By Capt. Jim Hirt
Day to day anglers are looking for more action. This past season we came up with a system that increased our numbers dramatically. When your looking for fish suspended in open water this technique will put more fish in the cooler. Fish locators never tell the complete story. The cone of the transducer will not show shallow fish. Most anglers will not work tackle for fish they cannot see. A proven fact is when motor trolling shallow fish go around the boat to avoid the turbulence and noise.
All species all conditions
Trolling for fish is without a doubt the most productive method for all species. This system will be your answer to more fish in difficult cold front and all environmentally challenging situations. I use it everyday with great results. You may never get the skunk again no matter what type of target species you are after.
Waters missed by many reap huge rewards.
What's the tip? Always present stealth tackle for fish near the surface and systematically down through the water column. Don't omit the water that appears on your locator to be void of fish. This series of articles will describe several key presentations effective where ever and what ever you fish for.
Flat line fishing leads to problems.
Flat line fishing has been around for a long time. It involves tying a lure to your line and letting it out at long distance directly behind the boat. While this may net a few fish the pit falls of this method are many including tangles, no accurate control of depth and an inefficient slow presentation. More refining is necessary for this to become an effective tool.
Taking it from the top.
Starting from the surface follow these easy directions for exciting controlled depth fishing. Spring fishing in cold water most often moves fish to the surface to find their comfort zone. For this reason among others always work the surface and here's how. I fish the surface and down to sixty feet with a variety of planer board presentations.
Tools for productive fishing.
Some of your choices for boards are, Yellow Birds, Church and Off Shore. I’m a little hesitant to recommend a particular brand because what works for me may not work for you. I will say I find it easier to run a small board on each line rather than a large board with releases on the towline. I do feel it is important to run all the same type to get a presentation that is easy and productive. On all my reels I run a 30-50 pound test Power Pro Super Braid line. For surface and shallow water fishing the clear water leaves you with a visibility factor to consider, and smaller spoons do not run well on heavier test lines. I run a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce bead chain trolling sinker to avoid line twists and get the depth I want. From the sinker to the lure I use 8ft of Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and a small round cross lock snap. The weight of the Fluorocarbon and snap is dictated by the size of your target and lure.
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