Trolling Tactics
by Ken Sturdivant
Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
Learning to fish can be tough for beginners but
there is a way to take a lot of fish and many species all year. The trolling
technique is without a doubt the most deadly way to not only find and
catch fish, but cover tons of water on any lake. Many years ago, I caught
my
first bass trolling the baby bass S and S Mirror Lure. That was in 1951
and we were trolling on Clarks Hill on the Georgia South Carolina border.
It was May and the fishing was great. We almost had the entire lake
to ourselves. My dad loved to fish and we would spend every weekend on
some
body of water. Lake Lanier was 6 years away from opening. That summer
we trolled all day with a 30 horse Johnson on a 21 foot Halsey cabin
cruiser.
We would fish all day pulling Hellbenders and Mirror Lures. Dad even
used the Hellbenders to pull all white Shysters down to the fish with
an 18
inch leader tied to the back of the big bait. We caught everything
in the lake. At night we would tie up to old man Heaths dock and crappie
fish.
I catching fish all day and all night.
When Lake Lanier was opened,
we
came to the lake in 1956 and used the same trolling methods. It was
unbelievable how many fish we caught all year, including during the
dead of winter.
Imagine going to Lake Lanier in December for years and not seeing
another boat. When the trout were in huge numbers in Lake Lanier in the
mid
sixties to the lake eighties, we trolled and caught giants. Three to
six pound
rainbows were common. After Lake Lanier became too crowded, we bought
a cabin on a new lake in north Georgia called Lake Hartwell. Same
tactics, same results and no people.
Trolling spoons, crank baits, stick
baits
and
buck tails is easy. With a gas engine, just crank it and put it
in gear. Rig up any three baits on either spinning or bait casting equipment.
Pull any three baits from 50 to 70 feet behind the boat. Now cover
all
the water
possible. When one bait out produces the others, make the change.
Trolling requires almost no skill and minimal tackle. But there is
one
tool
that is a must, a lure saver. My personal favorite lures saver
is the David
Fritts Lure Gripper. Now pull out an old marker buoy. Take the
lead off the buoy and add the lures saver. When you get hung up, pull
out
the
lure saver and get right over the lure to retrieve it. You will
still see me
on Lake Lanier using the same trolling techniques that my dad
Walter Sturdivant, taught me years ago. And they still catch fish.
