NC Ballyhoo master's

[HOLWACHAGOT]

Excellent question and a very fair one for the small boat guy. Ballyhoo is my number 1 anxiety as well when it comes to blue water fishing. I believe that the most effective way to catch from a small boat is to fish in the manner of the Key West light tackle boats. That means be read for anything, any place. In order to do that one cannot be fully committed to a way of fishing as demanding and time consuming as trolling dead bait.
Here's a few examples of my thinking:
When the tuners are snapping, trolled cedar plugs will catch their share
When the wahoos are snapping diving plugs & spoons deep will catch their share
When the mahis are snapping, running & gunning, chunking & trolling "easy" baits like dolphin wienies will catch their share
Working a light line while jigging or bottomfishing often accounts for some good fish
Jigging or bottomfishing itself has saved many a day
Paying attention while running by the cans in the spring and having a live bait or large bucktail ready to go can put a cobia or two in the box. There ain't a thing wrong with cobia!
Same when seeing something floating offshore. A couple of passes trolling excellent balyhoo by is NOT the same as chunking and jigging the place.
Who has ever brought in a full trolling spread to go after that slob triple tail they saw floating by?
Keeping the FURUNO on bottom lock will occasionally pay off big time. Structure and bait does not only hold bottom fish!
Boats attract fish especially when drifting or at anchor. Being ready when you see them come around will make all the difference in the world!

I love Carolina balyhoo fishing and appreciate the tradition, art and effectiveness of it. I love watching the pros do it and succeed with it day in and day out. I would never be able to duplicate their experience with that technique, nor would I ever be able to present as effective a spread out of a small boat. So what I do is go fishing with them when I can and enjoy the hell out of it.

When I take my little boat out, I try to be ready for any thing and committed to nothing. Opportunity fishing is my passion.

SeaBiscuit

I need to add a little here...
I would take Biscoto's school of thought ANY day over either two of the aforementioned choices...ANY DAY! I have nearly gone into convulsions and most certainly had a few mild heart attacks driving by Triple Tails or over top of Grouper marks and having to leave the light stuff and the jigging rod in the rack.
Holwachagot

[Squidnation]

I also agree with Biscuit. but I think the one that catches the most is the one that runs over them. I have fished with a couple captains that have mates meticulously prepare beautiful ballyhoo and they when we get out to sea they through out little hawaiian lures and smoke the fleet.

I remember fishing with capt blu/white eckenrode on my boat and we couldn't buy a bite. We were watching Joe Riley smoke em. Hell he was smoking the fleet on the tuners. He calls me on the radio and tells me to put one of the aluminum ceder plugs that cowboys sells out there and see what happens. 5 minutes and we were doubled over.

be ready and be like Gradywhite here on the board. Buy lots and lots of stuff

[WahooKing]

but I think the one that catches the most is the one that runs over them.

Exactly my thoughts...Location, Location, Location...Also, there is no magical bait/lure for the big fish....You can catch them all ya want but you can't grow them...Its fishing!!!

[EMTAE]

Smoke if your fishing out of a 23 I would stay away from the Black Barts.........1st go with your 2/3doz per rig hoos Hopefully you have out riggers.You can run a big boat spred out of your 23 If it were me I would run 2 lines long on the riggers one Planer rod down for the hoos. one flat(YO-ZURI) hard bait.Dont forget the bulb squid for the Fins.Now if your looking at the Black Barts stop by Joe Shutes he has got them all.

[Fishfinder]

I am not sure where you are fishing out of, hoo's work great everywhere in N.C. with a lightly tied skirt like the ones we make here at the shop. If you want stupid simple fishing and very effective fishing that works on all species especially from may thru August, pull the "Dolphin Weenie" with a Uncle Josh pork strip as a trailer. It will constantly produce day in day out. From large gaffer dolphin to sailfish, king mackerel, tuna and just about anything else you can imagine. They pull well thru grass and don't grass up. You don't have to worry about if your bait is running straight or if a toothy critter has cut your ballyhoo off just behind the hook. they can't get that pork strip off and they will keep coming back until they get the hook. Dolphin Weenie is a 4 1/2 inch green and chartreuse octopus skirt with a 1/4 or 1/2 oz. egg sinker inside the head of the octopus. We rig it on 80 lb. mono and a Mustad 3407SS 7/0 hook. WE sell them pre rigged for $5.00. Many days I have pulled ballyhoo and Donphin Weenies side by side and the Wennies out caught the ballyhoo 3 to 1. Other days it might be reversed, but I hnever go offshore with out a supply of Weenies and U.J. pork strips.

Capt. Joe Shute

[WAHOONBOX]

Excellent question and a very fair one for the small boat guy. Ballyhoo is my number 1 anxiety as well when it comes to blue water fishing. I believe that the most effective way to catch from a small boat is to fish in the manner of the Key West light tackle boats. That means be read for anything, any place. In order to do that one cannot be fully committed to a way of fishing as demanding and time consuming as trolling dead bait.
Here's a few examples of my thinking:
When the tuners are snapping, trolled cedar plugs will catch their share
When the wahoos are snapping diving plugs & spoons deep will catch their share
When the mahis are snapping, running & gunning, chunking & trolling "easy" baits like dolphin wienies will catch their share
Working a light line while jigging or bottomfishing often accounts for some good fish
Jigging or bottomfishing itself has saved many a day
Paying attention while running by the cans in the spring and having a live bait or large bucktail ready to go can put a cobia or two in the box. There ain't a thing wrong with cobia!
Same when seeing something floating offshore. A couple of passes trolling excellent balyhoo by is NOT the same as chunking and jigging the place.
Who has ever brought in a full trolling spread to go after that slob triple tail they saw floating by?
Keeping the FURUNO on bottom lock will occasionally pay off big time. Structure and bait does not only hold bottom fish!
Boats attract fish especially when drifting or at anchor. Being ready when you see them come around will make all the difference in the world!

I love Carolina balyhoo fishing and appreciate the tradition, art and effectiveness of it. I love watching the pros do it and succeed with it day in and day out. I would never be able to duplicate their experience with that technique, nor would I ever be able to present as effective a spread out of a small boat. So what I do is go fishing with them when I can and enjoy the hell out of it.

When I take my little boat out, I try to be ready for any thing and committed to nothing. Opportunity fishing is my passion.

SeaBiscuit

Exactly my thoughts...Location, Location, Location...Also, there is no magical bait/lure for the big fish....You can catch them all ya want but you can't grow them...Its fishing!!!

MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT...EL BISCOTO IS DEFINITELY A PRO !


AND KING'.......

YOUR COMMENT HERE IS THE BEST TIP A PRO CAN GIVE AND I RATE IT THE MOST TRUTHFUL!!!!

FINALLY, A TACKLE VENDOR/MANUFACTURERE THAT TELLS IT LIKE IT IS! I TIP MY RIGGERS TO YA! THIS IS AS RARE A COMMENT FROM A VENDOR AS IT GETS!

ROCK ON!

[Nauti Natured]

Capm Joe ... Ill be over lookin for some of them weenies next time Im in town. Thanks for the tip!

[MAKO19]

I can't preach about NC fishing and I love rigging ballyhoo and trolling them but sometimes up here a green machine is the ticket. I know that lure gets a lot of sh*t on here but it hands down catches tuna. Longfin love them and so do the yellows. I will be trying a full spread of Ilander/Ballyhoo combos this year to see what its all about. We usually mix up the spread but I am down with trying something different. We always have the artificals on stand-by though incase that's what the fish are eating that day.

I remember last June down in the Poorman's we went 10 or 11 for 17 on Yellowfin from 40 or so pounds to 70 pounds. Some fish hit the ballyhoo rigs but the green machine spreader bar tight to the boat out fished everything that day. Just mix it up and find whats working.

Good Luck Bro!