More circle hookset discussion.

[Bert Rodgers]

The video Pitch Bait posted got me thinking about Blue Marlin and circle hooks. Having never attempted to hook a Blue one with a circle I would love to here from those who have.

I'm talking about big baits and big guns, not about a blue coming on a dink rod intended for sails.

Bert

[pitch bait]

I cant be easy to hold a Curved butt 130 over the side, and pitch it to a fish. Two man operation at the least. Safty line must be in place. I would guess you havre to leave it in the holder.

[Bert Rodgers]

I cant be easy to hold a Curved butt 130 over the side, and pitch it to a fish. Two man operation at the least. Safty line must be in place. I would guess you havre to leave it in the holder.

That's part of what I was thinking. Let him knock it out of the pin, freespool
clicker ON and push the drag up, leting the boat pulll the hook in.

With s 50 wide you can obviously point to the fish.

Bert

[Squidnation]

I cant be easy to hold a Curved butt 130 over the side, and pitch it to a fish. Two man operation at the least. Safty line must be in place. I would guess you havre to leave it in the holder.

Where is the video. I can't find it.

[pitch bait]

What video?

[flatbottom]

did I miss a video???

[Current Affair]

thebigrock.com spanish makerel and ballyhoo circle hook rigging.

[Squidnation]

Bert - we target Blue marlin in Venezuela all the time with circle hooks. The blues are a quite a bit smaller then our normal blues here in the mid atlantic but with the boat handling skills these pros possess today I'm not sure it matters. Take for instance Jonny D's 500+bler this past sept caught on a tld. I believe they are exclusively circle hook users.

The rigs a mini chuggers with a large ballyhoo. The hook is placed about an inch in front of the lure/bait combo.

In Brazil we use large lures with J-hooks to tease the fish up and if they happen to bite the j-hook then so be it but as soon as one is spotted in the spread we will drop a live or dead tuna back to them. The tunas are bridled with a large circle hook. I have some video to show how its done. But I believe the fish eventually chose the plug. I will see if I can find it.

[Bert Rodgers]

Bill I wondering about hook up/ drop back technique? Drag set? Pick up the rod? Long Drop Backs? Clicker? Let the rod hold/boat motion do the trick?



Bert

[Squidnation]

Bill I wondering about hook up/ drop back technique? Drag set? Pick up the rod? Long Drop Backs? Clicker? Let the rod hold/boat motion do the trick?



Bert

Bert here is how we did it in Brazil. We raised the fish to the long rigger and imedietly dropped back a tuna bridled to a big mustad circle hook. Don't remember the size. Here is the video of the one we actually pitched to. Remember that down there they use lures with hooks but they are quasi teasers because the captain says that the blue will usually come off the lure onto a live tuna. our tuna bait was dead and the fish opted for the left long lure instead. Unfortunetly the line parted. Nice bycatch on the Mahi huh?

The pitch on dead bait did work on the first day. Rod remain in the rod holder. I think the clicker was on. 30lbs at strike but we are dropping back and holding the bait in free spool. The captain watches the bait or line go back to where it is even with the long rigger or the fish grabs the circle hook rigged tuna. He then slows it down. Then we stop the bait with our hand on the spool and wait for the fish to pick it up (be careful on this part). We were instructed to wait for a change in speed of line coming off the spool. Usually that would indicate the marlin has the bait in its mouth and then we would slowly inch the drag up just like we are taught when dink fishing. the object is to slowly pull that tuna out of his mouth while she is making her turn and have the circle hook catch the corner of her mouth. If the line continues to come off the spool we would then keep inching up. if not we could quickly freespool again to try and get her to bite it.


BTW - the two videos were filmed about an hour apart and we had an 800lber in the spread that would not bite inbetween the two we hooked. That was the best hour of fishing I have ever been involved in.


This is the vid of the fish we pitched to but the fish opted for the lure instead

http://www.sportfishermen.com/media_...Dolandblue.wmv

This is the first fish that crashed the ilander express with a williamson bird


http://www.sportfishermen.com/media_...arlin_0001.wmv