SIX OVERLOOKED WAYS TO INCREASE TROLLING SUCCESS ON THE GREAT LAKES - Capt. Matt McQueen

February 9, 2026

Once you establish a network, you need to focus on what information is important. This is where some people get sidetracked. There are so many factors in fishing, and it seems like many people go straight to, “what did you catch them on?”

Planning

My mother-in-law has a pond behind her house. You can walk around the entire body of water in 5 minutes. You can cast a jig across its widest part. It’s well stocked from top to bottom with fish and they are typically willing participants. An 11-year-old child can fish there without a plan and catch a fish.

Now compare this to the Great Lakes. Lake Ontario is the smallest at over 7,000 square miles of water. No matter what port you go out of, your choices are endless. Are you one of the anglers who goes to where all the other boats are, or do you have a specific plan of attack for the day?

On any given summer day in our home port of Manistee, Michigan you will find people fishing straight out from the pier heads. One by one, the crowd grows and grows until it looks like a city in the pre-dawn darkness. This is a concept we refer to as the “herd mentality.” Very often there are fish to be caught in this location, but many times there aren’t.

Have a plan before leaving the dock and stick with it. To do this you will have to take risks. The return is that you will truly start to become a student of the game. You will have to study the why, where, and when of your targeted fish. You may end up going to where all the other boats are, but don’t go there because that’s where the herd is, go there because you have a reason to go there. Develop a plan by combining your own knowledge with the most current on the water information you can find. Write out your plan and make sure that your crew knows the plan. Have contingency plans. Don’t just stop at plan B, get a C and a D. Without a plan you are wasting time and money. “Failing to plan, is a plan to fail.”

Networking

Poet John Donne summed it up in the title of his 17th century writing, “No Man Is An Island.” You can research all the books and magazines and videos about catching fish on the Great Lakes. You can go to seminars and go on a charter boat to learn from the pros. But nothing, absolutely nothing, replaces networking when it comes to finding fish and staying on fish in a body of water as big as one of our great lakes. Lake Superior is about 31,000 square miles of water. That’s more surface area than 12 of our 50 states have. Followed by Lake Huron (23,012 mi2), Lake Michigan (22,406 mi2), Lake Erie (9,940 mi2), and Lake Ontario (7,320 mi2).

There are some places in the Great Lakes that have more fish than others, but the concept still holds true that there is power in numbers. How do you think the charter boats stay on fish? It is true that the guys that are out there every day will have a better idea where the fish are, but they are communicating within a network of boats in that area.

Once you establish a network, you need to focus on what information is important. This is where some people get sidetracked. There are so many factors in fishing, and it seems like many people go straight to, “what did you catch them on?”. You cannot fish someone else’s spread. Over the years you will develop a group of confidence lures that work for you. Start with those. A more important question may be “where did you catch them?”

It’s just like they say in the real estate business, “It’s all about location. Location. Location. Location.” Learn to communicate in latitudes/longitudes. Our home port is at a latitude of N44° 15’5”. We are on the “15 Line” which is also known as the “15s”. If someone says they were catching fish in the 18s in 120 FOW, then that would mean they were 3 miles north of our harbor. Learn to speak the language.

Another location question to ask is, “how deep was the water.” People talk about this in feet of water (FOW). How deep is the thermocline (if one has set up)? Most people refer to this as the “break”. This will help you determine what coppers/lead cores you will use and how far you will initially let out your divers. Always back up this data with a temperature probe and adjust things as needed.

Lastly, you must recognize that this is a game of give and take. Don’t be a sponge. Freely give information without be pressed for it. Others will follow suit with you.

Develop a plan by combining your own knowledge with the most current on the water information you can find.

Speed/Direction

Many times, we find ourselves marking fish on our sonar and can’t get any to strike. Before changing up your lures, start with small speed and direction changes. The Great Lakes are greatly affected by currents, both surface and subsurface. Most people resort to a zig-zag method to speed up and slow down one side of the boats presentation but often this is too dramatic of a change.

If you are equipped with auto pilot, try small 1 degree heading changes. Pay attention to how the current is affecting your downriggers. This can best be seen on a chute rigger, but you can see the effects of current on all your lines if you pay attention.

Lures are designed to be pulled in a straight line through the water. Currents that drag your lures off a straight directional path cause the lures to “crab-walk” through the water at an angle they aren’t designed to operate. Keeping a close eye on this can turn a bad day into a good day.

Checking/Refurbing Tackle

It doesn’t take a very big fish to wreck things behind the boat. Leaders get frayed and nicked, hooks become rusted and dull, and spoons get bent. Pay attention to these things and you will catch more fish. You can bend a hook back and it may look pretty good, but it’s best to replace it. Bent lures like spoons lose their original action and are best replaced.

After each fish we boat, we quickly check the condition of the lure, snap swivel, and line before redeploying it back into the spread. It only takes a moment, and you will lose less fish and tackle if you just do it. Upon returning to the dock, we refurb tackle and replace everything so it’s ready to go for the next trip. Don’t wait until the next trip to find out you didn’t fix this or that. That’s just bad business.

Organization

Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. President, once said, “The only difference between a mob and a trained army is organization.” In other words, the only difference between a pile of useless junk and fishing tackle is organization.

I will admit, I struggle with organization. I truly believe in its merits, and I strive to be organized. Organization simply saves you time on the water. If the king bite is on for only 15 minutes at daybreak and you can’t find your best lure, then you are wasting your time and money. Make a home for every item and return it there every time. I know this is easier said than done, especially when you have friends on the boat, but set the standard and your crew will follow suit.

You Ego Is Not Your Amigo

I read a post on a Lake Michigan fishing group Facebook page last summer that was not very humble. Did you see that ONE? Anyways, this fella was telling about how he fished next to the “charter boats” and out fished them. He then proceeded to offer his information at a charge. I’m not bringing this up to challenge the truthfulness of this post but more so to point out the nature of the comment.

No one is perfect at this game. The boats that are very good at it have earned respect. The cockiest anglers are usually living a delusional life on Facebook. We at Copperhead Sportfishing love this sport. We have had our fare shares of ups and downs. We have a passion for competitive fishing, but before coming aboard Copperhead II we try to leave any ego at the dock. To truly be able to learn, you have to humble yourself. If you are in
it to be better than the next boat, then you have become satisfied with society’s view of success. But if you want to really reach your fullest potential then compete against yourself every day on the water. That is where we base our team moto: Copperhead– “Never Satisfied."

For more tips, fishing reports, and tournament life, or to book a charter trip visit our website at www.copperheadfishing.com and follow us on Facebook at Copperhead Sportfishing.