Attach cranks with a snap to facilitate easy lure changes and to avoid stifling lure action with a tight knot. Cranks dive surprisingly deep on short lengths of superline; 60 or 80 feet of line, sometimes less, should be more than enough to reach target depths. If you can't reach the desired depth, switch to a deeper-diving lure. Short lengths of line let you weave in and out along pockets and turns in a weedline better; longer lengths reduce your maneuverability, result in more snags, and miss many nooks and crannies along the edge where fish hide.
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Begin in deep water outside the weeds. Let out enough line to reach down to or near the depth where rooted weeds stop growing -- the depth of the weedline. Begin trolling shallower, angling toward the weeds, quickly enough to get the lure hummin'. Watch your depthfinder. As you start seeing the outer weed fringe, turn parallel to the edge, positioning your boat just outside it. Ideally the inside rod tip closest to the weeds should occasionally brush near the weededge, but not bury the trailing lure in it. Tickling the fringe is your goal.
The system is achieved more by sense of feel and boat control than with electronics. If you're not feeling anything, slightly angle the boat shallower. As you begin feeling something, slightly angle it back out deeper again. Done properly, you'll occasionally brush weeds without fouling. If you're late on the retreat, begin to dig too much and feel resistance, give the rod a quick, powerful surge forward to rip the lure cleanly through the weeds, breaking the strands rather than uprooting the stalks. This is why you should always hold the rod rather than placing it in a holder. Quick, powerful reactions bring lures through cleanly. Brittle cabbage weeds break more cleanly than softer coontail, which tends to uproot rather than break. Yet a skilled hand can speed troll a coontail fringe, too.
Speed trolling weedlines is best done with a small transom outboard rather than a console motor. Once again, quick reactions in steering direction and motor speed will help you escape from trouble before burying the lure. Yet even the best will foul occasionally. An unexpected turn in the weededge traps you; you have nowhere to escape. If you're about to plow, just slow the motor to a crawl and let the lure float back to the surface; thus the use of floating-diving baits. Once the lure rises above the weed tops, creep back out to deeper water, and begin trolling again.
It's best for the driver to forward troll with his rod tip closest to the weededge to permit instant interpretation of changes in the depth and growth and to facilitate quick direction changes. Obviously, you can't troll in only one direction all the time, but it helps. Communicate with your partner when you sense any change.
As you learn contours of prime structures and variations in the weedgrowth, you'll be able to anticipate turns better, weave your trolled lures into and out of pockets with less snagging, position your lures barely inches outside tall standing weeds, and most importantly, catch more fish. In the warm water of summer, the additional speed you're able to impart to lures can at times trigger strikes far better than other systems, particularly if fish are surrounded by hordes of food. Remember, you're triggering impulse strikes, rather than tempting bites. At times, speed is exactly what you need, plus a clean trolling pass that barely tickles the fringe without fouling.
Always visualize the position of the lure in relation to the weededge, acknowledging that the path of the lure and the path of the boat do not necessarily coincide, particularly on turns. When you get good at it, you can literally anticipate the strike as the lure comes off the tip of a point or passes as far into a pocket as is daringly possible. "Five . . . four . . . there's the drop-off . . . three . . . two . . . get ready . . . one . . . BAM! There he is." Right on cue.
Speed the weeds. Tickle the walleyes' fancies. Trigger their interest. Jerk 'em up and outta there. Add a short wire leader if necessary to deflect the teeth of pike and muskies. Mostly, just hang onto your rod, set your drag to slip a bit on heavy impact, and buckle your seat belt. You're goin' for a spin.
