Trolling with contours

[Prego]

With my recent fishing break during the Durban festival and a few days thereafter, I sought of confirmed my thoughts on this matter. While trolling against the contour lines say from 20m to the 60m mark we get absolutely no strikes but as soon as we reach the 60m mark turn & run with the contour lines be we gets strikes.

Why is this or is it just coincidence?

Your thoughts please.

[TUNAMAN]

Great question. The answer to this is quite complex to an exstend as there is varying factors at play that make for a good place where fish are holding or feeding. The recent GT we caught in DBN was caught at a place never before fished or visited and that we ( my crew and the crew of Witchcraft) identified of mapping of the contours. This just proves that it works.

Firstly I believe that fish move at a specific depth at times and this would be against the ledge. in your case you have to keep in mind that the color line also played a role in why the fish were feeding on the 45 plus as this is where it cleared to the blue waters that we exspect.

Another reason is that on standard mapping they do not indicate the detail of the contour you are travelling against. On detailed mapping this can be seen and as an example if the water is clean and there is an average current running then after a bump you will find your general gamefish after the bump or on the offshore side. Tuna normally on the North side into the current. The upwelling brings plankton rich water on which the baitfish feed up South of the bump/feature and hence this is where you can exspect the gamefish to feed.

[Prego]

Thanks Tunaman I agree with you 100% on the colour line water was crystal clear that day from say 45m but what I am trying to get at is that no strikes have ever occured for us when crossing contours perpindicular eg.  moving in a straight line say from 40m to 70m.
 That is what confuses me, is it because you run with or against the swell that change lure actions and tun the fish away?

[Capt. Hook]

I do not think that going deeper or shallower from a contour makes the difference, currents, tides and thermoclines have a lot to play in this regard. On many occasions the fish will only bite when you are moving in 1 direction and not the other, also depending on the currents as many time the fish will be feeding on the lee side of structure and the thermoclines are often higher on the lee side.
You also need to see the tide if it is falling or rising as this in itself has a huge influence on where and how the fish will feed.

[Prego]

I do not think that going deeper or shallower from a contour makes the difference, currents, tides and thermoclines have a lot to play in this regard. On many occasions the fish will only bite when you are moving in 1 direction and not the other, also depending on the currents as many time the fish will be feeding on the lee side of structure and the thermoclines are often higher on the lee side.
You also need to see the tide if it is falling or rising as this in itself has a huge influence on where and how the fish will feed.

Thanks Mike, could you maybe go into more details on how the tide changing could effect how the fish will feed please.

[Capt. Hook]

Thanks Mike, could you maybe go into more details on how the tide changing could effect how the fish will feed please.

Good Question:
Lets start by stating that the tides influence fish feeding patterns due to the sun and moon positions as we all know.
But, the falling and rising of the water level will also influence where and how far current lines will be as the tide movement is sort of like a current in itself which would be pulling or pushing as the tide mves and so moves food sources deeper or shallower.

[Prego]

Good Question:
Lets start by stating that the tides influence fish feeding patterns due to the sun and moon positions as we all know.
But, the falling and rising of the water level will also influence where and how far current lines will be as the tide movement is sort of like a current in itself which would be pulling or pushing as the tide mves and so moves food sources deeper or shallower.

Understood  ,

Anyone else care to share their thoughts and findings??

[jaenswart]

I could not identify a pattern in 30 odd years of fishing. Just when I think I have them figured out I catch a couta on muddy water or a sailfish in the breakers.


But on avg I recon predators will always go for the weakest link. It conserves energy and ups the chances of success. a baitfish swimming in the "wrong" direction or with a different action always atracks attention. Which is why I never can understand why lure manufactures always tries to imitates natures camo patterns (dark side top and light underneath).


Try reversing the colors and your lure stand out.


getting back to contour lines, I recon it's 50/50. Too many variables like current, swell, thermocline level, plankton and bait concentration, wind direction, water temp, sun moon position, troll direction, wake disturbance etc etc. I always zig zag, or figure 8 across structure, and mostly run parallel to contour lines (on the deep side).

[TUNAMAN]

With my recent fishing break during the Durban festival and a few days thereafter, I sought of confirmed my thoughts on this matter. While trolling against the contour lines say from 20m to the 60m mark we get absolutely no strikes but as soon as we reach the 60m mark turn & run with the contour lines be we gets strikes.

Why is this or is it just coincidence?

Your thoughts please.

Was it with or against the current?

[Prego]

The current was S-N I got strikes going against the current N-S and when going deeper running W-E and running shallower E-W no strikes at all even running over various structure points. I must say from the times I remember most of my strikes seems to come running against the current.

@ Jaen do you think that we should design a lure that tumbles instead of swimming nicely  to immitate an injured fish

[TUNAMAN]

Maybe an explanation could be that the fish are moving up the current or holding down current expecting the smell of food or food to be located as the water brings it onto them. Trolling into the current you go over more fish easier than criss crossing as you will have to intersect with a fish. Trolling with the current your lures do not swim properly as the amount of water over them will have to be your troll speed minus the current speed so you will have to up your down current troll speed.

[Prego]

Yeah I noticed the lures swim alot sweeter against the current & also no need to figit with throttles too.
 

[Cam Mundy]

Cool thread here is what I've been thinking
Your lures will be swimming with different actions going with the current and against it
Trolling at 8km per hour into a 4km per hour current your lure will have a 12km per hour "wobble" to get the same wobble going with the current you would have to first negate the 4km/hour current then add the 12km on top to have the same action giving you a SOG of 18km/hour

[Prego]

I must say that I tend to pull faster than most, those aliens smoked beautifully up to 18km/h but I tend to work between 12-16km/h.
To keep the same speed with the current is really difficult and from my findings thus far gives little results.

[TUNAMAN]

I must say that I tend to pull faster than most, those aliens smoked beautifully up to 18km/h but I tend to work between 12-16km/h.
To keep the same speed with the current is really difficult and from my findings thus far gives little results.

It explains the Billies...

[Capt. Hook]

I must say that I tend to pull faster than most, those aliens smoked beautifully up to 18km/h but I tend to work between 12-16km/h.
To keep the same speed with the current is really difficult and from my findings thus far gives little results.

What I have found that works well to manage the lures is to work on the rpm of your motors, same rpm with and against the current once you have got your lures working well will give you more or less the best correction to get the right speeds. You will always go slower into the current and faster with it. Your ideal speed will depend on the spread you are pulling, your rpm will vary each time you go aout according to the strength of the current.

[Prego]

What I have found that works well to manage the lures is to work on the rpm of your motors, same rpm with and against the current once you have got your lures working well will give you more or less the best correction to get the right speeds. You will always go slower into the current and faster with it. Your ideal speed will depend on the spread you are pulling, your rpm will vary each time you go aout according to the strength of the current.

I will give that a go next time thanks FA

[Prego]

It explains the Billies...

  The Marlin off Inhaca yes we where moving at 18km/h but the saily off Durban we were drifting and got it on a Jaen Swart couta trace no leader.

[Cam Mundy]

The Marlin off Inhaca yes we where moving at 18km/h but the saily off Durban we were drifting and got it on a Jaen Swart couta trace no leader.

We had a saily hit a couta bait about 6 foot of the back of the boat in about 20 meters of water off Durban once. At one point I though he was going to fly between the motors and land on the deck. Must be the Poison that's available down there

[Prego]

We had a saily hit a couta bait about 6 foot of the back of the boat in about 20 meters of water off Durban once. At one point I though he was going to fly between the motors and land on the deck. Must be the Poison that's available down there

  must be the local poison. This beauty also gave us a few glorious jumps just off the back and then peeled off line like a have never seen before 400m easy I actaully thought we were going to get spooled. Saily's off Durban really are