by Capt. John Inghram
February 2000
We're sorry to say that John has passed away. This
article is left here in his memory. John made this
presentation on fishing at one of our Marathon Power Squadron meetings,
complete with all kinds of educational props like various lures and knots
for lines.
Introduction: I have attempted to write a few lines about offshore
fishing that I hope may be of use to you in your pursuit of offshore game
fish. I realize that there are many things that I have left out of this
dissertation. However, I have tried to hit the most important tactics to
enable you to put fish in the box when you fish off shore.
Types of fishing: A listing of terms hopefully, will prevent
misunderstanding the concepts proposed in this article.
Trolling Dragging baits and or lures through the water at various speeds
in order to entice fish to bite.
Advantage: covers large areas. Good when fish are scattered or you
don’t know where they are located. May be the only way to find fish.
Disadvantage: May involve traveling long distances or actually
running past the fish you are seeking.
Bait fishing: Attempting to entice fish to bite by using live or dead
bait with or without ground up chum or other attractants in the water as an
added enticement.
Advantage: Extremely effective way to fish. May produce the largest
catch if conditions are right.
Disadvantages: If you are not in the immediate vicinity of fish or
fish holding structure it doesn’t work.
Different combinations of trolling and bait fishing are most effective.
The presence of structure can be applied to trolling with markedly good
results.
FINDING FISH: It should be obvious that the more time you spend
fishing where the fish are, the more fish you will catch. For this we turn
to the terms STRUCTURE and EDGE.
Structure: may mean bottom formation as in many types of fresh
water fishing as well as salt water fishing. A reef or a ledge or other
submerged object will attract and aggregate fish. It is these structures
that the bait fisherman concentrates on in his quest for fish. However,
structure is not only bottom structures, but it is anything that may
aggregate fish.
For the offshore fisherman a better concept is that of an Edge. An edge
is an area where 2 bodies of water meet. It may be clearly visible from the
water surface, or it may be quite a subtle change, often a difference of one
degree on a thermometer. It is these edges that are of interest to the
predator, of which the off shore fisherman is an example. It is here that
the majority of game fish congregate. Edge is an important concept for all
sportsmen. Hunters as well as fishermen utilize this area in the pursuit of
their sport.
EDGE: Because an EDGE occurs when two bodies of
water meet, it is a prime area to aggregate fish. Bait is usually abundant
here and the fish capitalize on this area. The most common indicators of
"EDGE" are weed lines, and debris. However many edges are not as
noticeable as weed lines and debris. Nevertheless they are just as
important. There are many indicators of structure that may not seem
important to the offshore fisherman. Believe me, these are. Very often the
fisherman who notices something that is simply out of place can save a day’s
trip. For example, a bird flying along but not diving in the water may
indicate a rip current or a separation of two different bodies of water.
Birds are also fishermen like us and they fly along certain prescribed
routes where they have the best chance of finding a meal. Thus even if a
bird is flying some distance away; a sharp fisherman will mark its course
and check for structure along its path. Sights that may indicate an
"EDGE" are many. The most common sign of an edge occurs after a
North wind and that will be the line of green murky water against clear blue
water. But that isn’t the only indication of an EDGE. Any change in wave
motion, or direction will occur for a reason. That reason is usually an
"EDGE". A line of debris is a dead give away of an
"EDGE", but other indicators are Portuguese man-o-wars when they
form a line off shore. They always line up on an "EDGE". Other
indicators may be subtler. An area where Slick and rough water come together
often indicates an "EDGE". Trolling along such an "EDGE"
may often pay off with a Wahoo. Often you can see a rip of disturbed water
some distance away. These are always worth investigating.
Of especial interest are temperature changes. Probably one of the most
important fish finding pieces of equipment on board is a through-hull
thermometer. Any temperature change over a very short distance even a change
of less than one degree will always indicate an edge, as the two bodies of
water may have different temperatures. Many bottom machines offer a
thermometer on their transducers at a reasonable price. As you become
practiced in its use your catches will increase.
Another thing about edges is that they usually occur in the same area or
very close to it. Some captains keep a log of their fishing trips and update
them as needed. The old FINCO charts that were available several years ago
were excellent examples of the fact that edges occur in very close proximity
to particular locations through out the season.
I haven’t used the Roffer Charts because they don’t give the detail
that I would like to have, but I am sure that the temperature breaks they
show will occur in almost the same locations with the prevailing wind
through out the year.
(I have recently heard about two different temperature charts that have
become available. Dave Brown, the proprietor of the Tackle Box, publishes
the first one. He uses the data from the NOAA site on the Internet and plots
it with a computer program he has to give the locations of temperature
gradients off shore. The cost for this chart is $10. The second chart
contains two satellite maps that give the water temperature and the water
clarity off shore. The cost for this service is $20 per day. If you do
subscribe to either of these charts be sure to keep a log of where you find
fish and the hot spots on the charts. You will find that they don’t change
through out the year. You can access this information on the Internet at www.orbimage.com
.. They intend to sell them through the Bass Pro Shops, but you may be
able to download from the Internet.)
A second type of edge that occurs is very difficult to find visually.
This edge is the thermocline, that layer of water where the temperature of
the surface water is considerably higher than that of the water below it.
This area can be found by turning up the gain on your bottom machine until
you notice a faint return (usually within 100’ of the surface). This
caused is by the temperature gradient at the thermocline. It is at this edge
that many fish congregate; Wahoo, Tuna, big Dolphin, even Sailfish to name a few. When combined with a surface edges,
these areas can be a bonanza. Many fish are light shy and prefer to stay in
dimmer light conditions. Additionally, they can see their prey silhouetted
against the water surface which makes it easier for them to feed. Thus when
trolling a thermocline make sure that your baits are just above that layer.
Trolling: Putting the pieces together
There are four basic ways of trolling. Each method has its strengths and
weaknesses. Going in order from the slowest to the fastest they are: Live
bait trolling, Dead bait trolling, combination dead bait and lure trolling
and high speed lure trolling.
Live Bait trolling is extremely effective for winter game fish. Here live
baits such as ballyhoo, pilchards, mullet, etc. are hooked through the lips
or head so as to keep them alive and allowed to swim along with the boat.
The live baits are suspended so as to cover the entire water column behind
the boat. The speed of the boat is dead slow. Actually to the point of
constantly taking the boat out of gear in order to keep the speed to less
than 1 kt. so as to minimize the stress on the bait. This type of trolling
may be combined with the use of a fishing kite at even lower speeds. It is
one of the most effective methods for catching sailfish as long as the baits
are in an area where the sailfish are at that time. Obviously the live bait
troller must be in close proximity to the fish that he is after or he will
have a long day.
Dead Bait Trolling is a good way to catch winter game fish. The boat
speed is slightly faster. Speeds up to 4 kts are possible but the dead baits
wash out quickly at the higher speeds. These baits are rigged to troll in a
straight line and may include, ballyhoo, squid, mullet etc. This is one of
the better ways of catching white marlin. Again, here the baits are
suspended in as much of the water column as possible. The same
qualifications exist for dead bait trolling as do for live bait trolling
only the speed is not as critical. Generally the maximum speed you can troll
with unprotected dead bait is about 1 – 3 kts. Even then you will have to
check your baits constantly for wash out.
Combination dead bait and lure trolling is when a bait is rigged with a
lure in front of it. With this arrangement the trolling speed can be
increased because the lure protects the bait from washing out too soon. This
allows the boat to troll at speeds up to 6kts. This method will lend itself
better to off shore fishing except when chasing diving frigate birds. The
higher speeds required to catch up to the diving birds will tear the bait
apart.
Many species of game fish swim very fast. Dolphin, Wahoo, blue marlin and
tuna have a strike velocity of around 50mph. To the offshore fisherman this
allows speeds of up to 16 or 18 kts while trolling. Many captains will troll
this fast. I generally troll at the best speed for the lures to work best.
This allows me to troll rigged baits if the need arises at a much slower
speed (2-4 kts), while I generally work my lures at a higher speed (6-12 kts)
when I am getting to the area that I want to fish.
Once you locate structure, you can modify your procedure to suit your
needs and fish the structure as you wish. Don’t be afraid to try different
tactics. Varying your speed and course may produce excellent results
especially with Wahoo. Use your imagination. It may very well make
difference between having a full box of fish and only having a few fish at
the end of the day. I discovered early in my fishing career that dolphin
behave the same as bluefish and the same techniques that worked on them in
New Jersey were just as effective here in our waters. For example, when
chumming for dolphin in order to bail them, I found that they would get
filled up with fish pieces and stop eating. I knew that the best chum for
bluefish is menhaden. Thus I substituted rag soaked in menhaden oil for the
ground up fish and bingo, I started bailing dolphin and they didn’t get
filled up and continued feeding until I had caught my limit.
Where the fish are: The offshore fish that I have mentioned are pelagic
species and as such tend to inhabit the open seas. This usually means water
depths of at least 650 feet, and often far deeper. That is not to say that
you can’t catch them in shallower water, (It is always worth putting out a
lure the first thing in the morning before the sun gets too high and the
boat traffic drives the fish down. Large game fish often come into shallower
water at night to feed.), but day in and day out you need to get some blue
water under your keel to catch these gamesters.
The best kinds of lures: Most fishing lures make use of some form of
attractant. It may be bubbles on lures that "smoke" it may be
sound on lures that rattle, or it may be scent on other lures. Some lures
even produce a weak electrical field in the water to attract fish. However,
if you look at any kind of fish, from a minnow to a marlin, you will notice
that they have a shimmering aura. I call this flash. It is this glitter that
is responsible for the strike reflex in game fish. Game fish, which are
carnivores, respond to this flash by striking at the object. Trout fisherman
have used this phenomenon for many years in their creation of mylar muddler
minnow flies and other streamer fly patterns. In the 1960’s (before Mylar)
we used to put two or three Japanese feathers together on a single hook
because they seemed to work better than single feathers. Now, with the
wisdom of hindsight, we know why they did work better. The metallic heads
imitated the flash of real fish. Game fish reacting on impulse only have
seconds to respond to prey, consequentially they must make a move quickly or
go hungry, the use of mylar dressing on a lure is one of the best strike
triggers available. Other lure designs work quite well. Bubble makers,
rattles and scents are all used but of all the attractants most important is
flash. Lures that make use of combinations of these attractants are the best
to use.
I favor an eclectic approach to fishing in general, and trolling in
particular. Trolling bait is a very effective means of catching fish, if one
is in the right location. But, many times that is not the case. The fish are
scattered or not where I think they should be. For this reason,
modifications in technique must be made. I have used lures extensively for
many years on my vessels, both singly and in combination with bait. Their
use has resulted in some very nice catches for my customers and me. When
using bait combined with a trolling lure, the bait tends to remain in better
shape at higher speeds. Hence you can troll faster and cover more territory.
When trolling a mixed spread, I try to put my baits and bait lure
combinations on my outriggers for the drop back on the strike. The lures are
placed on the flat lines and pinned so that there is less drop-back on the
strike. (I always pin my flat lines so that there is small amount of
drop-back on the strike, which results in a considerably higher percentage
of hook ups.)
When trolling only lures, it is better to use a tag line release on the
outriggers to lessen the amount of drop back so the fish doesn’t have time
to spit the bait. Again I can’t overemphasize the need for a small amount
of drop back on bait or lure, simply to allow the fish to turn with the lure
in its mouth and get hooked when the line comes taut.
Special Trolling Techniques:
Wire Line: The use of wire line to get trolling lures down to the
level of the fish has been in use for quite some time. The fresh water
fisherman has used these devices for many years to catch lake trout and wall
eyed pike. The salt-water fisherman has discovered this technique to catch
grouper and other deep dwelling game fish. Essentially the technique
involves the use of a stout rod with carbaloy guides, a large trolling reel
and a spool full of 30 to 60 pound test stainless or monel wire with a heavy
trolling drail attached to the lure end of the wire. A 15-foot (minimum)
piece of leader attaches the lure to the drail. Then the terminal end of the
fishing rig is lowered into the water and the wire is carefully (so as not
to kink the single strand wire) let out until the lure reaches its desired
depth. (Often as much as 200 or 300 feet or more). It is very desirable to
carefully pin the wire line (to avoid kinks) and allow for a short drop back
on the strike. Playing a large fish on this type of tackle is difficult
because the non-elasticity of the tackle allows slack to get into the line
and the fish can throw the hook. Additionally the long distance to the fish
makes it a lot of work reeling the fish to the boat and the drail means that
the fish must be hand lined the last 15 feet or so. It is a very effective
way to reach deeper dwelling fish. When using a large deep diving plug, the
drail may be omitted.
Down riggers: Probably the greatest advance in fishing techniques of the
century has been the use of planers and their offspring, downriggers. Many
years ago we used to rig a planer on rope and attach a 30foot piece of
100-pound test leader and troll for bluefish. The results were spectacular
but not very sporting. We caught many bluefish that way but they weren’t
that much fun. Later someone came up with the idea of using a release and
pinning a line from a fishing rod to the planer. While an improvement, this
method was far from ideal. At the same time some fresh water fisherman
developed the down rigger which was merely a large reel filled with cable
and attached to a heavy ball and a release that allowed fisherman to get
their lures down very deep. The problem with this method was that quite
effective for fresh water fish that didn’t move around as much as their
salt-water cousins the trolling speed was very restricted (only 12 to 2 kts).
At any speed higher the amount of blowback became excessive and the lures
would end up on the surface. This led the way for the most important
development for the salt-water angler, The Z-WING. This apparatus resembles
a planer, but is much easier to raise and lower. It is equipped with one or
more releases each connected to a trolling line. There are two varieties of
Z-WINGS available. The 250 Z-WING is best for speeds of less than 6 kts.
While the 500 Z-WING is designed to work best at speeds greater than 6 kts.
This allows the angler to deliver his lure to fish at his desired depth and
at his desired speed. Several years ago I had a mate on TIKI who was a
captain in Lake Of The Woods, Minnesota. Captain Blaine had extensive
experience using down riggers in fresh water for lake trout and walleyed
pike but he hadn’t tried to use them in salt water or at higher speeds. He
and I put together the techniques for using high speed down riggers for our
customers on my boat. These are the things that we found out. I know they
work because during that winter we averaged almost a Wahoo a trip. Because
of the greater speeds necessary for salt water fishing some adaptations must
be made to use a downrigger. The Penn products seem to be of sufficient
strength to handle the increased pull of the Z-WING over the ball but The
cable should be strengthened to at least 250 # test. (Check Your cable
frequently for any signs of wear and replace immediately should you notice
any wear.) You will need to do some fine-tuning on your release system to
compensate for the increased pressure caused by the higher speeds. I use
rubber bands. Generally, a 60 series rubber band will break at 20# and a 30
series rubber band will break at 10#. It much easier to control your lure
depth because of the lessening of blowback caused by your speed. Usually
your cable will enter the water at about a 45 degree angle so you can
approximate your depth at 1/2 the length of cable out on your down rigger
gauge.
We have had very good luck using this system offshore and on the reef. We
have caught many Wahoo with this technique as well as large dolphin, tuna,
grouper, and even sailfish. When using this system I like to use large Billy
Bait in front of a large ballyhoo that has 2 or 3 hooks in it. (Wahoo and
kingfish are notoriously short strikers preferring to lop the tails off
their prey and then return to eat them at leisure.)
HIGH SPEED TROLLING: This is one of the newest techniques to be
used by the off shore fisherman. Here lures are trolled at speeds up to 20
kts. This type of fishing has been proven to be very effective for blue
marlin, Wahoo, tuna, dolphin and virtually every other game fish. Naturally,
at these higher speeds it would be impossible to keep bait on a hook, so
this is a lure only operation. Some modifications are needed to keep your
lures beneath the surface film. This usually involves using trolling drails
of 1 to 3 pounds rigged about 15 feet in front of the lure to force it to
run beneath the surface. (Be sure to secure the cable around the drail when
using this method.)
Fish attractants for trollers. Probably the best attractant that
you have is your boat. Engine noise is like a dinner bell to game fish
especially if you have a diesel engine. The low frequency pulsed vibration
actually calls fish. In addition you can employ a teaser to disturb the
water even more. There are even products on the market that you can get that
imitate the sound of a school of bait in the water or the struggles of a
fish. The shadow created by your boat's hull is also an attractant. Many
fish seek out shade during the day or food in low-light conditions and can
be found swimming below debris.
Teasers are other devices that can be used to attract fish. They are
towed behind the boat on a line but not necessarily one with a hook on the
end of it. A teaser can be a boat fender, a daisy chain of lures or bait, a
spreader bar of lures or bait or anything that will simulate a school of
fish behind your boat. We even used Budweiser beer cans with Saran Wrap
skirts in the 60’s and they worked. The idea is simply to create as much
commotion in the water as you possibly can. A good rule of thumb is the more
disturbances the better. This will bring fish into see what is happening
behind your boat. The ideal teaser is a device that will attract the fish
that you are seeking and yet be such that you can conveniently get it out of
the way of the fish. This means that ideally a teaser should be on its own
line; either a hand line spool for hanging off a stern cleat or a large reel
attached to the boat with the teaser line running off a ring on the out
rigger. An excellent way to see how a teaser should be rigged is to come
down to the charter boat docks and see what the captains are using. That
will give you a place to begin. Afterward you can make your own
modifications to suit your self.
As I had mentioned earlier, carrying a gallon of menhaden oil is
excellent practice. When fishing for dolphin. Simply pour a small amount into the bottom of a
5-gallon bucket. Tie a towel attached to a stern cleat with strong cord and
let it soak in the oil. When you hook a fish simply through the towel
overboard. You will soon see the results. It is a superb attractant and will
bring a lot of school dolphin as well as other game fish into your boat.
Many fishermen don’t realize however, that the best baits for big
dolphin are little dolphins. Try rigging a small one as a trolling bait and
see what happens. Once when I was fishing for dolphin I ran out of ballyhoo
and cut up a small dolphin for bait. The fish went wild. When bailing school
dolphin don’t forget to look for the big dolphin that want to eat the
school dolphin. I always keep a large pitch bait (usually a whole squid)
handy on a heavy rod. You would be surprised how many 50-pound fish are
caught that way. A word to the wise is sure you let the fish swallow bait
before you set up on him.
Errors: This is almost ludicrous. These are tales of screw-ups by
mates on charter boats that occur daily. They are comical in their telling
but sobering in their result. I have written a list of "screw-ups"
made by people who should know better.
Case 1: 1: Trolling for offshore game fish; the mate uses the
spinning rods to troll for fish. You guessed it! A pod of dolphin swam in
with a hooked fish and we had nothing to throw to the fish. Result: we got
one Wahoo and no dolphin.
Lesson: always keep several spinning rods rigged with hooks and baits
ready to use quickly.
Case 2: Trolling for game fish: Mate doesn’t put outriggers
down when you clear the bridge (get to the ocean water). Run out to the reef
and have to set out-riggers in rougher water: or worse not be set up when
fish are present and feeding.
Lesson: Make sure all tackle and fishing gear is in order before you
get to the fishing grounds.
Case 3: Trolling for Wahoo: Mate changes lure to a color green
and yellow Billy Bait after a day of fishing with 6 Wahoo hooked up on red
and black Billy Bait. Result: we don’t catch any Wahoo.
Lesson: If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
Case 4: Trolling for Wahoo: mate changes leader from #7 to #12
because leader gets kinked after we catch a Wahoo. Result: leader doesn’t
get kinked because we don’t catch any Wahoo.
Lesson: See above
Case 5: Trolling for anything to save the charter: mate changes
leader from wire to monofilament. Wahoo hits lure and we lose the lure and
the fish, Mate offers to replace $7. Lure for $500. Charter.
Lesson: When trolling in Wahoo waters it is a good idea to put a trace of
wire in front of your hook.
Case6: Trolling: mate tries to bail dolphin with leader. Loses 3
fish.
Lesson: Always gaff the customer’s fish when trolling.
Case7: Trolling for dolphin: large dolphin hits and tangles
lines. Mate tries to untangle lines instead of landing fish. Result lines
still tangled, Fish lost.
Lesson: You have 2 choices; 1- land fish and then untangle lines. 2-
untangle lines lose fish and then finish untangling lines. Take your choice.
Case 8: Trolling for dolphin: big dolphin hits and starts to run.
Mate reaches over to tighten drag on pre set reel. Result line breaks 50
pound dolphin lost. Same trip same mate. Big dolphin hits reaches over to
loosen drag on pre set reel. Result angler can’t reel fish to boat. Fish
pulls the hook. Total for day 2-50+ pounds of dolphin (market value $175
lost by one inept mate, who claimed to be a musky guide in Wisconsin.
Lesson: The first rule in big game fishing: Never touch a pre-set
drag.
Case 9: Bailing 10-pound dolphin. Large dolphin comes in and
tries to eat 10-pound fish. Mate pitches bait to dolphin but hooks fish
immediately, (no time to swallow bait), hands rod to customer who spends 45
minutes trying to get dolphin to boat. Result hook wears out, lost fish.
Lesson: Allow bait hooked fish time to swallow bait. Prevents pulled hook
for inept anglers
Case10: Trolling for dolphin on rough day. Dolphin gets hooked
up. Fish suddenly takes off at right angles to boat. Angler works fish back
toward boat suddenly very large Mako shark jumps over wave and takes
dolphin. Shark eats half of dolphin. Then comes up to boat looking for rest
of fish. Mate doesn’t want to put out shark rig with dolphin head on it
because he is afraid of shark. Result: lost opportunity for 500+ pound Mako
shark.
Lesson: Prepare for the unexpected. Always have one heavy fishing rig
ready to clip on your line in case of an emergency. Go over the program with
your crew before hand. Also, learn what things can cause a change in a
hooked fish’s behavior.
Case11: Bottom fishing at the bridge rubble for yellowtail.
Hooked yellowtail taken by a very large cobia. Try to bait cobia with live
bait but hook was too small. Result: lost 80+ pound cobia.
Lesson: See above
Case12: Bottom fishing for grouper. Hooked large cobia, brought
fish to boat for gaffing. Gaff is too dull to penetrate fish. Result lost
50+ pound cobia.
Lesson: Always get the best gaffs available and keep them razor sharp.
SUMMARY: Remember 90% of the fish are caught in 10% of the time on
the water. A missed opportunity is deadly to your fishing success. Prepare for
the unexpected. A successful fishing trip is built around attention to details.
Develop the habit of checking equipment regularly. I had a charter out sometime
ago and it was a tough day. We couldn’t buy a fish. Finally at the end of the
day on the way in I spotted a board and stopped on it. We took our limit of
dolphin off it in an hour. The customer remarked to me that if we hadn’t hit
that board that we probably would have gotten skunked. I agreed with him. That’s
fishing.
SOME TROLLING RIGS WORTH TRYING: These rigs will all be on display
and you can examine them personally.
Mackerel rigs: Should be rigged on #5 to #7 brown wire. The terminal
end is a Clarks "Squid Spoon" (either size 0, 1, or 2). Attach a 2-ft.
wire to the spoon with a haywire twist. Attach the other end of the leader to a
5/0 3407 mustad trolling hook. Attach a 4 ft piece of wire to the eye of the
mustad hook. Slide a small Mylar trolling head down the leader to cover the
hook. Attach a #7 swivel to the wire and rig it on a heavy spinning rod or a
light trolling rod. Work the lure fairly fast 4 to 8 kts. Deadly on mackerel and
other small game fish.
Note Don’t use any spoon but the squid spoon with the red bead.
Anything else will twist and tangle.
Sailfish rigs: sailfish are usually best caught by using live bait in
the 150ft to 250 ft. area of the reef in order to stay away from kingfish. But
this rig has accounted for some good sailfish for me. Crimp a 5/0 to 7/0 3407
mustad hook to a 6 ft. piece of 60 – 80 LB test piece of monofilament in such
a way that an L-shaped piece of # 9 wire is held in the crimp sleeve and points
180 degrees from the point of the hook. Using this hook attach a small ballyhoo
in the normal fashion with the wire sticking through the bait’s head and
secured with a piece of copper wire or a small rubber band. Next slide pink and
white Double Cavitator Billy Bait over the leader and secure the end with a
swivel or a loop.
This bait works well on an outrigger or a flatline.
Wahoo – Kingfish Rig: Link 2 or 3 - 7/0 mustad 3407 hooks in tandem
using a 7/0 swivel to make the connection. Attach a 6 ft. piece of #7 brown wire
to the lead hook using a standard hay- wire twist with the tag left ¾"
long and directly aligned with the point of the hooks. Place the tag end spike
through the head of ballyhoo so that the hook sticks out of the top. Secure the
bait with a wrap of wire or a rubber band. With the point of a sharp knife make
cuts in the bait’s belly to hide the hooks. The wrap pulls the bait by its
head not by the hooks. Slide a double cavitator or magnum Billy Bait over the
bait and finish the end of the leader with a haywire twist loop or swivel. This
rig is best fished deep on a wire line or a downrigger just above the
thermocline. Lure option: this rig may be fished without bait by simply omitting
the ballyhoo. This combination will also take large dolphin and sailfish.
Deep Running Plugs: These plugs can be fished in a variety of ways.
Large diving plugs can be fished on flat lines, wire lines or down riggers and
will perform equally well on all game fish.
Yozuri Plugs: These plugs work best on wire line or downriggers and
are deadly on all kinds of game fish.
Tuna Killer: Available at the Tackle Box in Marathon. Comes ready to
fish. Excellent fast trolling lures for tuna at the hump or other game fish. It
imitates the small bait that the black fin tuna feed on at the hump.
Standard Dolphin Rig: Start with the basic sailfish rig and vary the
Billy Bait that you use or eliminate the bait entirely and troll naked hooks.
High Speed Trolling Rig: Attach a size 7/0 to 9/0 Super strong hook
to 8 ft of #150 monofilament Slide a medium size Billy Bait over the hook and
finish the rig with a strong loop double crimped. This rig can be run at speeds
up to 16 kts. When fished far back from the boat it is a deadly lure accounting
for many fish even blue marlin.
Blue and pink is a deadly color combination for offshore. I think it
resembles squid.
YOZURI SQUID RIGS: These are deadly in blue and pink and in other
colors as well. Run a strong piece of wire attached to a super strong 7/0 to 9/0
hook either singly or in tandem. Slide a sufficient number of spacer beads on
the wire so that the hook(s) ride in the skirt of the squid. Make a haywire
twist loop in the wire so that the loop is very close to the forward end of the
squid ( or you can join the wire directly to #100 monofilament leader with an
Albright Knot.) Attach the wire to a 6ft. piece of #100 leader. And finish the
running end with a strong loop or a swivel.
Some other things to try:. When dolphin are around the boat but don’t
want to eat try throwing some dolphin roe to them or better yet rig it in a bag
of cheese cloth and put it on a hook then watch what happens.
Remember that the dominant baits off shore are flying fish, squid, and
dolphin. Anything you can do to use or copy these baits will increase your rate
of success. (Blue and white for flyers and red, blue for squid, and yellow and
green for dolphin)
