Take the Long Troll Home
Category: article
Mar 3rd, 2022 by Keith Worrall
Modified Mar 3rd, 2022 at 11:51 AM
Northland high troller Joel Nelson simplifies summertime trolling tactics.
BEMIDJI, Minn. (March 2, 2022) – Beyond his championships and associated bankroll, bass fishing royalty Kevin VanDam might be best known for his deftness at covering water. He fishes fast, eliminates water, and covers more water than the competition. That same winning mentality applies to walleye fishing, too, and is best demonstrated and realized on the troll.
Trolling for walleyes is much more than pitching a bait back and touring the lake, however. And nobody knows this more than Northland pro Joel Nelson, which you’ll learn in this must-see video.
Nelson opens with a discourse on fundamental long-line trolling. He talks about feature-laden trolling runs, the baits he pulls, and gear that’s up to the task. From there, he demystifies trolling with leadcore line, recommending line, lures, and techniques to put smaller crankbait into the fathoms for deep water walleyes.
Northland’s new Rumble Shad is Nelson’s bread & butter for long-lining walleyes. The #5 dives 5’ to 12’; the #7 dives 8’ to 16’; and the #8 dives 14’ to 21’. The balsawood dream is formed through the unique Heat Compression Molding (HCM) process and features a welded through wire construction from the tie eye to the tail. Designed to imitate shad, perch, and bluegills, the bait features a tight action, whether cast and retrieved or trolled behind the boat.
The Rumble Shad is available in 15 custom artisan colors, from match-the-hatch patterns to vibrant custom paint themes. The Rumble Shad also features premium short shank treble hooks and an oval split ring on the line tie.
With weighted line, Nelson relies on the Northland Rumble B. The Rumble B comes in three sizes: 3.75” long, ¼ ounce, #4 hook size with a diving depth of 8-10’, 4.25” long, 3/8 ounce, #4 hook size with a diving depth of 10-14’ and a big daddy that’s 5.25” long, 5/8 ounce, #2 hook size with an extreme diving depth of 16-21’. MSRP is $8.99.
In terms of colors, there’s something for every angling scenario with 15 different patterns available. The colors comprise hues that resemble big walleye tournament custom colors like Bubblegum Tiger, Spotted Lava, Purple Wonder, Purple Dot, Sneeze and Wonderbread. Match-the-hatch colors are available, too, with perch-mimicking Steel Chartreuse, Gold Perch, Yellow Perch, Hot Perch and Lemon Tiger. Additional forage-matching colors include Albino Orange Belly, Silver Shiner, Silver Fluorescent Chartreuse and Purple Pearl. No matter the situation, there’s a color and a pattern to bring in the bites!