prop wash and trolling?

[davidroddy]

Been fishing offshore fore one season now and have a few questions. I've noticed that most of my fish are caught way out behind the boat. (50-75yrds) If I run 5 lines and 2 are way out there they will always get hit while the others go untouched all day. I've come to the conclusing that the dirty water has something to do with this. However, I recently read that the prop wash can fool a fish into thinking that it is accually a large school of bait fish. Is this true. Anybody else experienced this?

 

[DJ]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

davidroddy,<br /><br />I do not necessarily think that fish have much intellegence, however I do think that they know: Boat=Bad. It probably has more to do with the noises and so forth that boats generate. Those noises/vibrations interfere with their normal senses which tell them that what they are chasing is potentially prey.<br /><br />I've had the same experiences, the long lines and the deep lines (down rigger) do well while the shorts do not.

 

[steve forsythe]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

Around here you get your biggest fish (kings, dolphin) right in the wash. You wont get the most fish but the biggest. Use your biggest live bait and stay quit and still at the back of the boat, they can see you. Keep it about 15 feet back and if you sneek up and look or peer back standing up on the front of the boat you will probably see LARGE fish looking. Large fish are very hard to catch....be patient. Also when you are fighting a fish keep a bait right behind the boat and you will probably hook up again. The fish see another fish fighting a bait and then they see an open bait and go for it!!

 

[JB]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

Hi, David, <br /><br />My experience has been the same as the Snatcher. <br /><br />At one of the resorts on Lake Of The Woods there are pictures posted of a musky, about 35 lb, that killed itself by attacking the troller engine prop (small outboard).<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

 

[495v]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

That's an interesting story, J.B. I wonder what the captain of that boat thought...Jaws in freshwater. I've had similar experiences trolling for big Northern. I always troll the rapala's out from the boat and then I troll a lindy rig setup right in the prop wash. Sometimes get more fish in the wash. I think some of these fish are smart enough to know that the baitfish get discombobulated and they are easy prey.

 

[grandx]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

David<br />I think we fish the same waters out of Port A. Don't give up on the short lines, I have had days when these are the only lines catching fish. Fish are sometimes attracted to the boat itself and take the nearest bait. good luck,

 

[SeaDawg]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

The last time I was tuna fishing, I thought my thumb was going to burn off, because I had one hit the lure about 5 feet behind the boat, as I was letting the line out.<br /><br />I don't know how he missed the prop.<br /><br />We caught 39 fish that day, and most of them wer caught on the 2 short lines direcly in the prop wash (about 20 feet behind the boat).

 

[davidroddy]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

OK, so they can be caught in the wash! Is there a better lure or color that works particularly well in that area, and what speed should I be going. I usually troll pretty fast for dolphin (around 10-12mph) and a little slower for bill fish. Is this correct.

 

[daddysdream]

Re: prop wash and trolling?

david-i've had good luck on charters for white marlin that run just quick enough to have the baits skip on top. tuna and 'hoos have been just under the surface. mahi? speed never made a diff when we found the weedlines, faster lets you cover more ground though. blue marlin? NOISY teasers that trash the water with splashes and bubbles and the last 2 my family has hooked have been within 15 feet of the boat.<br /><br />sea dawg-do you go out of lewes or indian river? i'm up in wilmington but my 21 will be seeing some ocean time soon after i master <br /> the delaware bay and hopefully i/r inlet