HAhaHAhaHAhaHA.....That is good...Hillary Clinton was probably in the cooler poking out all the fishes eyes...to get any deep diver to track straight one needs to simply tune the bait...bend the eyelet to the opposite direction of the way the bait is running.

+1. Bend the eyelet one way or the other to adjust and just hang the hell pet over the side of the boat to see how it is running if it is tuned to where it runs sideways too much, it will run sideways until it actually turns up & comes to the top, but if it is tuned to run straight it will dive deeper/better. I never have put a weight on mine.

I don't do a lot of trolling, but on the tough days (especially after a high pressure front) it is a good way to locate fish. I don't like doing it, gas is too expensive! But sometimes it can make the difference between a good trip and a bad one. Just make sure you don't troll right through a bunch of boats sitting on a spot. If there are a bunch of boats in a certain area there is either fish there and you can catch more jigging for them or there are no fish there and trolling through them won't be productive anyway. Trolling is just another tool for catching fish. If you are having trouble locating them give it a try. When you catch one, throw a bouy marker out or mark a waypoint and pass back through the same area. If you hook up again, throw out an anchor or trolling motor and try a slab. You might find a good honey hole!

One trolling tip ... troll into the wind. Then when you get a hookup, you can let the wind drift you back over where the fish bit & see if you can locate the school with slabs, sassy shad, etc.

It's worked for me a number of times!

Guess i have a question.......... When i troll this way, i never have removed the hooks. Didnt know i was supposed to. With this some certain days on texoma i have landed the larger striper on the hell bender and sandie on the trailer. I usually only have a 18in trailer behind. Looks like everything ive read everyone removes the hooks and uses a longer leader. Guess question is....... Does it work better with a long leader and no hooks?

Well,I've one question for the Pro?
If I marked fish at 17' so how much line It will be? Thanks.

If you are fishing Open Water then leave them on there. When trolling humps and points the hooks tend to hang up.

I count down... let the line out and count ... 1 one thousand 2 one thousand and so on. I would count to about 15... sorry, that is all I got

Thanks,John.

How deep will the Hell-Pet go with a 20 pound line? Is it dependant upon the speed of the boat and weight of the line? I am guessing this won't work in shallow water. Thanks, Patti

In politically correct terms, I prefer to call it, "Changing location of the boat without removing the lure(s) from the water." Sort of like the old military phrase, ..."not retreating, but attacking in a different direction."

There seem to be occasions when a vertical presentation just isn't the ticket. Horizontal (trolling) seems to offer a suitable and fun alternative to going home with a big stinky skunk.
I do,however substitute the expensive Pet Spoon with the inexpensive and durable Tag-A-Long. (see my sig)

if your trolling a shallow area, one that works good for me is a rattle trap with a rooster tail trailer. its a deadly combo.

yep big bob- also just about any of those mepps spinners work pretty good too-

GFW, Day Dream, Patti;
Welcome to the forum.
Trolling is a great way to become familiar with the water you are fishing. Pay no attention to the 'nay sayers'. You can tell by the number of times they have posted that they have been fishing for some time and know where to look for the fish. Eventually you too will be able to bypass known unproductive waters when starting your search. It is said that "10% of the lake holds 90% of the fish". Stay with it. There are plenty of folks like Mr. Varner on "the Forum" willing to give you serious advice that you can use to hone your fishing skills. Soon you will be able to experience the thrill of "Position Fishing"
J.B.