Trolling rods

Does anybody use the short 5 or 5’6″ rods designed for lead core with just 10# mono on them. I honestly cannot see why they would not work unless they are too stiff. I was going to go look at them in the store, but with virus out there, I have been told to order them online. No need to drive an hour to look at them in a town that has been labeled a hot spot in my area. I am thinking of running them straight out the back or the boat with my 8 footers straight out and my 14 footers in front of the 8s. I am trying to get away from running boards if I can.

I don’t run mono (other than to back spools) on any of my trolling rods.

I do however have a set of 14′ rods that I’m playing around with running shorties inside of (4 total leadcore rods out of a 17′ boat without boards). So far I’m still a bit undecided. The biggest pain is dealing with the length of the 14’rods. With some getting used to I’m sure it will get easier. The shorties are angled back at about 45 degrees to give the rod an angle to bend and make it easier to read versus being pointed straight backwards.

My boat only has a 90″ beam. There’s simply no room for another pair of lines (to make 6) on my rig. Even the slightest unplanned sudden turn, a mishooked fish, or an untuned bait and I’d be screwed trying to run 6 leadcore rigs without boards. I’ve found 4 lines at once with me and a knowledgeable partner is more than enough. Between fouled lures, netting fish, deploying lines, running the boat, and switching baits… it’s plenty of work and keeps us more than busy. If we can’t catch them on 4 lines running 4 different lures, we’re switching tactics or locations.

When trolling I usually run 5 footers in conjunction with 9 footers to keep lines spread out. I also have boards in my arsenal I use if I really want spread. All my trolling rods have 10lb mono. Most of the time I will angle the tip of the shorter rods into the boat to increase the distance between lures. I have all cabelas depthmaster rods. The 5 footers, said to be designed for leadcore, are not to stiff. They are perfect for any crank I run. My 9 footers are “planer board” rods and work for long lining or for boards.

Matt