Channels are tricky spots to troll. Not only do you often have super strong currents to deal with but you have boat traffic to contend to. Even though you are fishing, the boats traveling through the channel have the total right ofway. The burden is on you to move out of the way, even if you are hooked up to a very large fish.

Trolling Channels Approach:

1. Troll with the Tide: Always. It will allow you the most control and the ability to drop on bottom dwellers. It also looks the most natural in strong current since most baitfish have no option but to ride the tide. Your lures, therefore, will look the most natural.

2. Make A Lot of Short Passes: Your best bet is to reel in and run up tide and repeat.

3. Change Lure Colors Often: Since you will be going over the same spot again and again, be sure to change colors. For whatever reason, I have noticed that stripers will often shutdown on a color and fire back up on a new color. I’ve had days where I needed to do this very three passes or so.