Mullet, Squid, eel or Ballyhoo

[Squidnation]

Bert Rogers just gave a great answer in another thread concerning short corner baits. Althought the question was which LURE is best for the short corner he answered doesn't matter what you run so long as it is a swimming mullet. So here is my question.

Yesteryear the hot white marlin bait was #1 Swimming Mullet, #2 - Whole Squid, #3 swimming eel.

Now it is rare to see a squid, If it ain't on a dredge you barely see a swimming mullet and it must be a tournament for most to consider running an eel. WHAT HAPPENED?

Although you will see some spanish macs and an occasional mullet why has the world gone to ballyhoo?

#1 Here's my take - A ballyhoo is much easier to rig then a mullet, squid or eel.

#2 - cost - although cost should only be a consideration for the process of the split tail mullet. I am still not sure why a single packaged lg squid cost so much.

whats your take

[Double D]

I think it is probably a function of cost, availability and ease of rigging.

Split tails are nice and readily available, but more costly that ballyhoo and a little more tricky to rig. Eels are tougher to get your hands on (anybody sell 'em by the dozen?)

I made an effort to get more squid in my spread this year. We caught a bunch of 14 inchers while chunking and rigged them up. Kind of a waste of time at meatfish speeds, because they got tore up before long. Ballyhoo last alot longer. If I was strictly looking for whites, I think they would have been the ticket

[Bert Rodgers]

Bert Rogers just gave a great answer in another thread concerning short corner baits. Althought the question was which LURE is best for the short corner he answered doesn't matter what you run so long as it is a swimming mullet. So here is my question.

Yesteryear the hot white marlin bait was #1 Swimming Mullet, #2 - Whole Squid, #3 swimming eel.

Now it is rare to see a squid, If it ain't on a dredge you barely see a swimming mullet and it must be a tournament for most to consider running an eel. WHAT HAPPENED?

Although you will see some spanish macs and an occasional mullet why has the world gone to ballyhoo?

#1 Here's my take - A ballyhoo is much easier to rig then a mullet, squid or eel.

#2 - cost - although cost should only be a consideration for the process of the split tail mullet. I am still not sure why a single packaged lg squid cost so much.

whats your take

That's it in a nut shell. The fish haven't changed preferances.

Bert

[gradywhite273]

for me it was rigging, till box and bobby( pitchbait) showed me mullet eels and spanish, it was to intimidating to even begin to start. Still not as nice as their baits, but im practicing; and also why the neighborhood cats seem to congregate around my house.

[Squidnation]

That's it in a nut shell. The fish haven't changed preferances.

Bert

OK - so I guess the question is. Would ballyhoo have been equally, more or less effective as a bait in the old old days?

[pitch bait]

I like the Bally or a mullet on the flat cause I like to be able to get the bait down below the propwash. It makes it more visible to the fish. I also like a bait that has a subsurface swimming deal to get it dwntere where my dredges are. In the long run a mullet might not be more expensive then a bally for the flat. I would change a flat atleast five times in a day. Ddd the price of five ballys to the price of one mullet that will last all day I bet its close. To me a mullet has one down fall, the heavy weight. When a fish comes up jumping it is sometimes easy to have the heavy weight pull the hook. A squid to me is a surface bait and belongs in the clean water in the short or long rigger. When it is all said and done I will be pulling alot more ballys this year due to the circle hook deal. I do not know how to rig a mullet with a circle.

[Squidnation]

I like the Bally or a mullet on the flat cause I like to be able to get the bait down below the propwash. It makes it more visible to the fish. I also like a bait that has a subsurface swimming deal to get it dwntere where my dredges are. In the long run a mullet might not be more expensive then a bally for the flat. I would change a flat atleast five times in a day. Ddd the price of five ballys to the price of one mullet that will last all day I bet its close. To me a mullet has one down fall, the heavy weight. When a fish comes up jumping it is sometimes easy to have the heavy weight pull the hook. A squid to me is a surface bait and belongs in the clean water in the short or long rigger. When it is all said and done I will be pulling alot more ballys this year due to the circle hook deal. I do not know how to rig a mullet with a circle.

You had me until the highlighted statement bobby. The lack of bone structure on a squid I think would be more appealing to a circle hook fisherman then and boney fish.

[floridadeckie]

I'm inclined to agree with bert. when I'm fishing baits, I ALWAYS run at least one skipping mack and one deep swimming mullet. if squids are in the equation, I save them for a pitch or run a small one WTHB on the shotty. the skipping mack is interchangeable with a juicy super horse 'hoo, but the mullet stays put.

and rigging mullet with a circle aint hard, just bridle them like you would a dead tuna (read: lip rig)

[Bert Rodgers]

OK - so I guess the question is. Would ballyhoo have been equally, more or less effective as a bait in the old old days?

I would say about the same. Back in the day, ballys were always rigged on #8 wire with the old Hoochie style skirts, geeen or red. Caught plenty fish.

Bert

[pitch bait]

Does Kevin still own that boat?

I'm inclined to agree with bert. when I'm fishing baits, I ALWAYS run at least one skipping mack and one deep swimming mullet. if squids are in the equation, I save them for a pitch or run a small one WTHB on the shotty. the skipping mack is interchangeable with a juicy super horse 'hoo, but the mullet stays put.

and rigging mullet with a circle aint hard, just bridle them like you would a dead tuna (read: lip rig)