Trolling for YT, what speed?

**Wilson** · Oct-14-2003, 01:57 PM

Question for you guys that are having success on the local YT bite.
What speed do you troll plastics, Rapalas, Yozuris, etc.
We got a couple YT throwing plastics but only managed to get bit by the Bonito on the troll (6-7 mph).

**Mstonefish** · Oct-14-2003, 03:57 PM

When I drag Rapalas and mirrolures for YT, I troll between 4.5-5.5 mph, some go even slower. I also get them well behind the boat 100-150', this helps them reach their maximum depths, ( flatline clips help too) any faster and the lures won't dive as deep. One of the most effective methods is to slow troll sardines, just put the boat in gear and keep it as slow as possible.

**Jason** · Oct-14-2003, 04:27 PM

Yep Mark has it right.

Another tip:
Last Saturday in Oceanside we did way better than the guys trolling around. We were chasing the birds around outside of the fleet to find the school of fish. Throwing chum and going on drift for 30-45min soaking bait. We ended up with limits for 3 (15 fish). At the ramp I talked to 4 guys that had been trolling rapalas/yozuri's. Average count for them was 3 per boat!

IMO trolling is to locate fish when there is no signs of being "fishy" (birds, boils, smell, bait popping, etc)

If you do troll please stay far from all the other boats that are on a drift or the hook. Many times last weekend we were on the drift only to have boat after boat come by running through our chumline and waking us out. Chesepeake Chuck had his lines cut by someone trolling by... It's a zoo off Oside! Hope you kill um. Let us know how ya did.

**Kurt** · Oct-15-2003, 08:18 AM

in 98 and 99 the yellows wanted Rapalas as fast as you could troll em. Strange.

**Rhatical** · Oct-22-2003, 07:05 PM

I've had the best luck trolling for YT on Yo-zuris between 6-7 mph. I also remove the front treble and replace the rear treble with a double hook. They run very well that way, are easier to handle when boating a fish, and don't get fouled in the line at all.

**Jason** · Oct-22-2003, 09:12 PM

Bob has a point. Them trebles are nasty! I've had um in my hands a few times while dealing with fish.

**Surfdoc** · Oct-22-2003, 09:46 PM

Good idea Bob, I remove the front hook, but never thought about switching out the rear treble for a double.. Thanks.

**Donkey Punch** · Oct-23-2003, 02:43 PM

"IMO trolling is to locate fish when there is no signs of being "fishy" (birds, boils, smell, bait popping, etc)"
-That advice is golden.

I personally only troll Rapalas for inshore yellows as a last resort. It is just too limiting when there are a lot of fish in the area. It sucks to see a spot of fish come up a hundred yards away and have to stop and pull in the lures before running over there. By then usually the fish go down, somebody runs over them or a seal finds them. Too frustrating for me. When I know yellows are in the area, I'll actually sit and wait, without any lines in the water and look for sign. As soon as I see any of the signs misuse mentioned, I will chase the fish. Basically, if birds are crashing and you see fish boiling, the run-and-gun method is best. Light iron is best for this, but sardines cast right into the fray also are good. If birds are low and circling a general area, you can be assured the fish are working to corral the bait. Slow-trolling live sardines or swimbaits is my go-to tactic for this situation. When I get stopped, I'll pull a drift through the area until we don't get any more bites or I see the fish come up good elsewhere. If all the birds have left the area and there is no other sign of fish or bait, that's when I will investigate the area to see if I can find the birds again. If I can't, I might pull a few Rapalas around at 4 to 5 knots to see if anything's still around. If that doesn't work, I'll leave the area completely and look for something better.

There might be a better way of doing this, but it works for me.....

Chris