Guntersville

[SLABHOG]

Well i just wanted to give an update on our trip this past friday. We just couldnt put anything together, we fished out deeper and we fished shallower up in the day. Only caught a few bass, one did weigh probably between 4 to 5 pounds. I am set up to push floats and jigs which works out great when they are less than 10ft. or spawning. I am wanting to maybe do some longlining, question is with 2 1/32 oz. jigs on each line how much line do i need to run out. I am aware speed needs to be around .8 & 1 mph. the depth of the water will be between 12 to 17 ft. I do not have line counter reels because i havnt done much longlining. It just seems like the right technique to use to help cover more water and locate fish. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LarryDavid]

Same results for me Friday, except my bass wasn't as big. Can't help you with your idea, never really long-lined. I am going to go old school for awhile the next time out and dig a couple crappie rigs out of my tackle box and try two poles, one in each hand, off each side of the boat and drift through some alleged hot spots, lol, and see what 4 minnows at two different depths does. It will be pretty funny if it still works like it did in the 70s.

[Bob D]

2 1/32s or a combo of 1/24 and 1/32 works too. Use 6lb test line and you're in business.

[Hitek]

You will just have to experment with amount of line out and get a feel for it. Get out on a flat in the deep you want to pull the jigs and let out line until you are bumping bottom. Mark your line at the reel with a marker, bring it back in and cast and get a feel for how much line was out. Just takes time to get used to it. My dad hated it when we started but now it is his favorite method to fish.

[TN Fisher]

A small rubberband aroud the spool once the line is let out makes an easy way to mark your line. I seem to have more trouble seeing the mark on the line than I used to.

[PUBoiler]

My method is foolproof: on the upwind side of the boat, I make sure to cast straight into the strongest gust and let line play out until the wind blows it back across the boat and into the seats, console, rod holders, and other rods. At that point, the jig is only about 10ft from the side of the boat, but the amount of free line will be exactly correct once I get it all untangled and thrown over the side of the boat where the trolling speed will naturally pull the line taught. On the down wind side of the boat, I let out about 3' of line before I cast, then use it to get a "whip" action as I cast each jig as hard as one man can possibly cast without throwing myself overboard. Without fail, at approximately the correct distance, the line will snap from weakness due to friction heating of the line sizzling off the reel. At EXACTLY that point, you have precisely the correct amount of line out. FOOLPROOF! Try it.

All seriousness aside, my trip to the big G yesterday was a complete bust. Nothing like a heavy wind and whitecaps as a precursor to learning that one of your trolling motor batteries is dead, despite the fact it was showing "Green" on the onboard charger. It's not like you actually need more than 2.5 lbs of thrust, which is alllllllmost enough to at least steer the boat..........a little...........as it drifts downwind, producing enough wake to raise the ire of the people standing around the "No Wake Zone" signs. PUBoiler's Law: when you have 2 trolling motor batteries on the boat there's a 50-50 chance that one of them will go bad, BUT a 90% probability it will be the one that is hidden from sight and extremely hard to access. Nevertheless, in spite of having the deck stacked against me from the get-go, at least I didn't have to clean a single fish, or get my hands smelly by removing even a dink from any of the lines. No worries with burning out any of the pixels on my electronics either by having to display any wayward fish that somehow mistakenly ended up underneath my boat. It was a great day for sightseeing on beautiful Guntersville; I highly do NOT recommend it.

[usafret99]

Just throw it about 40 feet back. If fish are more than ten feet deep go a little slower or let more line out. Shallower do the opposite.

[SLABHOG]

Thanks for all the help. Gonna try again probably mon. or tues. next week. I got my 14 & 16 footers rigged and ready to push on the front and also rigged to do some longlining also. I just put in a order to monks crappie for some more southern pro hot grubs, jig heads, and some of that slab jam. Hopefully this warm weather will have them headed towards the shallows. Good fishing