Trolling the Bay

By Jesse Rotin

It’s amazing the role bays and estuaries play in the lives and reproduction of so many Australian fish species. Some call this habitat home while others on seasonal runs spawn little offspring for the years to come. Most of our coastal regions have bays and estuaries of some sort and a technique I use regularly, especially if it is an unfamiliar waterway, is trolling. Trolling is quite a fun and effective way to cover ground and fish at the same time. 

Where

There aren’t too many places where trolling a hardbody lure won’t yield fish and trying this technique has opened my eyes to new locations where I previously wasn’t venturing to. The key is to find areas with a consistent depth and no obstacles to deviate your trolling path. Always remember that it takes lures a few seconds to achieve their maximum depths and if an area is limited for space, then lures may not get down to the required zones and therefore not pass in front of the targets face. The sky’s the limit when it comes to water depth, but I will run certain lures to suit the depth I’m focusing on. 

Structure such as reefs, weed beds or even pylons are all likely areas to begin your search. A quality depth sounder can aid immensely in finding these key depths and trolling zones. Once a location is identified then I usually run passes over these sections until patterns begin to emerge. For example, a lure type, lure colour, depth or even speed. As l mentioned earlier, trolling doesn’t have to be your primary technique, but it can be a great way to cover water when going from one spot to the next. 

Doing the speed limit

Trolling speed tends to play a vital role in the captures of different species. Start off at a slow pace, say around 2-3 knots (4-5km) and work your way up and down from there to see what works best. Species like Australian Salmon and Tailor prefer faster speeds, where others like Snapper and Pike (Snook) at times desire a slower rate, but this can change depending on conditions, species, and locations, so vary up your speed and the fish will tell you what they prefer.  

With what

Crankbaits and jerkbaits are the name of the game when it comes to Bay trolling. The ever-reliable Double Clutch range from Daiwa are hard for any species to resist and is usually what I go to first. I tend to lean towards the 75SP, 95SP and 115SP sizes and colours can vary depending on conditions but one thing l will say though is flashy profiles can make a huge difference in attracting the attention of fish in the area. Cranks are another staple option and I’ve found certain species find their wiggle hard to pass up. The Infeet Monster Rollin’ Crank is new to my kit but is already proving quite successful. I tend to run these lures on my 2-4kg outfits and at times, when using bigger lures, move up to a 3-6kg outfit. The most important thing is to not have a rod that is too soft and rather steer towards faster action rods. It’s important to keep a close eye on the action transferred from the lure to the rod tip. If the action alters for any reason, it may be because the lure has picked up some weed or gotten tangled.