Flat line trolling of artificial baits is a very effective, often overlooked method of striped bass fishing. It’s a great search tool as is trolling of all types. Locating active schools of striped bass on Barnett Reservoir is more than half the battle.
There are several variables that affect trolling depth and the action of a bait that ordinarily has no action. For example, examine a bucktail jig. With a trailer added, the back end has a swimming action but the depth is pretty much dependent on the speed the lure is trolled, the distance the bait is let out behind the boat, and the diameter of the line.
Line diameter affects resistance in the water, which in turn affects depth for any kind of trolling or simple lure retrieval when casting and reeling.
Knowing how deep a bucktail jig is when it’s 100 feet behind the boat and the boat is moving forward at 1.5 mph is difficult — if not impossible — to determine, which makes crankbaits more attractive.
Trolling crankbaits has been resurrected in the striped bass industry in recent years. New lip designs and manufacturing have paved the way for crankbaits that can dive as deep as 40 feet on regular line and tackle.
As with other trolling methods, knowing the depth of the water to be trolled is important to determine which crankbait to employ. Most manufacturers will indicate the maximum depth the crankbait will attain given an average line diameter and a steady retrieve.
One of the keys to successful fishing with crankbaits is to vary the depth, action, and speed of the bait. Dropping the gear shift into neutral or hitting the stop button on the trolling motor for several seconds will allow the baits to pause and either rise up, sink or suspend in the water column (depending on design).
Lowering and raising the rod tip can produce the same erratic movement, making that an effective tactic when pulling lures through a school of fish.
Turning while trolling also provides variation that will often trigger strikes, as a striper that’s instinctively following the bait sees its falter as a sign of weakness or injury. During a sweeping turn of a productive area, make note of strikes that occur at one side or the other and make adjustments to your depth to match that level during subsequent straight through or parallel runs.
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