Wobblers for trolling

Wobblers for trolling, what to choose

The same trolling wobbler can be very good or not at all, and most of the time it depends on the angler and not the wobbler itself, but not every trolling wobbler is good or tricky. When trolling, it is not important how the wobbler behaves during the pause, what kind of moves it makes during the twist. There are other aspects that matter. It is the depth of the dive, the ability to work steadily at higher speeds, the amplitude of the oscillations, but of course the most important thing is the wobbler's bite. A troll is a troll, and here a much higher proportion of success depends on the right wobbler being chosen correctly, not on the right cast as in spinning. Of course it is very important to know what depth, where and at what speed to troll, but this is learnt much faster than mastering the wobbler by trolling.

I troll in a variety of conditions. In the Nemunas below Kaunas, where the depth is low but the current is high. In the deep Kaunas Marias, and above the Kruonis Hydroelectric Power Station up to Piliuona. I also have experience in trolling in various lakes. I have not mastered all the trolling techniques, and the winch, boats, and outriggers do not appeal to me. I have not tried pike fishing either, so we will talk about the standard popular trolling: rod - line - wobbler.

So, my top wobblers, , are definitely not in order, because the years are not the same, and in different conditions and different leaders are found.

Rapala Shad Rap 9

Rapala's silent classic Shad Rap has been around for over 30 years. This 9 cm, 15 gram silent balsa wobbler is now in its fourth decade and still popular. About 5 years ago it was almost forgotten as people tried the various new products that flooded the market, but this period did not last long and now the Shad Rap is enjoying a renaissance again. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that more and more trollers are trying to storm the Nemunas at Jurbarkas or Birštonas, where the Shad Rap 9 is one of the first choices. Trollers do not troll in those areas for no reason, but when trolling with Shad Rap 9 there is a high chance of encountering the biggest fish in our waters - catfish, and sturgeon and pike do not refuse this bait either. One or two other larger perch will also bite. When trolling for catfish in the current, it is worth trying to swim with the current and not to be afraid that the minimum speed will be 5-6km/h. For catfish trolling, the first place to look for large holes in the Nemunas should be. I don't mean the deepest little holes behind an old dam, but long deep stretches. Let us say that the depth of the riverbed in that section of the Nemunas is predominantly 2.5 metres, and there is a stretch of several hundred metres where it is 4 metres deep. The second, much more difficult method of trolling is to check for buried holes. This requires a lot of work because the section is very short and the change in depth is very sudden.

In still water, the Shad Rap 9 can be dived from 3 to 6 metres, depending on the thickness of the line and the amount of slack released. In the current it is certainly different. Upstream the wobbler dives approximately one metre less, downstream the same, in some cases even deeper, than in still water.

The colour range of this wobbler is really wide, although it is constantly changing and updating year after year, and old models can still be obtained. Speaking of catfish, the most popular shades for catfish are dark red, brown with red (Demon). Or various crab imitations (Crawdad).

Rapala Deep Tail Dancer 11; 9; 7.

All sizes of this model take up two full boxes in my trolling wobbler box. The Deep Tail Dancer is made of balsa wood, but Rapala has gone the extra mile and built a sound capsule into this wobbler. This is quite a rare case when a wobbler made of balsa wood also rattles. 11cm 22g DeepTail Dancer is an indispensable sturgeon in the Kaunas Lagoon. Depending on the thickness of the line and the section released, it dives up to 12m. The depth of the line is up to 12 metres and is perfect for checking the bottom of the pond bed slope. The 9cm 13g model is much more versatile. It has a trolling depth of 6 to 8 metres, but it is already used for fishing in stronger currents. It is most popular for trolling in the Nemunas near Birštonas, and also proves useful for checking holes in the lower Nemunas, as well as in all the Kaunas Marias. Both in the lower part and above the Kruonis HAE. This size is excellent for sturgeon, pike and larger perch.

7cm and 9g. The smallest member of this family, it is mainly used for fishing in the Nemunas current and in spring or autumn in the Kaunas Lagoon for trolling perch and hoping for one more sturgeon. This model dives from 3,5 to 6 metres. The main good features of all Rapala Deep Tail Dancer are its active and smooth action, no matter what speed you reel at. Very good ratio of maximum draught to size. I mean, the size to dip ratio of the wobbler is highly appreciated. There are a lot of deep-diving big wobblers, and a small selection of deep-diving small wobblers. Well, there is, but most of the long-fish "cranks" that can dive really deep don't work well when trolling for our predators. All those Japanese bubbles with their giant tongues dive really impressively, but their performance becomes chaotic and overly aggressive when trolled faster. Also in Deep Tail Dancer don't be afraid to go over the bottom. When pulled in this way it becomes very attractive to predators, and its tongue covers the hooks and it does not hook easily on bottom snags.

The Rapala Deep Tail Dancer has a huge colour range too. As with other classic Rapala wobblers, the Deep Tail Dancer has been getting more and more colourways over the years, but the old colours have been taken out of production and are becoming harder to come by. So if you find your favourite colour, buy a few of them and save them for the day when they are no longer in production and your own is discontinued. It is really difficult to pick out a top colourway for this model, there is no one or few leaders. I always have a brightly coloured tiger, a natural grey and at least one shiny foil pattern in every size.

Yo-Zury 3D Crank (3DS Crank Deep Diver 65F)

This is the well-known plastic flat crank. Now it's a bit different, more precisely the colouring technology has been updated and a new range of colours has been added, but everything else remains the same. This 6,5cm and 17g rattling wobbler has a very wide diving range. Its dive varies considerably depending on the amount of line released (and, of course, the thickness of the line). It can be trolled in 5 metres of water and with 50m of line it can reach depths of 9 metres, 10 metres and thinner. Perhaps this versatility has contributed to its popularity. Both I and I think most trollers like trolling with this wobbler in the Kaunas Lagoon below Kruonis HAE. It is a wobbler for sturgeon and large perch. Pike, for some reason, take it less often. Another observation is that it is also used by the salamanders in the Kaunas Lagoon. I have also noticed the negative characteristics of this crankbait, which is more prone to snagging on bottom stumbling blocks than the previously mentioned Rapala wobblers. The colour palette, as with most Yo-Zury wobblers, is not large. It consists of 12 colours. My favourite colours are the Holographic Gold Black (popularly known as "Gold") and the Holographic Tennessee Shad in the classic red-grey.

Rapala MaxRap Fat Shad

This slow-rising plastic baby has only been around for a year, but has already become a favourite with trollers. At only 5cm long and 8g. It dives over 5 metres when trolling. With a thin shaft it can go even deeper. To tell you the truth, this wobbler has replaced the Duel Hardcore Shad 65, which is no longer available in Lithuania, both for me and for most trollers. It works very similarly and it is definitely better, maybe even better at catching various predators. To tell you the truth, this crankbait is also perfect for spinning, as it has a long cast system and casts well. The Rapala MaxRap Fat Shad is perfect for trolling in all water bodies. It is also used in lakes, the Kaunas Lagoon and the entire Nemunas. It holds the current perfectly and is suitable for both fast and slow trolling. It is used by practically all predators in our waters, it is not too big even for a small perch and not too small for a huge catfish. For pike, it is more useful when guided about a metre above the bottom, while for sturgeon and perch I would use it to push the bottom of the pool. Just remember to use at least half a metre of fluorocarbon line before the leader, as the braided line wears off very quickly when ploughing the bottom. However, do not use a very thick fluorocarbon line for this calibre of lure, as it does not allow the wobbler to sink so deeply. A thickness of 0.3-0.35mm is sufficient. The colour range of the MaxRap Fat Shad is not wide. It consists of 14 colours. Flake Silver Steel red grey, Yellow Green Red UV works well in cloudy water.

Rapala X-Rap Shad 8.

This model is very similar to the Rapala Shad Rap, but I wouldn't compare them very much. As we know the entire X-Rap series is made of plastic and has a rattling and neutral buoyancy, while the balsa Shad Rap is silent and buoyant. So they are different in terms of their performance underwater. The X-Rap Shad's performance is more aggressive than the classic Shad Rap, and it is more effective at higher speeds. Also don't be afraid to scrape the bottom with it, in this position it becomes very attractive to predators. I can't fail to mention that if nothing is biting when trolling, you can stop and try to fish with the X-Rap Shad. It is perfect for that. It dives about 3 metres when spinning and 4-6m when trolling. X-Rap Shad 8 is for me the number 1 wobbler when trolling around Kruonis HAE. With this pattern, mainly pike and salmon in Gold are biting there. I have not caught much with Stark. This model is also good for fishing higher up - towards Piliuona. The colour range of X-Rap Shad is quite wide, and it is not easy to choose the colours. As I mentioned, the most popular colours are Gold, and Hot Steal is not far behind. In the lakes it is better to go for bright tiger shades. The natural shade of Silver rarely disappoints either.

Lucky Craft Pointer 128 Sp

What kind of wobbler is this? More than one reader has probably had this thought. The simple answer is that it has brought me many times more pike when trolling than when angling, and I'm not alone.

The 12,8cm long and 28g minnow-type rattling "suspender" is really very catchy at shallow depths when trolling for pike. Personally, I have found it very useful in the Nemunas when trolling upstream. I have also caught trophy pike with it. This model works wherever you troll. It trolls at 2.5-3.5 metres, while pike, which often like higher wobblers, can be trolled at 5 metres. This wobbler prefers a rather slow trolling pace and can be trolled while trolling. The Lucky Craft Pointer 128 Sp has a huge range of colours and everyone will find their favourite shades. For me personally, the Yellow Tiger colouring is irreplaceable.

Rapala Down Deep Husky Jerk 12

Down Deep Husky Jerk 12 belongs to the Rapala minnow family of plastic neutral buoyancy lures. This longfin minnow is 12cm long and weighs 15g. The body is really thin, but the nose is decorated with a massive and long tongue. Its trolling depth is 5-7m. It is one of the rare models that dives deeply and does not work actively, which is very attractive for sturgeon, salmon and passive pike. It is trolled everywhere and in lakes and in all Kaunas Marias and in the Nemunas near Birštonas. Many trollers name this wobbler as the most successful when trolling in the upper part of the Kaunas Lagoon. It also works well for me in the lakes. It is suitable for both fast and slow trolling, the pace should be chosen according to the water temperature. The lower the temperature, the slower the pace. This model does not have a lot of colours, so I know many trollers who have all 12 colours. Unlike other Rapala models, the most popular colours on this model are very easy to distinguish. The most popular colour is Tennessee Shad, followed by Silver Blue.

Rapala X-Rap Jointed Shad

This two-piece 13 cm and 42 g. massive shad type wobbler is one of my favourites for autumn pike trolling. I troll with it more in still water, both in lakes and in the Kaunas Lagoon towards Piliuona. It is indispensable when you need to scout a depth of about 4 metres. It doesn't reach the bottom that deep anymore. Its diving depth is 2,5-3,5m. It is not recommended to use such wobblers close to the bottom, as they will pick up debris or snag on a snag. This pattern is most useful when trolling at a slow pace and at a very slow pace. The colour range of this wobbler is small, consisting of 10 shades. I personally found the Silver colouring to be the most successful, with the bright patterns working less well. Maybe because it is a big slow moving lure and it does not provoke the pike, but rather whets its appetite and the more natural colours remind it more of its natural food that it is lurking for at the time.

Contender

Rapala Scatter Tap Tail Dancer

This is 9cm length and 13g weight new version of the legendary Deep Tail Dancer. It is also made of balsa and has the same sound capsule inside. It's too early to tell about the fishability of this model as it is a new model that has not been used much. Trollers are quite conservative in their choice of models and are very suspicious of new products. And this model is equipped with the Rapala company's patented curved tongue, which makes the wobbler swim in zigzags. But I'm not put off by this tongue, because I troll quite well with the Scatter Crank model, which has the same tongue. So, trollers, while I was also a bit worried that the wobbler would have a hard time understanding whether it was touching the bottom or just changing direction as it zigzagged. However, my fears were unwarranted. When this model is backed up, the zigzags are not very wide and the tip works in a slightly different way than when the wobbler is pulled steadily. But when you touch the bottom or catch a tuft of grass, the tip starts to work quite differently. With a 1.5 thick, 4-strand braided line, after releasing 40m of line, I dip it to 6m. So the dive is certainly sufficient, and the extra zigzags and the ever so tempting classic tail wag should be a deadly weapon. We'll see how it goes, but I recommend giving it a try.

The largest selection of wobblers for trolling in Lithuania is available in the shop Ažūklė, where fishing tackle is always at the best prices. Here fishing tackle is professionally selected for amateurs and professionals alike. Probably the best fishing shop in Kaunas is Pramonės pr. 41a, Kaunas.