Re:Trolls are winning the internet, technologists say
by DanBC on Saturday April 01, 2017 @12:02PM
(#14012724)
Here's an example from 1994 that uses it in the fishing sense: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.scuba/PuZh2Hck_C...
> > The shop told me that Dacor and Scubapro have good reputations for > > stocking spare parts for all their products, no matter how old. > > This does cause their prices to run a little higher.
> (Gosh--this looks like a troll for a flame-war. I couldn't help > but visualize myself standing in a used car lot.)
Here it's pretty clear that it's being used in the sense of someone dropping a lure, a bit of tasty bait.
There is no such thing as a "fishing troller".
I assume you are thinking of a "fishing trawler" which catches fish by trawling.
Trawling: to fish (the sea, an area of sea, etc) using a trawl-net. Trawl(-net): a large bag-shaped net with a wide mouth, used for catching fish at sea.
That said, to troll is also a method of fishing, but involving a baited trailing line rather than a net.
Personally I have always interpreted 'troll' (the noun) in the mythical under-bridge-dweller sense, and 'trolling' in the 'to stroll or saunter' sense. That is, the troll has emerged from his bridge and is now strolling around looking for victims.