How to troll lures in the estuary: A beginner’s guide

By Robert Thornton

In the estuary, trolling is a technique that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. For those in game boats chasing big pelagics offshore, trolling is seen as a useful tool when searching a large area for illusive fish. In estuary fishing though, trolling is waved off as unexciting, unsporting and sometimes even amateurish and lazy.

Many fail to acknowledge the intricacies of effective estuary trolling, as well as the preparation and tactical thinking that skilled trollers regularly employ. Trolling definitely has its place in our tidal rivers, creeks and inlets, and by shunning it you’re only doing yourself a disservice.

I caught my first ever fish trolling with my dad at age 3. He did all the work, of course, rigging up, driving the boat, finding the fish, setting up the trolling run… but I got to enjoy the thrill of the capture! It’s often said that good trolling is a team effort. After that, I was hooked!

In this blog we’ll look at where the stigma of trolling comes from, what trolling in an estuary looks like, how to tailor your approach to different terrain and species, and finally the lures and tackle suited to this unappreciated technique.

A TROLLING SHAME

Where the reluctance to troll in the estuary actually comes from is a mystery, but in my opinion, it probably has something to do with the introduction of tournament fishing and soft plastics in Australia about 30 years ago.

While hugely beneficial to the fishing community and tackle industry in general, this rapid shift to soft lures that demanded cast-and-retrieve techniques made trolling hardbodies seem a bit old hat. Some tournaments even banned trolling, further dissuading the take-up of this highly effective but technical method.

With the soft plastic craze past its peak and other fads since running their course, anglers are once again seeing the benefits of trolling hardbodies in our rivers. These days, some are even diversifying by trolling soft plastics, surface lures and other presentations, and not just diving hardbodies. Despite this rediscovery, others are still hesitant to learn the art of trolling. 

HOW TO TROLL LURES

In principle, trolling is very straightforward: trolling is simply trailing a lure behind a moving object, be it a boat, canoe or kayak. I have even ‘walk trolled’ small hardbodies for bream along riverside footpaths in Brisbane city. 

To troll effectively, however, the driver needs to be thinking about many things at once, making regular adjustments to the vessel’s speed and trajectory to ensure the lure’s in the right spot. The ‘right spot’ could mean where fish are likely to be, areas where lures aren’t going to get snagged or fouled up on weed or vegetation, and where lures and lines are clear of other anglers, wildlife or similar obstructions. There’s an old adage that still rings true: you’re not driving the boat, you’re driving the lure. This simple guide is applicable to all trolling, and applying this mindset will see your trolling game improve tenfold.  

The angler holding the rod needs stay vigilant as well. It’s key for the angler to stay in touch with the lure, so it’s preferable to hold the rod, rather than sticking it in a rod holder. Paying attention to the vibrations coming through the rod allows you to feel for any changes in the lure’s action that could denote weed, tangles or snags. Holding the rod enables quick adjustments to the rod position to minimise the above-mentioned obstacles in the first place, plus it allows the angler to impart additional action to the lure with movements of the rod.

In general, estuary trolling usually involves running bibbed hardbodies at around 1.5-4km/h, with the optimal speed depending on the lure’s specifications, the target species and the terrain. Like I said, other lure types, including soft plastics, lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwater lures and blades can also be trolled effectively, however in this blog we will focus on trolling diving hardbodies.

TROLLING SPECIFICS

Around our coastline we have a huge range of species that respond to trolled hardbodies, but for the sake of brevity we’ll focus on a few key species: barramundi, mangrove jacks, flathead, bream and estuary pelagics (i.e. tailor, Australian salmon, trevally, queenfish etc.)

Barramundi

Tropical predators like barra like to sit in deep channels through the warmer months, and are prime targets for trollers in the north. Deep-diving hardbodies such as the Double Clutch 115 EXDR are the perfect presentation for sulky barra sitting below the thermocline, and trolling with multiple people onboard means you can run two or more profiles or colours through them to see what they respond to. Additionally, hardbodies with large bibs tend to bump their way over rocks and timber without getting hung up too often. Even if they do get stuck, a skilled troller can drop the rod back for a few seconds, giving the lure some slack so it can float out of the structure.

Seasoned barra trollers often don’t have seats in their boats, not because they don’t like to sit down, but because trolling for barra is such a hands-on activity. Everyone on board needs to be ready for when a good-looking snag or school of fish appears on the sounder. Generally cruising along at around 3-4km/h, a good driver will knock the boat out of gear for a few seconds when passing over a productive area, giving the lures more time in front of the barra. Anglers will even work their lures with twitches of the rod when the boat is out of gear, all in the hope of getting that bite.

Mangrove jack

Trolling for jacks is similar to barra trolling, and both fish are common by-catch when chasing one or the other. Specifically trolling for jacks requires a more daring approach, though. Getting busted off by unstoppable fish and spending time retrieving snagged lures is a fair price when trolling in such gnarly territory. In fact, if you’re not getting snagged at least occasionally, you’re probably not getting your lures in tight enough.

Jack trolling usually involves short runs in specific areas with plenty of structure, such as under bridges, along rock walls, sunken rock bars, banks with fallen trees and mangrove edges. Deep-diving hardbodies between 80-100mm like the Infeet Current Master 93EXDR are ideal for slowly working through these tangled hidey-holes.

 Having a plan for when a hook-up occurs is necessary, because jacks will almost always head for cover as soon as they feel hooks. Upon hook-up, the first priority should be to drive the boat away from structure, even before the other lines are cleared. From here, the angler has a chance of coaxing the fish away from structure so it can be played out in the open.

Heavy baitcaster tackle and braided lines are perfectly suited to jack and barra trolling, as this system allows for maximum sensation as the lures bumps their way through snags and other fish-holding structures. Baitcasters are also an excellent fish extraction tool in close quarters – to find out more about the benefits of baitcasters, click here.

Bream and flathead

All estuary-going flathead and bream species will respond well to trolled lures, however most of what we cover here will focus on dusky flathead and the two most sought-after bream species, yellowfin and black bream.

While you can specifically target any of these fish, anglers regularly reel in both flathead and bream (of various species) when trolling. Bream and flathead are so ubiquitous that anyone trolling small hardbodies at 2-3km/h in an estuary anywhere in the country is likely to pick up one or the other (or both) eventually.

Small hardbodies such as Infeet Spike 53EXDR and SP, Steez Shad 60SP DR and Steez RPM Crank Mid-10 are an ideal size for flathead. For bream, smaller hardbodies like the Infeet Rollin’ Crank MR and DR, Kodachi and Infeet Spike 44EXDRare more suited to these small-mouthed battlers. With that said, all these lures will work on both flathead and bream, as well as other predators like whiting, tailor, Aussie salmon, trevally and more.

For flathead and bream, it’s best to stick to water between 1-3m, as it allows the small hardbodies to make regular contact with the bottom. Anglers can check that their lures are hitting the bottom by feeling for irregular taps and bumps as the lure wobbles along.

A 2-4kg spin rod and a 1000-3000 size reel spooled with braided line is perfect for this style of trolling, as light spin gear is easy to use for beginners, plus there is rarely any need to stop fish in their tracks.

Estuary pelagics

Trolling for pelagics in sheltered waters isn’t a widely-used technique, but it’s a great way to find them when they aren’t visibly feeding on the surface.

Suitable tackle and lures depend on where you are in the country, with northern estuaries often home to larger trevally, queenfish, blue salmon and so on. In sub-tropical and temperate estuaries, tailor, Aussie salmon, smaller trevally and rat kingfish are the standard species.

For the most part, the tackle and lures employed for barra, jacks, flatties and bream are okay to troll for the speedies. The trick is to troll slightly faster, around 3-6km/h, and to stick to deeper or more open water, keeping an eye out for any bait schools on the sounder or birds flying low over the water.

Holding the rod is less important when chasing pelagics, as the main attractant in this scenario is speed, so rod movements aren’t necessary. Additionally, when trolling in areas free of snags and other obstructions, the angler doesn’t need to adjust the rod position, so a lot of anglers who do this just put their rods in holders while they drive around.

TRIED AND TRUE

As you can see, trolling is an effective technique in estuaries around the country and shouldn’t be dismissed at all. Trolling is a great tool to have in the kit when visiting an unfamiliar area, as it allows you to explore and examine lots of ground with a lure in the water.

Additionally, trolling teaches a lot of the basics of lure fishing without being too technical for the angler, leaving most of the hard work to the skipper. Because of this, it’s a fantastic way to introduce friends, family and especially kids to lure fishing.

Don’t buy into the whole ‘trolling is lazy’ claim. Like most lure fishing techniques, it’s an art that needs to be mastered, and once learned, it’ll become a valuable skill in your arsenal.