Inland trolling tactics

by Jarrod Day on 1 Sep 2013 There is always a sad side to trout fishing in Victoria and that is the closing of the season. Though anglers may not be allowed to access the majority of the rivers throughout the spawning period, many turn to the trolling the lakes.

Victoria is scatted with hundreds of lakes right throughout and while some are very productive winter fisheries, others are not. In saying that, through funding, the Department of Environment and Primary Industries undertake many trout stocking programs throughout the year. This allows anglers the opportunity to continually catch quality fish during this period. These stocking programs have been completed for a number of years and with the lakes full of food, it only takes a few years before the fish are of astronomical size.

There are many different fishing methods which can be utilised when fishing the lakes but none more effective than trolling lures. Some anglers can become board of trolling but when fishing deep lakes such as Bullen Merri, Purrumbete, Lake Dartmouth, Lake Eildon and Toolondo, trolling is necessary.

Trolling techniques:
There are many different methods used when trolling lures such as downrigging, using lead core, using trolling sinkers or flat-lining. Each method has its own benefits but in most trolling cases, flat-lining and downrigging are the most common.

Anglers getting into trolling for trout tend to use flat-lining as their main technique. The reason being, it is quite simple to do without having any expert knowledge of trout fishing. Often, a weekend away with the boys sparks the enthusiasm for trolling for trout and after a few caught fish, passion and the thirst for wanting to know more kicks in.

Flat-lining is very easy whereby a selection of lures are cast out behind the boat while the boat is in motion. The lures, depending on their design, will swim behind the boat and eventually be attacked. For those new to flat-lining, it begins with two lures being trolled. Two lures are easy to maintain and once you figure out the distance’s in which they should be set to avoid snagging on any timber and tangling themselves up when manoeuvring the boat you can experiment with adding more lures into the spread. Before you know it, you have a spread of 5 lures, ideal for most trout trolling situations.

Downrigging on the other hand is a little more complex and requires at least two anglers to do it correctly.
Firstly you’ll require a downrigger or two along with the necessary items associated with it, a downrigger weight and trolling clip.

Once the downrigger is fitted, the lures can be placed into the downrigger clips and lowered to the desired depth. Those with a good depth sounder will be able to see the downrigger bomb and communicate with the angler as to when to lift or lower the bomb and lure to avoid snagging or to place the lure right on a fishes nose.

This all takes time, practice and experience to be effective but once it is masted, it is a very effective fishing method.

Lure selection:
When it comes to choosing a lure selection, local knowledge and recent fishing reports can pay off. Fishing reports can provide you with a lot of information on an area, especially with lure selection. Often, anglers posting their catch on facebook or other social media will have the lure that they caught the fish on hanging out of the fish’s mouth, a great indication as to what colour or type of lure to begin with. Seasons change and so does the diet of trout but it always pays to have a wide selection of different lures when on the hunt.

Ideally in most of the Victorian lakes, Tassie devil lures are a proven lure that can be either used flat-lining or on a downrigger. Depending on the lake though, different colours will work more effectively than others but as a guide, try to use a colour that closely resembles the natural food source. My Tassie Devil chosen colours consist mainly of trout patterns but also yellow wing, whites, pinks, holographic’s and frog patterns.

Diving lures such as Yo-Zuri Diet minnows, Duel Hardcore minnows, Rapala Originals and Daiwa double clutches are all worthy. In a perfect world, brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and spotted dog patterns are a go to colours. Just keep in mind that each lure model will dive to different depths when trolled.
Another vital piece of information when tying the lure to the mainline is to place a swivel on the mainline around a meter in front of the lure. If this isn’t done, you can expect you’re mainline to become twisted and brittle throughout the day. This can weaken the line and you’ll most likely bust a fish off when you hook-up.

Trolling tactics:
Once you are all set up and ready to go, virgin water can be daunting. Due to the inland waterways not being mapped on any nautical chart, you are relying on your depth sounder to work the area. If the bottom becomes shallow quickly when your downrigging, you will hit the bottom with the bomb and lure on occasion. When this occurs, you have to quickly lift the bomb and lure so not to snag up on the bottom or risk losing the lure. This is where the driver of the boat and the angler need to constantly communicate.
If you are downrigging in a lake with timber, work the timber line. This is where you’ll encounter most fish and if you’re able to work up and into the arms of the lake, fish will be pushing up the arms throughout the winter period. If you’re in a lake with no timber but a weedy/rocky bottom, work as close to the shoreline as you can get. Victoria’s western lakes are quite baron but deep very close to the shoreline. Big trout will often round up bait and push them into the shallows where they will gorge themselves in a feeding frenzy. Anglers working in close with a selection of flat-lined lures and downrigged lures will often do very well.

Throughout the day, trolling tactics will also change. Anglers that know their depth sounders will notice fish at varying depths and during the course of the day may notice the fish moving higher or lower in the water column. This change should see the lures altered accordingly to where the fish are to continue success. When fish are located don’t troll over them and head off to another location. Continually work the area and attempt to get the lure to pass right in front of their nose. They may not be in feeding mode but trout are territorial and will often strike at something that they feel is threatening or harassing them, especially during winter.

There are many other techniques and tactics associated with trolling but at the end of the day, time and practice is what will lead you to success. The more time you can spend working an area and changing your lure spread until you find what they want is what will bring you to catching that trophy trout.