ITS TIME TO RIG UP 4 YFT! Q & A...PART 1

[WAHOONBOX]

HELL I'M SO EXCITED! BLUEFINNING IS BASICALLY OVER......I'VE TUGGED , WRAPPED, PULLED AND FROZE MY HANDS OFF ENOUGH THIS WINTER. I'M READY TO FISH SOME 76 DEGREE EDGE....PACKED WITH ISLANDS OF GRASS FILLED WITH SEA HORSES, SQUID, FLYERS AND SUCH!.............ITS YELLOWFIN TIME....AND TIME TO RIG UP!!! I MUST BE PREPARED TO ROLL ON THE FIRST BREAK IN THE WEATHER.................CLIENTS ARE A CALLIN'!!

I WANT TOP TALK ABOUT OUR YELLOWFIN "COVER-UP" SPREAD.....USED LATE FEB - APRIL.......

IT CONSISTS OF A 12 ROD SET-UP..................

THE BRIDGE: 3 50'S ...7' FAST-TIP RODS HAVE ROUND "SIC" GUIDES FOR MY WIND-ONS TO PASS THRU...............THE RODS ARE PLACED IN ROCKET LAUNCHER HOLDERS LOCATED BEHIND THE BRIDGE'S HELMS SEAT.......THE TWO OUTSIDE RODS GO TO THE LONG RIGGER RELEASE CLIPS , WHICH I SET FROM THE PIT...........THERE IS A BRIDGE POLE OR "SHOTGUN"........PULLED WAY WAY BACK DOWN THE CENTER LANE .............THATS THREE RODS FROM BRIDGE....AND TWO TEASER REELS THAT BRIAN ...AKA "THE BEAST".....MUST OPERATE ALONG WITH KEEPING MY ASS ON TOP OF THE MEAT!!!

AM I CLEAR SO FAR?

NOW, SHORT RIGGERS: I PULL (4) FOUR BAITS AS MY SHORT RIGGERS...ALL FOUR ARE PINNED OFF IN AFTCO RIGGER RELEASE CLIPS ..............ARE YOU WITH ME HERE? ..........THAT'S A TOTAL OF 6...SIX LINES GOING TO THE OUTRIGGERS.........I SAID THIS WAS A COVER UP SPREAD........AND I MEANT IT.........

NOW, ADD MORE RODS TO THE PICTURE:

FLAT LINES: I WANT 3 FLAT LINES ACROSS THE STERN...ALL GOING IN AFTCO RELEASES! .......I PREFER SHORTER RODS HERE...5 1/2 FT TO 6 FT RODS.....WHICH ALLOW MORE AERIAL CLEARANCE FOR ALL OTHER ROD LINE RELEASES.................

NOW WE AREN'T DONE YET............NOPE.......I WANT A BACK-UP MATCHING 50 RIGGED WITH A NAKED BALLYHOO IN MY CHAIRS LAUNCHER ON THE RIGHT LAUNCHER ROD HOLDER....THIS WIND-ON NAKED BALLY IS PLACED IN A SALTWATER SOAKED HAND TOWEL ON THE TOP OF LAUNCHER BESIDE THE ROD BUTT ...KEEPING BALLY MOIST AND READY FOR QUICK ACTION..........IN A FURIOUS YELLOWFIN BITE..........I NEED THIS BAIT TO DISPENSE OUT QUICKLY EVEN WHILE WE ARE FIGHTING MULTIPLE HOOK-UPS...........I NEVER CLEAR ANY RODS DURING A YELLOWFIN ASSAULT UNTIL IT ABSOLUTELY ...POSITIVELY NECESSARY.........AND , SIMULTANEOUSLY , AS I AM GAFFING A FISH, I HAVE A CHARTER MEMBER SETTING MY BACK-UP BAIT BACK OUT INTO THE SPREAD................

I CALL THIS "SETTING BAITS OUT WHILE WE ARE FIGHTING FISH!"

A SCHOOL OF YELLOWFINS WILL NOT EXERT THE ENERGY TO FLY UP TO SURFACE JUST GRAB A COUPLE OL BAITS OVERHEAD THEM...............ONE MUST MAKE IT WORTH THEIR WHILE TO MAKE THEM BUDGE !!!! GIVE THEM A COVER-UP SPREAD GUYS!!! ....A BIG BAIT WAD OF BALLYHOOS THEY CAN'T RESIST!!!.......

AND IF YOU THINK I HAVE ALL MY RODS OUT..........WRONG!!!

I LOVE PICKING OFF SAILDOGS AND WHITEBOYS POUNDING THE CRAPOLA ON MY TEASERS...........SO ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY LAUNCHER..........I HAVE A TLD25 "PITCHBAIT"...........30 FT OF 60 LB WIND-ON FLUORO....CONTROLLED BY A 30 LB HI VIS. MAINLINE......PLUS, I HAVE THE BALLY LYING IN WAIT IN SAME WET CLOTH ARRANGEMENT AS THE STAND-BY 50..............

I USE THE HI-VIS LINE SO I CAN SEE IF MY DROP-BACK BAIT IS NEAR ANOTHER SWIMMING BAIT.........NATURALLY , I USE THE CIRCLES. MATZOU 6/0

ARE YOU STILL WITH ME HERE? UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? I'M ALL EARS HERE

ROCK ON ! PART 2 COMING!
MARTY

[pitch bait]

Hey Wahoo where do you put your spreaderbars and green machines with your birds. Im just teasing I know better than that. Oh shit got him on the teaser gotta go!!!!!!!!! COME ON PITCH BAIT DO ME RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! MAN MY BLOOD IS BOILING.

[thetackletrap]

Hey wahoonbox that sounds like a bitchin spread and that you have been doing this for some time. Lets here some choas stories with that spread. Nah but for real though do you ever find yourself in harms way with that many baits, lines, rods out there?

I got the theory behind it all, but I guess I just never thought of putting out that much! I am digging it though so keep em coming.

[thetackletrap]

Oh yeh I forgot to mention... That I think it is real important to keep that drop back line there ready for some damage for the intuitive whitey that may poek his head out to play!! All the good mates that I've worked with have done this so the mouse spinning my wheel told me that I should probably do this as well. I still have not had to use it but this year will be different as I will be ablt to get out there more! Come on spring...

[Chilli]

Pretty work Wahoo...

Now guys, martys been doin this too long for me to even feel right questioning it, but as he is fond of saying "This is not the only way... This is may way and it works for me".... So heres a spin on his theory for you to consider....

We don't all have the luxury of a large fishing platform...I know there are many of you out there reading this thinking "10-12 RODS!!! How in gods name am I going to get this cover up spread working for me, I don't even have 12 rod holders on my boat!" My personal boat, the Crystal Will, is a 23' CC. I swim 8 lines off her... I have less bait in the water than all the large boats fishing around me.... This puts me at a disadvantage right? Well it can... But I won't let it.... This is my attack on the problem.

My small boat spread is as follows:

Flats: Split bills
Short Riggers: Sparse Pink/white/Chart witches
Short Center off the T-Top: Heavy Pink/white/chart witch fished Just a bit further back than my short riggers.
Long Riggers: SMALL Spreader bar, Rainbow (Small= 30" wire bar w/ 9 bulb squid)
Long Center off the T-Top: Small Spreader Bar, Rainbow

I can't run a lot of rods... So I make up of large numbers of single baits with three large profile baits... 9 squids x 3 bars=27 baits....

When I talk spreader bar, I am not talking about the monsters that are so common... I am talking about little dinky things that are 30" wide and no more than 4.5' long... My rule of thumb is that I need to be able to hold the bar over my head and the last squid (the hook bait) will swing out and clear the gunnel. That makes them light to tow, easy to handle and easy to store.

The bars are all run back in the long position... The hoo's are run just inside of the bars... I have a hoo directly in front of every bar and I have my flats just in front of the short riggers.... I guage my line lenghts based on my prop wash... An outboard spits out a big ugly funnel of white water... The key is to let the flats swim right where this breaks up and everything else follows... Keep it tight.. Get that BIG profile.... And hang on....

So that is my "cover up spread" on a small boat... I believe the key points to doing it right are to keep it tight, keep it uniform, keep the baits similar and put it in good clear water (no prop wash) where it can be seen...

And as marty would say "Thats how I do it, it works for me but its not the only way"... Don't kill me for the plastique WAHOO! I am fishing north of the line after all....

[thetackletrap]

Chilli very nice! This is exactly what I'm looking for here. My goal is to be able to provide a unique spread here on a 33CC. Its a big little boat. So I'll have the capability of putting out something more involved then I was used to on the 23CC but not quite what marty has. Actually I'm recording all of this info that you guys are posting and making a log to look at for when I'm on the water. This way I'll have all this awesome info right at the tip of my fingers. You guys can't imagine how much you are helping me in prep for this new season. I'll be sure to some day to contribute here more!

[WAHOONBOX]

THIS GUYS POSTING HERE ,SOME I KNOW PERSONALLY ..........THEY ALL HAVE THEIR ACT TOGETHER I TELL YA.......NOT TO MENTION THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE WORLD CLASS MEN.

MARTY

[lrajnys@cox.net]

Nice!! I just don't have that many rod holders!!!!!!!!!! Only nine unless I load up the T-top!!!!!!!!!!!

[thetackletrap]

You guys putting out a real nice spread on the CC boats....Do you ever have any trouble pulling with bigger outfits say a 50 on the rocket launcher on top of the t-top? I've heard that they can break the welds on the tube holding the rods. I imagine anything like a 80 or 130 is just way too big. It seems to me that you are better off puting them in the launcher off the leaning post.

[skirt chaser]

OK Trap I fish of a boat that is in between so this is how we fish her
from the riggers we pull two longs two shorts and two baits we call teasers. on the stern there are three flats . from the chair we pull one wwb that comes off the center rigger and a spreader bar down the middle behind the center flat about even with the short rigger baits . for baits we pull mostly the following.
wwb - birds with green mach. or naked hoo
longs - naked hoos , pink panther rig, seawitchs with hoo ( pink , pink/wht, blue/wht, supreme)
shorts- sprinkler teaser with tracker , naked hoos , seawitchs, green mach with 2 birds .
teasers - squid chains with hoo various colors, seawitchs, islander trackers with hoo
flats- naked hoos , squid chains with hoo , ceder plugs , islander trackers with hoo
don't be afraid to mix up you spread , once the bite starts they will bite almost anything you pull.