cedar plug, cigar shaped.

[eyefish2good]

Gotta have a cedar plug in your spread. I fish just N. of you in broward for over 20 years. My favorite place is way out on the flat line.....(80+ yards) The reason for this is the amount of boat traffic on any given day. This area is hammered hard on the weekends and early morning charters during the week. Puts the fish down deeper. They'll come back up after you pass.
I've had the best luck with purple/back or blue mack. The 5" seems to work better then the 7". Shoot me an email
(Tamerproducts.net) with your addy and I'll send you one.
(yes , free!) Mine are rigged right! Loop protectors inside and out. Nothing worse then mono crimped to a stamped eye hook.
Thats why we rig all our own lures inhouse. Nothing can damage a crimp worse then some little kid in a factory with a hammer!

[ancient mariner]

HI:
Count me in that too Cap'n John.
The only difference was that I used Jets in my spread for Tuna.
Natural color was , and still is , a killer on BFT up in the Canyons. 2nd was the Green or even Black/Purple.
Blue or Mahi colors from about Va.Beach on down for me. Again, I was rod n reel pin hooking for BFT, YFT and all the MAHI's I could snatch off the spread.
Interesting aside:. Didn't do to well on Wahoo up close. probably all the guys used to laugh on the radio and say heres the " WILLING , BUT SLOW ". AARRGGHH.
Now down in Fla on my DUSKY, I did ok on the "HOOS". Speed kills.
Oh, If you can, add a three(3) T'ZER setup on the CEDAR leader and try that. I found thay sure added to my TUNA and MAHI catch.
WACKM 'N STACKM
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

PS:
If you want BLACKFIN, try the Black/Purple .
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner

[tunatamer4]

A tip that works for me that nobody has mentioned is to tighten the clips on your riggers a little tighter than when baitfishing. You need the hook to stick as soon as he hits because they won't hold on once they figure out they got a hunk of wood and lead in their face rather than a tasty ballyhoo. And of course you are sharpening the hook!

[HOLWACHAGOT]

Run it right off the transom. If using the natural, roll it around on a rough sidewalk and scuff it up first (wood not the lead). The only drawback to a cedar plug is it will act like a de-hooker. You will lose some fish on it eventually.
Holwachagot

[tolmaz]

Maybe I'm a little bias But this is the plug I run 90% of the time off the flat. If it's just one of those slow days I put out the chain..It usually gets some attention..

[jrlsail]

A typical blackfin only spread includes:

2 dolphin candy (squid w/ feathers) green/yellow and red/white
2 no-alibi (lead w/ feathers) pink/blue and yellow/orange
1 4" natural color cedar plug (6/0 long shank)

all with 60# leader.

This spread with get blackfin and not leave any dolphin behind if you troll by one or two.

The hardest part of blackfin fishing is to stop the bonitos...haven't figured that out.

[gradyfish265]

They sell various size cedar plugs so match your hatch, use a plug similar to the bait the blackfin are chasing, there are 4",6" and 8" plugs. We run singles off the flatline you want it on the edge of your prop wash swimming in and out of it the erratic action of the cedar plug going in and out of the wash makes the tuna go wild. If it is a chain, run it off a rigger or further back with the front plug popping the surface from time to time as the boat rocks or it rides a your wake. We do best with natural, but dolphin color, red/white and black/purple work well also. They are fairly cheap and well worth a shot to run. If you do buy store bought sea striker cedar plugs, rerig them their crimps pull, I've seen it happen a few times and can't even count the times someone at the dock has told me they lost a fish because the crimp on their cedar plug pulled, all were store bought out of the package. Atleast check the crimps with crimpers and make sure they are crimped tight. Good luck, let us know how you do....I'm sure the reels will be singing for ya!!

[ancient mariner]

HI:
I build all mine in a chain. I put three(3) 4,3/4 inch squid(doubled) out in front of each CEDAR. That way they picture shown to Tuna and Mahi is quite immpressive and I feel theat turns on both types of fish.
WACKM 'N STACKM
Joseph B...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

[jp77]

I have tried many different colors, but the only one that had worked for me here in El Salvador is the natural color. It was amazing to pass threw the spinners and know that the cedar was the one that will be hit. I have caught dorados( mahi mahi) and had Salifish strikes but never had a hook up.