jiggin vs trolling.

[fishley]

Ok every one will have something to say about this.why would ya troll and why would ya jig?for me I learned to troll way before I learned to jig yes jigging is better for me becouse it's me and the fish .but some of thebiggest fish I have caught have been on the troll and the number's seem to be greater on avaerage dont get me wrong I have had some awsome day's jigging but thay are for the most part calm and on the day's with some chop I will troll and I tell ya what I work way harder trolling than I ever do jiggin up and down on the bottom off the bottom changes in depth and so on you have to keep what ever your draging in the zone.jigging ya you find the fish hold on them drop in and see how thay act before you boo them you have the rod in your hand all day waiting for that one little tap it's the best way I have found but I allso love to troll bottom line for me is I like to catch fish jiggin or trolling I caught the fish contrae to what most say trolling fish dont allway's hook them self's you better watch your rod every second or you will miss fish trolling just as easy as jiggin. what do you guy's and gal's think.later Fishley[cool]
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[Kent]

I grew up fishing from the shore with bait. When I got a boat I mostly trolled and also fished with bait, using the same techniques that I used fishing from the shore, except from my boat. TubeDude, BearLakeMack, MGB and a few others got me into jigging. I still troll some, but my favorite method of fishing, by far, is to vertically jig. Something exciting about seeing the rod tip bend slightly and attempting to hook the fish. I also find it more enjoyable to reel in a fish from a stationary boat than having the fish fight both the moving boat and the rod and reel.
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[PREDATOR]

Why would ya troll and why would ya jig?

Well, because they are two effective techniques.
I do find it interesting that they are often compared.

To me, comparing vertical presentations to horizontal presentations is like comparing helicopters to cars. Two totally different creatures.

Trolling has aspects about it that make it effective as does jigging.

To answer your question, you would troll because sometimes trolling has triggering qualities that will get you more fish than jigging, and you jig becasue sometimes it takes a slower more delicate presentation to get the strike.

In my opinion you use bolth, each in thier respective situations if you want to have the most success.
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[DonInDenver]

Personally, I just don't find trolling to be enjoyable. I realize it is highly effective in some situations, but to me it's too passive.

I would much rather find fish and jig for them or cast for them. It seems more intimate to me, and much more satisfying when I trigger the strike and I'm holding the rod and I have done something with my own two hands to personally trigger that strike.

I'll think about trolling if I absolutely have to in order to catch fish, but I would rather catch one fish jigging or casting than three or four identical fish trolling.

I'm just funny that way.
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[Tarponjim]

I agree with Predator. Two Completely different approaches, both effective if you pay attention to the little details.

Jigging, to me and 99 percent of the folks I take tishing, is more enjoyable because its more one-on-one. Fisherman vs. Fish. Hands on. You can vary and control your presentation more quickly and easily. You get to see the hit, and sometimes even feel it. You get to set the hook, and feel the weight. You can usually use lighter tackle. You can target individual fish, drop on them, and play the mind game with them. Its a combination of torture and great reward. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Trolling? It definitely keeps you fishing longer when the wind comes up. When fish are spread out, you put a lure in front of more fish per hour, therefore increasing your odds of finding a hitter ("dummy" in Flaming Gorge!). You can cover ground much faster. And face it, its easier than jigging because there's less mental and physical stress than going one-on-one, over and over, all day. You set your line, keep it in the zone, vary your speed, steer over the right spot, and wait. About all you can worry about is the lure choice, speed, and depth. With most trolling baits and presentations, especially with a little speed, most of the fish will initially hook themselves. Those who hold their rods instead of using a rod-holder hook nearly all of them. Heck, you can even take a break, have a snack, look around, and enjoy your surroundings a bit--with your line still in the water on the fish!

I'm been soley jigging for macks on the Gorge for about 15 years. Prior to that, I would often mix it up by trolling with downriggers. I eventually found that jigging was much more effective at that time, and for a long time after. And it was certainly more fun. However, in the past few years I've seen trolling make a huge rebound. The fish, more educated than ever, don't have as long to analyze the faster-moving bait, and must make a quicker decision. When the fish on the "known" humps are all getting hammered by boat after boat, and they start running away from anything dropped to them, the trollers can cover the outside water and areas where fish aren't stacked, and catch strays that have not been pounded steadlily for hours or days. There are some "regular" trollers that fish here who can catch just as many big macks as the best jiggers on the lake on many days. And they can do it better on the windier days, when jigging becomes difficult to impossible.

Although most of my fishing guests have no interest in paying to reel in a big mack that "I" catch trolling with them, it is a very viable option, and sometimes the most effective way of catching macks on the Gorge. Although I haven't trolled here in a very long time, I'm reconsidering the idea as of late . . . Besides, there sure a lot of new, sexy trolling baits on the market that these big macks are eating!

I'll still take the jig fishing for the challenge and hands-on experience, but trolling definitely has its place if the main goal is fish in the net however it can be done, and trolling could be back on my boat again sometime soon . . .

Jim
[url "http://www.fishflaminggorge.com"]www.fishflaminggorge.com[/url]
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[bkidder]

well ash, you know that i love trolling. if trolling is too passive for some, perhaps they're doing something wrong. as fishley said, its hard work to troll right. at the end of a day of hard trolling im worn out. that said, jigging is tough too- im not trying to demean that method at all. there is just something about setting the trap with my downriggers that i love. i take offense to guys that say that the fish hook themselves while trolling. some do, as some do jigging as well. ive found that to be as consistent, and productive as possible, you need to be very focused while trolling. i think its just preference. i had 50 fish plus days at the berry this year. i had great days on the gorge and deer creek too. but, jiggers had those kind of days too. to each his own i suppose. trolling sure is getting expensive for me though! (i cant wait to get a digi troll downrigger!)
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[tomegun]

Trolling is a Sin. And a person who trolls won't get any extension time on their life. Maybe when I have to adult diapers at 80 years old, nope I'll just hope to die.

Jigging is a tried and true technigue that helps a person become a better angler. The ability to place a lure in front of fish and feel pickup by the fish is the only way to go.

Trolling is a step lower than fishing with powerbait. Mindless dragging lures around the water with the boat doing all the work, trolling has NO soul. Did I mention I hate trollling?

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[bkidder]

i dont think you'd make it on my boat! lol
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[tomegun]

I trolled with Predator one time. After I woke up from my nap, he saved my life when I tried to split myself open from navel to chin.

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[PREDATOR]

You trolled TWICE with me.
Once on willard for wipers, and once on the snake river for smallmouth bass when you ran us out of gas. I remember you tossing a lure over the side and trolling it back to the ramp while we were getting towed.

You love trolling admit it.

Plus I have seen your trolling for women at walmart.
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[bkidder]

thats pretty funny! im glad he was there to stop you from making a huge mistake. life is valuable, even that of a jigger! j/k like i always tell my friends- if trolling is too slow for you then your not doing it right! i dont want to turn this into one of those dumb arguments that sometimes arise- i dont think that was fishleys intent on posting. so, ill just leave it by saying- its just preference. good luck to all of the jiggers out there!
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[fsh4fun05]

I know that I've caught more fish jigging than trolling, but I also fish more for bass than anything else. Caught a few slimers jigging and a huge brown out of Jord. on jigs. I will 'drift' a grub alot to find fish, but then go back to jigging when I find them. Trolling can be fast and furiuos so ive heard, but not everything is about strength, sometimes you need a little finesse[]
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[fishley]

ata boy kidder let em know what's up .no guy's it's what you like to do. i like to catch fish and if you have ever fished the gorge you will find that some day's one is better than the other so I think it make's a better trip when a guy can adapt to the bit trolling or jigging it's fishing bottom line.good thing I have a lot of other sin's to worry about than just trolling.lol [cool]
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[bkidder]

thanks for your support! i think its funny when everyone is rushing off of the rough lake because of wind. thanks to a gps we can troll through almost anything...and still catch fish. adapting is important if your goal is to be on the lake catching fish. and don't worry about the sins ash- the apostles used nets! i think we'll be forgiven for using downriggers.
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[kokeking]

I have done both and i would rather troll then jig any day(but that just me).I like to be moving when on the water,and i have found that i have a higher catch ratio when trolling.For me jigging is boring,and for any one that thinks trolling isnt hard work,has never fished with me.Always checking,repositioning,and no fish dont always hook them selves when trolling either.Both have there place ,both are effective,but I like the thought of being able to cover more water,and getting away from other boater's.

As for Tomegun,you have stated your opinion about trolling,but remember its just your opinion,and you know what they say about opinion's,they just like belly button's.
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[bkidder]

i was jigging on the ice at strawberry last week and kept thinking- man id like to be covering more water right now. i also like that aspect of trolling.

i forgot to ask- any ice on the gorge yet?
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[pinksnapper]

I'm another one that has just gotten serious about jigging recently, and now that I'm just starting to unlock some of its secrets, I wish I had been doing it alot more over the course of the last 15 or 20 years.
I rarely held anything but a fly rod until I was about 18, and started getting a few friends with boats, and shortly after a boat of my own. My best buddy's family has had a boat floating at the Gorge since the late 70's, as he still does today, and once that place gets in your heart it gets hard to want to fish many others.
This post is especially relevant to Flaming Gorge, because to catch fish consistently up there, you have to get pretty good at one or the other. Especially when fishing for Lake Trout. And you have to get really good at one or the other to catch the real pigs that lurk in the depths.
For a few years in the early 90's, after we graduated from high school, we chased a dream of catching big Gorge Mack's consistently on fly rods. We fished hard one whole summer nearly every day, having one of the boys from the dock run us out to the big shelf in Linwood, and drop us off at first light with our float tubes, then running back out around noon to pick us up.
We kick trolled heavily weighted flies with super fast sinking line, and caught quite a few smaller ones (3-8 lbs.), and an occasional decent one (10-15 lbs.)
But the biggest we ever caught was around 20 lbs, And to be quite honest, once you've had to pee in your neoprene’s a couple of times because its a mile and a half kick to the nearest shore, that became a much less attractive option.

So we decided to learn how to troll...

And we started to get pretty good at that with a few years practice. Now trolling for Kokes can definitely be pretty easy fishing because usually your fishing in deep open water for suspended fish. Find the schools, run one of many flashing lures at 1.5 - 2 mph at the right depth, your going to catch some fish. And tasty ones at that.
But like Ash said, trolling for Mack's is a different story. You really need to keep your bait within 5 or so feet of the bottom to be effective (Usually). And there is many a nasty underwater shelf hungry for your rigger ball or boom at the Gorge, so it does require some practice and focus. But you can absolutley have some success. And with the explosion in the popularity of jigging, it's very true that those fish can get pushed off the humps. In fact I like to just Follow Jim from hump to hump, and then troll in 50 ft circles around his boat.
He loves that, you should try it sometime.[]

But then one fine fall day in 2003 I finally got ON Jim's boat, and sat still on calm water, and saw that tiny tap, and felt that "one on one", "fisherman vs. fish" sensation. And just like my first fish on a dry fly, I was hooked...

So we decided we had better to learn how to jig...

Which after 2 and a half years of really focusing on, I feel like I'm still an amateur at, and just beginning to understand. I still get my fair share of skunks, but I have also had some really good days. And, I have found that the same techniques that work at the Gorge, also work to entice bigger than average trout out of local spots like Jordanelle, DC, The Berry, and others. Not to mention that is seems almost essential for most of the warmwater species. (still never caught a stinking Walleye!)

So... And you wont hear this kind of thing from me often, but I think that everyone that has posted up has been right...

Both jigging and trolling can be very effective, and really fun if done the right way, in the right place,and at the right time. They can both be really boring too, mainly when your not catching fish.

I do and enjoy both...

In fact if the almighty fish gods let me have my way. My day starts at the crack of dawn pulling away from Lucerne. If the water is calm, I spend the early part of the day jigging for Mack's, but if there's a chop I will still work the riggerball along the bottom. I've found that the Mack bite is best before 12:00 anyway, and that’s always the best shot for the really calm water that you need. About then, I like to pull back in a little cove, have lunch, and either strip flies with sinking line for rainbows and browns cruising the shoreline, or dropshot for some smallies.
The Kokanee bite usually turns on in the afternoon. About 4:20 I like to head back out to the lake, drop the rigger balls down 48 ft with a needlefish swimming somewhere behind it. Pour some kind of a fruity islandy tasting drink. And just kind of RELAX...

Now that my friend, is a perfect day...
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[wiperhunter2]

I'd like to see that silly Tomegun jig up a wiper. Oh, I know it can be done at the right time of the year but I bet I can catch more trolling that he can jigging. For me it depends on what I'm fishing for. For small trout, I'll troll, for big trout or macks, I'll jig. Wipers, troll for sure. SMB, LMB, I bet Tomegun would win that one. WH2
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[fuzzyfisher]

hey Ash i say any way you can get them toads to hit and get them to the boat works.. lol

btw how's the ice doing up there?
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[WalleyeWiper]

I agree, it depends on what you are fishing for and where. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to sit in a swarm of bugs at Willard. I would rather troll and try to get away from them. Other bodies of water I usually end up doing both.
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