To Cast Or To Troll?
When is casting better than trolling and vice-versa? Before answering, we should address the terminology. Common terms like casting and trolling are bandied about until their meanings become bleary. And some may think gray areas exist between the two.
Trolling is moving the bait with the boat. When speed and movement of a lure or bait is determined by boat movement, that’s trolling. Casting is the act of physically throwing and then controlling the speed, direction, or depth of a lure or bait with rod, hands, wrists, and arms.
So standing in the bow and moving the boat with a trolling motor while pitching is casting, because the angler controls the speed and action of the lure. But drifting and vertical jigging is actually trolling, because the boat controls the direction and speed of the presentation.
Which leads us again to the essential question: When to cast and when to troll?
Cast when:
• Fish are tightly grouped and concentrated in a small area.
• Fish are scattered in weeds or tight to weededges where trolling can be inefficient, due to fouled lures.
• Fish are on precise spots on spots, like a patch of boulders on the end of a point, or the cup on an inside turn.
• Fish are shallower than about 12 feet and spooky.
• Fish are shallower than five feet.
• Fish are visible.
• Fish are scattered vertically on a sharp break.
Troll when:
• Fish are scattered horizontally.
• The situation requires covering a large piece of structure quickly.
• The situation requires covering water quickly.
• Exploring and learning a new body of water, especially during a calendar period when walleyes tend to hold deeper than 12 feet.
• Fish are deep, generally deeper than 12 feet, though the deepest parameter for effective casting is actually about 25 feet.
• Aggressive, biting fish are scattered on shallow flats.
• Fish are suspended.
So, while a small rock pile in shallow water is always a casting target, a large reef in deep water typically is a trolling target. In most cases, the break point between trolling and casting is determined by depth. As a rule, cast to walleyes shallower than 12 feet, and troll for deeper fish.
But such simple guidelines require modification. Factors that can move this arbitrary break point shallower or deeper include light, clarity, and the aggressiveness of the fish. Aggressive fish respond to trolling tactics in 8 feet of water or less, especially in darker water on dark, noisy, windy days. Yet spooky fish in 16 feet of ultraclear water on a bright, calm day might best be approached by casting.
For the most part, the equation is simple. When walleyes concentrate shallow and orient to small, specific identifiable spots such as a patch of boulders on the tip of a reef or in pockets along a weedline, casting is indicated. When walleyes are suspended over deep water or spread over large areas with 20 or more feet between each individual fish, trolling is the way to go. Often, though, it’s necessary to reach beyond such arbitrary guidelines when weather, water clarity, seasonal aspects, and other conditions change the rules.
To cast or troll? Depends on conditions. Be prepared to do both. No matter the presentation systems you use, proper boat control is essential to success.
