I've tried trolling all sorts of things with widely varying results dependent on water temp time of day weather ect. The most fish i've caught is with a jointed floating rapala size 9 and 7. No other crankbait, spoon or worm rig has come close. It may sound funny but it seems that color has mattered, perch colors all year, rainbow in late sping and summer, gold in fall. In the summer this works best when the surface is cooling off for the day since the rapala only runs 3-5 feet deep or along the shady side of the water. good luck!