Board Watching Basics
Open water trolling can be intimidating for the beginning troller. Learning to “read” your planer boards is one of the most important skills to acquire in order to be more effective on the water.
The more time you spend trolling, the easier it will be to see if you have a fish, weed, debris, or current affecting the running attitude of your board. I remember when I started trolling, I had an easier time reading my boards if I had multiple boards on each side. This way, if one board seemed out of line in relation to a board next to it, I would be quicker to check that line to make sure everything was alright. If you are fishing by yourself, run two boards off one side of the boat. You may not cover as much water, but you will be more confident that each bait is running correctly.
Keep in mind, lure resistance and weight will affect how your boards run. It helps to either run the same lures or same sized weights in order to make your boards run in-line with each other.
Loop Knots
The example shown is a 1/64th oz panfish jig which is what I use 90% of the time for Madison panfish. As you can see, this is a horizontal style jig so we need a knot that keeps it in this position. Having the jig in the horizontal position will increase your hookup to bite ratio. If you tied direct with a knot that cinches down on the jig eye, you would have to keep adjusting the jig after every bite.
To make the knot, simply tie an overhand knot in the line once you pass the line through the eye. Make sure to do 3-5 wraps for 4-8lb test, and 2-3 for 10 and higher. I like to use stiff mono for my leader. I think it does an even better job at keeping the jig horizontal once the weight of the bait and dressing is added.
Cruise Control For Your Boat
For the last couple of weeks, we have had a “no-wake” rule in effect here in Madison. I don’t know about your boat, but I have to keep a constant hand on the throttle at low rpm’s or I can’t keep the perfect speed going.
Go to the hardware store, buy an adhesive piece of velcro, and some velcro cable ties. Attach the strap to the throttle control, and place the velcro patch in a spot within reach of the strap. Now you can find the fastest possible speed without making a wake, set it at that speed, and have a free hand for swatting mosquitos! If you need to make a sudden speed correction, the velcro easily pulls free.
Get The “Reaction” You Deserve!
When the lake/river you are fishing is full of baitfish, how do you compete with all of that bait? Sometimes, the only way to get fish to open their mouths is to give them just enough time to draw an instinctual reaction.
Example: When practicing for the FLW in MN a couple of weeks ago, I was catching a few fish rigging shiners, but the area was absolutely loaded with baby perch (top of picture). One of the walleyes I caught spit one up on the way into the boat and a lightbulb went off. I took a 1/2oz fire-tiger “one-eye” spoon from Hutch’s Tackle Co. and snapped it through the same area using sharp 1-2 foot jerks. For the next 20 minutes, my bites almost doubled when I forced the fish to eat instead of thinking about it with a slower presentation. Keep these spoons in mind next time you are trying to stand out from an overabundance of bait.
