# Newbie Blue Water



## NAS (Jan 1, 2015)

My buddy and I rode out past the Elbow and trolled for a couple of hours and nothing. I’m wondering if there is something we’re missing. I’m really new to blue water fishing but not even a hit on the trolling rods...come on man! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
gator


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

Successful trolling is not happenstance. It takes some research and observation. You want to find color changes, temperature breaks and even structure.. Like the FADS Okaloosa recently put out. There are a number of tools online to show color changes and temperature changes in the Gulf. Hilton’s etc....It’s not just a matter of going out and dragging baits, you need a game plan. You also need to be very observant, look for flotsam, birds and weed lines. All can and will hold bait and fish.


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## HueJass (Sep 21, 2020)

NAS said:


> My buddy and I rode out past the Elbow and trolled for a couple of hours and nothing. I’m wondering if there is something we’re missing. I’m really new to blue water fishing but not even a hit on the trolling rods...come on man! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
> gator


I'm not the most experienced at trolling but I would recommend finding birds on your radar if you have one and looking for temperature changes. There are also plenty of public spots that you can find on your chartplotter that are good for trolling. I think the sailfish bite has been hot lately so try some ballyhoo/ilander combos. Good luck!


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