Trolling Setup Recommendation for stripers

[JusGlase]

Hey guys,

Looking for some help determining what I should have on board for the upcoming striper run. Just moved my boat from south florida up to Highlands. Was thinking Shimano TLD20s? Any and all assistance is much appreciated. Looking to know what rods/reels I should be using, type of line/braid, and what is best to troll with in the spring. thanks so much!

[CancunPete]

JusGlase, stop in at Atlantic Bait and Tackle ,we have a great selection of Rods and Reels to fit your needs. We will show you a couple of set ups that are all ready to go....Several different reels to choose from ,as well as rods., all matched up to pull MO-JO "s , Stretches, and Spoons......Stop by , Pete

[Gerry Zagorski]

First of all welcome to the site and to the best and and most diverse fisheries on the planet here in NJ.

I think lever drags are the way to go here. You have a variable drag which you can set just light enough to keep line from coming off the reel against the resistance of the stuff you are trolling. When you get a hit it will give the fish some line and when he's got it, you simply move the lever up to strike on your preset drag setting to fight the fish... No messing with the drag and line out tension like you have to with a star drag set up. Set it and forget it

While the TLDs are great reels they are a little bulky and clumsy... You can get a one piece aluminum framed reel that is less bulky and has as much power for pretty much the same price. I've been using Avet LXs and been very pleased with them. And, since they are smaller you can use them for other things too like live lining with out having to put up with a bulkier reel.

As far as the poles, you want something 7 foot or more in the 30 pound class with a more whippy tip then you're used to using for regular stand up fishing. This is especially important if you want to troll bunker spoons as the whippier and longer rod gives the motion needed to pull spoons more effectively. These same poles can also be use to troll other stuff we use here like Stretch 25s, Umbrella rigs, tubes and Mojos.

For line I'm using 65 pound yellow braid which I mark with a black sharpie.
First is a single mark at 100 feet, 2nd is 2 marks at 150 and then every 50 feet thereafter up to 300 feet adding and additional mark. I do this to take the guess work out of how much line I have out. When you see what's working you can let out the same amount of line each time.

I also use a 15 to 20 foot 50 pound top shot of mono and a good coastal snap swivel at the end to attach the the lure I'm running. I tie the mono to the braid with a Improved Alberto knot instead of a swivel so it will pass through the guides like a wind on leader. The mono leader on the longer side is important since unlike braid it stretches under load which acts as a shock absorber. And, when you get the fish along side the boat to leader and net it, mono will not cut into your hand like braid will.

You'll also want to have some trolling drail weights on hand which you can use with Bunker spoons and other lures that you need to add weight to so they run lower in the water column. If you need to use them they get tied in between your braid and mono top shot... So it's braid, drail weight, mono top shot, snap swivel and your lure.

If you have any questions let us know... Lots of very knowledgeable people here who target Stripers and bunch of great sponsors that can get you all set up. Me, I'm just a hack who trolls once and a while that happens to own a fishing website

[hammer4reel]

Penn Fathom level wind 20.
50 pound braid with a mono topshot.
for the rod I would go see Kevin Bogan and have him build you a 7' medium heavy .

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set up will also work great for live lining
.

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[Gfedor]

What would a Penn fth 30 fathom reel setup well with, pole , line etc

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by JusGlase

Hey guys,

Looking for some help determining what I should have on board for the upcoming striper run. Just moved my boat from south florida up to Highlands. Was thinking Shimano TLD20s? Any and all assistance is much appreciated. Looking to know what rods/reels I should be using, type of line/braid, and what is best to troll with in the spring. thanks so much!

or you can downriggers like we do....we use 30 pound mono.