|
Counting on Consistency:
Line Counter Reels and Walleye Fishing
By
Keith
Kavajecz & Gary Parsons
Have you ever
tried to hammer a nail with a screwdriver,
or cut a 2x4 with a pocket knife? Probably not, because it’s just common sense
that to do a job the right way takes the right tools. Same thing goes for
fishing really. If you’re jigging or rigging for walleyes, you’re going to be
better off using open-faced spinning reels. These types of reels simply handle
the “light line-finesse” presentations much better than level-wind casting style
reels. Likewise, trolling for walleyes takes the right tools too. Now opinions
vary from angler to angler as to rod lengths and actions for trolling, but ask
most any experienced walleye angler about reels for trolling, and most will
agree that line counter reels are the absolute best way to go.
Is it possible to
troll for walleyes without using line counter reels? Sure; and it’s possible to
hammer a nail with a screwdriver if you work at it long enough. But it’s all
about using the right tools for the job. A line counter reel is basically a
medium to large sized level-wind reel fitted with a device for measuring the
amount of line let out. What this does is allow you to more precisely set out
lures in pre-determined patterns (amount of line behind the boat allowing lure
to reach desired depths) and duplicate successful set-ups to more effectively
fine tune a productive trolling pattern for the day. To better explain, let’s
look at an example. You and a buddy head out for some trolling on a lake where
you are allowed two lines per angler. In order to simplify our example we’ll say
that you’re running the same crankbait on all your lines. To start off the day,
you set out two lines with the crankbaits 120 feet out which puts them at about
28 feet deep and two more lines with the lures 75 feet back which puts them
running at about 20 feet deep. Shortly into the first trolling pass one of the
20 foot baits catches a nice walleye. Soon after that, another good fish comes
on the other 20 foot bait. Now you decide to run all your baits at 20 feet. By
using line counter reels all set-up with matching line, it’s a simple task to
set them all with 75 feet of line out putting them all in the active zone. It’s
a simple matter of duplication. Find the right lure and the right depth to run
it at and then duplicate the pattern to more effectively produce bites. Of
course that’s a very simplified example, but it illustrates the point pretty
well. Line counter reels are tools that allow you to consistently duplicate
productive trolling patterns.
Taking things a
step further, we like to use different sized line counter reels for different
trolling applications … again it’s a matter of the right tool for the job. Some
reel companies only make one size of line counter reels, most make at least two
sizes. Okuma produces the Stratamaster line of line counter reels in three sizes
and we find this makes matching the reel to the technique very efficient. The
bread-and-butter model of line counter reel in the Okuma line is the SM-30D.
This reel is rated to hold 310 yards of 25 pound test line. For our purposes, we
spool these reels with 10 pound test mono like Berkley Trilene XT or Berkley
Sensation. This gives us a plenty of line capacity to troll baits as far back as
we need to get them to desired depths and to run them out on trolling boards
like Off Shore Tackle’s OR-12 Side Planers.
Trolling with lead
core line is a presentation that has proven itself very effective in a number of
trolling scenarios over the past few years and is growing in popularity all the
time. Lead core line typically comes in spools of 100 yards, metered so that the
line’s color changes every 10 yards. Due to the very nature of lead core line,
the fact that it’s a much thicker diameter line than regular lines used for
trolling, it takes a reel with a bit more line capacity than the standard line
counter reel. The larger Okuma SM-45D has the capacity to hold an entire spool
(10 colors) of 18 pound test lead core line (the most popular size used for
walleye fishing). Now since lead core line is metered, one could argue that a
line counter reel would not be necessary to duplicate successful set-ups. That’s
true to a point, but we find the line counter is very helpful for adjusting for
line break offs and using partial colors, and is just less error prone. It’s
simply easier to rely on the counter than to count colors out all the time.
There are also
times when we like to troll with smaller diameter super-lines like Berkley
FireLine. Since this type of line takes up much less room on a spool, it can be
used on a line counter reel like the 30D series, but with a backing of mono
spooled on underneath it. Or, an even better option is to use a smaller line
counter reel like the Okuma SM-20D. This smaller reel is ideal for use with
small-diameter lines as well as for use on hand-held bottom bouncer rods or
“Dead Stick” rods when bottom bouncer – live bait techniques are the order of
the day.
Line counter reels
not only let you know how much line you are letting out, but also let you see
how much line is left out when you’re reeling in a fish. That’s a really nice
feature so you can easily let your fishing partner know when to be ready so he
won’t botch the net-job on your trophy of a lifetime!
The advantages to
using these types of reels in trolling presentations makes the process so much
more efficient and effective that it makes line counter reels an integral part
of today’s trolling game. If you are a walleye angler that does any amount of
trolling over the course of the season, you owe it to yourself to rig up with
the right tools for the job. Besides, with Christmas just around the corner,
this could be just the gift to leave yourself under the tree this holiday.
Editors Note: If you have questions or comments on this or other articles
from Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz, visit their website
www.thenextbite.com.
|
