I troll (paddle slowly with 2 rods in holders) for crappie occasionally. Trolling for bass never seams to work for me. I always got the feeling if I'm doing it shallow, I'm spooking the bass. If I do it deep, I just get hung up.

Because I don't own a boat, but maybe I'll cast out today and run along the bank and see how it works out.

6 minutes ago, SJS said:

Because I don't own a boat, but maybe I'll cast out today and run along the bank and see how it works out.

That's really funny! Thanks for the laugh.

I do not troll much when bass fishing, mainly because my home lake has lots of standing timber and off-shore brush piles that I like to spot-lock near, and cast to.

I tried to set my boat up to be a multi-species, and do have rod holders. I will troll when fishing walleye. It's not my favorite thing to do...find it boring. I would rather cast, cast, cast, than troll.

Well, the consensus seems to be that trolling is boring and casting is fun, but if you're paddling to a casting spot, you might as well troll along the way.

Casting is challenging, so I'm guessing you non-trollers enjoy that challenge. You know that old axiom about the minority of anglers catching the majority of fish? I think casting skill separates the tight liners from the loose liners. As I was fishing last night, I reflected on the admissions by several Mainers that they're not catching bass in 2026 and then I'd lightly drop my craw within inches of my target while casting from a moving, bouncing canoe...and if you couldn't do that, you wouldn't catch those bass because they were parked under the woody bushes at the edge of the bog. See the bushes below:

Those bushes don't have soil beneath them. There's three feet of water beneath them and that's where the bass park. When the water warms, they'll emerge to chase a bait that is a foot or three away, but not now. You have to hit them on the nose to catch them and I'm guessing that's why the majority of you love casting: You love to thread the needle and bullseye those bass!

13 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

Well, the consensus seems to be that trolling is boring and casting is fun, but if you're paddling to a casting spot, you might as well troll along the way.

Yeah, I'll agree with that. It's rare that I purposely troll, but I'll often do it when I'm lake fishing and heading to a new spot.

The few times that I have trolled specifically to target fish (lake trout) I make it about 30-45mins before I gotta switch it up.

The main reason I didn't troll much was trolling was not allowed in tournaments. Trolling for bass is very effective but there are many variables. Trolling is a great way to locate bass, especially in the summer when bass seem to disappear from the shallows. Trolling covers a lot of water. Effective trolling for bass requires some speed. Offshore cranking accomplishes the same thing, but it's limited to young people with the strength and endurance to keep it up. The most effective bass trolling lure I have found is a deep diving crankbait. You need a boat and motor to troll fast enough to trigger a strike. When you get a strike, immediately mark the spot on your GPS or throw over a floating marker. I have found some great spots that way. Go back over the spot with your electronics trying to discover why the bass are holding there. If you find something, work it over with a worm or Carolina rig. If you need convincing, read about a man named Buck Perry and you will discover why he had so many followers. If the water you are fishing is weedy or you want to troll shallow, try trolling a Rattle Trap, it's especially deadly fished that way.

1 hour ago, SJS said:

Because I don't own a boat, but maybe I'll cast out today and run along the bank and see how it works out.

1 hour ago, SJS said:

Because I don't own a boat, but maybe I'll cast out today and run along the bank and see how it works out.

I landed my old PB 5.5 pounds that lasted for 40 years by trolling a spinnerbait while slowly walking along a steep bank with my rod held out to the side as far as I could reach. This was one of my most successful techniques when I was 14 years old.

1 hour ago, SJS said:

Because I don't own a boat, but maybe I'll cast out today and run along the bank and see how it works out.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

That's really funny! Thanks for the laugh.

I did that at walking speed and caught white bass as a teenager (back when pteradactyls roamed the skies).