Trolling Lure Head Shapes

[fishizzle]

I recently began looking at additions I could make to my trolling spread and I am researching which lures to purchase. I target bluefin tuna, and want to make sure I am pulling the most effective lure that fits into my spread. We troll squid bars and dead bait a bit slower than most canyon fishermen do when targeting schools of tuna east of Chatham, so my lure selection is crucial. I am looking for a lure that will troll well at 4-5 knots.

My question is, How does a lure's face shape change its action, recommended speed to troll, and depth? I have looked for a description on the differences in head shapes, but have not found anything yet. I am hoping some off you can point me in the right direction by explaining the different head types (angle, round bullet, pointed bullet, jet, concave, flat, inverted, scoop) and differences in metal vs. resin.

[gradyfish265]

Get some Joe shute's lures' call him personally and have him make up some 3 oz lures to troll with ballyhoo or other rigged baits, they work great off NJ and work wonders off MHC in the winter's. Crystal with a red head has been a popular model, blue and white is hard to beat and in the right light conditions black/purple as well. They will outproduce an ilander any day and are cheaper to purchase as well. They also have less hair then an ilander so you see more of the bait, and they provide the right amount of flash to attract a big bluefins attention and key it in on the bait itself. Ilander's cover too much of the bait and I feel hinder the bait unless trolled at faster speeds. It is hard to beat a squid bar off chatham, they are great producer's. I know this season Canyon runner did very well off NJ trolling Mamba bar's in blue/white for 100+lb bluefin, might be something to add to the spread, the thinner profile of the lure helps mimic the bait that might be in your area, especially if sand eels are the forage. Typically bigger fish hang lower in the water colomn, so a weighted lure might suit you best, and that would troll well at slower speeds. Using a palner or 2 would be a good addition to get some lures lower in the water colomn, and for your lighter lures, get them as far back as possible. Bluefin tend to strike a ways behind the boat, the boat commotion will often push them under and they will not surface for a few seconds, so the further back the better.
If your targeting smaller bluefin under 100lbs, you might want to try reel draggin tackle 5" slammer's in green, I have hooked a lot of bluefin from 30-100lbs on those lure's when the bait in the area is small, plus they are cheap to purchse compared to some other tackle you might be pulling. When smaller fish are around I pull a small Reel draggin tackle bird followed by 4 5" green slammer's in a daisy chain, I do not know how many trips that set up has either saved the day or had 50% of our hook ups for the day. I troll this lure WWWB, sometimes with 200+yards out when the conditions permit.