Spring’s ice-out anglers know that casting and trolling require specific types and weights of line, but stream and lake levels, temperatures and clarity can all affect fishing results too.
The correct line, and even the correct leader weight, length, color and density, can turn a bust outing into a boom day.
Let me cite an example from a trolling trip last spring that will help sway the doubters. There are more than a dozen small lakes and ponds within a 30-minute drive of Presque Isle and most clear of ice a week to two before the larger regional lakes.
A friend and I were trolling size six single streamer flies from my 21-inch Maine Freighter canoe in late April, and I caught and released half a dozen trout in about 30 minutes. My boat buddy had only one strike and no hook-up during that time, even though he was using an almost identical fly.
Pretty sure what the problem was, I coaxed him into switching rods and just a few minutes later, he hooked and boated a fat and feisty 12-inch brook trout. Five minutes later, he caught another fish.
Our outfits were pretty much identical except my reel was loaded with a sinking tip fly line that was causing my streamer to run from two to four feet deeper than his floating line, depending on trolling speed.
This same situation has occurred so often over the years that I now bring a second rod and reel with a sinking tip line on spring outings in case my boat buddy isn’t equipped properly.
On larger lakes, I’ve often used a full sinking line for the first week or so after ice-out. It works well before the lake water “turns over” and the fish move up to feed nearer the surface.
I keep spare reel spools with a floating, sinking tip and full sinking fly line in my tackle box and can change over to match conditions in less than five minutes.
I also use a sinking leader on my spring fly lines to help keep the fly running level and deep. A regular leader on any style of sinking line is counterproductive. I’ve also learned that a shorter leader from five to six feet will run low and level with more consistent and lifelike fly motion than normal 7½- to 9-foot lengths.
Since spring freshet water is usually dingy and rife with debris, the fish aren’t leader shy, so I never go below a 4- or 5-pound tippet.
The stronger, shorter leaders often prevent loss of flies from accidentally hooking bottom weeds or subsurface reeds or tules when trolling.
There are two other options if you just don’t have access to a deeper running line. Use a weighted fly or a crimp-on sinker on your leader instead.
Conehead or beadhead nymphs, Matukas and leeches in black, purple and olive green are consistent fish takers and the weighted heads are a fair substitute for a sink tip line.
For streamer flies, winding several loops of fine weighted wire around the hook shank and securing it with thread and head cement, then building the body over the wire yields a deeper running fly. If a split shot sinker is the only available option, select a weight that gets the fly down at least from 3 to 5 feet and place it at the halfway point of the leader.
I’m not a fan of any lead core line for spring. There’s no need to troll that deep. Such weighted lines are best for late summer, hot weather deep dredging or downrigger trolling.
A Dacron, color-segmented trolling line will work on fly rod and reel or bait casting reels for Rapala-style plugs, medium lures and tandem streamers. These combos troll from 2 to 4 feet deeper than floating lines and leaders.
Early season fishermen who prefer a spinning or bait casting outfit generally use regular monofilament line for trolling or casting. I bump up to an 8-pound test from my standard 6-pound summer monofilament, and I prefer a red colored line over the semi-clear as it seems to blend into the off-color spring freshet water.
When the lakes and rivers become clearer, I switch to Fluorocarbon, which is stronger and more pliable than monofilament brands.
Another option for spring trolling is a braided line. Not as thin as other options, braided line has almost no stretch so yields a better ratio of solid hook-ups.
Many fishermen don’t give a lot of thought to line choice, but the right line for certain conditions can make or break an outing. This is especially true for spring trolling and late summer, low-water dry fly fishing.
Open water season is at hand. Ice-out trolling is happening in some parts of the state and soon will come to others, so it’s time to prepare.
