One for the trollers here.

[puckster_guy]

 Hey guys. Most of you guys know I am a troller It came about having my boat on Georgian Bay. It was almost always windy and rough. So still fishing without a heavy anchor wasn't always practical. So I trolled a lot. I still prefer to do so. I love the scenery and quiet here. I get my fair share of fish that way. What I find I'm doing is troll either deep divers down the middle of the lake. Or I'll pick a shore and drive down it for miles. sometimes in unproductive water moving on to the next point etc.
  What's your trolling style? Will you run the same ground back and forth? troll a long shoreline? Run from spot to spot? How often would you change lures? I sometimes drag the same lure around all day. Ever troll deep water ala L Erie? ever use an Erie dearie?

[NortonJoe]

Over the years I've probably done more trolling than anything else.  We usually start out hitting spots that have been historically good and troll with Hot 'n Tots. If nothing bites after a few passes back and forth, we move to the next spot.  If we get some action we troll back and forth as long as they are biting. We have, at times, trolled a long shore line but generally it seems like you are spending a lot of time in water you know is not going to be productive. Honestly, I rarely change lures because is seems that over the years a gold Hot 'n Tot has done the trick.  On those occasions when it is not, I'll switch to a different color or different type of lure. Now, don't get me wrong I dearly love drifting and jigging on a cool evening with just the right amount of chop on the water and cold Bleue in my hand...but yea, trolling is generally the plan.

[Gary S]

  I spent many hours trolling over in LaVerdery Park, I'm positive I spelled that wrong, but the Hot n Tots, Bombers, and other deep divers caught lots of Pike and eyes. Most years we caugh on various colors but there was a few years that yellow was the only color that caught fish, I wouldn't go without it.

[Lizard King]

-Early AM and late evening, troll open water.  Sometimes even over 180 to 200 FOW.  Simple equation of if baitfish there = walleye there.

-rest of time when trolling, pound shorelines, points, and islands.  Fear of losing tackle often means missing out on fish.  Typically try to keep boat 12 to 20 FOW.

-if active between locales A and B on a shoreline, I will go back n forth.  If waves and wind too much for proper boat control going from locale B back to A, will just reel in and run back to A and go down shore that way again.
-I try to avoid dead zones.  If there is an elongated indent or bay in the shore that will take me 10 to 15 minutes to cover and I have never caught fish in there, just reel in and jump down to next point.
-if running a new shoreline or one I have not touched in years, throw everything I mentioned above out the window.  I will run entire length without changing direction.  Only real way to learn and locate.  Some of the best trolling locations no one would ever think is a good place to drop anchor and jig.  They are there.  But there is not the same spot day after day along given shoreline.

Lure changing.  Ugh.
-Decades ago I always wondered why dad had so many lures.  He would do the guy trip opening week and then we would do the family trip for two weeks in summer.  He had enough lures for a fleet of boats.
I am now my dad.  But I try to make them earn the money I spent.  On any given trip, I will probably put at a minimum 20 to 25 lures on.
-many guys simply change amount of line out to change depth.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that.  I prefer to have 90 to 100 feet of line out.  I change lures to change my depth.  Works for me, probably not for everyone.
-I am not exactly patient.  If you, meaning the lure, do not catch a fish in 20 minutes, good chance you are coming out of the water and back into tackle box.  But, say I catch 3 or 4 fish in a relatively short timeframe, sometimes I will change color or different lure at same depth.  To see if it is the lure or they are hitting everything.

This all makes for the daily fun for me.  Using my best lure or two the entire week and whatever happens, happens, would not be as much fun.  Even if it costs me a few fish.
I do drop anchor awhile each day.  But spending entire week jigging, casting, and drifting would be boring to me.  I prefer to be on the move.

[limacharley]

Worst part of trolling is snagging bottom on an unexpected shoal and losing a $12 crankbait.

I generally only troll in the spring after the walleye spawn and before they school up.

[Gary S]

Worst part of trolling is snagging bottom on an unexpected shoal and losing a $12 crankbait.

   I have a homemade lure retreiver that has saved hundreds of dollars worth of plugs. I use 3 pieces of chain, swingset chain works good, the wire must be small enough to easily tangle the hooks. I take about 40' of parachute cord and tie the one end through one end of the chains, I also tie a large snap there to kook over the line, back the boat and try to get line vertical and send the chans down, work the chains up and down untill the hooks are tangled and pull in, may need to straighten or replace a hook. I have the "dry" end of the cord fastened to an 8" long piece of 2x4 which I can wrap it all up on and if you drop that end in it will float. Ask questions if thats not clear.