A little info on Trolling Divers for those interested.

[Striperfishin]

Jet Divers: I have found these to be very effective in TN. Max trolling speed in about 3MPH for a good one and 2.5 for others. You can only troll low drag lures too, or the lure will pull too hard and plane them to the surface. Small bucktail jigs, trolling spoons, etc.

Dipsey divers: These have a lot more drag on the line, but go much straighter down and you can pull bigger higher drag lures up to 4+ MPH.

Just a couple ways to troll deep for those with-out downriggers. They also outfish downriggers sometimes by getting the lures out away from the shadow of the boat.

Good fishing,
Brian

[Boles]

Thanks for posting your experience with these, I've often wondered how well they actually work. Do they hang up pretty bad, they kind of look like they may deflect off cover pretty well?

[Striperfishin]

Use a lighter leader to your lure than you main line and you will usually get them back. I have hung somejetdivers thought that must have wedged between two rocks and they were not coming back. That is one bad thing. You lose a $8.99 diver + you lure. Of course they are best used in open water on suspended fish, so it is usually not much of a problem.

Brian

[TNtransplant08]

Since I fish from the bank and my striper opportunities are kind of limited, so I've never given it a try. But I discovered something on the internet recently that caught my interest and wanted to see if you've tried it and what you think. Always wanted to try catching a stripe.

Have you ever tried the Luhr Jensen Hot Shot Side Planer for bank fishing in rivers? I know it was originally made for trout and salmon, but I would have to think it might work well for the bank fisherman to reach into areas that we can't cast to. I would think you could put anything you wanted to behind the planer....spoons, hair jigs, crankbaits, live bait, cut bait...etc.

[Striperfishin]

You would be better off using a standard inline planer board like an offshore board. Then use weight or what ever you want to get the bait down to where you need it. In most TN rivers, you will want the bait within 10' of the surface anyway. The board will act as a strike indicator when you get bit. If you use a hotshot, you will be getting snagged and collecting a lot of debris. Eventually the debris will just carry it down river.
Also, be careful calling stripers stripe, it will lead to a lot of confusing around TN. In TN the locals call a striper a rockfish and a white bass a stripe. If you tell someone you caught a 25lb stripe, they may think you have been sippin on the white lightning a little too much.

Good fishing,
Brian

[TNtransplant08]

You can use a offshore board from the bank? From what I understood, a offshore board is more for people trolling from a boat...interesting, I'll have to check it out. Also, does the hotshot planer submerge underwater? The directions on the website seems to indicate it stays at the surface and you can use it like a bobber to help indicate strikes.

Thanks for the tips!

[Striperfishin]

I think the hot shot stays on top, but the only way to keep your line above water and bowing in the current is with a big highly buoyant board. Though designed for boats any side planer board can be used from the bank. Just make sure you know what side of the bank you will be fishing and get the appropriate board.

Good fishing,
Brian

[flipmode]

Thanks for the post.

I have never trolled for fish. Do you you use a trolling specific setup? I suppose it's important to have a line counter on your reel. Also, what are some of your favorite baits to use?

[bd-]

If you are interested in learning how to deep-water troll, check out the reports from "fishfindergeneral" over on the Dale Hollow Forum at Mike Anderson's trophyfishingtn website.

http://trophyfishingtn.com/smf/index.php?board=28.0

That guy really has the technique down for trolling deep. It's a popular technique up North, but it doesn't get a lot of attention down here. He shows it works though.

bd

[TNtransplant08]

BD, thanks for the link. Looking at the pictures make me long for my trolling days for trout/salmon on Lake Michigan and walleyes on Lake Winnebago when growing up in Wisconsin. Moved to TN due to job, so I may have to book a trip with them to bring back memories. Didn't realize that Dale Hollow had such large rainbows!

[Striperfishin]

BD,
Awesome link. Thanks. I go to Mikes site, but never noticed that. I always hated trolling, but have found in kind of fun to play with the divers, downriggers, etc. Precise depth control is key and you sure can get some good fish when nothing else is working.

Good fishing,
Brian