For a typical spread, set the flat lines at 25 and 35 feet. Run a center flat line 50 to 60 feet off the transom. This forms a triangle of bait close to the boat. Set the short rigger lines at 75 and 100 feet respectfully with long riggers 150 and 200 feet.
How much line do you let out trolling?
spread all your lines throughout the water column, c) set the bulk of your lines to run at 20 feet, know for a fact that’s where they’ll actually be, and make sure a few lines are running shallower and deeper than that depth to cover all the bases until you get a bite or three and can adjust accordingly.
What is the best trolling speed for tuna?
between 4.5 knots and 7.5 knots
Speed: Most tuna fishermen troll between 4.5 knots and 7.5 knots. The slower speeds are usually used when you are trying to let heavy lures run deeper in the water column or when targeting tuna in cold water.
How far behind a boat should you troll?
At least 50 yds out to 100 yds. for the main lines and a couple of shorter sets closer to the boat.
How far should lures be behind boat?
20 feet to 150 feet
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.
What line do you use to troll tuna?
For trolling, fluoro in the 100- to 150-pound range is typical, chunking for tuna will usually require anywhere from 30- to 80-pound fluoro, and light tackle mahi fishing uses 15- to 40-pound fluoro.
Is it better to troll with the current or against it?
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 should you go when trolling?
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.
Do you use weight when trolling?
If you want to get the most out of this technique, remember that snap weight trolling is highly speed dependant. The slower you go, the deeper the lure will run. This also applies to the amount of weight you use, heavier weights are also going to take your lure deeper.
What is the best line for trolling?
Monofilament
Monofilament is the best line choice for trolling in most situations, but there are times when low stretch lines have the edge. Because low stretch lines are super thin, they enable trolling lures like crankbaits to pick up significantly more depth compared to monofilament lines of the same break strength.
What is the best bait for tuna?
Live baiting is usually the most productive method for catching yellowfin tuna. Some of the most common live baits used when tuna fishing in the gulf are threadfin herring, menhaden/pogies, blue runners/hardtails, and mullet.
What is the best bait for bluefin tuna?
Fresh bait is where it’s at when it comes to bluefin fishing! Fresh bait will give you a definite advantage over artificial lures, but tuna more often than not prefer the real stuff. We recommend: squid, mackerel, herring, or skipjack.
How fast is high speed trolling?
Trolling Technique
A standard troll speed is usually around 8knts and high-speed trolling is up to 20knts. Usually I average around 15 knots, but will fish at speeds starting at around 11knots all the way up to 20knots depending on the spread and the conditions (the rougher it is, the slower you go).
Should you troll with or against the wind?
Trolling with the wind is the most important. You are able to maintain your speed better when motoring downwind than if you were bucking waves head on. Also, when heading into the wind, gusts of wind will grab the nose of your boat, whether it’s aluminum or fiberglass, and spin you off course.
Is braid or mono 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.
How do I slow my boat down for trolling?
Shut Down Your Boat’s Engine(s)
With triple outboards, for example, shutting down the center engine (or leaving it in neutral) will help you troll slower. If that’s not slow enough, use just the center outboard and turn off the two outside motors. With quad outboards, try running just two motors.
Does trolling speed affect lure depth?
The slower these devices are trolled, the deeper they run. In the same token, the faster these devices are trolled, the higher in the water column they run. So in the case of sinking devices, trolling speed is critically important to controlling the ultimate depth these devices achieve.
How do you know when a lure hits the bottom?
When it hits the bottom your line will go slack. Another way to test this is to let the lure drop right next to the boat and count how long it takes to hit the bottom. Then when you cast, let your lure fall for that many seconds and you should be at or near the bottom.
How long should a tuna leader be?
longer than 6 ft is usually good enough, but I like to have 12 – 20 ft leader line. First, line get damaged while fighting tuna or scratching against bottom of a boat and you cut the damaged line.
Can you use braid for trolling?
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!
What size lures for tuna?
3oz and 4oz versions are most popular for casting. The larger 5 and 6oz versions can be cast on heavy gear, jigged and trolled. Hogy Pro Tails are great for imitating herring, butterfish, mackerel and other medium size bait fish.