Bunker Spoons

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Many “newbies ” to the sport roll their eyes, but even seasoned fishermen shake their heads when I walk to my boat with these7-10 ft. monster meat sticks spooled with shimmering steel and braid. Why? Well some feel that this is not really a sporting way to catch Stripers (or just a lazy waste of gas while hoping to catch a few fish). Sharpies however wink and give a thumbs up because they know that many of the largest Stripers are caught on the troll. I have been blessed to have fished and become friends with some of the best fishermen on the east coast and have them teach me their ways. In this series of articles on trolling wire and braid, I am here to help you avoid some of those mistakes and give you the skinny on how to troll effectively from A to Z. When I ask to define and explain exactly what trolling is in a seminar, I get a lot of replies. By far there is one definition that I feel really hits home: Trolling is a systematic way of eliminating water that may or may not hold fish. To take that further, it is a way to thoroughly use your brain, electronics and tackle while taking in consideration the time of year you are fishing, the bait that is prevalent, weather, wind, moon stage, and tide conditions. It is not just pulling out of the slip, dropping some Secret Spoons or umbrella rigs over the side and sitting back as you have a bagel and a cup of coffee and shoot the breeze with buddies on board as you hope for the best. Far from it. In many circumstances I have come across such fishermen on the water and in some situations it has turned into a heated exchange because trolling with wire requires a good amount of skill, awareness, and courtesy on the water. Before you invest in tackle to begin trolling and even before you leave the dock you need to understand certain things: • Be aware of what is going on around you when entering an area where boats are trolling wire and braided lines. Never troll to close to boats pulling wire nor cross the path of another troller since getting wire wrapped around your engine or prop is truly a disaster. It can endanger the safety of occupants on both boats and it is also not a way to make friends on the water! Be wary of anchored boats with lines out and note where their anchor line is to avoid tangles. • If you are last on the scene and observe boats trolling north to south do not be the guy who decides to troll east to west and cross their path. Doing this forces others to risk getting hung up on the bottom or snagged if they cannot retrieve their lines fast enough. If this does happen it can turn into a costly loss of a precious Secret Spoon or shad – not to mention valuable lost time fishing! Again, not a way to make yourself friends on the water. That one finger salute does not mean you are No. 1 so get over yourself, or else you will be ducking thrown sinkers! • Often overlooked is proper boatmanship and being courteous on the water. There is absolutely no need to troll up along a beach or shoreline and impede upon a shore fisherman.

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