Trolling For Trout with LongLiner™
By Steve Lumsden
Anglers often
find trout in deeper water, and the fish become very shy after the Spring feeding
frenzy. In some lakes the fish are incredibly shy all of the time, making it nearly
impossible to cast a fly or lure to fish without spooking them. In these situations,
you must cast a clear fly line and long leader up to 70 feet, and even then it may
not be enough. In many lakes I fish it is not enough.
Trolling with a very long line behind your boat is one of the most effective ways to catch ultra-shy trout. Trout, and most often the large trout, can be tough to catch. We always say that they get big because they aren’t stupid; but the truth is closer to the fact that they are shy and extremely sensitive to anything unusual. One tool in your tackle box that can help you catch these shy fish is the LongLiner. You can troll a plug, spoon, or fly as far behind your weight as you need to overcome the fishes' shyness. I often troll 60 to 150 feet behind my weight -- and on rare occasions even further. This is so far away from my boat that the fish don't even associate the lure with the boat's passage. An added advantage is that all that free line between the weight and the lure allows the lure to work a far wider and more random path than does a short tethered lure. Trout are shy predators, and my bait working far from the boat, alone, vulnerable, and far away from any boat or disturbance, is exactly what is needed.
My typical rigging in this situation is a LongLiner and a spinning rod or a fly rod with a fly reel loaded with 6 or 8 pound fluorocarbon line. I also use 6 or 8 pound monofilament and a 4 or 6 pound test fluorocarbon leader attached to a tiny black barrel swivel two or three feet above my lure on my spinning outfit. With LongLiner free sliding on my line I can use any amount (and kind) of weight I need to reach the depth I want to fish. My weights often include split shot, or hollow pencil leads. Small ball or bank type weights can be hung on a drop line of one to three feet below my LongLiner's weight hanger.
To get the rig out, while underway, feed the line in through your LongLiner until your lure or fly is as far away from the boat as you want it; then, snap the LongLiner closed on your line and lower it to the depth you want. When a fish strikes, LongLiner will release and slide free all the way down to your in-line barrel swivel. Thereafter, while fighting your fish, LongLiner will work like a slip weight, allowing the fish to run without dragging the LongLiner. When your trophy makes a big run, your LongLiner more or less stays put, and the line runs freely through it. Once the fish tires, your LongLiner will be right at the barrel swivel a few feet above the fish, and allowing you to land my trophy with ease. A seven-foot ultra-light rod trolling a bait or lure 150 feet behind the weight and still being able to land a fish with ease is what LongLiner is all about.
I have quietly rowed or used an electric motor, dragging a fly with fly line and a 20 foot leader and have been skunked -- until I took off my fly line and used straight fluorocarbon or nylon line on my fly reel, and used LongLiner to get down. There is nothing like hooking large trout on the surface, whether casting to them or slowly trolling, it simply is the best. When trout are aggressively taking your fly or lure close to the boat; when the bite is right under the boat; or when it doesn’t matter if you use a 2-pound test leader or a 10; then I doubt LongLiner will help you. Frequently, however, these ideal conditions don't exist.
So when you need to get down, use LongLiner.
Here are a few of my favorite rigs:
Whatever types of trout you are targeting, LongLiner will be a great addition to your tackle arsenal.
Keep your hooks sharp.
Steve