Ultimate Bonito/Skipjack lures and techniques?

[Roddy Hays]

I'm assuming you want these for bait......

Take four rods, load them all with 30lb mono straight to the lure.

On one put a daisy chain of 6 x small 3" octopus skirts with a hook in the last one - make sure the last one is about 3 feet behind the chain. Run it just behind the first or second wave so the chain is on the wave going up and the bait is a couple of feet behind the crest and on the backside. Use a 1/0 stainless Mustad O'Shaughnessy as the hook.

Take the next rod and put a 2" octopus skirt on it and run it the opposite corner, next wave back, bait on the backside of the a wave down in the trough.

Take the third and put a 3" octopus skirt with bullet in it right back where the prop wash ends.

Take the fourth and run it the same distance back. Put a 1/4 bullet on the line in front of any saltwater fly with mylar in it. Take your scissors and trim the fly so it is the exact length of the hook - as small as an inch maybe.

All four rods should be run flat off the rod tip. Use light drags until you are going astern on the fish (which if you're catching them for baits you'll want to do. Make sure you use a net to land them. Colors - anything will do, blue, pink, red, white, black - they'll catch. Personally I'd start with two pink and two black.

If they do not bite the first pass, try going faster instead of slower. This will give you the time to get over the fish before they realise something is up and some will bite bfore you go down.

It is sometimes a mistake to think that you are spooking the fish and need to run your lines longer. Very often the fish will be coming up in your prop wash and disappearing before you can get the lures over them, OR by the time the lures do arrive they have noted the line and swivel and get shy.

I often take a bicycle tube and attach a jethead to it on 10' of 200lb mono and run it out the scupper. You'd be amazed how many skippies that thing will catch when all else goes untouched and/or nothing seems to be around - you do need to make sure someone is watching this line though, it's easy to drown the fish or break its neck.

When you have caught a couple you'll find out quickly whether they want it long or short that day. Then you can cut out two rods and make it easier on yourself. Don't fret too much about colour, it's the size that matters most. Many times skippies are eating something so small you can't even see it. At times like this attach a 200 lb Sampo swivel to your line, open the eye of a hook and put it round the rear ring and then use that. Works surprisingly well. Don't know why, maybe the two rings create bubbles or something ?

I sell a lot of our bait Unicorns for skippies worldwide. They're dynamite on these small tunas, but to be fair there are an awful lot of very good skippies lures out there. I like using cut-down saltwater flies behind a bullet a lot.......I've also used them behind a popper as mentioned above.

[babalaza]

Awesome post Roddy

I have been using the bait unicorns and been lucky with them. I have trimmed one and catches well. My problem with these has been the hooks. I'll try some 1/0 stainless Mustad O'Shaughnessys instead of the ones im using.

I have a very hard time finding the 2" skirts, in fact I have never found them before. 3" is the smallest I found and lost them fast..

I am going to try these with a "weighted" hook, they might do the work?

I'm using 20 lb on the reels so I'll just rig they them straight up. Never been lucky running them short, usually its at long riggers and shotgun lengths, so my guess is I am really missing out on the little chains.

[Bigeye10]

I'm assuming you want these for bait......

Take four rods, load them all with 30lb mono straight to the lure.

On one put a daisy chain of 6 x small 3" octopus skirts with a hook in the last one - make sure the last one is about 3 feet behind the chain. Run it just behind the first or second wave so the chain is on the wave going up and the bait is a couple of feet behind the crest and on the backside. Use a 1/0 stainless Mustad O'Shaughnessy as the hook.

Take the next rod and put a 2" octopus skirt on it and run it the opposite corner, next wave back, bait on the backside of the a wave down in the trough.

Take the third and put a 3" octopus skirt with bullet in it right back where the prop wash ends.

Take the fourth and run it the same distance back. Put a 1/4 bullet on the line in front of any saltwater fly with mylar in it. Take your scissors and trim the fly so it is the exact length of the hook - as small as an inch maybe.

All four rods should be run flat off the rod tip. Use light drags until you are going astern on the fish (which if you're catching them for baits you'll want to do. Make sure you use a net to land them. Colors - anything will do, blue, pink, red, white, black - they'll catch. Personally I'd start with two pink and two black.

If they do not bite the first pass, try going faster instead of slower. This will give you the time to get over the fish before they realise something is up and some will bite bfore you go down.

It is sometimes a mistake to think that you are spooking the fish and need to run your lines longer. Very often the fish will be coming up in your prop wash and disappearing before you can get the lures over them, OR by the time the lures do arrive they have noted the line and swivel and get shy.

I often take a bicycle tube and attach a jethead to it on 10' of 200lb mono and run it out the scupper. You'd be amazed how many skippies that thing will catch when all else goes untouched and/or nothing seems to be around - you do need to make sure someone is watching this line though, it's easy to drown the fish or break its neck.

When you have caught a couple you'll find out quickly whether they want it long or short that day. Then you can cut out two rods and make it easier on yourself. Don't fret too much about colour, it's the size that matters most. Many times skippies are eating something so small you can't even see it. At times like this attach a 200 lb Sampo swivel to your line, open the eye of a hook and put it round the rear ring and then use that. Works surprisingly well. Don't know why, maybe the two rings create bubbles or something ?

I sell a lot of our bait Unicorns for skippies worldwide. They're dynamite on these small tunas, but to be fair there are an awful lot of very good skippies lures out there. I like using cut-down saltwater flies behind a bullet a lot.......I've also used them behind a popper as mentioned above.

That is why this the best fishing site, thanks for takin the time to put that out there Roddy

[Bert Rodgers]

this the ones you talking about?

Bert the spoon behind a planner or just by itself?

Both. Schooly bluefins like them too.

Bert

[Andaman Andy]

Micro DFA line