Yes, trolling offshore for species like tuna and mahi can be done with a spinning reel —if you know a few basic facts. Naturally, when offshore trolling you wouldn’t want to use a reel, even a high-quality reel, that’s sized for stripers—like a Shimano Stradic C3000.
What makes a reel a trolling reel?
trolling reels
are a heavier version of a baitcasting reel with greater line capacity and higher drag pressure Trolling reels use either a
star drag
or lever drag. A star drag can be set at a specific drag pressure for the duration of the fight.
What reel is best for trolling?
- Okuma Magda Pro Line Counter Levelwind Trolling Reel. Best Trolling Reel For Budget Option
- Penn Fathom Lever Drag
- Burning Shark Trolling Reel
- Okuma Cold Water Linecounter Trolling Reel
- Penn Squall LevelWind
- One Bass Fishing Reels
- Okuma Classic CLX Right-Handed Level Wind Star Drag Reels.
What is a LevelWind reel?
Level wind mechanisms ensure the line wraps on to the spool evenly without building up in one spot, which can stop the reel from spinning Without a level wind, the angler must guide the line back and forth with their thumb.
What speed should you troll?
The best trolling speed depends on several factors including the type of fish, water conditions and lure choice. In general, trolling speeds between 1.5 and 2.5 mph , as measured by GPS, are a good starting place for most species like walleye, trout and salmon.
Can you troll with a jigging reel?
There are plenty capable of that If you don’t mind star drags for trolling look for any lightweight small jigging reel. If you must have lever drag for trolling there are still quite a bit of smaller lever drag jigging reels. Jigging reels will generally be small lightweight compact reels with a lot of drag.
How far behind the boat should I troll?
Bait Position and Distance Behind Boat Proper distance for most boats will be anywhere from 20 feet to 150 feet behind your boat. Whether you have inboard diesel or outboard gas engines, your power dictates the distance you troll your baits and lures.
How much line should you let out when trolling?
Let out 50 feet of line and clip into the release. If that’s not enough distance to prevent your lake’s wary walleyes from seeing the ball.then let out 150 feet of line! Just remember, the
flat-line diving depth
of your crankbait still applies behind the ball!.
Can you troll with level wind?
Straightforward level wind reels designed to perform! Featuring heavy-duty drag systems, stainless steel ball bearings and line clicker. These reels are ideal for saltwater trolling.
Why do pros use Baitcasters?
A baitcaster reel is best for strategically dropping your line in a more crowded area, or in a hot spot like a riverbed Depending on the quality, it’s also powerful enough to be used as an offshore fishing reel.
What is a downrigger rod?
A downrigger allows you to fish a lure or bait at a specific depth accurately behind a trolling boat A downrigger contains a
rod holder
for storing your downrigger rod when it is actively fishing. The cannonball weight is deployed to the selected depth and allows the lure or bait to run at a specific depth.
Are Levelwind reels good?
Levelwinds are good when you dont want to concentrate on levelling the line The brakes allow you to cast without worrying too much about overruns, (bird nest). Generally speaking these reels lack the power to handle bigger fish, those that have the power are usually lousy in casting, very heavy.
Why do some reels not have level wind?
Some of our conventional surfcaster customers will not use level wind reels and they usually state two reasons. First, the level wind apparatus is susceptible to damage from sand Even if you never drop your reel onto the beach, wind-blown crystals can get into the workings of the line guide and damage the equipment.
Can you troll for walleye with a spinning rod?
On many fisheries, there are situations where running multiple lines (if legal) and combining all of these tools make you a much more deadly walleye angler but early in the season in shallow water, holding on to one spinning rod and concentrating on making just the right pass will often catch me more walleyes.
Is braided fishing line good for trolling?
What Braided Fishing Line Should I Use? Braid is great for trolling but since it has very little stretch we recommend using a wind-on-leader or
mono tophsot
. We recommend using 30-130Lb braid as backing for trolling reels. Make sure any reel you spool on your trolling reels is spooled on tight!.
How do I make my lures deeper when trolling?
If you need to go deeper, just let out some backing until your target depth is reached On the lure end of the line, remove a short section of lead as before and tie on a size 18, or smaller, barrel swivel. Now use a 10 to 15 foot mono or fluorocarbon leader to tie on the lure.
What is the difference between a casting rod and a trolling rod?
Action and weight are two differences. A casting rod comes in a much wider array of power, weight and action than a trolling rod will That is because you need to have different types of power, action, and weight to feel and handle fish of different sizes. A Trolling rod is specialized and has a limited application.
What fish can you catch trolling?
Common Catches To give you a glimpse of what you can expect, we’ll cover a few signature species for each type of water you can fish in. Freshwater trolling can land you a number of Salmon and Trout species, as well as Bass and Walleye In saltwater, the nearshore trolling staples are Kingfish, Wahoo, and Barracuda.
What is a trolling rod?
Trolling rods are designed for fishing with one or more lines baited with lures or baitfish Whether it be behind a moving boat or slowly winding the line when fishing from a static position, these rods will withstand the force of the water and help battle against larger fish.
Where are SEiGLER reels made?
SEiGLER Fishing Reels designs, machines, and assembles Conventional Fishing Reels and Fly Reels in Virginia Beach, VA Founded in 2009 in Virginia, the company is one of the only 100% manufactured in the United States.
Should you troll with or against the current?
7. When in an area with current, troll crosscurrent as opposed to with and/or against the current Going crosscurrent, you don’t have to worry about how the current is affecting your lure’s or bait’s speed through the water. Plus, fish generally swim into the current.
How fast do you troll with a Rapala?
“We troll at two miles-per-hour and all we catch is white bass and sheephead,” Holst explains. “We throw a little speed at these fish, and all we catch is walleyes.” Lots of walleyes.
Do you troll for marlin?
One of the best methods to locate marlin early in the season is by trolling a set of marlin lures Most boats troll at 6.5 to 8 knots and stagger trolling lures along the ‘clean’ lanes or alleys which form behind a boat at trolling speed. Placing your trolling lure in these lanes is critical.
What size trolling motor do I need?
Boat weight is the most important consideration to take into account when choosing a trolling motor. A beginning rule of thumb is that you want a minimum of 2 lbs of thrust for every 100lbs For example, if you have a 3000lb boat, fully loaded, then the calculation is (3000/100) * 2 = 60lbs of thrust.
How do you effectively troll?
A good troll will spend time carefully constructing the perfect prank. Make them think you’re legit. And then mess with their minds For example, spend time in that community making comments and posts which seem normal, before slowly going through a “crisis of faith” and eventually going full-blown crazy-pants.
Should you troll with or against the wind?
When trolling in large waves, obtaining the best boat control boils down to two things: Always troll with the wind , and, use accessories to take the surge out of the boat. Trolling with the wind is the most important.
Is mono or braid better for trolling?
Mono holds knots better and costs less than braid It also works better on smaller bait-casting reels because light braid can dig into itself. Florida sailfish and dolphin anglers still use a lot of mono on the troll, and some use it for kite lines because it runs through the clips better.
Does trolling speed affect lure depth?
Trolling slightly faster or slower , the wind pushing the boat sideways, waves rocking the boat (tugging back and forth on the lures), underwater currents, water temperature, line diameter, variations in the lures (even though they look identical) and other factors all combine in very complex ways to affect a lure’s.
What is a lever drag reel?
The lever drag reel is king if you’re chasing big game fish. The drag on these reels are set by a lever near the top, which allows you to set the drag quickly and give you a visual indicator of the current setting.
References
https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Conventional-Reel/s?k=SHIMANO+Conventional+Reel
https://www.ebay.com/b/Shimano-All-Saltwater-Fishing-Trolling-Reels/261030/bn_7425074
https://fishtalkmag.com/blog/offshore-trolling-spinning-reels-and-braided-line
https://castandspear.com/best-trolling-reels/