Finally got a chance to get to El Cap after hearing about how amazing the bite was. I went out there with my kayak and started with plastics in the front of the lake for nada. Made it all the way to the back until I switched to a square billed crankbait in sexy shad color and bam, second cast I was on. Lost another one right away at the side of the boat, forgot I had Barrett barbless lures on. Then I tried something I had never done before which was to troll that square bill all the way from the back of the lake toward the front just for kicks. To my surprise I got smoked about three times on some pretty decent size fish in the middle of the lake on the way back. Got another one just hitting the bank on the same bait. One last one probably a quarter of the way from the ramp. I'm posting this video of the catches as I didn't get many pictures. Only two of the bigger fish! What a blast and what a surprise. Has anyone else caught them or done the trolling technique? Am I just behind the times?
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Mon May 11, 2026 9:45 pm
by TATomlinson
Haven’t caught any trolling but it’s been on fire out there
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Mon May 11, 2026 10:40 pm
by Johnnylh
I hadn't been there in probably 7-8 years. What a nice surprise. Honestly as I worked my way to the back I thought it was all BS! I wasn't getting bit or even chased or nothing surprisingly. And that all changed haha!
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Tue May 12, 2026 6:08 am
by VinnyBass
Johnnylh wrote: Mon May 11, 2026 9:42 pm
Finally got a chance to get to El Cap after hearing about how amazing the bite was. I went out there with my kayak and started with plastics in the front of the lake for nada. Made it all the way to the back until I switched to a square billed crankbait in sexy shad color and bam, second cast I was on. Lost another one right away at the side of the boat, forgot I had Barrett barbless lures on. Then I tried something I had never done before which was to troll that square bill all the way from the back of the lake toward the front just for kicks. To my surprise I got smoked about three times on some pretty decent size fish in the middle of the lake on the way back. Got another one just hitting the bank on the same bait. One last one probably a quarter of the way from the ramp. I'm posting this video of the catches as I didn't get many pictures. Only two of the bigger fish! What a blast and what a surprise. Has anyone else caught them or done the trolling technique? Am I just behind the times?
Very nice job out there....and it is always fun to try different things and get something that works better.
I switch baits a lot and when something works better, it is the icing on the cake. Thank for sharing and tight lines!
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Tue May 12, 2026 4:45 pm
by JWall
Trolling when making longer moves or crossing from side to side has consistently caught fish over the years. Works big time at Barrett too.
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Tue May 12, 2026 7:38 pm
by galen
Fun fishing. On occasion I will troll cranks in the bay if I’m having a hard time locating fish. Works well as long as your bait is matched to your depth, i.e. just a few feet from the bottom.
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Wed May 13, 2026 5:40 am
by Dannicus
Great video! I regularly troll crank baits when fishing from my motorized tube, especially when moving from place to place. Some days it's the only way I can seem to catch them. Glad you had fun out there!
Re: Rippin El Cap Lipz!
Posted: Thu May 14, 2026 11:45 pm
by Johnnylh
Thanks for watching and letting me know about getting cranky on the move! I'll have to try it more!