03/01/2000
- Article
Checking
Three Depths at Once
A
new trolling trick that lets you check three depth levels at once!
One
of the old jokes guides like to crack at their clients as they push
off from the dock in the morning concerns how easy it will be to
find fish. A lot of paying customers walk right into this one, in
fact, by asking where the fish are likely to be.
The
answer: they’ll be shallow, deep, or somewhere in between.
There
are a lot of other details that go into establishing a fish-catching
pattern, such as whether the fish are tight to bottom, roaming the
tops of the weeds, or tucked into the brush. Beyond that, the size
and type of bait, perhaps color and other variables can be
important.
But
nothing will ever be as critical as getting a lure into the right
depth.
In
this column, we mention often how important it is to systematically
check different depths, and different types of spots, until you find
biting fish. The traditional way of doing this assuming you don’t
have advance information or recent experience to suggest what depth
fish might be in is to begin shallow (based on the premise that
you’re more efficient in shallow water, if the fish are there) and
work deeper. So you go through this process, fishing shallow,
mid-depths, deeper, until you get bit.
Regular
readers of this column are also aware that we at Rapala are fans of
trolling (where it’s allowed). Trolling allows you to check a lot
of territory, and discover hotspots not on the contour map.
A
new trolling trick being used by the most creative pros on the
Rapala staff actually allows you to check a variety of depths at
once!
This
approach, while somewhat technical, is not difficult to do, and can
greatly shorten the time it takes to figure out where the fish are.
Here’s
how you do it:
·
First,
study the contour map of the lake you’re going to fish. Find the
areas that feature a fairly steep drop-off. Lakes come in all
shapes, sizes and layouts, so you may not even have such a thing on
some bodies of water. But generally speaking, there will be some
zones like this on most lakes.
·
What you
will do is follow the contour (a skill we’ve written about in the
past, which requires that you have a depth finder on your boat and
can control your boat well enough to keep it in a certain depth, or
fairly tight range of depths). You need to have three lines out so
if you can fish one line apiece, you need three people in the boat.
·
Before
you begin fishing, motor over the shallows, figuring out how deep
they are, and what kind of weeds or other cover are present (that
might snag on your lures). Then select a lure (such as a floating
Rapala, shallow Shad Rap, Husky Jerk, etc.) that runs slightly above
the shallowest snags.
·
Choose a
depth to follow along the drop-off (contour), and pick a lure that
runs slightly shallower than that depth. This lure might be a
deep-diving Shad Rap or Risto Rap, for example.
(A
great resource for crankbait trollers is the book, Precision
Trolling. It’s full of charts showing how deep many lures,
including Rapalas, run. Look for it in stores, or call
800-353-6958.)
·
Now,
you’ll begin checking three depths at once. You’ll need two
in-line planer boards. Begin motoring in the depth you had
previously selected. Run one board line off the shallow side of the
boat, trolling the lure you chose that runs just above most snags in
the shallows. Run one line directly behind the boat, using the lure
that runs just above the depth level you’re following. Run another
board line off the deep side of the boat. Depending on how sharp the
drop-off is, this line might be out over the deepest basin in the
lake, or perhaps just farther out on the drop-off. Behind this
board, you can use a shallow running Rapala (searching for suspended
fish), or a lure that runs near bottom. (In order to accurately run
this lure near bottom, you will have to estimate how far out to the
side this board will run, and make a check of the depth before you
begin fishing.)
·
You’re
doing it! As you follow the contour, have your partners either hold
rods or watch them. You’re looking for signs that you’ve picked
up weeds on one of the lures, or, better yet, that you’ve
discovered the depth that’s holding active fish. (Next article
will explain how to become good at reading planer boards, so you
know when you have a fish, or picked up a bit of weeds or moss on
the hooks.)
Once
you nail down the depth, you can concentrate more lines into that
depth, or even switch to another presentation, such as casting, that
floods that area with more than one lure.
Note:
These articles are provided by the Rapala Professional Advisory
Team. Join the Rapala Fishing Club, and help shape future lures! You get a prototype lure and become a Field Evaluator! You
also get 6 issues of “Profile,” the Club publication, and two
different decals. Cost is $12 in and $25 in all other countries.
Send membership dues to: Rapala Club, Dept. SC, POB 581126,
Minneapolis, MN 55458.
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