Strolling is not moving the bait!! that is what is commonly known as trolling. Strolling is perfectly legal and any trail that makes it illegal does not know what it is!!

Yamaha Runner... you have obviously not fished any pro tours or ran a tournament trail. Because Strolling has been around before you were born and it IS moving the bait. And, yes I do know what it is!!!

How does strolling give you a competitive edge over someone not doing it? Why does there have to be a rule to prevent it? Is it anymore effective than a power fisherman in shallow water with the TM on high just hitting high percentage stuff? I guess I am missing the point here of how it gives a guy an edge so strong that it is prohibited.

I see we are going to have to get more creative here

Dragging.....when effort it used to pull an object ie. wether it be by a boat under the power of a trolling motor, wind or current


Strolling along......pushing or pulling an object utilizing another object that has been modified with something to ease the effort....ie. a trolling motor.


Drifting.....an object that only moves by the forces of an unpredictable force.....ie. wind and or current.


Strolling would be trolling motor used to move a bait!

For those wondering what the edge is...

The reason guys do it (and I guess this would be the competitive edge) is that you can get a bait deeper in the water column than you can by casting.

Regardless of the proper term, if you drag/stroll/troll a DD22 with the trolling motor you can get it deeper than you can with the reel. I know I've seen the GPS on my boat read 3.2 mph when on high speed with my 101 M/Kota. That combined with using the GPS to make repeated passes back and forth over a piece of cover would allow you to dissect it with pinpoint accuracy that you may not see by casting and reeling. You could make repeated runs down the sides of a roadbed or a pond-dam and literally hit every inch of it. Being that tournaments are time limited the speed becomes an issue as well. You're covering water much faster (and more of it) than you would by reeling.

This is just one example.

Anyone or TD's who want to know what the deinition of strolling is need to go to the bassfan.com archives and look under the write up on the final results of the PAA championship at Lake Fork. Mike Iaconelli describes it and it could not be more clear. " strolling is a popular Lake Fork technique that involves making a cast, putting the trolling motor on high as you PLAY OUT THE LINE, coming to a stop , and THEN making your retreive. Find a replay of the event that was on CBS national TV and watch them do it for an hour

That is where the definition of "Strolling" comes in to play. Ike describes it one way, a term he and couple of others came up with over a couple of beers one night.

BASS and FLW define the word strolling as dragging a bait while the trolling motor is engaged and moving the boat. FLW even states in all their pretournament meetings that line must be taken in by turning the reel handle while the boat is being moved by the trolling motor. Anyone dragging a bait while the trolling motor is engaged will be DQ'd.

This all came to head because of some pro entrants complaining that their co-anglers were just sitting in the back of the boat and dragging a worm as the pro worked his way down the bank. The co-anglers were catching more fish than their pro draws.

Mark.... the only reason I can think of that it was banned is to try and keep the integrity of bass tournaments entact as it can be. As you're aware, trolling for bass in tournaments has always be looked down on and therefore banned. If someone just put their automatic, lazer guided and digital controlled 36 volt, 101 pound thrust trolling motor on high speed, they can just sit back and "troll" a crankbait or spinnerbait all over the lake all day long while they eat a sandwich and read a book. The competitive intent of the bass tournament is to match skill levels. The trolling of a bait requires no skill and the catching of bass is entirely a lucky ordeal. For instance, the lake record on Amistad was caught by trolling a DD22 while fishing for stripers.

Years ago when we had that wonderful reservoir known as Squaw
Creek, There were several of us doing what was then known as strolling to "troll" DD-22 along the pipeline. Ironically, speed was not the goal, in fact the slower you went the better the presentation. We would pay out line more than the normal cast distance, put our 24V on about mid range (I had a 57 lb thrust back then). The point was to get the bait down a depth that would intersect the humps and stay on bottom all the way across the humps (which were 16 to 19' on top). So with 14 pound line the first point of contact with the bottom happened in about 20' of water and didn't clear until you reached that depth again. It was phenominal when the big bass were on those humps (usually when the water temps dropped to about 69 degrees in the upper part of the lake by the stone house). I have used it several other places too with limited success, nothing like we did on Squaw Creek though!

My partner and I won a Texas Team Trail tournament at Squaw Creek several years back. We had to wait till most of the boats left the pipeline so we could make passes without getting in other peoples lines. The other two boats that were left with us eventually got the idea and started strolling with us. They took second and fourth I believe. The same day (some of you may remember), a guy ran his brand new skeeter bought from Fun and Sun up about thirty feet on the bank because of the fog. We found out first hand because there were three very well known fisherman right beside us the whole time. Whoever thinks strolling doesn't take skill obviously has never done it.
Why do you think most of the tournaments around here havn't made it against the rules? Maybe because they don't think there is an advantage? Everyone has different techniques. I don't stroll very often, but when it is needed to get bit there is nothing wrong with it.

Hag, I challenge you to just troll a DD22 around all day and eat a sandwich, and read a book and just see what you come up with. There is a lot more involved (to do it right) than most people think.

I know i will get bashed , but it ain't againt the rules!!!!!!

[quote] I know i will get bashed , but it ain't against the rules!!!!!! [quote]


All I know is that it is against the rules in my trail and a lot of other trails that I know of, including BASS and FLW.

I always say, to each his own. I stroll around some crankbaits while fun fishing and catch some good fish when the bite gets tough and the fish suspend on main lake humps. I love to stroll plastics over grass beds in deeper water on Amistad and Ivie. We can drag a Carolina rig in 100' depths on Amistad by strolling and catch some great fish. It's just my personal opinion that it is not matching skill level to skill level in tournaments. So, it will not be allowed in the WTTT. But, then again, I'm one of the old f.a.r.t.s that still fish the old ways that tournament fishing was originally designed to be fished.

If you fell that strongly about it then why would you make your tournament off limits to someone who might just "get lucky"? Is there money no good? Why cant they have a chance to get lucky and win? As long as they are in the rules anyone can win right?

i understand the idea of using the trolling motor to PULL your bait while the reel is engaged is not legal in some tournaments.

what about this: you cast out your line, leave the reel DISENGAGED, use the trolling motor to pull out ALL the line off your reel(meanwhile the bait is still sitting on the top of the water without ever moving).. then once you have no line left- you STEP OFF the trolling motor and start winding in your bait. That seems the only advantage you have was uinsing your trolling motor to further your cast. it takes out the strolling/trolling scenario and the reel was DISENGAGED during movement of the boat with any sort of motor.

This would seem to be legal in any tourney, or else the guys that are flipping grass and constantly standing on the trolling motor at 20% -would be breaking the same ruling. When I am flipping fast- i stand on the trolling motor button the whole time. I am looking for a reaction bite on the fall, it takes 2 seconds to flip in a spot/wiggle it twice/pull out for next spot.

Bingo. Nail. Head. hammer. It's about competition.

This post fails in so many ways.

FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL

Fail

fail

Ronnie... you are right. That scenario would be perfectly legal. But, despite claims by some, it is not called strolling. You and I have been around long enough to know that strolling was around many, many years ago..... before people even thought about the freespooling of line out for crankbaits in the scenario you described.

Sounds like you and I would enjoy a day on the lake flipping. That is the way I flip also.

I've read the comments from you guys that call strolling dragging the lure and claim that "dragging" isn't the correct term. Yet no one has given a name to the technique we're called strolling.

So for the record, what is it when you make a cast, move the boat with the reel in freespool and then retrieve the lure. If it's not strolling, then what is it??

The guys on my side of the fence can define strolling, dragging and drifting as 3 distinct actions. Yet ya'll have no name for this "mystery technique".

Hey K.D.

I'm just asking. I've been corrected and told it's not strolling...so then what is it??

KD, at the risk of sounding like a smart arse I call it, "make a cast, move the boat with the reel in freespool and then retrieve the lure", seriously. Personally, the examples a couple of us gave about Squaw Creek were the best examples of "strolling". It was far more "finesse" than simply putting the trolling motor on high and dragging the lure all over the lake. Those of us that worked at it could actually tell you exactly when the fish was going to hit the bait because we were so in tune with the technique and our electronics. The closest technique to strolling would be just as you described above (cast, payout line then retrieve). The only part you left out that we keyed on was LOCATION. As some of the Fork guys can attest to, having a prime piece of real estate is crucial to the success of the technique, and approaching that real estate at the right angle or retrieve was equally as crucial. The rest of it is the same, getting the lure into the strike zone the most effective way possible.
I think it's sad that the major league guys and some of the lower level circuits have outlawed the technique. The process really does require a lot more effort and detail than simply pulling a lure all over the place while on high (on the trolling motor).

Bob.... I'm not closed minded on this method or any other "new" technique. So, convince me why it should be legal and I will study the ramifications and merits of it for my trail. I have had some requests from teams that it be made legal and have been looking at it. Some teams are highly against making it legal and some others are begging for it to be legal. I tried to base my rules off of BASS and FLW, as they seem to know what they're doing....... at least sometimes

Yes, your technique on Squaw Creek is the perfect definition of strolling. You're right, there's no official name for the method of free spooling line and then moving the boat across the hump or point and engaging the reel.

Yes, there's a lot more to it than just sitting back and trolling around waiting on a bite. I made that statement after getting bashed by someone that's still wet behind the ears and was being a smart arse toward me. I was upset that someone stated I didn't know what I was talking about after having tournament fished for over 36 years now. We do this strolling for hybrids and stripers and you're correct in that a good fisherman can actually know exactly when they are in the zone and are going to get hit. There's a lot involved with developing a successful method to strolling an area.

Tommy,

I appreciate your patience on this post. One last question and I'm done with this one.

In your trail, do you allow the technique of casting, freespooling while moving the boat and then retrieving the lure?

Yes, KD that would be absolutely legal. No problem. I enjoy these discussions. But, when someone like we saw above jumps a veteran angler and says they don't know squat, it makes me upset.

You and I have been on this forum for a very long time and have had a few chances to actually meet and slap hands at a few shows. I have no disrespect for you or any body opposed to strolling. In fact, I would be suspicious of anyone that had the T-motor cranked up and running down essentially "nothingness water". I would definitely have a hard time not classifying that as trolling. Even with that I believe that individual would be at a disadvantage when matched up against the better fisherfolk that know how to dissect a piece of structure and good cover. Strolling, in my mind is a very precise presentation and serves essentially the same purpose as paying out line and cranking across a premium piece of structure (the only difference is that you don't pay out as much line). When we did it on Squaw, it was anything but random and only worked consistently on the humps at the pipeline for a very limited number of weeks (between the water's coldest point on the north end and 75 deg.), after that it was back to the other presentations. I cannot imagine it ever becoming a threatening technique on any trail because of the precise nature of it and typically impatient nature of most tournament anglers (I would surmise most would payout line and go to the other side and work the bait through it anyway).
We won a few tournaments at Squaw with it but it never really produced as well, anywhere else. Roger Romines was never bothered by it on his tournaments.

LOL You guys remind me of this #.... 3333333333333333333333333333333333333333........

only problem is. you leave the door open by allowing it, and then you will have a couple two or three push that envelope and spend all day going up and down the dam pulling crankbaits with the trolling motor. i consider that trolling... cause you darn sure arent using your arms to crank the lure in... and that should be the wording... you must not use any motor(electric or outboard/jet) to puposely move your lure through the water column in order to gain an advantage over a lengthy area.