Trolling BIG water : Eastern Woods and Waters

Find the food, and the right living conditions, or water temperature, and you'll find fish and success.

When I first started fishing the big lakes many years ago, my greatest mentor in learning the basics of the art was the legendary guide Art Libby. At the time, this warm-mannered old gent had been fishing Maine's Sebago Lake for landlocked salmon for more than four decades and had forgotten more about trolling than most of us learn in a lifetime.

In retrospect, Art taught me a great deal, but perhaps the most important lesson was one simple thing: "Fish are just like people," he always used to say. "They need food, oxygen and have living conditions they prefer over others, or require in order to survive. Find the food and the right living conditions, and you'll find fish."

I have always remembered that, and whether fishing in Labrador for trophy brook trout, in Quebec for giant lakers, in Maine or the Maritimes for landlocked salmon or smallmouth bass, I have found it to always hold true. Identifying these essential elements on large bodies of water, however, isn't always easy because the lake surfaces look basically all the same.

Down below, however, is another story: there are drop-offs, shoals and rocky points, underwater springs and other structure not visible to the human eye. Some lakes are simply deeper than others, but each has its own unique character. Deeper lakes also stratify according to season. "Turnover," as most fishermen know it, means where fish are found just after ice-out, they won't be found come late June or early July.

All this and so much more adds to the mystery and challenge of fishing big water. It can be frustrating at times, even intimidating to the novice; but the simple truth of the matter is that big lakes hold big fish, and in most cases, the largest concentration of fish per acre.

If success is to be consistently achieved, the angler must understand at least the basic parameters. He or she must also know the best tactics and techniques which can be used to advantage - and when it comes to large lakes and ponds, perhaps the best tactic is trolling of bait, lures and flies.
There was a time when I considered trolling a rather boring way to fish. It does not offer the grace of fly casting, nor the repetitive maneuvering of casting lures and bait.

But then I began to understand the advantages trolling provides, advantages few other forms of angling offer when it comes to catching trout, landlocks, stripers and so on in open water.
In seminars and talks at various sporting clubs and sports shows, I often describe trolling as the freedom to move - indeed trolling allows the angler to continuously cover new water and productive fishing grounds while keeping his offering in the water. In a nutshell, it affords the angler the opportunity to cover more water in less time than any other angling method.

Trolling can be achieved at different depths, with different types of lures and bait, and with different types of equipment. It's therefore productive right through the open season. Following
ice-out and until the surface temperatures warm, forcing fish to deeper depths, my personal choice of gear is a standard fly rod and reel, full sinking line and either tandem or single long-shanked streamer flies.

Smelt and other bait at the end of a spinning outfit can work just as well, if not better. During the dog-days of summer, it is possible to go down into the thermocline with weighted or lead-core line with bait, lures or flies, and if you want to fish the bottom, there are always downriggers or, depending upon the depth, lead-core line with sinkers.

And finally, trolling allows the option of fishing at various speeds or offering lure, bait or fly at a consistent speed for a long period of time. If water temperatures are cold, a slow speed produces best over lethargic, numbed-cold fish, but later once lake temperatures have warmed, a faster speed will bring more strikes (bearing in mind, through, that anglers commonly troll too fast rather than too slow). A troller can also adjust his speed according to wind speed and direction, also an advantage.

By the same token, being able to show fish a lure or fly at the same speed over a lengthy distance is an advantage as well, since most species often follow their prey before striking, it simply gives them more time to look over its life-like manner which they often do, particularly once a lake has turned-over or when fishing the thermocline.

Casting and reeling in a lure, or casting and stripping in a streamer on the other hand is generally done with a series of jerks as if to "give some life" to the offering. While this is often a good idea, too many anglers supply too much action which is contradictory to real baitfish, and the retrieve is often too short to incite the actual take. Keeping your offering in the water longer is an obvious advantage. Trolling at the right speed gives all the action a bait, lure or fly needs to draw a response, and the longer a fish has to look it over the better. Trolling achieves both goals.

Water Temperature

All cold-blooded animals are extremely temperature sensitive. Fortunately the preferred temperature ranges are the same for predator fish as they are for most baitfish. When you put the two together, right temperature range and available food supply, you have what is required to achieve success.
It is key, therefore, to know what tolerable temperature ranges and ideal temperatures various fresh water species prefer. Landlocked salmon, for example, may be found just a foot or so below the surface in May, but 20 feet down or more in late June or July. Lake trout, on the other hand, prefer cold water, generally found close to the bottom much of the time.

In Atlantic Canada, landlocked salmon, lake trout, brook trout, brown trout, striped bass and bluefish are the most popular trolling species in fresh or salt water. The following chart lists the tolerant temperature range of each fish - the range in which fish will generally be active and strike, and their ideal water temperature - the temperature at which each trout or salmon is most heavily feeding and active.

In general, the ideal temperature or slightly above or below should provide the best action. The tolerant range will often provide good fishing, but fish activity and action should increase noticeably as water temperatures rise or drop to the ideal temperature mark. Outside the tolerant range, fish activity is often poor.

What is the best way to discover water temperature? Some electronic fish locaters indicate water temperature, but few give accurate or reliable readings greater than a dozen or so feet below the surface unless equipped with a probe that reaches deeper levels. Just an old fashioned thermometer attached to a heavy piece of monofilament or twine with a sinker attached to the bottom to keep it down is usually the best way to go. Periodic readings will be necessary as you troll about and conditions change, but this is by far the most reliable method.

There are, however, tell-tale signs beyond water temperature that the angler can use to determine where the fish might be located. For example, if surface water feels cool, but not bitterly cold to the touch, trout and salmon will probably be found closer to the shore; but if it feels either warm or very cold to the touch, working slightly further away from shore and at a slightly deeper depth is probably warranted - unscientific, but hey, it's worked for generations.

During most of the season, early afternoon is when surface temperatures are usually warmest. The best early and late season shallow or near-shore fishing will therefore be during the warmth of mid-day. In the mid-season, shallow areas are best fished early and late in the day.

Also, it is important to remember the strong winds often experienced during the spring and fall fishing periods blow warm surface water downwind, so the coldest water will be on the upwind end of the lake, and those same winds blow surface foods, even baitfish, downwind as well. So, if the water feels just cool to the touch on the downwind side, not cold or warm, that is the place to start fishing.

Keep in mind these are generalities, and an actual thermometer reading is the best way to go. The important thing is to know which temperature is tolerable and ideal for the fish you are after.

SEASONAL CHANGES

Spring

Several important factors govern successful trolling at different times of the fishing season, but perhaps the most important during the spring and fall is when a lake "turns over". One or two weeks after the winter ice has cleared, depending upon weather, altitude, latitude and wind; warm surface water mixes with cold water below. When that happens, temperatures at all depths will be approximately the same, and fish are free to move about in search of food.

Something else happens at this time too. Smelt and other important baitfish are on their spawning runs. This natural phenomenon brings them close to the surface, often close to shore, and because of uniform water temperatures and the presence of forage, this is where predator species will be as well. Near surface fishing will continue to improve as temperatures warm into the tolerant range of each species, and will peak as surface temperatures reach the ideal activity and feeding range mentioned earlier.

This is why hitting a particular lake has never been important for me, immediately following "ice-out". Fish may be caught, particularly lake trout since they prefer slightly colder water than other species, but I generally wait a week or two giving the lake a chance to warm up, fishing earlier only if the days following ice-out are warm and blessed with winds. If the immediate days after a lake clears are cold, however, with little wind, the "turn-over" might be delayed, so nothing is lost if a fishing trip is delayed.

Summer

The summer fishing period begins as soon as surface zone temperatures pass the ideal range of each species. The surface of the lake continues to warm, so fish begin to seek cooler, more comfortable temperatures at deeper levels.

During this "thermal stratification" our bigger, deeper lakes divide into three discernable temperature zones - warm water on top, cold water on the bottom and a transitional layer or "thermocline" in the middle. The warm top layer generally has a depth of 15 to 25 feet, depending upon the size, shape and depth of the lake, while the thermocline is perhaps 20 to 40 feet deep. Because the thermocline offers better more comfortable temperatures and higher levels of oxygen, it is the layer of water which offers the best summer fishing.

Water temperature will vary even within the thermocline so the depth (therefore temperature) you want to fish depends upon what species you seek.

Keep in mind too that areas where the thermocline hits drop-offs, reefs and islands are particularly good, even if relatively close to shore. Incoming brooks, rivers and streams supply cool water, oxygen and nutrients to the lake, so the mouths of such tributaries should be given top consideration even in mid-summer, particularly before the sun hits the water in the morning, and later in the day when the sun is again low.

Fall

With the arrival of autumn the period of thermal stratification comes to an end and a reverse turnover takes place. With the loss of sunlight, previously warm surface waters begin to cool until lake water is virtually same temperature top to the bottom, at which time fish again return to the surface to feed.

This may begin to happen as early as late August in Labrador, early September in Newfoundland, or mid to late September or early October as in the Maritimes and Maine. Whatever the case, it is at this time when surface trolling tactics are again productive in many places that produced action in the spring.

TOP WATER TACTICS

One of the great advantages of trolling is the opportunity to connect with fish right through the open water fishing season. With the array of lines, lures, flies and baits available to the modern angler, it is easier today than ever before. The key is working the lure at the same level as the fish, and areas where fish are most likely to be feeding.

During the spring and fall seasons when surface waters are in the tolerant and ideal temperature range, and because fish will be holding anywhere from the surface down to about 15 feet, this can be done with light to medium conventional fishing gear.

This includes fly fishing tackle. An 8-1/2 to 9-foot rod equipped with any type of fly reel and full sinking line will do. Full sinking lines are preferred, and it is important to use a down-eye hook and tie it on so as to avoid planing the fly towards the surface. The only unorthodox piece of equipment I have come to rely upon over the years is an extremely long leader. Many trolling enthusiasts using flies use the standard 8 to 10 foot leader, which will work - but a leader 25 to 30 feet long made of 8 lb. test mono right off the spool, works far better by providing a greater break between fly line and fly allowing it to work in a more natural, lifelike manner.

A great many fly patterns can be used in the spring and fall. Favoured early season patterns resemble smelt and other baitfish common at that time of year. Grey Ghost, Black Ghost, Supervisor and Nine-Three all work well for salmon, sea trout and trout species, to name but a few. In the fall, these same designs continue to work, but brighter attractor patterns such as the Mickey Finn and Red & White should be tried. Feeding activity tapers off as spawning season nears, but male fish particularly become aggressive. Something bright and flashy often draws a faster strike.
Trolling flies are available in single, long shank design or two hooks in tandem connected with a piece of heavy mono or braided wire. I prefer the latter, but this is merely a matter of personal inclination.

Light spinning and spin casting gear can be used in the spring and fall, too. A medium action rod is generally best since it holds up better under trolling conditions, along with reels equipped with 8 to 10 lb test line. Bait such as smelt and other forage fish where legal, or lures such as spinners, wobblers and plug can be used and all work extremely well. As for the latter, the Mooselock Wobbler, Pixee Spoons and Vibrax Spinners by Blue Fox, Mepps Spinners, Super Dupers and Little Cleos, Flatfish and floating and driving lures such as those offered by Rapala, among others will all take trout and salmon.

Keep in mind, trolling these offerings at the right speed is critical if they are to work productively. In general, flies are trolled faster than lures, with bait best trolled at the slowest speed. A lot depends upon water temperature, wind speed and other factors, but I typically judge my speed with the shoreline when using flies, moving at about the speed of a fast walk when water temps are in the ideal range, slightly slower if the water is colder.

And don't necessarily troll in a straight line. Smelt and other baitfish often travel close to shore, since more cover and protection is provided there, and they often follow the shore's irregular direction moving around points, into coves and so forth. Trolling fishermen should do the same.

Trolling in a figure-eight or in a curvy snake-like pattern is often productive too. This allows your fly, lure or bait to swing in different directions, increase and decrease speed and change depth, just like the live smelt and baitfish. In a nutshell, baitfish seldom move from point A to point B in a straight line, but rather follow the contour of the shoreline. Imitate that at the right speed and you should do just fine during both spring and fall seasons.

It is during the summer season, once a lake has had a chance to turnover and fish are at deeper levels when some specialty equipment may be required.

Brook trout, browns, rainbow trout and landlocked salmon may be down 20 to 30 feet or more in the thermocline.During this period brook trout, browns and rainbow trout and landlocked salmon may be down 20 to 30 feet or more in the thermocline. Lake trout are most likely to be even deeper, down 50 or 60 feet if not more, or right on the bottom. You have no choice but to go down after them.

Fish, lures or bait can still be used, as well medium spinning and conventional trolling reels and rods, and the same figure-eight or curvy snake-like trolling patterns, but reaching the top and middle layer of the thermocline must be done with lead-core line and some kind of dodger or flashing rig. The latter not only provides a little added weight but twist and wobble to provide some action. They also provide "flash", which is important in deep, dark water.

Deeper trolling, particularly when after lake trout during the summer period, can be achieved with downriggers, or by attaching a one-half or one-ounce sinker to lead-core line.

Finally, don't be afraid to troll several lines. Up to three lines can easily be fished at the same time with no difficulty. One line should be fished directly off the stern 25 to 35 feet back, one off the port side 50 to 60 feet back and the third off the starboard side 60 to 70 feet back. This does a couple of things - it obviously permits the angler to have more than one lure or fly in the water at the same time, and the more lines in the water, the more water can be fished. And second, it allows fishing at slightly varying depths, so when a fish strikes, the angler knows at what depth to fish.

Keep in mind, though, that it is difficult to troll different types of offerings, such as flies and bait, or bait and lures at the same time, since each needs to be trolled at different speeds to perform properly.