Trolling For Wipers

[fishinfool]

Just curious if any of you troll with an electric ,I have had best success trolling with the bowmount,that is while it lasts,can only troll for 2 to 3hrs before it wont keep you moving at a wipers pace,I almost always have hooked the bigger fish,When I am trolling with it,and like everyone else.If it works dont fix it.

TIGHT LINES,Tony
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[Kent]

I'm curious how fast you are able to troll with your electric? I have found most of my success trolling about 2.6 mph; however, hearing that others catch them at faster speeds I trolled up to 4.5 mph yesterday, and caught one at 3.7 mph. I also read a post about catching them on a spinner trolled slow, and I also read about some folks who caught them with popgear and a nightcrawler (I assume trolled slow). I believe Wiper 2 caught them on bottom bouncers. My conclusion -- they can be caught at various speeds, with various lures, and even with nightcrawlers still fishing.

Kent
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[Old_Coot]

Hey FF,

I to have done a lot of both, electric and gas, trolling at Willard. I found very little difference. I used to think that the electric would catch more just because it was so quiet. But because it's pretty much pooped out by 3-4 hours, I just stick with my 6 hp gas. But I found that letting my lines WAY out, the scare of the motor has long gone by the time my lure comes through. I also believe that with the lines way out, the fish circle back in about that time. Also, that leaves my electric as a backup in case my crappy 2-strok dies.
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[fishinfool]

Thanks,kent,old coot.

I can only troll around 1.8-2.0mph kent,But I should have noted that its 6ft deep too.when I get in open water I do troll with the big motor and kick up the speed to 2.8 to 3.5mph you can really cover some water moving that fast.thanks for the info.

TIGHT LINES.

Tony
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[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Mute,[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]I'm out there about 90 yards.[/size][/font]
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[Teroy]

I have a bow mount, but I never use it Willard. I always use my big motor.
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[PREDATOR]

[size 4]I mostly troll with a 15 h.p. kicker. In the spring, fishing for walleye I have caught wipers on spinner harness's and also vertical jigging grubs. A very slow presentation and one that doesnt get much use on willard. I think the depth is key here, a wiper can chase down a fast presentation so a slow one is just an easy meal. If the fish are deep, fish deep, fast or slow, who cares? let the fish tell you what they want. Now as far as the subject of lure distance from the boat, dont be fooled, on MULTIPLE occasions I have seen skeeter fish a lure ten feet out back of the boat right in the prop wash of my kicker motor and catch wipers. I think he even got a walleye one day. Now thats not to say you need to fish close, just keep in mind that there are fish there, and they will bite a hook. On the subject of big wipers, I have caught all my biggest wipers, and all the very big wipers I have seen caught, have been on the cast. By far, bar none, trolling will produce more fish through out the year, but in my years of expirience, the biggest wipers have come on the cast. Maybee I am just unlucky on the troll, or maybee there is something appealing to the larger fish about a slower presentation. A big fish to one guy is not a big one to another. When I say the biggest, I am talking bigger than the state record. Six plus pound fish. I have seen more than one in my day.[/size]

[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I do know that many species of fish actually use the prop wash as a way to pick up an easy meal or think the prop wash simulate bait fish. Tuna fishermen troll at high speeds right in the prop wash searching for tuna. Have you ever notice how the terns will follow a boat's prop wash out at Willard? Last Friday, when Pedator, Teroy and myself were trolling, we had terns right behind the boat diving in the prop wash. How mant times have you been hit on the intial release of a lure as it goes thru the prop wash? A lot of times, I'm guessing. So yes, I believe there is something to trolling short. If shad are on top, and you go thru them, then there could be easy eats for the fish and birds.[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Predator, what do you think is the reason the bigger fish were caught on the cast? Were they feeding on the top hard or hunting shad in shallow areas? I know most of your big stripers are not caught on the surface but are under the main boil picking up scraps from the hungry youngsters on top. When the schools of stripers "herd" shad into the shallows, bigger fish can become more prone to get caught on the cast. RipNLips and I have had some good discussions on "tactical" striper fishing in Lake Mead and I would assume (you gotta watch that "assume" word) a lot of the characteristics that stripers show would hold true with wipers. Just wondering....[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Again, JMHO.......[/size][/font]

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[PREDATOR]

[size 4]I think the bigger wipers have come on the cast because of thier location. My personal opinion is they concentrate in areas where walleye and shad spawn, feeding on the fry. The bigger wipers have been in willard longer and know the places to go and when to go there. Now, I have not seen a good size wiper come out of willard in about two years. We may be able to wind up getting a few trolling if they were still in there. It was probably about five years ago that I saw the most big wipers caught in the lake and has been on a steady size decline since. Shoot, my dads first wiper was over six pounds, he took it home and ate it. Its the only one that we have taken home. I will send you a p.m. about some locations and times of year.[/size]