I have a linecounter on my dedicated laker rod...which I sometimes leave at home depending on the trip.  It doesn't come on grueling trips but basecamp trips are a different matter. 

Most of the time I'm fishing medium to light spinning rods to make it a bit more sporting.  When I troll with these, I use db's method.  Count the paddlestrokes while letting out line and duplicate it when you connect.

Line counters? Depth finders? I know If I want to catch fish in canoe country I can do without either of these items. And I know through many years of trial and error (much like db's admonition of "know your tools") about how far back to throw stuff..........(Oh, and db's right again, if you toss your lure back to begin a troll you risk a snafu).......

But here's where I'm coming from with the combo use of line counter and depth finder.........

I know some folk think like I do........fishing is a hassle.......there I said it! Yup MT thinks fishing can be a royal pain in the keister. I silently mock those bumper stickers that talk about the worst day of fishing being better than the best day of work.......baloney! Tangles, snags, endless knots, biting flies, equipment malfunctions, having to "deal" with fish etc. etc. all add up to a layer of complexity that can detract from what would otherwise be a peaceful day of being on the water. Sort of like that saying they have in golf......"A good walk spoiled".....

But I love it......actually OCD about it. When I'm paddling and solo there is a 90% chance I'm running a line (when your with others the parameters change in accordance to what is the accepted norm......"when in Rome do as the Romans" but I digress). So, if your going to make any progress whatsoever you absolutely cannot be hanging up all the time. So you run something that doesn't run real deep (I ran the old discontinued style balsa Husky Rapala on the Hunters Island trip).

Enter in the Line counter. How sweet to know my lure is running at 28ft. Yes, you can get that precise because at 26ft you tap bottom. Here is the big difference for me since I like to run a line pretty much all day........I can now be proactive instead of reactive. Instead of waiting for my lure to clang on that rock pile and react ("Oh crap") I can be proactive>>> look at my depth finder and say "whoops-se-daisy.....up we go" and crank in a wee bit before the hassle starts. And not only that I can fine tune my lure to run over the top of that rockpile, maybe even tick a few of the bigger boulders.

So for me the line counter is probably a bit less about catching fish and a bit more about being able to paddle efficiently from point A to point B in a more relaxing manner. Trolling near the bottom while paddling all day can actually be accomplished without pulling your hair out. The 10 days I spent mostly trolling on Basswood this past summer taught me the value of the LC........quality time, less hassle.

FWIW.......not into depth finders or line counters? Want to still maybe bang a meal or two for when you roll into that evening camp? You can do much as I did on my Hunters Island trip and do it without much hassle.......Pick a "minnow" type lure of at least 4" and let it trail behind. The minnow type lures sport a small lip and typically only dive some 5'.......Very little effort to pull these types of lures and you will catch some fish without much effort or bother. I caught something everyday. On Kawanipi I wasn't able to go very far without hooking up......didn't get real far that day until I decided to stow my rod and take advantage of the calm. The only caveat is I would strongly suggest a rod holder........remember MT's motto, "no hassle".........rod holders let you forget that you are even running a line.   

Another way to go: once you've got a hit and established how much line you want out you can always mark it with a bobber stop that will allow you to get your lure back where you want it and adjust as needed.

mastertangler wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2013 at 5:59pm:

oh yes... i got 'grounded' by the wife because of my 'kid in a candy store' mentality at gander mt yesterday. after running up quite the bill i came home with lots of new goodies. it took all of 15 minutes because i was out on the river trying out the new stuff! excellent!! i came home with a guide series 8' light action 'crappie' rod and new suffix seige 6lb test clear. the crappie rod might be my favorite purchase in quite some time! (even though i came home with a pile of the new for 2013 rapalas) i ended up tail hooking a 25lb carp with a tiny husky jerk and the rod was flawless. dealing with a fish of that size hooked in the worst way possible, the rod handled all the runs, all the current hastles, all 37 minutes worth. it loaded nice and even, it absorbed all the side to side shaking of the tail. i let the rod do all the work. it has a nice long handle that balances out the length of the rod and its surprisingly light. for being only a light action, it had a decent enough backbone i could actually see myself trolling with it up in the Q or elsewhere. plus, my favorite part is that the eyelets are nice and small so it stores like a baitcasters but handles like a spinning rod.

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

plus i got a new clamshell box for my phone/wallet for fishing out on the river, new line, more rapalas, these really neat rubber coated wire tie down thingers, like a rubber coated twist tie, plus at fleet i got an anchor mounting pulley set for my new canoe anchor rig, 2 ft of chain for an anchor, a 16 foot retractable dog leash for an anchor rope, 1/8 inch diameter camo rope, and a set of those cheapo plastic cup holders for your car. with tin snips and velcro, they quickly became removable canoe cup holders for both a soda can and a nalgeen bottle size!! ill try to get some pictures posted of all the work ive done!!

mastertangler wrote on Mar 24^th, 2013 at 2:01am:

waaay ahead of you, she got a fancy dinner that night(before i told her about my new purchases).  suddenly all was well