If you’re on a big reservoir, especially Missouri River reservoirs such as Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea, current can be very noticeable. It can be even more noticeable if you’re on Lake Sharpe or Lake Francis Case. Even on big lakes like Mille Lacs and Devils Lake, there can be a lot of current. When you’re fishing lead core on these bodies of water, you’ll notice that you will often catch fish going one direction but won’t even get a bite when you turn around and go back the other direction. Sometimes, this is simply about how these fish are lined up in the current but sometimes there’s more at play here.
If you’re trolling with the current, the amount of leadcore that you need to get down to a certain depth is going to be different then when you come back the other direction against the current. You’ll need a different amount of line or a different speed to get to the same depth. The biggest mistake often made when fishing leadcore in current is to rely solely on your ground speed. While it is a useful tool, ground speed does not account for or compensate for current. Let’s say the current is 1-2 mph and you’re trolling at 2 mph, that bait is hardly even wobbling. In this situation, you often need to increase your speed. The biggest thing is to watch your rod tips when you turn around to go with the current. Even it if feels pretty fast, pick up your speed enough so that you can see the lure’s vibration in your rod tip again.
When you’re fishing these bodies of water with current, you’ll need to develop two formulas. One for against the current and another for going with the current where you fine-tune the amount of leadcore you have out and kick up your speed so you can see that vibration in your rod tips.
Once you nail down your two formulas for going with versus against the current, you’ll notice that you start catching fish going both directions versus getting to the end of your run and having to go back to the top to go down it again to catch fish. Even on some of the bigger natural lakes in Minnesota, there’s a lot more current than most people would imagine because you just can’t see it. When you’re trolling, especially with planer boards or leadcore, there are definitely times where you can feel current and there are a few key adjustments you need to make to land more fish.
