A trolling chart will help you to use the Flicker Shad lure more effectively. The Flicker Shad is a type of diving crankbait that will wobble in the water column at a consistencies depth. By using the trolling chart, you can determine the size of Flicker Shad, the trolling speed, and the depth of the water to make better in-game decisions about which Flicker Shad to use.
The size of the Flicker Shad lure will determine the depth at which the bait will dive into the water column. The smallest size of Flicker Shad will dive to the highest portion of the water column and is best used in shallow areas. If you use a middle-sized Flicker Shad, it will dive to a few feet more deeper than the smallest Flicker Shad.
How to Use a Trolling Chart for Flicker Shad
This size will target the area where walleye and bass likes to feed. The larger size will dive into deeper water and are used to target areas where the fish move beneath the thermocline in the summer month. The trolling speed will impact the movement of the Flicker Shad lure.
If the trolling speed is high, the Flicker Shad will perform more movement but may dive to higher portion of the water column. If the speed is too fast, the Flicker Shad may move out of the strike zone. Slow trolling speeds will allow the Flicker Shad to dive deeper into the water.
When the fish bites the Flicker Shad, write down the trolling speed and the line length. Use those notations to continue to troll the water in the same manner. The color of the Flicker Shad will depend upon the visibility of the light in the water.
Bright colors will show up good in stained water and low light conditions. Silver is visible in clear water with bright skies above the fishing location. There are few colors to choose from for the Flicker Shad lure; one or two colors will be sufficient for most fishing day.
Other colors are only use in specific water conditions. The way that you rig the Flicker Shad will impact the movement of the bait in the water. If you do not use a swivel on the small snap on the Flicker Shad, the bait will roll from side to side.
If you add a swivel or a heavy fishing leader to the lure, the rolling movement will be dampened and the Flicker Shad will travel in a straight line. Planer boards can help to even out the movement of each Flicker Shad so they does not move through disturbed water caused by the boat. Using line-counter fishing reels will let you know the length of the Flicker Shad that is out on the water.
This will remove the mystery of how much line is out on the water. Based off the time of year, you can adjust the way that you use the Flicker Shad bait. During the spring, the fish will be in shallow water so use the moderate trolling speeds over fishing structure.
During the summer, you can move the Flicker Shad to deeper waters so use the larger-sized Flicker Shad baits with faster trolling speed. During the fall, follow baitfish so use the middle-sized Flicker Shad baits along points and break lines. During the last few week of fishing season, the water temperatures drop so use slow trolling speeds for the Flicker Shad baits.
The trolling chart is just a general rule of thumb. The depth of the Flicker Shad can change based on the line diameter, the current in the water, or by tuning the Flicker Shad. The numbers on the trolling chart are approximations of the depth of the Flicker Shad and should only be use to get close to the fish.
Then, use you sonar to fine-tune the depth of the Flicker Shad. A successful plan is to use a Flicker Shad of the appropriate size to match the depth of the water, set the trolling boat to the appropriate speed to keep the Flicker Shad in the strike zone, and choose a color that the fish can see well in the conditions of the water.