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Barca
member (36)member
  
04/10/2020 06:34PM  
What methods to you guys use for trolling? I can't imagine not having a rod holder, but I'm curious what methods others have come up with especially with the prevalence of light weight materials like Kevlar and Carbon fiber.

Here's to hoping we have another great year in the wilderness!
 
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04/10/2020 07:33PM  
Not a fan of rod holders. Have used them, but I have missed a lot of big fish trying to get the rod out of the holder.

My go-to method is to lay the rod across the gunnels directly in front of me, maybe a foot or so. The reel end is always on my right side. I clamp a clothespin on the left gunnel that holds the rod end from moving until I get a bite. I have a view of my rod tip at all times, and I feel my reaction time to make a hook set is twice as fast compared to using a rod holder.

I have dropped my paddle into the lake many times using this method, but that’s where my spare paddle comes in handy!!
 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
04/10/2020 08:21PM  
I have never brought a rod holder either, but we troll a lot. Both of us, bow and stern, have the rod butt on the floor of the canoe behind one ankle with the rod itself in front of the other leg extending out the side of the boat. Obviously, we go out opposite sides.

Often times, I (in the stern) will have the bottom eye inside the gunwale to act as a stopper before I grab the rod on a hit.

I get it that some people would rather have a rod holder, but we’ve been doing it this way for years with no problems. When the fish hits, it’s hooked.
 
04/10/2020 09:46PM  
Jackfish: "I have never brought a rod holder either, but we troll a lot. Both of us, bow and stern, have the rod butt on the floor of the canoe behind one ankle with the rod itself in front of the other leg extending out the side of the boat. Obviously, we go out opposite sides.

Often times, I (in the stern) will have the bottom eye inside the gunwale to act as a stopper before I grab the rod on a hit.

I get it that some people would rather have a rod holder, but we’ve been doing it this way for years with no problems. When the fish hits, it’s hooked. "


Same
 
04/11/2020 06:11AM  
I like the clothespin idea, walllee.

Spare paddle? What's that?
 
04/11/2020 07:02AM  
 
04/11/2020 11:15AM  
snakecharmer: " "


Sometimes I use this method, sometimes I bring a rod holder if we will be trolling big tackle for trout.

Here is my “heavy” setup. Rod holder, cell phone holder for navionics, and depth finder.
 
thegildedgopher
distinguished member(1659)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/11/2020 11:25AM  
Every fish I’ve ever caught trolling hooked itself on the take, no hook set required at all. So I can’t understand the argument that rod holders slow you down and you’re too late to the hook-set, walleee. I’m not saying rod holders are necessary, even if I do prefer them— I just don’t agree with that particular criticism.

Personally, pulling #12 tail dancer around at a decent clip — or any aggressive crank bait with a large bill really — is not a pleasant experience without a holder. YMMV
 
04/11/2020 02:07PM  
thegildedgopher: "Every fish I’ve ever caught trolling hooked itself on the take, no hook set required at all.. YMMV"


Wow. I miss 'em lots!. The rod is wildly bending and I'm fumbling around and by the time is set the hook... nothing.

Maybe the coffee pot gets in the way.
 
04/11/2020 02:33PM  
Agree with thegiledgopher.

When I first started trolling back in the early 80’s, I used the leg hold method. It certainly worked catching fish. Very easy to pick up your rod when a fish would hit and set the hook.

However, after a few hours of trolling with the leg “wedge” method , I just get tired of holding the rod between my legs. Also, with the wedge method you can’t adjust the angle of your rod to the water or canoe.

I tried a Tite-Lok but settled in on a Folbe Jr. Pedestal Mount Rod Holder.
It holds the rod very securely, and I really like its adjustability and ease of removal from the holder.

The downside ... it weighs about 1.5 lbs. Many canoe fisherman will feel that this type of rod holder is just too heavy to troll with. Yes, it is a tad heavy but for me it’s so very worth portaging.

I have always been a walleye troller but the last couple of years I have begun to really enjoy trolling for lakers. When I go in late August or early September, I need to fish deep (30-35 ft). I troll with Deep Tail Dancers or Doctor Spoons with 2 to 3 oz. snap weights and a rod holder makes deep water trolling so much easier vs using the traditional leg wedge trolling method.

But hey ... the last time I was laker fishing in a tandem, my bow partner out fished me 2 to 1 using the leg wedge method for trolling.




 
Moonman
distinguished member(929)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/11/2020 03:36PM  
I use both methods above, rod holder and sometimes no rod holder, with rod butt behind one knee, shaft in front of the other. No question the knee method allows for absolute fastest hooksets, you feel any tiny bit of pressure from a hit instantly. However after 40 years of trolling it does get tiring, for me at least, and I use a rod holder probably 80-90% of the time. The only reason I don’t use it now are if we are doing a big trip with lots of portages and I am counting ounces. I have found that yes, you might miss an occasional fish trolling while using the holder, especially lakers, but that was more the case with mono 20-25 years ago...with powerpro I get solid hook sets, although you gotta make sure your drag is not too tight or again you will miss fish. Lots of choices on rod holders.

Moonman.
 
thegildedgopher
distinguished member(1659)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/11/2020 04:31PM  
Wally13 is spot on with the folbe suggestion. Anyone could grab a rod from that thing.

I am still scratching my head on the “hook set” thing. I’m dragging multiple treble hooks thru the water column at maybe 2mph. The fish either hits or misses. If they miss, no quick detecting hook set is changing that. If they hit, they instantly get a treble embedded in their mouth. At that point, with braided line and a properly set drag it’s pretty much game over.
 
HawgHunter
member (44)member
  
04/11/2020 04:43PM  
walllee: "Not a fan of rod holders. Have used them, but I have missed a lot of big fish trying to get the rod out of the holder.

My go-to method is to lay the rod across the gunnels directly in front of me, maybe a foot or so. The reel end is always on my right side. I clamp a clothespin on the left gunnel that holds the rod end from moving until I get a bite. I have a view of my rod tip at all times, and I feel my reaction time to make a hook set is twice as fast compared to using a rod holder.

I have dropped my paddle into the lake many times using this method, but that’s where my spare paddle comes in handy!! "


I use the clothespin method except that I use the larger spring-type clamps as they are stronger. You can get these clamps at Menards in various sizes. I use two clamps: If fishing on my left as I usually do, on the left gunwale the clamp is placed on the inside (towards me) and on the right the clamp is placed on the outside (away from me). Set the rod between the clamps. This "traps" the rod between the clamps so that when a fish hits (or I snag bottom) the rod doesn't slide down the gunwale and potentially take the plunge.
 
04/11/2020 06:40PM  
thegildedgopher: "Wally13 is spot on with the folbe suggestion. Anyone could grab a rod from that thing.

I am still scratching my head on the “hook set” thing. I’m dragging multiple treble hooks thru the water column at maybe 2mph. The fish either hits or misses. If they miss, no quick detecting hook set is changing that. If they hit, they instantly get a treble embedded in their mouth. At that point, with braided line and a properly set drag it’s pretty much game over."

Let me try to clarify what I was trying to express.

When using a rod holder, you have to lift the rod out of the holder. During that brief amount of time, there are instances when the line could have some slack, especially if the fish is moving toward you. We all know just how fast you can lose a fish with any amount of slack.

With big fish, lakers in the 15 to 20 pound class, or northerns, it takes some effort to wrestle the rod out of a holder. When it’s resting on the gunwale, I can have the rod in my hand in less then a second, apply pressure immediately and maintain pressure till the fight is over. I always use single barbless hooks no matter what lure I have on. That makes a difference also.
 
thegildedgopher
distinguished member(1659)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/12/2020 11:49AM  
That makes sense walllee. If you ever want to consider another rod holder I’d highly suggest Folbe. When you grab the rod and lift up it opens automatically like a clam shell kinda. By far the quickest and easiest to retrieve.

Ahh, to be trolling up some lakers from cold clear water right now. Soon enough everyone.
 
04/13/2020 02:13AM  
I've used both and prefer to have rod holders. With two 7' rods, you're going to have 17' of lure separation to cover more water. Keep your hooks sharp and hook up shouldn't be an issue.

I've had good success trolling with suspending deep diving crankbaits and "S" trolling. Your lure stays down in the strike zone on the turns and the pause and go can be a huge triggering device.


Pic of my favorite suspender (middle-lure).
 
04/13/2020 12:43PM  
I find when trolling, using a long limber rod helps keep tension on the line. Especially when using no stretch lines. Getting rods out of holders takes a little practice but the main thing is to keep tension on the line. When canoeing I always give a few hard paddles after a strike before grabbing the rod(extra important when paddling solo into the wind).
 
PikeEatPike
senior member (55)senior membersenior member
  
04/13/2020 03:07PM  

Rod holder man, I am always the trolling motor for the wife all week, we troll like 85-90% of the time. Light bite fish on a spinner and live bait you may loose a few more fish than the front seat partner, but never sure it's a "BIG" fish that is lost. I have had a 2 lbs. walleye on the Bolder River almost rip the pole out of my hand, and then reeled up a 8 lbs. northern/pike/jack/slimmer/snot rocket without any fight until he got to boat. Every fish is nice, not sure you tell that you miss the big ones using a rod holder.
 
casualbriday
distinguished member (106)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
04/14/2020 04:15PM  
I lost a good-sized (or very spirited) laker using the tuck method. My rod popped loose and ended up pointing back towards the stern of the canoe. Fortunately I didn't also lose my rod. I picked up a cheap clamp-on holder after that. What it lacks in aesthetic appeal and general ease of use it makes up in adjustability.
 
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