Trolling Spread around Chesapeake Bay Bridge

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Parker 21

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Hello all... I have been on the site before but couldn't figure out my user name/password, so I started a new account. Might have been from went the site went down... Anyway! I am looking for some help from some fellow parker owners. My wife and I fish out of the Magothy(dumping ground/bridge/Gibson Island light tower/KI south to Bloody Pt Light)and have some issues catching this summer. We fish 4 lines all rigged with tandem's and I am having trouble getting lines at all depth. My wife teaches Math at Queen Annes HS and is try to do equations to figure out the depth, but I think all the variations I have been doing are only getting lines down at most 20ft. I have inline weights up to 20oz(just found these last trip). I just bought the line counter at basspro(mixed reviews), but maybe it will work long enough to chart the length for future use. I hope you all can be of some help...I would love to have a great fall to keep her interested!
 
Parker 21, When I first started trolling for rock I had the same question, how deep are my lines running? I ran across an online article by Capt. Sonney Forrest (very respected charter capt. down Solomons Island way), which helped me a great deal! His formula is as follows; at 2.5 to 3.0 knots, every 100ft of line equals 10ft of lure depth. Each additional 4oz of weight adds approx. 5ft of depth. (Example: at 3.0k with 125ft of line out, your lure is running at approx. 12.5ft. Add a 6oz inline sinker (7.5ft) and your lure is now running at approx. 20ft). Variables: He didn't note tandem or umbrella rig weights in his formula, so I just figure on average lure weights and adjust from there. Also don't forget to weigh in the tidal current as in trolling with, against, or across.

All my trolling reels are level wind and each bar is just about 10ft which makes it easy to determine my line lenght. I think you said you bought line counters which should do the trick for you. Hopes this helps in some manner with your question. I went from clueless to limiting out most trips during the last five years or so. Best of luck this fall!
 
Also remember there is a difference in lure depth depending on the type of line you are using.
Mono = shallower and braid = deeper.

Your lack of success might not totally be you.
I've seen fewer fish this year than in any of the last 10 years.
 
Parker 21,

You have been provided lots of great info. Id like to share what has proved successful for me fishing the Ches. Rig up 12 oz Mojo to a 3way set about 5ft back, tie a drop loop with 16oz led to 3way about 2ft down. Fish this near Cape Henry from lighthouse to around green can, mark the 3 mile line and the ches bay line (depending if it is bay or ocean season) and fish accordingly.

For the Bridge/Tunnel you can scale way down, same method except 8 to 10oz led and a 6" or 8" sassy shad on a 2 or 3oz long shank led head.

Experiment with the weights because all boats drag differently. Also, rule of thumb for me has been to pay out, hit bottom, two cranks, fish.

Hope this helps and see you on the Ches ,,,,,,, Oct 1st!
 

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Well... We were not trolling but found some nice breakers at the Dumping Grounds yesterday... 1st experience casting BDK's.... Caught a 18 Rock, 17 Rock(tossed back) and a 18 Blue. Next up learn how to fillet, so I do not waste any meat. The guys on the charter boats make it look so easy!!!
 

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Another day casting BDK's...the water was dirty from the storms here in MD. We dodge a ton of logs and branches on the way out of the Magothy on Saturday. Spent most of the evening around the bridge then chased some birds for about an hour. We managed a few baby rockfish but that is better than nothing!
 

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rangerdog":1gz7i262 said:
Print this trolling lure depth chart here. It is the bible for speed, weight, and line for covering the column.

http://striperfishingtackle.com/fish..._indicator.htm


What do the numbers under the line type represent? For example, I use 40-lb mono (Column 1). What do the various numers (4, 3, 2, 1.5) under that line type and matched against 13', 10', 8' depth values to the left?
 
Headed out on Saturday around 2:30pm. The wind picked up as we left the Magothy headed to the sewer pipe. It was very rough and I was happy with how the boat handled in 2-3ft chop. We could not buy a bite, so we headed home.... As we entered the Magothy I talked the crew into making a few drifts..... I landed two rock on my 1st two casts!
 

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The mouth of the rivers should be heating up about now.
You should be able to find Rock up in the river as well.
 
So according to RangerDog's very useful table, the most line one would troll is about 200 ft. Why do people use such large capacity reels to troll then? Even a Penn Senator 113H holds over 700 yards of 65 lb braid. In this parallel thread on trolling, the angler is using Penn 330 GT's (525 yards of 65 lb braid).

http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9710

Or when using braid, can you go with smaller gear? Forgive my ignorance. As you can tell from my handle, I'm more familiar with a 9 wt than a boat rod. But when the bass are deep, I'm considering crossing over. :wink:

-- Fly Rod
 
Fly Rod":23alakhz said:
So according to RangerDog's very useful table, the most line one would troll is about 200 ft. Why do people use such large capacity reels to troll then? Even a Penn Senator 113H holds over 700 yards of 65 lb braid. In this parallel thread on trolling, the angler is using Penn 330 GT's (525 yards of 65 lb braid).

Those of us using braid have the reels spooled with a heavy mono backing first, and then the braid is spooled on top.
The backing gives some cushion and keeps the thin braid from turning on the spool.

Still, you do need extra line on there to account for a big fish pulling drag, for wear, break-offs, and the inevitable tangle that must be fixed with a knife. :)
My TLD 15's and TLD 20's have about 250 yards of braid over my mono backing which will get me through several seasons.
At the end of a season, if the braid looks worn, I'll strip off a couple hundred feet until it looks good, and I'm ready for the next season.
Once I get to a point where I can see the backing, it's time to re-spool.

That's my method, but it certainly isn't the only method.
 
Been seeing pics of some relatively small fish. What is the keeper size for you all on the bay?

Ours is 28" in Mass.
 
Fly Rod":2nwiwjzu said:
So according to RangerDog's very useful table, the most line one would troll is about 200 ft. Why do people use such large capacity reels to troll then? Even a Penn Senator 113H holds over 700 yards of 65 lb braid. In this parallel thread on trolling, the angler is using Penn 330 GT's (525 yards of 65 lb braid).

http://www.classicparker.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9710

Or when using braid, can you go with smaller gear? Forgive my ignorance. As you can tell from my handle, I'm more familiar with a 9 wt than a boat rod. But when the bass are deep, I'm considering crossing over. :wink:

-- Fly Rod

It's all a balancing act IMO. In regard to your first question (I own both reels you mention and I believe I am the angler you are referring to in the parrellel thread), it comes down to what you are fishing. For me, on my boat, the 330GT is perfectly suitable for what I need. It holds enough of the line I need to handle my target species of fish (stripers, big blues, macks, etc - basically middle-bay species). Other boaters might need something to handle those same fish but also be capable of handling inshore/just offshore specieis. They might be targetting species that require heavier line or more importantly more line in order to fight the fish. So instead of having two sets of rods/reels, many people opt to have one that can handle many options. Another consideration is that certain reels - aside from line capacity - have other features that dictate their use. Things such as drag pressures/build, level wind features, etc. In other words, a smaller class reel might have the needed line capacity (with braid) but might not have the drag force needed to handle heavy trolling action (or bigger fish).

To your second question, I've mentioned it already above, but braid is different than mono but the reel handles them the same. For the same #/test strength of line, braid is much thinner in diameter than mono and therefore allows you to put more of it on a spool. I don't know the specifics concerning reel drag to line weight but for the point of conversation, lets just say if the reel was designed to hold 30# line mono and you load it up with 65# braid, the reel is still meant to handle the 30# line. And with the 65# braid, you run the risk of having the increased strength of the line overcome the drag capabilities of the reel - therefore damaging the reel rather than breaking the line.

Referening your current hobby (bass fishing) - you can load up a reel meant for #8 mono with an equivellant amount of 20# braid (estimating). Since there is no need to worry about line capacity issues (as I doubt you worry about getting spooled by too many LM bass), the advantage is having the extra line strength at your disposal. You can horse the fish in a little more and not have to play them as much. It also gives you a little bit of flexability with snags as you can add some heat to the line to free yourself a bit. You can also go with an equivelant strength braid which would be much thinner than the mono you are using. And while again the line capacity isn't likely a concern, you are now casting with a much thinner line which has less weight and now allows you to cast further or cast lighter lures (rod type withstanding).

I hope I am not confusing your worse. I am all over the place with this one. Ha ha.
 
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