive fishing trip in Idaho? Give trolling a try!
Merrily we trolled along, enjoying the alpine scenery of Horsethief Reservoir and just enough of a breeze to combat the summer heat.
“Who’s ready for a turn fish?” I called out as I angled the boat a few degrees. Moments later, one of our rods started dancing, and my daughter Quinn happily cranked a nice rainbow trout to the net.
Welcome to the fun, relaxing world of trolling — one of the most efficient and productive ways to target a variety of Idaho fish. It’s also a great option for fishing with kids, so ever since I brought home my new boat, I’ve been working hard to refine my trolling skills. For the most part, trolling success boils down to three key factors — depth, speed and presentation. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Rolling in the deep
Having a fish finder is a must so you can identify how deep fish are in the water column. With that knowledge, you can deploy the right tactics to start catching.
Trout are usually found within 20 feet of the surface. That day at Horsethief, the graph looked like a parade of fish right at 15 feet. Some days, they’ll be more scattered, and you’ll have to experiment to see which fish are actively feeding. Crappie and perch are usually found between 10 and 40 feet down. Kokanee salmon — a species caught almost exclusively by trolling — range from 10 to over 100 feet.
Once you know your target depth, there are a couple ways to get there. Long-lining is the easiest. Deploying crankbaits 75 feet back will get them to swim at their designed depths, clear of the noise and profile of your boat. The same thing can be done with trout and kokanee gear like wedding rings and hoochies (adding a ½-ounce or one-ounce sinker helps, since those lure types don’t dive on their own).
If you’re trolling more than 15 feet down, you’ll probably need some assistance. One way to do it is using leaded line, which will hold your tackle down about five feet for each color you have out (i.e. if you have five colors in the water, your lure is fishing at 25 feet). Leaded line is simple to use and effective, but it does require a high-capacity reel.
The quickest way to reach deep water is with downriggers. These machines (which resemble giant reels) have cables attached to a large weight and a clip. Your line gets pinched into the clip, and then (with the reel bail open!) you slowly lower the weight down to the desired depth. Downriggers can be set wherever you see fish, and cranked up or down to adjust on the fly. If you’re serious about trolling, downriggers are a priority investment.
The need for speed
Once you’ve identified how deep the fish are and used your equipment to get your lures in the strike zone, the next variable to consider is speed. Most freshwater trolling takes place at speeds between 1 and 3 mph. This is best achieved with a small kicker motor or an electric motor — big boat motors struggle to maintain such low speeds.
Trout, kokanee and panfish are usually caught trolling between 1 and 2 mph. Some days, anywhere in that range will work just fine. On others — especially with kokanee, which can be finicky — an exact speed like 1.2 or 1.7 will be the ticket. Larger species like Mackinaw trout and tiger muskie usually like lures trolled a little faster, in the 2.5 to 4.5 mph range.
One important note on speed: When fish see trolling gear, they often follow it for a while. Manipulating the lure speed often triggers a strike. When I called out “turn fish,” I knew when the boat changed direction, it would subtly alter the speed and action of the lures. That’s why fish often bite on turns. When long-lining or using leaded line, you can achieve a similar result by taking a few quick reels or twitching the rod. If a fish is following your lure when it changes its motion, chances are it will bite!
What’s on the menu?
Once depth and speed are dialed in, the final piece of the puzzle is your lure presentation. A wide variety of tackle can be used to catch fish trolling. Perhaps the most common is “pop gear,” which includes a leading attractor (a flasher, dodger or series of “cowbells”) followed by several feet of leader and then a relatively small lure like a wedding ring, hoochie or crawler harness. This is a very popular setup for trout and kokanee, and anglers usually tip their hooks with bait like shoepeg corn, Power Bait nuggets or a small chunk of worm.
Crankbaits are my personal favorites for trolling. Productive models include the Countdown Rapala, Berkley Flicker Shad and Rapala Shad Rap. At C.J. Strike Reservoir, for example, I catch crappie, perch, bass and trout by trolling perch-colored lures. Virtually all gamefish eat smaller fish, so crankbaits are a solid option (and, usually, more straightforward than fishing with pop gear). Cranks are also money when trolling for walleye, both in Idaho and in their native Midwest.
Large predators can be targeted trolling, too. Muskies will hit large crankbaits, swimbaits and spinners. Mackinaw trout will gobble big swimbaits and spoons. Salmon will chomp on plugs, pop gear and cut plug herring. I’ve even caught flathead catfish trolling with deep-diving crankbaits.
Like any kind of fishing, trolling takes time to master. I’m still honing my skills and knowledge. For me, it will never replace active strategies like casting and jigging, but it’s a fun, effective tool to have in your arsenal. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get ready for the next turn fish. Tight lines!
Jordan Rodriguez has been fishing Idaho waters since he was a teen. Share your fish stories, adventures and questions with him at tightlinesboise@gmail.com, or visit www.tightlines208.com for the latest local fishing reports and upcoming class offerings.