Sam Rayburn Guide - Strolling for Bass

Mike Martin with
6-pounder taken
on a spinnerbait

The first time I got involved with “strolling” was at Toledo Bend. My fishing partner and I were trying to get a crappie or two for the skillet and “ol’ papermouth” wasn’t cooperating. The first two or three hours were slow, but then we started strolling and the action really picked up.

Strolling is simply a technique where you use an electric trolling motor to slowly move the boat along a precise depth by using your depth finder. Strolling is an extremely productive method, especially during the spring and hot summer days.

It is a pretty well accepted fact that fish of all species relate to changes in the bottom terrain. This is true whether you are working a jig-n-pig along a creek channel for a big bass or fishing a tiny tubebait for bream or crappie. Presenting a bait along changes on the bottom of the lake such as humps, drop-offs, river channels, cuts, submerged treelines, etc., will in most cases dramatically increase your chances for catching fish. The key is to keep your bait in the strike-zone for as long as possible.

Let’s take an imaginary fishing trip and put the strolling technique into play. For starters it good to have a topographical map of the lake you are fishing. After examining the map we find an area where the river channel makes two sharp bends, and then meanders off along a flat. Water depth in the channel shows to be about 30-feet; with surrounding depths ranging from 5-to 25 feet. Now lets go strolling.

As we slowly motor over the area I recommend dropping buoy markers to flag those specific locations where the river channel changes direction. By watching the depth finder and using the marker buoys as reference points, we can now slowly work a bait near the drop-off areas of the channel. While at the marina we heard that most fishermen were having their best luck fishing a bait at a depth of about 18-feet. By watching the depth finder and slowly moving the boat, we will try to keep the bait tantalizingly crawling and hopping near this key depth. If no action occurs we will change our depth a bit, either deeper or more shallow, and continue fishing until we get a strike.

When I am bass fishing one of my favorite baits for strolling is the Carolina-rigged worm, however, Texas-rigged worms, crankbaits, a jigging spoon, live-bait, and even a slow-rolled spinnerbait can at times be quite effective. If you are a crappie fisherman good baits to stroll are a small tubebait, beetle spin or a live shiner.

Just keep the bait moving slowly at the depth you have selected, and at times twitch and hop the bait for added attraction.

So let’s review the key steps for successful strolling:
1. Get a good topographical map of the lake you plan to fish.
2. From this map locate areas where sudden changes take place; humps, drop-offs, river channels, creeks, etc.
3. Use marker buoys to identify these changes in bottom structure and to keep yourself oriented as you fish the area.
4. By slowly moving the boat with the electric trolling motor and watching the depth finder, keep your bait near these key spots.
5. Vary the depth you are fishing the bait until the fish are located.

Strolling may be defined by many as a “lazy man’s way of fishing”. But make no mistake, once you start keeping that bait in the productive zone longer you will see a dramatic increase in not only the weight of your stringer at the end of the day, but also the quality of the fish you will be catching.

Strolling is lot’s of fun and also a great way to fish with the entire family. If your not strolling you are probably missing out on some really great catching. Give strolling a try real soon—JB

Kenneth Laird with a great looking 7-pounder caught on a black/blue/chartreuse spinnerbait. Way to go Kenneth!!!