Foghorn79
05-22-2008, 09:29 PM
I was asked about what I do to catch rockfish (Stripped Bass) down here in Southern MD. I believe the best way to learn is to share lessons learned among other fishermen, and we all benefit from openly sharing our tips and tactics.
I mostly troll White and Chartreuse parachute rigs, umbrella rigs, daisy chains; tandem, and mojos when they are deep.
In the spring and fall I can handle all five out the back by myself. Summer usually gets a little crazy with the blues so I drop down to only 3 rods. I don't use planner boards or downriggers. If I need to go deep I just add more weight.
A typical setup is pretty common. 80Lb powerpro main line on a http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/images/smilies/worshipper.gifPenn 330GTX and a Penn Slammer rod. I tie on a ball bearing coastlock, then weight, then another coastlock, to 80 or 50 LB mono (18 feet) down to the umbrella, parachute, mojo, or tandem.
This setup works great in the summer when I'm trolling for blues/spanish mackerel too. I can lighten the mono down to 30 LB to allow for smaller spoons, rubber eels, and bucktail jigs.
Occasionally I'll set up a chum line anchored on a deep drop line or "the humps". I'll start chumming fresh menhaden, get a good slick going and drift cut bait strips of menhaden, or spot on a 7ft med heavy rod with 40 LB power pro, usually no weight unless the tide is cooking. If I catch live spot, I will live line them too off a 7-8ft rod with a Penn Live liner reel, and the same 40 LB power pro.
Here is the way I troll my lines behind my skiff
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk219/Foghorn79/HPIM0020.jpg
Rod 1 = 10 to 12 oz, 90 feet back
Rod 2 = 4 oz, 140 ft back
Rod 3 = no weight, 200 ft back
Rod 4 = 2 oz, 160 ft back
Rod 5 = 6 or 10 oz, 120 ft back
The weight is extra to the weight of the rig. Most of my rigs use 3-5 oz parachutes with 9" shad. The weight is an inline model naturally.
This setup allows me to make turns without tangling up the lines. You still need to exercise caution when turning. Don't make sudden turns, rather just make slight corrections to get yourself where you need to be.
I like using the Penn 330GTXs because I know that each time the wind bar goes from side to side it lets out approx. 10 ft of line.
I troll about 2.5 - 3 MPH in the spring and late fall, and speed up to about 3.5 - 5 MPH in the summer. A lot of that depends on water temp. I will even get up to 6 when the Spanish Mackerel make their way up the bay in late summer. Remember that if you use mono the diameter is larger so your trolling depths will decrease as opposed to using powerpro or some other braid due to increased drag.
What about the rest of you? Don't just limit this to rockfish, I travel occasionally and when I do I tend to bring a rod or setup some charter. I hope this post is OK in this section. I was torn between here and placing it in the Northeast but since I've used this in Hatteras NC it could apply to a lot of different regions.
*Cheers*
I mostly troll White and Chartreuse parachute rigs, umbrella rigs, daisy chains; tandem, and mojos when they are deep.
In the spring and fall I can handle all five out the back by myself. Summer usually gets a little crazy with the blues so I drop down to only 3 rods. I don't use planner boards or downriggers. If I need to go deep I just add more weight.
A typical setup is pretty common. 80Lb powerpro main line on a http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/images/smilies/worshipper.gifPenn 330GTX and a Penn Slammer rod. I tie on a ball bearing coastlock, then weight, then another coastlock, to 80 or 50 LB mono (18 feet) down to the umbrella, parachute, mojo, or tandem.
This setup works great in the summer when I'm trolling for blues/spanish mackerel too. I can lighten the mono down to 30 LB to allow for smaller spoons, rubber eels, and bucktail jigs.
Occasionally I'll set up a chum line anchored on a deep drop line or "the humps". I'll start chumming fresh menhaden, get a good slick going and drift cut bait strips of menhaden, or spot on a 7ft med heavy rod with 40 LB power pro, usually no weight unless the tide is cooking. If I catch live spot, I will live line them too off a 7-8ft rod with a Penn Live liner reel, and the same 40 LB power pro.
Here is the way I troll my lines behind my skiff
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk219/Foghorn79/HPIM0020.jpg
Rod 1 = 10 to 12 oz, 90 feet back
Rod 2 = 4 oz, 140 ft back
Rod 3 = no weight, 200 ft back
Rod 4 = 2 oz, 160 ft back
Rod 5 = 6 or 10 oz, 120 ft back
The weight is extra to the weight of the rig. Most of my rigs use 3-5 oz parachutes with 9" shad. The weight is an inline model naturally.
This setup allows me to make turns without tangling up the lines. You still need to exercise caution when turning. Don't make sudden turns, rather just make slight corrections to get yourself where you need to be.
I like using the Penn 330GTXs because I know that each time the wind bar goes from side to side it lets out approx. 10 ft of line.
I troll about 2.5 - 3 MPH in the spring and late fall, and speed up to about 3.5 - 5 MPH in the summer. A lot of that depends on water temp. I will even get up to 6 when the Spanish Mackerel make their way up the bay in late summer. Remember that if you use mono the diameter is larger so your trolling depths will decrease as opposed to using powerpro or some other braid due to increased drag.
What about the rest of you? Don't just limit this to rockfish, I travel occasionally and when I do I tend to bring a rod or setup some charter. I hope this post is OK in this section. I was torn between here and placing it in the Northeast but since I've used this in Hatteras NC it could apply to a lot of different regions.
*Cheers*