Trolling for bass

I'm planning on hitting Lake Goodwin on Monday for smallmouths. I have yet to catch my first bass, but I have a lot of experience trolling for salmon and trout. My plan is to troll some wedding rings, spinnerbaits, worms, and Rapalla plugs close to docks and other structure, and watch my fish finder to target fish. Does anyone have any advice for a newbie bass fisherman on strategies for trolling for bass?
Kevin


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Don't fish for bass?

If they act like bass where bass are native fish, they don't take to trolling.  You'd have to cast and retrieve and cast and retrieve...

https://fishingaddictsnorthwest.com/premier-northwest-bass-fishing/

http://www.scout.com/outdoors/smallmouth-bass/story/1595330-columbia-river-smallmouth-fishing-tips

I have caught tons of smallmouth trolling crankbaits and spinnerbaits. When I first did it I was messing around but it worked really well. This was in the willamette with slow but moving water. Very good for finding where they are then from there I'll cast.

Senko

You can definitely troll crank baits and rapalas for bass, its typically the easiest way to find fish in a new area you're unfamiliar with. Also check out wacky rigging senkos, it's a pretty killer method for catching fish.

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I second senkos learn to fish them and you always have a go to.

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So how fast are you trolling and how much line out?

I have caught tons of smallmouth trolling crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

Well then, they definitely don't behave the same here as they do back east.  Good to know.

Great, thanks for the replies! I will give it a shot on Monday. I'll have a second rod ready to cast at them too.


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I catch em when moving spot to spot with a  sexy shad crankbait when fishing the willamette, doesn't work very well in the Columbia though.


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Trolling that is about 75' back


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I pick up quite a few smallmouth and the occasional largemouth trolling diving crank baits along the outside edge of the weed line in 12 to 20 feet of water.  It's easy to do with a fish finder, pedal drive and one hand on the rod.   Just did an interview with The Outdoor Line's radio show yesterday on this subject.  http://kayakfishingwashington.com/kfw-talks-kayak-bass-fishing-with-espns-the-outdoor-line/

I don't usually troll for bass, I've caught a few doing it and like others have said its a good way to "search" for fish. The ones I have caught trolling weren't of any size, but fun none the less. For me, if i'm searching new water, I like to throw a mid-small size spinnerbait. I've found this lets me search faster and I can cover more water that I want than just trolling. In saying that, I will drag the spinner behind me if I'm changing spots that are a little bit aways from where I'm at.

I normally always troll for bass (large or small mouth).   No idea if it's more effective or not, I just troll so I'm getting some exercise while I'm fishing.   Good success with Rapala minnows, but have found Rebel's crayfish crankbait usually works best.  Have good success  on several rivers with rocky shorelines (like the Columbia or Willamette), but less success in traditional lake settings.

I never considered trolling for bass until I started kayak fishing and found out the kayak folks do that here. Honestly I don't really do it much because I don't feel like it lets me work an outcropping or other underwater feature the way I want to in order to find out what depth they're at, etc. It does seem to "find" fish that are in current looking for a meal to swim past. It just doesn't give me any insight into how to repeat the success as I usually don't catch another one in the same way in the same place.

That said, I didn't want to miss out on a tactic so I have experimented some. I've caught a few trolling. I really like the Maglip 2.5 and 3.0 in "rusty crawdad" color.

(http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/img/products/original/yakima_mag_lip_30_lure_1408829_2.jpg)

Good luck!