Trolling artificials on downrigger for YFT. Ideas Pls.

[Twotems]

I want to troll artificials on my downrigger for YFT this weekend. So far I've decided on an 8 inch dorado cedar plug, a 4 inch spoon and an Iland Hoolahood with a Tuffhoo. Does anyone have anymore ideas? I would do some live bait, but I want to troll a normal spread on top and that precludes livies.

[Caveman Sportfishing]

Every time we put out the planners for bluefin-wahoo it completely shuts down any yellowfin bite on the troll. We have tried putting the lines the flat lines wwwwb and that still did not get the yellowfin bite going. in our area the bluefin are usually inshore of where the yellowfin reside mostly but not true when fishing for wahoo and it just has not been productive for us. We have pullled the planners when we found a school of yellowfin and others were getting hooked up and we were not and after the planners were out of the water we started to catch. We have never run anything but ballyhoo with lures on the planners in the past. I would be very interested if others have had better luck running downriggers as we only use planners on our boats but I do have two downriggers sitting in my garage but prefer planners of various sizes. We use 32,24 and have gone down to 16's which are now mostly rigged with hollow core spectra. I have always thought downriggers with the stainless cable humming noise would spook yellowfin. Love to hear other peoples opinion and experience with downriggers for yellowfin with artificials.

[Reel Draggin' Tackle]

We almost always have our downriggers out. We use a 13# ball and 300# Power Pro vice the cable, the last three feet connecting to the ball is 200# Momoi.
We have been running dredges from the ball, 15 to 25 feet back, 10 to 20 feet deep.
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When we have run lures, we have had good success pulling Drones, Squid Daisy Chains and RDT Slammers.

Ken

[Squidnation]

In years past we did not run a planer while tuna fishing. Always thought it scared em away. This year we did becuase the wahoo bite was so good. Man - have we been missing the boat. Not only did we catch more wahoo then ever but we also landed quite a few yellowfins on the planer. We trolled shiney weighted bullet type lure, some with ballyhoo some without. We used 130lb dacron with 180 feet of 130lb floro topshot. We bridled the planer at the beginning of the topshot and put the rod in a holder about midship. planer was right near the boat and the lure was back 180 feet. We will do it much more while tuna fishing this year.

[Twotems]

Thanks for the responses so far. A mixed bag of responses, but it sounds like it might work afterall. Any more ideas on lures?