trolling the bays?

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LUISJG
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trolling the bays?

Post by LUISJG »

anyone every try to kayak troll the bays? corpus bay etc..
if so what lures ?
thanks
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Cuervo Jones
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

I troll all the time. Between spots and if I'm looking for fish. In bays I use plastics on jigheads, shallow cranks, and lately, corkies. Search the threads for posts by a guru named Saltykat. He was a big proponent of trolling and smoked lots of good fish.


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The Angler
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by The Angler »

I'll troll a lure every now and then; I'll usually just troll while in between spots. I've caught everything that way, but I think it's best for flounder, caught a 24.5" flattie trolling a gold spoon. Gulp works well, you could probably tear 'em up with live bait that way too. I've got a prop bait to troll deeper water on flat days, but haven't got around to trying it yet.
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karstopo
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by karstopo »

I will second the look up saltykat recommendation. I fished with him a few times in a couple of spots that were pretty deep, ~ 6 or more feet. He'd slowly troll over the structure and maybe twitch the tsunami or corky once in a while with great results. He had a Hobie PA which was ideal for trolling.

I paddled down Cedar Lake Creek in the San Bernard NWR from the ramp on the creek to the ICW. That's by my standards a long paddle and for most of the trek I trolled a paddle tail. I caught 15 or so trout on the paddle downstream. It got to be a nuisance because my buddy was getting too far ahead with all the fish I had to stop and reel in.

I haven't really trolled with my fly tackle, but sometimes I'll have out a combined 30 feet or so of line, leader and fly in the water while I move a little to reposition my kayak and have picked up fish that way.

When I trolled with lures or paddle tails, I had a Scotty rod holder mounted on the port side rail a little forward of the seat where it wouldn't get in the way of my paddle stroke but I could still reach the rod. I had the rod tip angled up and towards the stern. That was more relaxing than trolling with a rod holder behind, aft of the seat. Trolling is great for when you want to paddle in a relaxed way and enjoy the scenery and still be fishing. It's good for when you get tired of casting.
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Drifting Yak
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by Drifting Yak »

Keep in mind that there may be more than one fish in the area that you just hooked up on. So it never hurts to stop and fish a spot once you've found a fish.
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Yaklash
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by Yaklash »

I'm a wader from way back, so the kayak has been more of a transport to wading than a fishing vessel. I have trolled baits behind a kayak (it is an ideal speed match for spoons if you don't paddle too fast) though not in a while. Spoons, paddle tails, or maybe a floater/diver. But speed is critical depending on the bait. With a Cordell Red-Fin broken back, go slow and have it at least 20 yards behind you. With a spoon, go faster, with a paddle tail, haul ass.

But for me, it's only enroute to my next wading spot and if I catch a trout or red, it's anchor down, get out and try to catch its friends.
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by habanerojooz »

I often trolled when moving to my next spot. I found this more productive in the warmer months. I've caught mostly trout but I once had a 24" Spanish Mac crush a trolled mirrordine near SLP.


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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by MobyYack »

id try a walmart 1/4 - 3/4 oz weedless good spoon tipped with shrimp or, cut bait or gulp
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Re: trolling the bays?

Post by Crusader »

Rapala Minnow #7 was doing wonders for me in 3-5 fow in Trinity bay (depends how you tie it it can dive deeper or stay on top). Seems like the best bite was when lure was digging the bottom a bit.
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