# how far should a lure be away from you on the troll?



## Thegaff (Apr 19, 2011)

Hi all, im wanting to get away from my just drifting plastics and start doing a bit more trolling.
Im unsure how far my lure should be away from my yak, will a lure thats ment to only dive to 2 meters always stay around that range or will the distance away from the yak cause it to dive deeper? 
Also what speed should they be trolled at?

Thanks guys, Adam.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Try trolling it close to you at first so you can see how it swims at different speeds and then let more line out and troll at the speed which gives you the action you're after.

I've caught fish which as little as a metre of line out but usually have my lures about 15m back (guessing)


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

But that's just me, how I fish and what I fish for. I'm sure there will be many and varied answers.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

I did hear once that close to the boat (yak) can be a fish attractant, so troll close. Problem with a yak is, because we troll so slowly, if you are trolling any lure that goes deep, we need a fair bit of line out for it to get down to depth.

Then there's the tangling issue, if trolling two lines. Paulo's advice was a 7' rod with a deep diver on a shortish leash, and a 6' rod with a shallower diver on a longer leash. He said he doesn't get tangles with this set-up.

trev


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## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

anything that creates noise in the water can act as a FAD and even most charter boats will troll lines close to the back of the boat with one line a long way back. I troll with rods out each side on Scotty mounts turned out so there is width and work length by "feel", not quite sure how to explain that but my length varies depending on the day, the wind, open water/tight estuary settings etc.

Speed is an interesting factor as I have heard a lot of folk make claims for a specific speed but every lure has its own working speed and I have often been hit when I have slowed to turn or stopped to fight a fish on the other line. That has paid off big time when I stopped to reel in a small flathead and a monster bream hit the second lure as it slowed and stopped.

cheers

John


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Generally cast the lure, then pull out another additional 4-5 rod lengths of line to get my drop back troll distance.

For speed i let the rod tip give me the answer, a regular movement at tip tip shows the lure is working OK, and if it stops could be picked weed or similar so crank it in an have a look


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## yakfly (Jun 8, 2006)

if you have the luxury of a sounder then experiment with different lengths of line out the back
I know with a 3.1m poltergeist I can get a half metre deeper with more line out the back yet if
I keep it shorter I still troll in 2.8m.
I find somewhere with clean bottom then muck around with how much line will bottom out to get
a rough idea of distance.
Line thickness can also affect depth as I have found that with braid you will get deeper than mono


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## Guest (Jan 6, 2013)

Dodge said:


> Generally cast the lure, then pull out another additional 4-5 rod lengths of line to get my drop back troll distance.
> 
> For speed i let the rod tip give me the answer, a regular movement at tip tip shows the lure is working OK, and if it stops could be picked weed or similar so crank it in an have a look


+1


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Another vote for the Richo system, cast out, paddle off two or three strokes, close bail arm.

In regards to depth, lots of different things can affect a lures swimming depth including, speed, distance from tow point, height above water of the tow point, line diameter / drag, and even salt or fresh water (some lures are more bouyant in salt or fresh, can't remember how it works).

Either way a tackle back is worth it's weight in gold ;-)


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## Thegaff (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks guys for all the reply's, I didnt expect such a great responce. I'll be giving Richo's way a go for sure, it's sorta the way ive done it in the past but never had much luck.

Kev i'll be looking in to the tackle back as i tend to bet pretty cranky when i do lose my hb's.


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## bunsen (Jan 2, 2009)

Game fishing theory says you should always have the lure with the strongest action closest to the boat if you are trolling more than one line.


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## Thegaff (Apr 19, 2011)

Cheers bunsen, i'll keep that in mind next time im on the troll.
Now all thats left is to go and re stock on some new lures.


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## Ubolt (Dec 8, 2009)

Trolling down current or into the current will affect depth.


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## Ado (Mar 31, 2008)

Another vote for the Dodge system. It's the only one I use so I can't say it's best, but it works for me.

I typically troll shallow water (1m to 3m) so I figure the yak may scare fish as it passes over them. Therefore I want to give them time to settle before the lure comes their way. I guess I'd be 30m+ behind me.


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## mudpat (Feb 21, 2011)

I have a black mark on my yellow braid at 15 and 20 metres. Run the shallows at 15 and the deep at 20.


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