"Lures of the Month" from ABQ Sportfishing and Bob "Lucky" Lechel:
ABQ's pick is the Reef Runner Ripshad 400 Chartreuse/Orange Prism.
Lucky's choice: Lucky Craft Moonsault CB-250 Chartreuse Shad/Ghost Minnow - dives 6-9ft with a tight wiggle. Has rattles like a lipless crank and lip and vibration of a traditional. Great on schooling fish!!!
Check out the July 2008 photos

Precision trolling in western reservoirs can be a very technical game. Many reservoirs have sharp breaks up near shore that requires special attention. Paying special attention to these changes in bottom depth and where the fish are laying can make the difference between catching and fishing.

First, you will need some basic items for getting your bait and boat right where you need it. Precision Trolling is a must, it teaches you the fundamental aspects of trolling, and provides detailed "dive curves" for your favorite lures. Precision Trolling lets you accurately place your lures at precise depths. Line counter reels (Shimano Tekota’s are second to none) or clip-on line counters (Shakespeare or Rebel) to know how much line is out. Offshore planer boards to get the baits spread out and away from the boat. Rods are a personal choice (Shimano Talora is my new favorite), but something at least 7’ with a long handle if you use rod holders (a must for pulling boards) in a medium action. These items will do the trick to get the bait in position.

The more important element, getting the boat in position, has more technology involved. Using an autopilot system of some variety can make your life much easier. The method many anglers that fish smaller water employ is the Minn Kota series of motors that employ Auto Pilot features. These motors when set to a heading, will maintain course and with minor adjustments to course can be very helpful in making boat control almost easy. Minn Kota introduced a wireless remote this year called the Co-Pilot that has made adjusting your course much easier. This method can be used solo or in conjunction with a boats kicker or main motor depending on wind and speed needed.

My current setup involves a Minn Kota Autopilot with Co-Pilot feature, kicker motor, and Garmin GPS with downloaded FHS maps with bottom contours or my own routes that I can create to follow the break (if no cartography is available). Once I have done some searching with my sonar to find where the fish are hanging, I’ll determine what my best tactic is for the area. Generally speaking they will be hanging at a certain depth, on, or near bottom. I’ll run out away from the fish, get the lines ready so I hit the spot with baits in the water, and then prepare to follow the break using the GPS to follow the contour and maintain correct speed. If we are running a shoreline, I’ll rig up to four boards to run on the shore side of the boat so all the baits will be in the zone. Using the planer boards, I will stagger the baits from shallow near shore to deeper away from shore. The distance between the depth changes will determine how far apart I will run my boards. Sometimes a wider spread will cover a larger area, but if the fish are hanging tight to a depth running them closer may produce better numbers. Try to keep one bait running differently than the rest, that one may just find that “big” fish. It may also indicate if there are fish at other depths.

When running a tight contour toward shore I’ll use my bow mount sonar to watch the depth or the track on my GPS depending on how tight the contour is. For running very tight turns and quickly changing break contours, I prefer to work from the front of the boat. When a fish is hooked, you simply head the boat for an open stretch, set the AP feature on the trolling motor, and fight the fish. I’ll generally give an area a few passes before I change baits, first I will move slightly in or out based on my previous pass. Once you have tried a few passes and the fish are still there, try different baits at the same depth or vary your speed.

Determining the correct speed can be a difficult task, but the first place to start is watching how the bait you are pulling reacts in the water. If you are pulling bait too fast or too slow, it can make a huge difference. The fish may prefer a speed that is within a tenth of a mile per hour from your current speed. Finding this speed with your GPS and repeating it can be the difference between getting them in the boat or straining water.

There are so many variables in the world of trolling that leave the presentation open to many interpretations. Experimenting with speed, depth, and baits opens the door to years and years of trial and error. Trolling in general will cover more water to locate active fish and also put bigger fish in the boat at times. The equipment can be an investment, but the rewards far outweigh some of the initial investments. Remember you can start out with some clip on line counters, use your trusty baitcaster, and hold the rod. Knowing where your bait is requires Precision Trolling, which is a must. Then you can add the rest down the road.