Talquin long line trolling questions

I used to fish lake Miccosukee, mainly jigging the lily pads for crappie, and did very well. The lake was drained last year and it seems to need two years to recover the fishery. I started fishing in Talquin since not long ago, using long line trolling. In the past few trips, I was very frustrated because I could see people around catching fish consistently and I just got no or very few bites.

I have 6 rods on boat. 2 of them have 20lb powerpro braided line with 15lb mono leader and have two 1/16oz lite wire jigs + 2' curly tails. The rest of them have 4lb mono line with two 1/16oz jigs. I cast them out about 15 yards.

I don't think the color was a problem, as I tried various colors including the said magic bubble gum. So it comes to depth and speed. If I fish 15 - 25 fow, at this time of the year, what depth should I target? and what speed should I be trolling?

What else was I doing wrong?

Any suggestions, comments will be GREATLY appreciated!

My Set-up for Talquin: I use 6 pound test line on all rods. I fish 8 Rods in the front of the boat. Four normally have 3/32 or 1/8 jig and either #4 or #5 piece of lead.....if I'm in the channel. Two of the other four have doubles (1/16 Normally) and I throw way back. The other two have single jigs (if I use 1/16, I have weight #7 or #5).....I often use just a 1/8 head and either configuration works. Don't throw these out as far as the long rods with doubles. Normally, when you see fish........you can catch them. That's me for the channel.........

I target the fish from 10-14 feet down running .8 to 1 MPH depending on how deep I see the fish......If they are deeper, I slow down.

The depth of the fish will vary. This weekend they were mostly in 20+ foot of water and the bigger ones were deeper down. Their are several variables to longlining and any of them will change your jig depth and presentation. Speed is important as it controls tail action and depth. I usually troll a minimum of .7 and a maximum of 1.4 mph. I have longlined at higher speeds with great success, but it is not common. In the depth water you are talking I would not probably get over 1 MPH. Now to figure speed, you got factor line length and rate of fall. The 4lb mono is gonna sink fairly fast. Thus, getting down deeper than say a 10lb mono. I would recommend using the same line on all your reels to be consistent. I mostly use 6 lb mono. The length of line you let out is gonna dictate also how deep your jigs are running. The longer the deeper they run up to a point and then they will start rising with lighter weights/faster speeds. Length is dependent on your total weight and speed. I like to stay around a good cast behind the boat and with my varying rod lengths I hit a couple different depths(due to longer rods throwout further than shorter ones) this also keeps my lines in close enough to not have problems bringing in fish and not drag them on top. I also like having them out a little ways so I do not initially put too much pressure on the fish's soft mouth. One important factor is to keep rod tips close to the water to get maximum depth and to keep as much line as possible underwater to ease the playing fish in. Next is your weight most of the time on Talquin I double rig and usually double 1/16. I usually change the other variables to control depth. At times in less than 10 foot of water I will single rig, but usually go with lighter jigs. In deeper water I always run doubles and up the size of the front jig to compensate the depth needed. In the depth you are fishing I would double 1/16s or use a 1/8 followed by a lighter jig. The double 1/16 work great when fish are suspended down as far as about 12 deep, this would be at .7 mph. The baits I use do not have good tail action for my liking at speeds slower than this. If the fish were deeper then you go to the 1/8 combination. Usually the fish will be shallower in the morning and right before sun down and deeper in the middle of the day. Use your electronics to find the key depth of the fish, look for feeding fish. Usually in the 8-12 foot range over this deeper water will be fish stacked like Christmas trees on the screen when feeding. This is when the best bite is and the doubles run between .8-1mph will be the way to go. Some fishermen are also very effective with adding weight with a single jig setup, I had one of my old wise tourney buddies ask me one day "why put something for weight on your line without a hook" "It's a numbers game!" This made sense to me so I have always tried to use different weighted jigs instead of adding lead. Also never add a minnow or anything that will hinder the tail action of your bait, it is a reaction bite for the aggressive fish that are actively feeding. If you want to force feed minnows then try tighlining, pushing, or cork fishing.

theysaid

theysaid X2.... SPEED, SPEED, SPEED!!!!

Thank you all for your comments. will try next weekend, hope the fish are still there...

IMHO...you were not fishing deep enough. With the set-up you described and only throwing 15' back, you were maybe fishing 2'-3' deep...If the fish are suspended any deeper than 5' you would hardly ever get a bite. Do like these guys said and either put weight on and/or throw back further. Good luck!

Put a concrete block in the front & troll backwards, I seen a guy tearin em up like that once:Rofl:Rofl

When I fished Talquin, I went out there, let my line all the way down to the bottom, then reeled up approx 3 ft, set my rods, then proceeded to troll @ .8 mph.
I almost won the tournament ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phantom309

When I fished Talquin, I went out there, let my line all the way down to the bottom, then reeled up approx 3 ft, set my rods, then proceeded to troll @ .8 mph.
I almost won the tournament ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

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Dang it, I reckon I missed that tournament:Rofl