Quote Originally Posted by ifish4redd View Post
what is side pulling?
As Crappiepappy said, it's sideways trolling. It seems to be the dominant style of crappie fishing on Pickwick Lake in the NE MS & TN portions of the lake. I don't get into AL much, so I can't speak for those sections.

Basically you mount your trolling motor on the side of the boat at the mid or "balance point" (the motor weight is a factor). Most people drift with the wind, using the trolling motor to steer, and maintain desired speed, while keeping the boat in a sideways orientation. This allows the front and back fishermen to have their lines over the same side of the boat and cover more area, as rods are deployed the full length of the boat.

Who developed the technique? I can't be sure, but the Gant brothers are the champions of it. I can remember long line trolling with my dad in '84 or '85, when he mentioned trying something "new," that's when we began side pulling. I'm pretty sure he got the idea from the Gants though. My dad and I spent a lot of time "sideways" together on that lake before he died. My brother-in-law and I are fishing partners now, but I don't hit the water without thinking of my dad and all of the fun we had out there.

It's a very relaxing style of fishing. Just drifting along watching the rod tips, and enjoying the lake. You can see a small flotilla of side pullers around Goat Island in the spring. You do get the occasional yahoo that wants to go 90 degrees to the wind and cut everyone else off, or the guy who gets to the end of the "run" and wants to power through the middle of everyone else to get back to his starting point. But for the most part, side pullers in this area work together, drifting with the wind, and displaying a lot of courtesy to everyone else when repositioning to start again.