Swimming/Bonito Plugs?

[Big Jay]

Anyone run these up in the NE/Mid-Atlantic Canyons? I have a few in the ole' tackle box but haven't put them in the water yet.

I am always up for trying new stuff in the spread.

What brand do you guys use? I have a braid little speedy right now.

Rig these with mono or cable?

I assume these get dunked in off a corner flat or down the center flat.

When do these get the nod to go in the water?

[adamarlin]

I just bought a purple/black Bonita plug from Yozuri that I'm going to riq with wire. My plan is to run it deep behind a planer and try to catch a hoo. I havent run this one yet, but I hear it works. I have only been bit off by wahoo... still looking to catch my first. I have seen Red/Black catch tuna from the flat line position. They look great in the water anyway.

I am anxious to hear what some of these more experienced anglers have to say.

[Big Jay]

The funny thing is, alot of the die hard wahoo guys don't like em. apprently something about the action of the bait combined with the double single hooks causes alot of foul hooks or missed strikes (according to them).

I have never caught a wahoo, but thats actually what i want to put it in the water specifically for.

Last weeked we got cut off real quick by what HAD to be a hoo on our right flat with a black/purple feather.

I should have in retrospect put the black and purple braid speedy swimmer i had in my tackle box rigged with some cable...ahh well.

[Big Jay]

Bump for more info.

Patudo gave me some really good insight on this technique. Looking for some more input.

[Logan9581]

We run them in FL behind the trolling weight. If you haven't already, make sure you get rid of those double hooks and put a single with the swivel on there.

[Squid]

The plugs work wonders on the corners for wahoos----even caught several mahi's and yellowfins on them. The big problem with them though, (as someone has already mentioned) is that they foul up from the hooks swinging over the plug and you also miss a lot of strikes. When they come from the factory, they are rigged with a wind on swivel attaching the hook to the plug. When pulled, the front hook lays back to the very back of the bait, with the back hook actually 4 or more inches behind the plug----both hooks [B]well[B] behind the strike zone of the plug (at the head). One way that we at the Ocean Isle Fishing Center have found to work well is to cut the welded ring at the top of the wind on swivel, replace it with a split ring and replace the single hook with a 5/0 Eagle Claw 4X treble hook on the front and back of the bait. This prevents both the fouling of the bait (the hooks swinging over the top of the bait) and prevents a LOT of missed strikes. We've noticed well over a 75% hook up ratio with this set up. Hope this info. has helped!

Bryan "Squid" Williams

[WahooKing]

This is my take on the bibless bonita type lures. They do attract Ono and you can catch fish....However, your hook-up to boat ratio is not that good.

Why?

My theory is the weight is directed towards the front of the bibless plugs. Your line is attached to the top of the lure's head....When them Ono shake their heads, them bibless lures play all kinds of funny games inside her bonny mouth...The weight per design of plug + the side to side motion + Ono's head that shakes = leverage and dislodge the hooks...single hooks are better than doubles on these types of plugs....However, you still will experience missed Ono...

A Bibless lure runs deep, runs deep, pops up, runs deep etc....tangles can be an issue because the lure pops up...Trolling sinkers + shock leader + cable leader = elimination of tangle issues (popping up) and an increase in your trolling speed.

The key to increasing your Ono catch is to keep max pressure on fish at all times...You can obtain max pressure on Ono when your line is attached directly to your hook rig inside the Ono's mouth.

A cable leader attached directly to lure/hook rig is best.

We reel Ono in at 8-10 knots for two reason...1. We keep max pressure on fish at all times...2. We are trolling and catching at the same time...When an Ono is hooked up and in distress, this is the time when you will experience double and triple hook ups...The others within the pack can't resist.