Trolling gets a bad rap from purists, but it catches big striped bass when nothing else will. In the heat of midsummer, and any time fish go deep and spread out, dragging a bait at a controlled depth and speed lets you search a huge piece of water and put your offering right in the strike zone. It is a thinking angler's method as much as a lazy one.
Why troll
Two reasons: depth control and coverage. When bass hold deep along a channel edge or a rip in bright, hot conditions, a properly weighted trolled rig runs right at their level for as long as you want it there, and you cover far more water than you ever could casting. It is also how a lot of the biggest summer cows get caught.
The main methods
Tube and worm
The New England classic: a colored surgical tube (red and amber are legendary) tipped with a live sea worm, trolled slowly so the tube rotates with a lazy, wounded wobble. Speed is everything, slow enough to spin the tube, and it is deadly along rocky bottom and drop-offs.
Wire line
Wire line gets lures down without heavy weights, letting you troll tubes, swimming plugs and jigs deep and precise. It takes a dedicated conventional wire-line outfit and some practice to handle, but it is a proven big-fish method around rips and structure.
Umbrella rigs and mojos
Multi-lure umbrella rigs and heavy mojo/parachute rigs imitate a small school of bait and get deep on their own weight, a go-to for finding fish along open edges.
Tip Troll with the tide, not against it, and vary your speed until you get bit. A few tenths of a knot, or a turn that speeds up the outside line, is often the difference between marking fish and hooking them.
Gear
Trolling is conventional-reel work. A stout trolling or wire-line rod and a smooth, durable Daiwa conventional reel with a reliable drag handle the load. Match your weight, rig and speed to the depth you are marking fish, and watch the sounder constantly.