Trolling Hardbodies

[jighead]

G"day everyone
I am seeking some advice on trolling hardbody lures.
Is there a speed to depth ratio for trolling these lures? {ie} if my lure dives to 4mtrs at what speed should I be travelling to keep it there? and how far from the back of the boat should my lure be set? Also as I will be trolling in the estuaries is it better to troll with or against the run of the tide? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Mal

[ifishcq1]

There are heaps of different answers that can be useful for each purpose and the targeted species
all lures work best at their particular vibe speed ie a halco crazy deep will reach optimum vibe at 9-11km/hr and spanish mackerel and wahoo go ape but you wouldn't get a barra where a deep diving Richo will vibe at 3 or 4km/hr and will get barras or fingermark, flathead etc lazy fish that prefer slow baits
the depth will vary a little from what is written on the pack and depends on the line you use and the distance from the boat
for mackerel the outside lines are set back 20-30m while the centre lines are usually kept close not far from the prop wash 10m
for fingermark or barras 10-15m is fine sometimes you have to let out a bit more and other times you might have to pull them in a bit closer probably trial and error is the best method
if you work out the best speed for your target species and get a lure that works best at that speed
cheers

[Feral]

With flathead I prefer to troll with the tide or river flow, and use a lure that it hitting the bottom in the depth I am wanting to fish, based on assuming they like to just sit and watch for what the flow brings to them.
Other species I dont worry to much about flow direction.

Speed, I prefer a lure that puts a good vibe on the rod tips, then you can see if your at the optimum speed for the lure and if you foul a lure with weed etc. (Well actually any lure that doesn't put a good vibe on the rods, usually never gets another swim with me.) For flatties you will also tell the lure is hitting the bottom.

My lures tend to be casting distance from the boat/kayak, because thats how I deploy, just cast them out.

[jighead]

Thanks for the advice guys!
I will give all of the give all of advice a shot. Now I have had it explained it makes more sense. I will use differing speeds and keep an eye on the rod tip and trial and error till I find what works. Thanks again!!
Cheers Mal