Trolling for Beginners: How to Cover Water and Find Fish
Trolling gets a bad reputation for being passive or unsportsmanlike — but that misses what it actually is: a systematic way to find and catch fish in large bodies of water where you don't know exactly where they're holding. Done right, trolling is a skill involving boat speed, depth control, lure selection, and reading sonar. Here's how to do it effectively.
Why Trolling Works
Trolling lets you cover ground systematically in ways that casting and anchoring can't. On a lake that's a mile across, a trolling pass along a depth contour covers that whole area in the time it would take to thoroughly fish 50 yards from an anchored position.
It's particularly effective for: - **Finding fish:** Make S-curves through promising areas at different depths until you locate active fish, then slow down and work that zone more thoroughly. - **Depth targeting:** Crankbaits dive to predictable depths at specific speeds. Lead core line, downriggers, and diving planers let you target even deeper zones precisely. - **Species that cruise:** Trout, salmon, walleye, and landlocked stripers often suspend at a preferred depth in open water and move horizontally. Trolling intercepts these fish in ways that stationary techniques can't.
Basic Trolling Setup
**For beginners starting without downriggers:**
**Rod:** A 7–8 foot medium or medium-light trolling rod with a relatively slow action. Softer tips absorb head shakes and prevent light-wire hooks from tearing out.
**Reel:** A level-wind baitcasting reel (Penn Squall, Daiwa Sealine) with a line counter is invaluable — you need to know how much line is out to replicate the depth at which you catch fish. A spinning reel works for lighter trolling but makes line management harder.
**Line:** 10–15 lb monofilament for most freshwater trolling. Mono has natural stretch that acts as a shock absorber. Braid is used in specific trolling applications (lead core, deeper water) but isn't necessary for basic freshwater trolling.
**Leader:** 3–6 feet of fluorocarbon 2 lb lighter than your main line. Connects to the lure.
**Simple rig:** Main line → small barrel swivel → 4-foot fluorocarbon leader → lure. The swivel prevents line twist that builds up rapidly when trolling.
Lure Selection and Depth
**Crankbaits** are the most common trolling lure. Their diving depth depends on bill length and shape — the manufacturer will specify a trolling depth range. Use this as a starting point and verify with a depth calculator or by watching your sonar.
**Speed guides depth:** Faster trolling makes crankbaits dive shallower; slower speeds let them dive deeper. Most freshwater trolling happens at 1.5–3 mph. Start at 2 mph and adjust.
**Spoons** are excellent for trout and salmon. Light trolling spoons (Williams, Sutton, Thomas) at slow speeds (1–1.5 mph) are a traditional Northeast trout trolling setup. Add a small attractor flasher ahead of the spoon for extra action in stained water.
**Line length controls depth.** In the absence of downriggers, letting out more line puts your lure deeper because the line angle becomes more gradual. A general rule for crankbaits: 100 feet of line adds approximately 50% more depth than 50 feet, depending on lure.
**Lead core line** (color-coded in 10-yard segments) sinks at a predictable rate — each 10-yard color drops the lure approximately 5 feet deeper at trolling speed. Simple, inexpensive way to get lures to 30–60 feet without a downrigger.
Boat Speed and Patterns
**Use a GPS unit or app** to track actual speed-over-ground, not just throttle position. Wind and current affect your effective speed. Consistent speed = consistent depth = repeatable results.
**Make S-curves rather than straight passes.** As the boat curves, the inside rod's lure slows and drops; the outside rod's lure speeds up and rises. This erratic action triggers strikes. Many trolling strikes happen at the apex of a turn.
**Mark where strikes happen.** When you catch a fish, mark the GPS position, your speed, the lure, the line length, and the time of day. Trolling produces data you can learn from. A spot that produced fish in May at 2.2 mph on a blue/silver spoon in 18 feet of water will likely produce again under similar conditions.
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