Trolling info for upcoming trip

[Polish_Pike]

I'm always casting. I do very little trolling..so I'm gonna switch it up and do a mostly trolling chubby-chaser spree @ Pymatuning.

So here are my issues if you guys would be so kind to consult me:

- I just picked up a couple 8' St Croix Premier Glass rods and Daiwa Sealine 47 line counters. What kind of line do you recommend I spool on these guys?..do I go with heavy Mono or a braid? If mono, I'd love to hear a preferred brand/strength since I've been using exclusively braided line on all my reels.

- Do you guys have any success running planer boards? I thought I'd run 1 one or two prop rods out the back and 2 out rods w/planers to cover more area and swing thru some shallower areas. Yes there will be 2 people, no blow-up dolls...as exciting as that thread was.

- I'm gonna go next week when the full moon is in. What kind of speed is everyone cruising at right about now or sould I just switch it up throughout the day?

- My arsenal is gonna include Wileys, Depth-Raiders, Cranes, Legend Perchbaits, Leo Shaylas, Rapalas, stuff like that maybe a Shallow Invader...Any special lure/pattern/forage color you guys would recommend for Pymy?

- I keep hearing the Southern end of the lake is good. I bought a Hot Spots map and circled some areas, but I'm not super familiar with the lake other than feeding carp with my kids at the Spillway. Launch/Area recommendations? I'm basically gonna cruise around all-day looking for weed edges, humps, schools of baitfish.

The guy with best tip may end up with a gift card if I can score some quality slime. You can be vague, I don't need top-secrets of Pymy revealed here. Thanks guys for any info you can share!

[Bob S.]

Polish Pike, I use Cortland Master Braid 100 # Bronzeback color and 36" x 130lb. Stealth Tackle trolling leaders. Big Wileys, Believers and all you mentioned sounds good. Good luck and keep us posted on your results.

[Joe M]

For your trolling reels use 80 or 100lb Power Pro. Be sure to put a mono backing on your reel first. The Power Pro may slip if you dont. As far as speed goes, the average norm from our crew is 4.8 to 5.2. Dont be afraid to try faster if your not having any luck. Wileys and mini perchbaits are a great choice. The color will change but start with 2 natural colors and a firetiger and orange tiger. Hope this helps...Fish the south end as you stated.

[Jim_Bortz]

Mr. Pike,
I use 80# braid on all my trolling setups. 100# is fine, but it will hurt you a bit in deep water situations as it tends to make your lures ride a bit higher. Any super-braid will do. They're all very similar. I use PowerPro, but have tried several others with good results.

Planer boards are fun unless there are a lot of floaters (weeds)... then they're a pain in the ass. Reeling in all the extra line to clear weeds every 15 minutes gets old fast... especially if you boat partner does nothing but eat pepperoni sandwiches and sleep.

This time of year, you'll find muskies everywhere on Pymatuning... and there aren't many secrets. They'll be buried in the weeds in 3' of water and be suspended under schools of shad and crappies in 25'. Most musky guys have given up on Pymatuning by this time of year, but it's still very good.

Speed is always a killer here... 4 to 6.5mph are the norms, but I was setting rods the other day while my kicker was idled (less than 1mph) and a musky grabbed the first lure I set out! Go figure.

The marina launch near Jamestown (I think they call it Turnerville?) is very nice and it's protected from wind. Bay 41 is protected as well, but it's a crappy launch and trucks get broken into once in a while. Snodgrass is a great launch as long as the wind isn't blowing 20mph fromt the NW.

Good luck and have fun!