Downrigger trolling for stripers?

   Too much work?  Can it work?   

 

Referring to BAM IV?   Can it work - yes.  Is it to much work - IMHO (at least at Mendo) yes!

BAM III was my first time on Lake Mendocino and I thought I'd try the good ole downrigger.  Hadn't heard of anybody doing it so I thought I'd give it a try.  After about an hour or so of listening to radio chatter about how others were nailing them using other methods, I ditched my "brilliant idea" ... and eventually landed 4 fish.

The "Mendo slow troll" is truly the way to go.  I tried it then and haven't looked back.  Only one of those 4 fish came on the slow troll but it was this May when fishing with Sean that I really became a believer.  On Mother's Day I landed 4 more stripers, all on the slow troll.  What a blast and a great way to cover water.

Michael

  Allrightythen!  Well, one less thing to pack!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  This will be my first BAM, and first time on mendo.

Referring to BAM IV?   Can it work - yes.  Is it to much work - IMHO (at least at Mendo) yes!

BAM III was my first time on Lake Mendocino and I thought I'd try the good ole downrigger.  Hadn't heard of anybody doing it so I thought I'd give it a try.  After about an hour or so of listening to radio chatter about how others were nailing them using other methods, I ditched my "brilliant idea" ... and eventually landed 4 fish.

The "Mendo slow troll" is truly the way to go.  I tried it then and haven't looked back.  Only one of those 4 fish came on the slow troll but it was this May when fishing with Sean that I really became a believer.  On Mother's Day I landed 4 more stripers, all on the slow troll.  What a blast and a great way to cover water.

Michael

How /what did you use to slow troll?

  Allrightythen!  Well, one less thing to pack!  Thanks for sharing your experience.  This will be my first BAM, and first time on mendo.

Troy,

Don't make your decision based solely on my 2 experiences.  There may be locals that have experienced success with the things, I just know that at that lake, the K.I.S.S. method has worked for me.  Maybe rename the thread to "Downriggers at Mendo" and you might get some local intel.

How /what did you use to slow troll?

Good ole minnows, the bigger the better.  I followed this tutorial to a "T"- after wising up!

Michael

  I read that baby top to bottom.  I'll have my DR with me, but I just purchased a Daiwa Bait caster with a line counter(AccuDepth 17) (2 free $100 Bass Pro Shop gift cards yeah baby!) and a Abu Ambassadeur 4600 (I think ) C3  I had them shipped home from the Nevada store.


 

I have used a Davis Diver  planner for trout and had some success and thought I would give that a try at Mendo. You can adjust your depth and is light and easy to use. I also bought a Daiwa Sealine counter with a Okuma Kayak rod so now combine with FF I can know where my bait is not guessing.