Question for you 'trollers' out there...

Admittedly -I've only been in a yak for a couple years now and never having done any trolling, I'm trying to get some insight.

I guess this would be more for the non-motorized among us..

First off - what species are you typically targeting? (I'm sure that a lot are doing spider rigging)
Second - anybody trolling with their rods in the holders behind the seat? (That's where mine are) or does it work better having the rods in front of you? (seems like it be easier to see, but potentially might interfere with the paddling)

On both mine - I have holders (factory) behind me - so I'm wondering how difficult that might make it and I only have one (currently) in front of me and wondering if trolling with one rod is even worth the effort? I think I've seen a couple youTube where the guys are doing just that. Seems to be easy enough to get to your rods in time...

Thinking small cranks, spinners or even twisters/grubs would work for bass, crappie and maybe trout... Maybe white bass too

Just trying to think of options when I don't want to just cruise down the banks casting (which is what I typically do)

thanks!

Trolling will produce everything fishy and species specific trolling is almost impossible imho, but got to remember large fish eat little baits too. Troll with anticipation and
react accordingly. Surprises are always fun if your fishing for fun and food. Competition fishing is another game entirely. I troll with two rod holders just ahead of my paddle stroke limit. I'd rather lunge forward than backward for an active rod when trolling.

I spider rig for crappie with 4 rod holders in front of me..now I use 10' poles to get the bait out front and some to the sides of the kayak. Now I catch crappie, stripe, bass, bream and gar...so far no catfish. I use mostly Bobby Garland jigs. It is a lot of fun catching a 3' gar with 4 poles out.

I have trolled with the rods behind me but it was hard to see when you get a strike. I have three holders up front now. One mounted off each side of the yak just ahead of my paddle stroke for trolling and another right in front of me that can be adjusted any direction for dropping bait over the front or just storing a rod out of the way until needed. I mainly troll for Stripers and Crappie. Catch Bass and Bream this way too. I've tried slow trolling for Speckled Trout but have not been lucky yet.

Rod holders in front, angled 45 degrees. Puts the rod base within easy reach, with the rest of the rod far enough forward that it doesn't interfere with the paddling. Also is very easy to see when you get a bite.

I've only done this pulling crankbaits a few times. It'll catch whatever is biting! If you're just out for fun even catching drum is fun.

The majority of my fishing is trolling for crappie. I have four RAM rod holders, two ahead of the cockpit and two behind (for storing inactive rods). I used stainless fender washers inside the kayak under the rod holder bracket to make it more rigid and prevent rod tips from bouncing around when trolling. I prefer graphite rods for the same reason.

I use Berkley Flicker Shad crankbaits most of the time as they track well right out of the package, are priced fair, and have a good variety of size & color options. Make sure you carry a plug knocker. It will save enough tackle and money to pay for itself quickly.

Post spawn, after the crappie start to migrate back to deeper water (May/June here in N.C.) is when I do the best, though pre-spawn can be productive if you can find where the fish are staging. I also catch white bass, largemouth, white perch, stripers, bream, yellow perch, and a few channel cats, so be ready for anything.

I like a 6 & 1/2 foot medium to medium light action rods with 6 - 10 pound line and every one has a small swivel ahead of a 2 -3 foot fluorocarbon leader and a crosslock snap at the end. I use a couple of Daiwa line counter bait casting reels and two Shimano 1000 size spinning reels. Make sure you drag is not too loose or too tight, either one can cause you to lose fish.

Before you go, measure out 100 feet of line off your reel and mark a 3 - 4 foot section of line at the 100 foot mark with a sharpie marker. That way, you will know exactly how much line you have out and how deep your crankbait is running. Flicker Shads have a depth chart printed on every package to let you know how deep the lure runs according to the length of line played out. Bring the sharpie along to re-color your mark, because the ink fades with use.

I hope this helps. You might not catch the numbers of crappie as others fishing jigs might, but you will catch some quality sized fish regularly.

Jim

An easy way to add rod holders can be done without actually adding any more rod holders or making other mods to your boat.
I use a Penn downrigger base that just slips into a standard rod holder. Then I added a Bee Ready rod holder setup onto that.
They come in various sizes for multiple rods. I can troll up to 8 rods out the back of my boat by using just 2 of the standard factory rod holders with 2 Penn setups. The Penn downrigger base comes in 2 sizes to fit several size rod holders so be aware when buying one.
It would also be an easy project to make one if necessary to fit any rod holder in order to support the Bee Ready.

Nice - thanks for the info - Definitely gonna give that a try..

My Heritage came with a Scotty mounted to one side of center I bought another for the other side. 2 rods in holders and a 3rd out front with butt in my lap.
My Journey came with an Atwood flush base between the legs. I replaced it with a Scotty base, added an extension and 3 rod holders.
I don't shop at walmart, but they had the best price so I ordered online for fast in and out at the store.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotty-25...MmDIyjyll3C7Ys
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scotty-Ba...MmDIyjyll3C7Ys
https://www.walmart.com/ip/36008210?...&wl13=&veh=sem
I see the prices have moved up some since I bought mine.

I have tried trolling, but I swear I have no clue how to tell how deep the bait is running and it seems like you have to have A LOT of line out just to get the bait a few feet deep. Of course, then I end up with one line hung up and then the show is over.