Live bait is typically the best producer when the walleye are in water that is less than ten feet. If an angler is using a few large reels and a few small reels, the lead length information delivered by each reel size is different. If one reel is full to capacity and another is half empty, the lead length recorded by these reels will be different because the smaller spool on the ‰half empty‰ reel is actually letting out less line per rotation of the spool than a reel that‰’s full to capacity. Monofilament is the best line choice for trolling in most situations, but there are times when low stretch lines have the edge. You can increase your catch ratio by choosing the right …, Fishing rods in the $40-70 range are the sweet spot …, These are the best options in fluorocarbon line out there …, You want to catch more fish. The key components for selecting walleye crankbaits are Color, Body Profile/Size and Action . The diameter of 14 pound test Sensation is similar to 10 pound test XT, 12 pound test Big Game and 10 pound test Stren. Crankbaits imitate smaller fish with a wobbling action that they just can’t resist. Line Counters – Getting crankbaits to the target depth is a huge part of finding success while trolling. It's strong and has superior knot strength. On Lake Erie, fall walleye crankbait trolling starts heating up in late September and continues to get better all the way into December, as long as the weather allows it to. So if your bait is running 75 feet back and is running a foot off the bottom and catching fish….you’ll want to replicate the length. Regardless of how they sink, they’re all made to sink and stay sunk for the most part. The lures can be different colours, but they must be the same size and model. The most important aspect of a walleye trolling reel, in my opinion, is a line counter. The Best Fishing Lines For Crankbaits in 2019 These are the best options in fluorocarbon line out there right now, for those of … Cranking Gear , Line Choice Walleye hit crankbaits with such force, it may take the rod right out of your hand. Many monofilament lines meet these standards, but the best trolling lines are a more refined category of products that deliver exceptional performance. In this video, I reached out to my friend Rob Hoover who is one of the best walleye sticks I know out here on Lake St. Clair. However, when trolling skinny water we find 10 pound mono gets more distance from the boat to the bait, thus giving walleyes time to settle when baits come by. using DDHJ-12 and bandit Deep walleye cranks. The Ugly Stik trolling walleye combo with a line counter included is a great combo for the beginning or advanced angler. Another popular fishing line for casting is Nanofil. Fluorocarbon line or “floro” as it’s commonly called, has the best combination of these qualities. You’re looking for a few specific traits laid out here. When fish are a foot or higher off the bottom, run your crankbaits near bottom, but not below the fish. Crankbaits are one of the best methods to attract and catch large walleye. This is probably the most important quality to look for in a line for crankbait fishing. As a result when the spool lets out line, the spool diameter will shrink quickly and again under estimate the amount of line actually being played off the reel. Best Crankbait: Rapala Shad Rap Fishing Lure at Amazon "Stands out for its versatility." Choose a line that refracts light similarly to the way water does. Braided Fishing Line. Identify key walleye locations and troll your crankbaits where walleyes easily can find them. All popular line counter reels use a mechanical means of measuring lead length based on how much line goes off the reel for each rotation of the spool. Crankbait Trolling on Erie Crankbaits and Erie Walleyes Go Together Like Thunder & Lightning. Lead Core (Weighted Trolling Line) Lead Core line came on to the fishing scene during the 1970’s as weighted trolling line. Smaller and thinner lines give you a better wiggle, and you’ll get more casting distance with them. Line on walleye reel/pole is well over 10 years old. Share this crankbait tip with your friends. For most walleye trolling applications 10 to 14 pound test monofilament line is the ideal choice. For most walleye trolling applications 10 to 14 pound test monofilament line is the ideal choice. Renosky Crystalina Divers Renosky Crystalina Shallow and Deep Divers are excellent choices for walleye fishing. Also, make sure you’ve selected a good rod for fishing with crankbaits. A faster medium light action is typically required because crankbaits have small treble hooks and the fish typically fight hard. We are the “Real Deal” when it comes to muskie, pike, walleye, smallmouth bass and MORE!, providing real fishing information from real fishing experts. The Bass Pro Shops Walleye Series 8 foot Trolling Rod was designed specifically for this technique and is ideal for trolling with crankbaits. Some well-known systems like Upper Red Lake, Leech, and others allow you to pull shallow diving crankbaits on boards in as shallow as 4FOW and catch walleyes like crazy. You also lose sensitivity, which is important especially when bouncing crankbaits off structure. Have you ever wished you could troll crankbaits down deep, but don't have Down Riggers or Lead Core? Color options include chartreuse perch, chrome blue, chrome black, fire tiger, Fluorescent red, gold perch, perch, white red-head, and gold black. Editor’s Note: The author, Jason Mitchell shares tactics for a very productive and sometimes overlooked pattern for catching walleye by trolling crankbaits over large weed flats. Please state your lb test, type, and brand you think is overall best for drift fishing for Lake Erie walleye in the summer (Mid May - August). Of course, the deeper you go the less visible they will be, but an invisible line will decrease the chance of fish at any depth seeing it. Some lines are inherently more visible than others underwater. Trolling is by far one of the most effective ways to target walleyes throughout much of their range. A loop knot is a good option, but clearly not the most practical option for fishing crankbaits … Personally, I usually use bright-colored lures with reds, oranges and pinks from 5 to 20 feet down in the water column, as I assume this is where those colors will be most effective. When the fish just aren't biting, trolling with crankbaits … Low stretch super lines also have the ability to telegraph strikes easily even when trolling with exceptionally long lead lengths. When fish are hugging the bottom, adjust boat position and speed, along with line length, so crankbaits track close to the bottom. 1st year trying to troll on Erie. The biggest differences are the diameter of specific lines for specific break strengths. Berkley Sensation is aåÊfourth excellent option for trolling lines. Crankbait Guide also offers products from other retailers in order to keep this site running freely. Jason Mitchell hosts the popular outdoor program, Jason Mitchell Outdoors airing on Fox Sports. Most crankbaits are made to sink, at least a little. I've seen all kinds of posts about leads and I have precision trolling data book and app. The Next Bite TV is about Big Fish … Mean Fish … Fish with Teeth! Knowing how much line to have out to get your crankbait in the zone FAST can really only be done properly with line counters. Ideal conditions for longlining crankbaits would be a windy, overcast day or just prior to darkness or during darkness. If you’re looking to catch more fish on crankbaits and reduce snags, switching to a good crankbait line will help. He said most mono in 6- or 8-pound-test is best for jigging walleyes in 15 feet of water or less. Understanding what constitutes the ideal trolling line is an important part of refining this popular presentation. You can also try worms and/or leeches, I have friends that get great results with both of these. Hands down one of the most popular walleye trolling lines of all time is Berkley‰’s Trilene XT in 10 pound test. By Michael Veine. "The most legendary walleye lure of all time." Using line counter reels is the only practical way to monitor and duplicate important details like productive lead lengths. That will be important to getting the right physical behavior out of your rod/line combination. On this particular trip we were using the two ounce Off Shore Tackle Snap Weight to get our baits to bottom in water from 40 to 45 feet deep. With their unique honeycomb texture that gives off added flash, these baits are consistent producers. Trolling is a popular walleye presentation and also a fishing method practiced with a wide variety of fishing lines. Another excellent line option for trolling is Berkley‰’s Big Game in 12 pound test. By Michael Veine . When drift fishing for walleye worm harness, live minnows, flutter jigs, and tube jigs are the way to go. 99 I’d drop that down to 8 … It was March, but the balmy weather made it seem unseasonably spring-like. Prior to shooting a TV episode we normally spend a couple days pre-fishing to figure out a pattern. Best Trolling Reels for Walleye When it comes to reels for trolling, nothing beats line counter reels for allowing anglers to duplicate successful trolling patterns. Long lined behind a planer board it dives to about 10 feet. Using fishing lines that don‰’t meet a select set of ‰trolling friendly‰ standards is toying with fishing disaster. The way it refracts light is very similar to how water refracts light. Also, should a lure get snagged, the line must be tough enough to provide anglers a fighting chance of recovering their lures. Using 1/8-oz jigs, he and one angler using mono were up 9 to zero over the third angler (a really good “stick”) using braid. The rod is longer and this means more casting distance as well as leverage on catches. Too much stretch makes it difficult to achieve solid hooksets. If you must use something other than flouro, try mono as it is still less visible than braid. In most waters, good first choices include the Storm Thunderstick, Rapala Tail Dancer or Reef Runner Ripstick. Trolling crankbaits in combination with in-line weights is very popular among walleye anglers during the fall. Adding a crankbait to your line is a great way to stir up walleye action. but using braid gets cranks deeper than the same lb test mono. Flat line trolling crankbaits is also best served with 10-4 Fireline for gaining maximum diving depths with less line out. The problem is, most fishing lines don‰’t have the necessary properties to make them ‰good‰ for the job. Flou leader is abrasion resistant then a mono line. The Cottom Cordell Wally Diver is a classic trolling lure for both walleye and smallmouth bass. I fish with 10-pound-test almost all the time, and that’s with heavy, deep-diving crankbaits as well as small square bills. For reels, I prefer to use a line … There are several different crankbaits, each with different depths and actions. Personally, I usually use bright-colored lures with reds, oranges and pinks from 5 to 20 feet down in the water column, as I assume this is where those colors will be most effective. Try a few crankbaits with different wobbles. The 10/4 size Fireline is a popular choice among serious walleye trollers because this line has more than adequate strength and knot strength, combined with very thin diameter . The depth that a given crankbait can run depends on the amount of line that you let out. Walleye love it's action when trolled. Fish your crankbaits with light line. Knot strength is also critical because the knot is the weakest link in any fishing line. However, once the spawning season ends and the temperatures begin to rise your focus should turn to trolling. Mono may have more stretch than you want for retrieving, but at least it will give as needed when a fish shakes its head to throw the lure. Some are meant to dive deeply, with a big bill that forces them lower.  Some dive only a few feet with a smaller bill. Good question! I’d drop that down to 8 … 01-31-2013, 08:35 PM . Also, make sure you’ve selected a good rod for fishing with crankbaits. “Actually the same crankbait trolling patterns that produce fish in the fall work equally well in the spring right after ice out,” says Jake Romanack of Fishing 411 TV. Last would be fish nicking up the line. Ever get to the retailer Braid for throwing hard-baits, leadcore on the trolling rods; to the point where heading out to buy some line gets confusing. Most lakes, with the exception of the ultra-clear lakes with secci disk ratings of 12 feet or … The only downfall is it’s not good with certain knots. Ideal for the angler who needs extra weight for deep-water trolling, Tuf-Line's Lead-Core Trolling Line features tightly braided, high-tenacity nylon multifilament yarn that encapsulates a 99.9% pure lead core. Hopefully with these tips you can build your walleye rod arsenal to its fullest potential, and put more fish in the boat this season. To keep line costs down, it‰’s important that trolling lines last longer than lines designed for casting applications. It can be argued that the ideal line for trolling walleye crankbaits should be both thin and strong. Long lined behind a planer board it dives to about 10 feet. It can be confusing and overwhelming to those without years of experience. Some products have proven to be awesome, and I share them with you here. The best walleye lures for trolling will be crankbaits, spinners, small flatfish lures and Rapala's. To function properly, a trolling line must provide superior abrasion resistance, consistency, controlled stretch, thin diameter, low visibility and exceptional knot strength. It has a subtle action that will work even at ultra slow speeds down to 1 mph. Their INVIZX fluorocarbon fishing line is hard to beat. Position the boat in the right place at the right speed, and let out enough line to position crankbaits near walleyes … The Line On Walleye Lines. It‰’s like one set of reels is talking in English while the other is talking in Spanish. How to Pick The Best Line For Crankbaits. Here's what you need to know to get the right line and land more fish. Here are some tips for trolling crankbaits for walleye in Lake Erie. Also, if one reel is loaded with rather thin 10 pound test and another is equipped with thicker 17 pound test, the reel with the heavier line will hold less line. 10 Walleye Trolling Baits to Try This Year. Even though trolling crankbaits it maybe does not make a difference. It comes in sizes of 2-1/2 inch and 3-1/8 inch. What makes a good crankbait line, you may ask? Again, less resistance in the water and more sensitivity give you greater control over your bait. Many monofilament lines meet these standards, but the best trolling lines are a more refined category of products that deliver exceptional performance. What do you recommend for line for walleyes. When selecting a rod for crankbait trolling, look for 7 ½ foot or an 8 foot medium action rod. Two very common line types walleye trollers use are 10-pound-test monofilament and 10/4 diameter fused and braided superlines. After the customary dockside greetings with my charter customers, the inevitable question was asked. Specialized line releases are required for using super lines in combination with planer boards. Leadcore is exactly what it sounds like: fishing line with a lead core. A lighter action rod paired up with ten-pound braid has the right flex for whipping lighter lures further and cushions runs where hooks don’t tear out so easily. Your crankbait is resisting the pull of the line with a lot of force. best line and # for trolling for walleyes. I need different kinds for every occasion. You can cover a lot of water and swipe through large areas and you can also trigger fish that might not respond to some slower and subtler presentations. It is understandable. The best way to consistently keep the lure in the target zone is to know exactly how much line has come off your spool. Since three-way rigging involves trolling speeds of about one to two miles per hour, lures that have life-like minnow actions, at modest speeds, tend to perform best. Yea, I know. This line is designed for trolling and the diameter of 12 pound test is nearly identical to 10 pound test XT. A "walleye" chop is always helpful. Big reels with lots of line capacity monitor lead lengths differently than small reels with modest line capacity. The best baits for trolling for walleye are deep diving plugs, stick baits, spoons, and worm harnesses. Walleye crankbaits are available in a spectrum of colors and finishes, painted, foil, chrome, prism, glass, photo and holographic finishes. For the most accurate lead length data, it‰’s critical to use reels that are all similar in size and line capacity. Without a doubt the the Hornet from Salmo is their most popular crankbait. 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