Trolling w/Dodger and worm?

I do not understand why at some lakes this combo is deadly and some it scares the fish away?  Lexington, Stevens Creek and some High Serra lakes like Bridgeport and Topaz.  This system is killer.

But, at Quarry, Chabot and Del Valle a big dodger (2" or 3") seems to not get touch.  Theses lake seem to like the little tiny lures.  I know it has to do with what kind of baitfish they are feeding  or maybe it is it the insects they are feeding on?

Ken kickfish

All the trout I caught ( and kept ) last week were LOADED with tiny insects but they still managed to hit either a 2'' Rapala with or without a dodger. Go figure.

well, this is a real good question!

maybe it is the size of the lake? or when in the season you tend to fish the lake.

why do you "know" it is the baitfish aspect? Best to not make any preassumptions
on these kind of diagnostic mysteries, it is always something you didn't expect.

J

I don't think it it the size of the lake.  Stevens does well on a Dodger & worm and is about 1/2 the size of Quarry.  Lexington is about 3 times the size of Quarry.

Fish will hit the Dodger & wom at Lex and not Quarry.  And, this is not for a lack or trying.  Chabot seems to be the same way and also Del Valle. No Love with a Dodger & worm.

Ken kickfish

ken, that is a real mystery!  have you tried  much smaller dogder? like the seps side-kick or even a salmon spoon?

or maybe just a spinner ahead of the worm?

I can't imagine a trout turning down a worm, it has to be the dodger that is freaking them?

If you look at Raymac in-line spinners and how small the spoons are.  He uses this at Quarry.  I think a lot of flash help in some lakes and others it seems to scare the fish away.

Ken kickfish

yeah,  maybe that is the ticket, it is not the worm, it is the big 3" dodger?

I have been using mainly a seps sidekick dodger, it is basically the size of a salmon spoon
and that is probably how it was invented.

in fact one day I was at bayside marine and I bought a commercial salmon spoon since it looked
very rainbow trout-like and I figured it might make a good small dodger. I have not tried it yet.

ken, what is the biggest dodger you have used and what is the smallest?

Ken, have you tried a dodger and trolling fly? I put a small stinger treble hook on one of my small saltwater
flies, I am convinced it will be a killer with some powerbait on the treble.

I guess now is the time for melones or mclure or mcswain or don pedro trout fishing. too bad the surfing
is always so good this time of year!

J

Tried the sidekick and the smallest dodger Sep makes.  No love.  But, John at Melones the small dodger and worm works.  Launch from the 49 bridge and went right.  Found a lot of trout in the flat and at the mouth of the coves.

Ken kickfish

Never had consistent results with dodger or flashers with a trailing worm although some swear by them.  I have had consistent luck with rapalas, apex and kastmasters. I also use deep diving shad raps with a teaser wooly bugger which has been a good search strategy.

scott

we need a winter trout trolling thread, maybe this one will do, 

scott, how do you rig the wooly bugger ahead of the deep diving shad rap?

I have some black and red trolling flies I'd love to put to use.

this spring I caught fish behind a seps sidekick and worm and with a shad rap.

stevens creek: bass and trout on gold sidekick and worm.

lexington: trout and bass on gold sidekick and worm and trout on shad rap.

the LMB were the biggest fish by far,  .

I give ken all the credit, either way! thanks!

I'm hoping to do some fall trolling this year, but surfing always gets in the way,
and when the weather gets too bad to surf, the trout fishing turns off,  .

I have my eye on mcswain. looks like a good kayak lake?

J

What size are the shad raps you all use?

I like the little ones and the little longer ones.  Some have different types of lips and some have a little longer body.  Green or the greylish blue works for me.

Ken kickfish

I use the small deep diving shad raps, I believe they are size #5. I use the silved shad pattern in clear water and perch or fire tiger in stained water. For the wooly bugger rig, I tie a very small 3 way swivel about 2-3 ft above the shad rap and attach the black gold bead wooly bugger to the 3 way swivel using 6# fluorocarbon, about 1-2 ft. My other trolling rig I run a size #7 broken back rainbow trout rapala on 6# flourocarbon. These are my go to starting rigs. If I don't catch anything on those rigs I switch to a 1/4 oz kastmaster and a small apex rainbow trout killer lure attached to a snubber and 2 oz torpedo weight. So far this strategy has been 100% effective  for me if the trout are in the top 15 FOW. If they are deep, 20-40 FOW I haven't found a consistent strategy that works from a kayak. I have tried diving planes but not downriggers or lead core. 

Scott

Scott,

Downrigger is the way to go.

Ken kickfish

Thanks for the info.  I bought a couple of #5 Shad Rap's for my camping trip this past weekend but didn't have any luck with them but then again so far I havne't caught any fish while trolling...I'll have to keep trying.


Angel