by Capt Craig
December means winter is here and cooling water temperatures mean it’s primetime for striper/hybrid fishing on local reservoirs. If you don’t care to deal with catching and keeping live bait this time of year, trolling artificial’s is an effective and proven alternative. It’s also a way to cover more water due to the higher speeds (1.5-2.5 mph) vs. dragging live baits (0.5-1.0 mph).
Here are some tips on the tackle I use, and how it’s deployed. Keep in mind you can adjust the number of rods, and the types of lures and rigs in your spread based on varying factors – the number of anglers on the boat, the time of year, time of day, light and wind conditions, water depth, daily observations of how the bait and fish are behaving, etc .
There are in-numerous variations on my set up so think of my spread as a starting point for your own efforts.
Stern Position(s) – When I’m in deep water (>50 ft) I run 1 or 2 full sized umbrella rigs as “dredge(s)” in my splash-well rocket launchers or stern rodholders. These positions allow me to see rigs on my sonar where I can closely monitor their depth. I use 7.5 ft. med-light Ugly Stik striper rods and Penn 975 reels spooled with 30 lb. Berkley Big Game mono. These are the heaviest rigs I pull, so they’re useful for getting lures down deep. I use 9-drop umbrella rigs with coated stainless steel or 50# fluorocarbon leaders. Red on white 3/8 oz. bucktails are a staple when though I like chartreuse and shad or herring colors too. I often use 1 jig of a different color on the center/longest leader. A curly tail or worm-like trailer can be added to create a larger profile and more swimming action.
From the next positions forward, I deploy Alabama rigs of different sizes and weights. I like Shane’s Baits multi-lure rigs because they are light, durable, and resemble a closely packed pod of bait. They also can be repaired when needed. I fish 7.5 ft. Penn Battalion rods with Penn Conquer spinning reels spooled with 30 lb. Trilene Tracer Pro Grade braided line. I run one 9 drop rig (Shane’s Blades of Glory or Dominator) with 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jigs and 3-4” swim baits off each side of the boat. When I want plenty of swimming action, I use paddle tail or curly tail bodies. Split tail bodies produce less action, and are often better when water temperatures fall to and below 50F. Again, white, chartreuse, and shad or herring colors are good. I fish these lines 80-100 ft. behind the boat, and they track 10-25 ft. deep depending on boat speed. I tie on a 30# fluorocarbon leader if I think the braid is too visible, but I’m not convinced it’s necessary when dragging “antennas” through the water.
Moving forward on the boat, I fish a number of different lures and rigs, and they are the lightest baits in the spread. I try to get them 20-40 ft. deep by using 1-3 oz. trolling weights or egg sinkers. Be careful to not put out too much line in these positions or they’ll tangle with the dredges when making turns. I generally run 5 drop A-rigs (Shane’s Mini-Blades of Glory) or tandem bucktail rigs on these positions. Johnson or gator spoons can be effective too. These lighter lures I fish on 7 ft. Fenwick HMG medium action rods with Penn Fierce spinning reels spooled with 20# Berkley Pro Spec Braid in dark green.
Note that I haven’t mentioned side planer boards, down planers, downriggers, or lead-core line. Many local anglers employ this equipment but my goal is to use the simplest, lightest tackle set-up I can to catch the biggest fish possible. I want my anglers to enjoy the sport of catching quality fish, but still be able to release the majority of our catches alive and healthy.
As a final tip, I almost never troll in a straight line for more than a minute or two. Zigging and zagging covers more water plus it causes the baits to speed up and rise on the outside of the turn, and to slow down and fall on the inside. Experience has proven that these variances draw more strikes.
Use my approach for any benefit it provides. Everybody has to develop their own methods, but mine have produced plenty of Fish On! for my customers, family, and friends.