ANATOMY OF THE OFFSHORE TROLLING LURE.....HELP ME UNDERSTAND

[Proheat]

When I walk into a tackle shop and look at all the brands and types of offshore trolling lures that there are out on the market, I think to myself Holy S**t!!!!.........which one's should I buy???
I value the opinions of my fellow SFC members and would like to hear your opinions as to what types of lures are best for certain types of trolling.
I'm sure that there are others out there that would like some information too. I'm not asking for your secret weapon, but to help me figure what style or styles to buy.

I'd like to break it down into a couple categories such as:

Head Types:
Bullet type heads
Flat (blunt) heads
Mushroom shaped/teardrop heads
Large heads vs small heads
Weighted heads vs. non weighted heads
Smoker/Jet heads

Skirt Types:

Squid Skirts
Hair/seawitch type skirts

Lure Lengths:
Long vs Short skirted lures

I know that there are all kinds of colors for heads and skirts and everyone has a preference, but I'm mainly trying to find out why you want a lure to swim on top of the water and why others want the lure to swim under the surface. I'd also like to hear your opinions as to what types of fish prefer what types of lures.

Thanks in advance!!

[O-SEA-D]

It all depends on what your trying to catch.

Tell us what you are fishing for and we will all chime in Im sure.

[pitch bait]

Pro, Im not a lure guy but I believe that It depends on what type of fishing you are doing and I think it has alot to do with spead and lure position. If you are looking for a lure to put on your flat lines or short riggers I would go with something slant faced, or flat. If you are looking for a short rigger bait I think you would want something more cupped like a plunger or a door knob. Something that is goign to pop and creat a large bubble trail. The long riggers I like lures that track pretty straight and stay in the water like a jet or a bullet type head. As far a mixing lures and ballyhoo I think it takes the right lure that is going to swim and look right at slower dead bait speeds. Hope this helps. Im not a big lure fiserman. Come on Deep I know you are lurking.

[Proheat]

It all depends on what your trying to catch.

Tell us what you are fishing for and we will all chime in Im sure.

What I was looking for was Tuna, Wahoo, White Marlin, Blue marlin.
I know that Blue Marlin are gonna go for larger baits, but figured that I'd add it to the list.

My main reason for posting these questions is to see what species of fish like what type lures and why. What lures should be used in what positions. Why use different head types for certain fish.

Thanks!

Ps.- thanks Bobby- this is what I'm looking for. Anyone else??

[O-SEA-D]

First off anything out there will eat a blue/ crystal sea witch. Blue or White Marlin, Tuna's of all types, Wahoo's, Mahi, King Mackerals, Blue Runners, Cuda's and AJ's. You can never go wrong with a Blue/ Crystal sea witch.

Pitch Bait is exactly right.

Poppers or chuggers on the shorts. (Iland Pro, Express, Mistress, Mold Craft Super chugger, standard chugger, Mold Craft Bobby Brown, Mold Craft Reel Tight, door knob....anything that will pop and push water or swim under the surface and then come up and splash and then go back down. Naked split bills are a sexy SR bait.

Long riggers, Moldcraft Senior, standard or Junior Wide Range, Iland Express's work good too, Mold Craft little chugger, Iland Ilander is a great LR bait. Something that will track a little straighter then your SR bait. A naked horse is deadly as well.

Flats...I love naked dinks or split bills. You can also use a little chugger or Iland Jr. Starting in May I keep a pair of nakeds in the spread all day long. 7 out of 10 times your Billfish bite will come on a naked IMO.

All of this is still very dependent on what your fishing for and the conditions you are fishing.

IMO....for a good even good looking spread that will catch fish I would use Sea Witches and nakeds and maybe a chugger or Pro in 1 of the SR's.

As far as lures, I will leave that to the people who pull em and are productive with them. I do know the Black Bart lures were pretty hot here in NC this year though.

[Reel Fanatic]

Proheat-

There is an old saying in offshore fishing..."Elephants eat peanuts". It's not absolutely necessary to pull something huge in order to catch a big fish. When you do pull something huge, you are limiting yourself to only being able to catch something huge.

We have a little lure that is only 4.75" long but it can catch anything from dolphin to billfish.

The different head styles are strictly designed to create different action in the water and mimic different swimming behaviors of bait fish.

Weighted heads versus non weighted heads...this is another thread because too many variables come into play.

Octopus style skirts are very durable and lend themselves well to being used without a natural bait. They do a great job of hiding the hooks and work exceptionally well in high speed trolling environments.

Nylon hair has awesome pulsating action at meat fishing speeds and works very well in front of natural baits. It's great for accenting a natural bait to make it stand out in a crowd.

Lure length- If you are pulling a lure in front of a natural bait, you don't want the lure to completely cover up your bait. All you really want to do is make it stand out in the crowd. Pick your bait and your lure to suit the target species and their size. You don't want to just pull horse ballyhoo behind big lures if all you're trying to catch are football yellowfins and schoolie dolphins. If you are in an area where a mixed bag of species is probable, set your spread (lure size and bait size) to maximize your chances of catching fish. Sorry to be so generic here but this is a thread by itself too.

When bluewater trolling, sometimes you have to bring the circus to town in order to get the fish to come into your spread. This is why there are so many different lure head styles and skirting options. Also, some lures are designed to just catch the fisherman and have probably never caught the first fish. Some of the crap coming out of China these days makes you scratch your head and wonder what kind of acid trip they were on when they came up with this...probably been drinking from too many cups laced with lead based paint. I guess if you drag anything long enough, eventually you will find a fish dumb enough or hungry enough to eat it.

Don't forget that teasers, dredges, and spreader bars are highly effective tools/ lures to have in your arsenal when trolling offshore.

[WAHOONBOX]

THE FOLLOWING VIEWS ARE DIRECTED TO THE UPCOMING BEGINNER AND NOVICE CLASS OFFSHOREMAN.....THE NEWBIE WE SHALL CALL YOU ....AND MAYBE THE GUY WHO GOES APPX 12 TIMES A YEAR FITS THE CRITERIA HERE....THE REST OF YOU PROBALY HAVE YOUR MINDSET ALREADY SO NO NEED FOR YOU TO READ THIS

LURES........ YES.....I TOO HAVE LURES IN MY ARSENAL AS WELL AS DA NATURALS..........I DECIDED MANY YEARS AGO TO BE THE BEST NATURAL BAIT RIGGER I COULD BE......PRACTICING MY RIGGING ON A REGULAR BASIS THE MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES SUCH AS ....LADYFISH & RAINBOW RUNNERS WHEN AVAILABLE.......THEN KINGFISH,SQUID, MULLET, ....SOMETIMES EELS, CUDA, & HOUNDFISH.....

I ONCE CAUGHT A BLUE MARLIN IN SOUTH CAROLINA RIGHT AT THE STERN ON A HOOKED 30 LB YFT AS I WAS ABOUT TO GAFF THE TUNA AND THE HOOK WAS LOCATED IN THE BELLY OF THE TUNA!....ALL THE BLUE HAD TO DO WA OPEN WIDE AND HE WAS FREE , BUT HE HELD ON AND WE GOT THE KILL!

HECK, I HAVE SWAM SMALL SPEEDOS....ALBIES...AND MAHI HAVE BEEN SKIPPED ON MY FLATS OR SHORT , SOMETIMES I GET A BANGER....SOMETIMES A MERE WASH OUT.

LURES.....TRUST ME....I TOO LIKE LURES......"LURES ARE MADE FOR THE FISHERMEN AND NOT THE FISH I ALWAYS SAY".....THE BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL SKIRTS....THE FANCY ABALONE HEADS ....THE DIAMOND POLISHED CHROME HEADS....THE TRICKY CUTE NAMES.....ALL OF WHICH INDUCES US TO FLICK OUT THE OL VISA CARD FOR YET ANOTHER BAG OF EYE CANDY......INCLUDING YOURS TRULY

I CAN REMEBER WHEN A CEDAR PLUG WAS THE PREMIERE LURE FOR CHARTER BOATS IN CARLOINA.....I CAN REMEMBER WHEN SEVENSTRAND AND BOONE WERE THE PREMIERE LURE COMPANIES IN DA WORLD....I REMEMBER MY FIRST MOMENT INSIDE BOB SCHNIEDERS STORE IN FLORIDA.....I CAN REMEMBER BUYING CUSTOM LURES FROM BILL BUCKLAND 20 YRS AGO....I REMEMBER MY FIRST MURRAY BROTHERS LURE WITH CYALUME INSERTS IN THE HEAD.....I REMEMBER AND STILL USE THE 2 SMALL LURES THAT SFC MEMBER BBUNKER POURED HIMSELF FOR ME I CAN STILL SEE THAT GOSH AWFUL GORGEOUS LURE THAT ACE LURES SENT ME AS IT WENT DOWN THE GULLET OF A SAND TIGER IN THE DOOR OF THE RUN-OFF.... www.wahoonbox.com/videos/tiger.wmv

I CAN REMEBER A LOCAL NC GUY NAMED HOWARD DAY WHO FISHED THE WMO WITH ME IN 1991 ON A 25' PARKER AND ON THE SECOND DAY OF FISHING , HE SAID ...."CAN I PUT THESE LURES OUT?" .... THE LURE HEADS WERE SHAMPOO BOTTLE CAPS AND KODAK FilM CANISTERS ( BLACK & GRAY) WITH RUBBER SKIRTS FLOSSED ON THEM.....BB'S WHERE IN THE HEADS TO RATTLE AND A HOLE WENT THROUGH THE CAP AND OUT THE BOTTOM OF CANNISTER FOR THE LEADER TO PASS THROUGH......THE LURE GOT IT'S WEIGHT FROM THE WATER ENTERING IN IT

IT'S FUNNY,.....I NEVER FIGURED OUT THE LURE PLACEMENT WAVE COUNT THING THAT I READ ABOUT ...BY THE TIME I COUNTED WAVES....IT WAS TIME TO GO HOME......I SIMPLY ADJUSTED THE DISTANCE FORM THE STERN TO ACHIEVE A PRETTY LURE POP...AND WITH SWIMMING ACTION.........MMMMMM.....I WONDER IF BLUE MARLIN COUNT WAVES AND SAY....."OH SHIT....I CAN'T EAT THAT LURE! IT IS NOT ON THE CORRECT WAVE! ............ I HARDLY THINK THIS BE THE CASE

TIDBITS FOR THOUGHT:

ANY LURE ....WHEN IT IS PRESENTED TO ANY HUNGRY FISH WILL MOST LIKELY GET ATTACKED.

MOST FISH HOOK THEMSELVES ON LURES WHEN TROLLED AT 7 KNOTS OR GREATER...

DO NOT OVERPULL YOUR LURES!!!!! (SPEED DOESN'T ALWAYS KILL!)

BUY THE VIDEO THAT MELTON'S HAS CALLED: "BLUE MARLIN OF GHANA".....IT WILL GIVE YOU A FANTASTIC FEELING FOR LURE FISHING WITH A GRANDER KILL IN THE FLICK! ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!

BLUE MARLIN WILL EAT A SMALL-SMALL-SMALL LURE AS WELL AS A LARGE ONE .

TUNA LIKE A MORE STREAMLINED LURE/BAIT.....

MAHI WILL EAT A TIRE OFF A 1960 MERCURY'S RUSTY WHEEL AXLE

THE BOONE SKIRTED LURE WITH THE FAKE MULLET HEAD IN THE ACRYLIC... WAS MY FIRST TRUE "EXPENSIVE" LURE WHICH I PURCHASED WAY BACK WHENEVER

THE SEVENSTRAND GREEN MACHINE WAS MY SECOND TRUE LURE OF COLOR THAT I PURCHASED

I PULLED MY FIRST SPREADER BAR IN 1987.....RIGGED WITH MOLDCRAFT NATURAL SQUID ....AND IT WAS RIGGED WITH ALL WIRE AND NO MONO HOW ABOUT THAT ! I THINK THE SPREADER BAR WITH SQUIDS WAS INVENTED IN MASS....OR .AT LEAST NEW ENGLAND BY THE BFT FLEET..........

I WONDER ......HAVE ALL TODAY'S SPREADER BAR MANUFACTURING COMPANIES PAID THEIR ROYALTY CHECKS TO THE GUY WHO TRULY INVENTED THE SPREADER BAR?

A MAHI , REGARDLESS OF IT'S AGE.....WILL ATTACK ANY LURE OR ANY NATURAL BAIT, REGARDLESS OF HOW BIG OR SMALL IT IS. ......I FEEL THAT PINK IS THE MAHIS FAVORITE COLOR (PINK IS GOOD ).......A MAHI IS THE MOST VICIOUS FEARLESS CREATURE FOR ITS SIZE OUT THERE.....THE WORD MAHI IS THE WRONG NAME.....I THINK WOLVERINE OR SERIAL KILLER ARE BETTER SUITED NAMES FOR THIS FISH.........IF THE MAHI LIVED LONGER THAN 5 YRS, AND COULD GROW IN EXCESS OF 200 LBS.....THE GREAT WHITE WOULD TAKE A BACK SEAT TO THE WOLVERINE.......I MEAN MAHI

THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT LURE HEADS OUT THERE ....SO MAY SHAPES , CUTS AND PATTERNS THAT MANUFACTURERS HAVE RUN OUT OF IDEAS ......IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE COME UP WITH A NEW HEAD PATTERN YOU HAVEN'T!!! BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY OUT THERE ....THERE ARE NONE LEFT TO INVENT!!!

TO ME....THE PIONEER FOR THE MODERN DAY LURE HEADS WAS THE KRESS FAMILY....TOURNAMENT TACKLE....I FIRST USED THEIR LURES IN THE EARLY 80'S.......THE BULLET HEAD ILANDER...AND IN OLD DAYS WE CALLED IT THE "HAWAIIAN EYE".....IS PROBABLY THE MOST OFTEN PURCHASED LURE EVEN TO THIS DAY

THE ILANDER BY TOURNAMENT TACKLE IS ALSO THEE MOST WRONGFULLY RIGGED LURE TO THIS DAY!

I ASK YOU THIS : "WHY IS THE LEAD HEAD HOLLOWED OUT ON AN ILANDER BULLET ?

DO YOU KNOW? ......WELL YOU SHOULD IF YOU SWIM ONE! .....I WILL TELL YOU WHY !!!....IT IS HOLLOWED OUT FOR THE PLACEMENT OF THE BALLYHOO BILL OF A LARGE OR HORSE BALLYHOO........THE BALLY'S BILL SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY TRIMMED AND THEN WRAPPED SECURELY WITH MONEL ATTACHING IT INLINE TO THE LEADER........THE BILL WILL BE APPX 2 INCHES LONG WHEN WRAPPED AND WILL "LOCK" OR SNUGGED INTO THE HEAD OF THE ILANDER.....WHEN PLACING THIS BAIT INTO THE WATER....IT SHOULD BE DONE WITH RESPECT AND NOT TOSS OR THROW IT ....THIS MAY CAUSE THE BALLY HEAD TO BREAK WHERE IT RESTS ON THE LURE HEAD......

( A TRUE MEDIUM BALLYHOO IS USUALLY TOO FRAGILE TO TAKE THE WEIGHT OF AN ILANDER AND THE HEAD BONE WILL BUST UP TOO EASY)

REMOVE ALL OF THE INSIDE SHORT HAIR OF AN ILANDER.....IT WILL EVENTUALLY MAKE IT'S WAY INTO THE LEAD HEAD AREA AND LOOK LIKE SHIT....NOT TO MENTION THAT THIS HAIR IS NOTHING MORE THAN EXTRA "DRAG PRESSURE IN THE WATER"

NEXT....SHORT THE OUTSIDE HAIR LENGTH BY TWO FINGER WIDTHS....THE FACTORY LENGTH OUTSIDE HAIR DOES TWO NEGATIVE THINGS....
ONE: IT WILL ATTACH ITSELF TO THE POINT OF A SHARP HOOK THEREFORE MAKING THE HOOK WEEDLESS AND WILL HINDER BONE PENATRATION

SECOND: THE LONG FACTORY HAIR HAS FOOLED YOU MANY TIMES INTO THINKING YOU HAD JUST CAUGHT A TUNA OR A WHITE ....WHEN IN FACT....THE FISH MERELY HAD THE ILANDER HAIR IN HIS JAWS AND WAS SWIMMING AWAY WITH IT AS YOUR REEL CLICKER SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER....THEN ZAPPO! ....HE RELEASES THE HAIR AND YOU GO "WHAT THE HELL?"!!!! HOW DID I MISS HIM?

CUT THE FRIGGING HAIR DOWN PEOPLE!!! LEAVING THE HAIR LONG IS A TRUE YANKEE THING!! .....CUT THE HAIR DOWN AND PUT DA MEATNDABOX!

DID YOU KNOW THAT NAVAL JELLY WILL EASILY REMOVE ....THE HOOK RUST ON YOUR ILANDER HAIR? (WEAR THROW AWAY LATEX GLOVES WHEN DOING THIS)

CHECK OUT THIS LINK SHOWING A PERFECTLY SWIMMING ILANDER .....THE HEAD WAS HAND-PAINTED WHITE.......http://www.wahoonbox.com/videos/ilander.wmv


ENOUGH OF MY MESS......WHO'S NEXT?

[Proheat]

Thanks Marty, Bobby, O-SEA, and Reel Fanatic!!!
This is what I'm talking about!!
I like to hear everyones opinions and hopefully alot of people who read this thread can come away with some good info shared by the more seasoned/experienced members.

Keep it going................this is what SFC is all about.........sharing info and helping fellow members out!!

Thanks!!!

[birdhunter]

Wahoo, now posts like that are what has made this site famous! Please continue, tell us more! I for one am all ears.

[WahooKing]

My Marlin spread is very simple...K.I.S.S...no teasers, bars or chains...I run tag lines.

My spread goes as follows:

I like Big plungers in the short corners...lots of diving action that gets below the the wash.....My shorts consist of medium size teardrop, cup or pusher type lures....lots of smoke.....My long (clean water running) lures consist of light weight small size scoop face w/ jet, small st8 running pointy head lures, or small slant type lures...Medium jet type lures at the shotgun position.

If conditions are rough, I go heavier on certain heads.

Last but not least...

You can't catch em if you don't run over them.