Striper Trolling Speed ?

[Rock_Fish]

What speed do you think is the optimum trolling speed for stripers ? And do you troll at different speeds with live bait verses artificial ?

I have heard everything from .5 to 2.5 MPH ???

[FlyLie]

What speed do you think is the optimum trolling speed for stripers ? And do you troll at different speeds with live bait verses artificial ?

I have heard everything from .5 to 2.5 MPH ???

I troll up to about 1 mph with livebait when pulling boards or using downriggers., but with artifical (swimbaits) I speed up to around 2.5 mph if I am hunting fish with the downriggers. Hope this helps.
Gary

[tracker18]

I am the same as Boone. .5 to 1 pulling boards with live bait. 2.0 to 3.0 when searching using down rigger. Come asross a school or wad of bait with fish under them idle clear down or take it out of gear, let the bait swing down. They tend to hit once your in gear again. Most important is when catching if they are short get them back in ASAP, get your limit and go to the house for a cool beverage.

[apb]

Trolling speed will depend on the lure that you are trolling. One reason to go with the same lure on all rods is that you can determine the best speed for that lure and stick with it knowing that all of the lines are running at their optimal speed. One of the nice things about bucktail jigs is that they'll work well at a wide range of speeds. I've trolled them from .5-4 mph and caught stripers. Higher speeds when I am in search mode. If I run through a school at a higher speed and they do not hit, I'll run back through at a slower speed. Just have to remember that you'll have different fall back depths with an increase or decrease in speed.

Andrew

[Duayne]

As has been stated, trolling speeds for live versus artificial are two different numbers. 0-1 for live, 2+ for artificial. Yes, zero can sometimes be the PERFECT speed if a school is right underneath you.
HOW you are trolling artificial matters as well. If you are just trolling weight, you will want to stay on the low end closer to 2 as the faster you go, the more shallow your baits will run. If you are trolling cranks/spoons, you will want to make sure to troll at a speed that works best for the baits. If you are trolling down riggers, you have much more wiggle room on depth.

I have started doing more of what APB has said when using riggers in trolling faster (3+) to find the zone. When I see marks, I will slow down/stop, allow the baits to fall, then try to "gun" the baits to get them to rise quickly. NOTE: You WILL get strikes on the fall when slowing down, but far less hook ups. Vertical changes are a must. If in a consistent "zone" I will hold steady at 2.5 or so and move in an "S" pattern. This causes one side to raise while the other side falls.

I will sometimes mix baits, but only with one type of bait and bucktails. Never, say, spoons and cranks. Bucktails work at any speed and you can vary them with the trailer. Bucks work with stacking under shallow running cranks, Bucks work with stacking over heavier spoons. Mixing cranks and spoons? Not a good plan unless you really really understand speed and bait variances.

[sweett4u]

wit live bait go slow as possible on trollin motor, lures such as umberalla rigs around 2 mph or 2.5 mph use bursts slowing n speedin up around points or wen u start graphing fish