I've only been a member here on this forum for a short time but keep hearing how amazing the fishing is in the BWCA, how easy the fishing is, etc. And yes, I've not been up yet to sample any of it.

However, I would like to know if anyone has any tried and true trolling techniques that have been successful up there? I've read how many simply throw a crankbait out the back and pick up the fish of a lifetime between spots but do any of you do anything differently? Dodgers, flashers, dispy divers, rubber snubbers, cow bells, etc. Any luck with "S" patterns letting the lures fall on the inside and outside curves of the "S", etc. or do you just troll in a straight line directly over structure?

Just a saltwater angler wanting to know if I can adapt my beloved trolling techniques to the BWCA with any success. Or maybe I needn't bother at all because the fishing really is that good? :)

Fishing is that good! Trolling without a motor and having to paddle makes it kind of a task just to keep the bait moving. Going over the same depth or structure even more so. Now if you have a dedicated paddler to work with that helps but, usually you don't have to work that hard if they are biting at all..

I'm not a canoe troller, but I'm sure others will chime in to help. I just wanted to advise you that fishing can be slow in the BW if you hit the weather wrong. Hopefully your stay will be of long duration so you have a chance of a few good days should a stretch of bad weather set in.

I am a firm believer that bringing new techniques to the Bwca could be a good thing! Put some thought in it before you pack it in, though. For example, I would not throw a dipsey out because of how hard they pull-not only would it be tough to paddle against it, but it could cause you to capsize in a gust! Cowbells could work well but that lead needed to sink them is heavy! I am not trying to talk you out of trying something new, just recommending you consider weight, bulk, and using it from a canoe.

Dipseys would be hard to paddle with, that's for sure, as would cowbells. Whether or not the extra gear would pay off in extra fish is what you would have to weigh. For lake trout, some of the flashers and stuff seems like a good idea. Let us know.

We used dipsys on knife last 2 years in early June they were no problem to fish with, but the deep diving taildancer worked just as well

I've pretty much convinced myself into bringing a reel spooled with leadcore this year to troll with my baitcaster for open water trout. Otherwise for walleyes we are typically trying to follow a specific contour line.

I don't spend much time trolling but do it when moving from one fishing spot to another. I have caught a few nice northerns and walleye while doing it though. Usually I toss out a rapala, lazy ike or mepps spinner.

Trolling with a canoe and trolling with a motor are 2 different animals. the pull of a dipsey diver and cowbells is very wearing on the paddlers, alternatives being deep, and very deep divers. Suggest instead trolling cranks with KNOWN diving depths and following contour lines.

We have also had fair to fantastic success trolling right across deep basins of lakes(25-100ft.), pulling very deep(25ft.) divers. Seems there is a population of medium to large Pike that sorta just hang out in the middle of "nowhere", no discernable structure around. Knife, Tuscarora, I think they are looking for small Lakers or ciscoes.

As an alternative, as of late we have been experimenting with trolling 4-6in. Shad-type bodies like Sassy Shads and Big Hammer(my favorite) on heavy (1/2oz. to 1oz.) shad-type heads. seems to work really good when structure/contour has many twists and turns, because they(the lures) hang pretty close to vertical, not way back. Keep boat noise to a minimum, because you are right over the fish. These shad-heads have really big, strong hooks and hold fish really good. So far, not a numbers technique, but good for a big bite. Still refining.....

My advice is listen to bassnut...and that's GREAT advice!

I'm a big fan of snap weights. You can troll any lure at virtualy any depth.

Bassnut...great technical advice indeed. Down here in the Gulf I'll sometimes use 6-ounce jig heads on 12 inch curly tails and shad type bodies so I hear you about how they hang in the water. Our fish aren't bothered by noise so something I'll need to take into account then. Mann's stretch 25's are fantastic and on the really hot days the Mann`s Gigantus 50+ produces fantastic results (kings, wahoo) trolled rigged right to the lure, no downriggers or weights. Interesting to hear that big pike are down deep in basins like that. They are there for a reason, just like the schools of our pelagics that drift along down deep in the rotary currents out in the Gulf.

I think this will be a fun learning experience! Thanks to all for sharing the information !

Bassnut has given great advice. If you are willing to pack a little extra weight, I would put it into modifying a fish finder so that it can be semi-permanently mounted into your canoe. By that, I mean using silicone caulk to mount the tranducer under the bow seat and routing the wiring in such a way that it is out of the way. I drilled holes in the gunnels and used zipties to attach it. You will want to convert the power supply to run off of 8 AA lithium batteries. One set will last the whole trip, unless your trip will last longer than two weeks, in which case, you will want a backup set.

Doing this will allow you to follow contours, and mark fish. I seldom fish any deeper than a deep diver will run, 25'-35'. Lakers and big northerns will rise to the bait. I never run dipsys, planner boards etc. Why? No need to do so. I don't haul crap I don't plan to use.

I have always had my best luck just using a dare devil red eye. Its good for all species of fish and its very easy to troll with

I'm pretty pumped about this "big swimbait large shad-head" thing...better hooking ability and non-mechanical movement.
I like spoons, but despite swivels, I get a lot of line twist.
If you try the big jig-and-shad body thing, please share results.
Please remember catch0and-release of big Pike over 5lbs. For a real hog, photo-measure-and back to the water...we need those genetics!!!
(maybe a Mogambo grub and a 1oz. round jighead??!!!) USE YOUR IMAGINATION!!!!
Cranks are not the only trolling lure

Bassnut....cranks are not the only trolling lure indeed. We bluewater fisherman have known that for decades :)

One of our tried and true trolling rigs...

http://www.panthermartin.com/lures/TrollingRigs/UmbrellaRig9lures.aspx

I grew up on Cape Cod and we called those Chandellier Rigs. We use them to fish for Stripers during the tide change in Vineyard Sound. Very effective since you basically create your own school of wounded fish for them to go after. No matter which one they choose to eat... they're screwed. Unfortunately those are illegal in Minnesota.

illegal ??? Must be too darned effective on those Minnesota fish :)

Oh well

quote Boarstalker: "illegal ??? Must be too darned effective on those Minnesota fish :)


Oh well"

The Minnesota regs are strict. Each angler is limited to fishing only one line with a single bait. So no muti-rod use or multi-bait/lure rigs for the individual angler.

The regs are what the regs are. I'm sure they have their reasons. I'll use different saltwater rigs and techniquest to try and coax some fish up and see what happens. From what I'm hearing I'll need to hit the shallows early or late if I want some fresh fish cakes in between big water/deep water exploration :)

I will certainly study this when I have time, I have my way but always open to figuring out something new.

I've read about taking the back treble off of a taildancer and tying 6 feet or so of mono to another spinner/live bait rig or a minnow bait like a rapala. THe taildancer effectively becomes a dipsey. If you leave the front treble in, you are naughty.

The nice part about trolling in the BWCA is that you can always catch something. I'd say my percentage is about 80% northerns when I troll shallow. If you go deep it's weighted towards the walleyes but you catch fewer of them that way. If you are looking for walleyes, you might want to troll until you hook up and quickly throw out a marker buoy. Then you can land the fish and go back to the approximate area where you got bit and work it with a jig and leech to try to take a few more from the school before they turn off.