how slow do i go and sounder techniques

[jeffo]

hey guys as i said in my other thread im very new to all the freshwater stuff. when trolling lures is it a case of the slower the better>? do i want my lures just working (a slow side to side wobble), or do i want them swimming tight? i dont yet have the luxury of an electric so i am limited to how slow i can go with out the use of a bucket....how many people use a bucket to slow the troll and how effective is it>?

as for sounder techniques. i have a lowrance x87 and am only really used to using it offshore. what sort of sensitivity do most of you guys use? i have been getting clumps showing up on the sounder (outside i would be calling them for bait schools), and i asume that it is floating weed?

any tips on the above would be tops.
thanks in advance. jeff

[scott_b]

jeffo
I think you need to troll fast enough to get the lure down to a fishable depth ,(eg a 10' diving lure you want it between 10' and 7' at about 40 to 50 feet behind the boat.)
Thats what I reacon anyway.
Good luck wamjam

[jeffo]

well using 6lb braid the other day i had a 3m+ poltergiest bumping the bottom in 7m

[scott_b]

jeffo mate
wind her in a bit unless thats where the fish are. Where are you fishing and what boat and motor have you got.
wamjam

[goodoo]

prior to my current boat a 3.8quintrex explorer which i have now fitted out with decks hatches X71 sounder and54lb bow mount i had a quinnie 4.1 wide body dory with a johnson 35 two stroke it was also fitted out with decks and hatches but no electric this was too fast to troll with at idle even with the extra weight of all the ply and carpet so i put the motor in reverse and i could also see the logs before i ran into them and speed was slow enough to work my lures properly

[TimNQ]

Hmm... you used to troll backwards ???

[jeffo]

i am fishing borumba and in a quintrex 4.1 with a 20hp evinrude. trolling backwards sounds the go

[TimNQ]

Nah jeffo id stick with the bucket or even get a smaller second hand prop to use just in the dam. Just dont put too much throttle into it with a smaller prop, you may end up over reving and doing some damage.

[Smithy]

Bass don't mind a bit of speed - especially this time of year. With only a 20 on the back ditch the bucket. Just buy good lures and match them to depth that most fish are sitting on the sounder. Best places to look are flat areas adjacent to the old river bed. I haven't Bass fished Borumba yet but some of those submerged points at the bottom end looked good when it was low - very flat and with big stumps on them. If you were bumping bottom with the Halco in 7m and you want it to catch fish that are sitting at 4m wind it in. You just need the feel for matching the lure to the conditions. If they were at 3m some of you spinnerbaits might have been the right option for trolling.

[ipswichfisher]

working lures at speed for bass can often work better than working slow spinners & plastics.. maybe try shifting to nuetral to slow the lure to a stop and then moving off again, you will often get strikes as the lures start to move again. it may be a pain shifting to nuetral, but it wont look as funny as trollings backwards..

[jeffo]

fished borumba again this arvo but cant seem to find schools of fish showing on the sounder. trolling around the place and not really noticing any patterns to the hook ups. i spose it all takes time.

[scott_b]

jeffo
Should be able to troll with a 20hp on a 4.1 , you'll get some if you stick with it mate .
Good luck wamjam