Victoria and Tasmania are blessed with plenty of freshwater lakes, many of which are stocked annually with trout or contain wild populations that breed in tributaries during the cooler months.
Assuming you have a boat or kayak, trolling is a great way to catch these lake fish.
As a teenager in the 90’s, my trout trolling was done from a second-hand 12ft Savage tinnie that dad had bought for $400 and a 9.9hp Johnson two-stroke outboard. It wasn’t pretty by today’s standards, but we caught plenty of fish flat-lining from the likes of Eildon, Modewarre, Toolondo and Murdeduke.
These days I’m in a much more comfortable 4.35m SeaJay; padded seats, flat floor, storage compartments and wide gunwales to mount accessories, such as rod holders. They’re all important features for a long day’s trout trolling. It’s powered by a four stroke 40hp Yamaha; tiller steer for maximising room in the boat, super quiet, very fuel efficient, power trim tilt and electric start for those cold winter mornings.
A picture speaks a thousand words so here are a few photos of my tinnie and how it’s been set it up for trout trolling. Whether your boat is old or new, hopefully there’s a few ideas for your rig.
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