The deadly tactic of back-trolling earned its stripes in the early 1960s when walleye anglers learned from fishing pioneers like Al and Ron Lindner, Spence Petros, Carl Malz and regular contributors to Fishing Facts. It was an era when anglers were creating and perfecting the techniques of fishing nightcrawlers and leeches with tools like bottom bouncers and the then newly invented Lindy Rig.
The challenge was to troll slow enough to keep those baited rigs in contact with bottom structure or nearly touching weedlines that followed highly irregular shapes—a favorite haunt of walleyes. Trolling forward in a 16-foot V-bottom aluminum boat, even with a 10-hp motor, was too fast for these light rigs. However, if an angler put the motor in reverse and trolled backward, the blunt face of the transom slowed the boat enough for an effective presentation.
Back-trolling seemed a perfect solution until it was necessary to troll into the wind, which caused waves to break over the transom, filling a boat with water. Of course, this was before bailers were popular, as these were low-tech aluminum fishing boats. Anglers found it difficult to hold a rod, steer the motor backward and use a bucket to bail water out of the boat. But walleye anglers, being a creative bunch, soon fashioned transom-mounted splashguards to keep out the water. Soon in those days there were almost as many articles on how to make your own guards as there were on back-trolling. Some were made of aluminum, Plexiglas and thick sheets of rubber. Then some were bolted on while some were clamped to the transom.
“Now, we even put backsplash guards on our bass boats to keep waves from washing over the transom when we must use a launch ramp that faces the wind,” Al Lindner said.
Today, anglers and writers don’t mention the back-trolling tactic as often. But according to Lindner, it is still “the absolute, most precise way to keep a lure on structure and in the strike zone.”
Still wondering about the popularity of back-trolling today, we contacted professional guide Tony Roach. According to him, back-trolling is alive and well, even graduating to big-water boats in the 18- to 20-foot range.
“I have a 20-foot Lund Pro-V with a 200-hp tiller-steering motor,” Roach said. “With the SmartCraft feature, I can run the motor as low as 500 RPMs, which is fine for trolling at 1 to 1.5 mph.”
His engine has a standard shaft length, but he runs a four-blade prop instead of a three-blade model, believing it moves a more appropriate amount of water. Roach has two Minn Kota trolling motors. The bow-mount unit can self-deploy with a remote control while the transom-mounted unit has tiller steering.
Even with today’s battery- and trolling-motor technology, wind and waves can be too much for the strongest 36-volt motors to keep a boat on structure for very long.
So why is back-trolling so effective?
“The bow swings too much for precision trolling forward,” Roach says.
He also says the flat part of the transom allows an angler much more boat control.
“It also allows you to hold yourself better in the current (for river fishing).”
Even salmon anglers who fish rivers have created their version of back-trolling while using the tactic to slip downstream and bounce crankbaits off the bottom. However, they point the boat upstream and row just fast enough to let the boat slowly slide downstream.
See also .223 Remington vs .45-70 Government Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart Caliber Ballistics Comparison 07 Dec, 2018 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .223 Remington vs .45-70 Government ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .223 Remington or .45-70 Government rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .223 Remington and .45-70 Government ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance. Caliber Type Velocity (fps) Energy (ft-lb) .223 Remington Rifle 3150 1250 .45-70 Government Rifle 1680 2270 [Click Here to Shop .223 Remington Ammo] [Click Here to Shop .45-70 Government Ammo] VelocityAs illustrated in the chart, .223 Remington rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 3150 feet per second (fps) while .45-70 Government rounds travel at a velocity of 1680 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .223 Remington bullets travel 3.6 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .45-70 Government bullets travel 1.9 times that same speed.Various calibersEnergyFurthermore, the muzzle energy of a .223 Remington round averages out to 1250 ft-lb, while a .45-70 Government round averages out to about 2270 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .223 Remington round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 1250 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .45-70 Government round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 2270 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .223 Remington or .45-70 Government cartridge you're looking at purchasing. [Buy .223 Remington Ammo] [Buy .45-70 Government Ammo] Please click the above links to take a look at all of the .223 Remington and .45-70 Government ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment
Conventional back-trollers are in luck—they no longer have to design and build their own backsplash guards. There are at least two manufacturers who build backsplash units specifically for your chosen boat and model including Wave-Wackers and Whitecap Splashguard. Stock models are available from Ve-Ve Incorporated.
While back-trolling may not be an all-encompassing panacea, it is alive and well. However, it has been kept in the background for a reason.
