I have been experimenting with trolling but have not had any luck. Its as though I have never fished before and totally lost as where to start. Please give me any advice which might help me.

Questions I have are:
1) What depth do I start at?
2) Should I locate baitfish and troll below them?
3) What should the water temperature be?
4) Do I troll creek and river channels?

Thanks for any advice in advance.

1. start where the fish are at. I look for concentrations of bait located near or at the bottom. Thats where I fish! Remember the 12-22 rule. You can just about always find fish in that depth most of the year on most Tx lakes. There are exeptions but that will get you started in the right direction.
2. Locate a break line/ drop off, creek channel, or any place that would hold fish.
3. Any temp
4. Both

Jerry & Paul have a tolling video that will help you out. If you want to do a seminar trip on CC lake I can build your confidence in trolling. I can show you how to read your graph & troll up crappie right now on most points & humps on the lake. Also I suggest reading books and magazines to hone your skills. Good luck

chuck where can i get the video on trolling for crappie? also is this trolling with lve bait? i would like to know how to rig the bait? weight below the bait or carolina rig?

contact Jerry Hancock at 214-514-2421. He and Paul have a video that covers the basics.

Yes, I use live bait and jigs both. Live bait will sometime out produce jigs though, especially when the water temp is really cold.
I normally put my weight above my hook. Sometimes if I am trolling aroung brush or rocks I will put the weight below the hook though. Jerry and Paul use a rig with two hooks and a weight in the middle. I sometimes use this rig but normally just use one hook. If I were trolling in a tourny I would suggest there rig.
Good luck

Above is a good brief description of slow trolling aka spider rigging.

However, you didn't state what type of trolling you are wanting to do. You can also long line troll for crappie with jigs, crankbaits or jigs tipped with minnows. This type of trolling is typically done at a faster speed, with the line out about 25 yards or so. Long line trolling allows you to cover more area when the fish are suspended and not concentrated on any one particular feature.