Where do you run your spreader bars?

[cape_fisherman]

If the bar master were here, he'd probably say to run those bars close...not way back!

The boat hull is your bait ball...the bars close to the hull are pieces of the ball that have broken away and are easy pickings. Single baits close to those bars can be either bait that is falling behind & easy prey or they can be predators whom other gamefish will kill because of their competition instinct (that's why fender teasers work for tunas...the fender will represent a tuna feeding off the bait ball [your boat hull], and other tunas will come in hot because they see the competition already beat them to the action!).

I buy into all that...so run those bars in close! Pack as many baits in short as you can!

Jay

[Ironwoodtuna]

I beleive in keeping my spreader bars (seven or nine of my eleven rods) right behind my three swimming bumper teasers. I have three off the transom rod holders in the center and two corners, then behind them but not in-line with their lead, three behind them more off my two 15' corner riggers and one off the center rigger, then two more bars off my side outrigger shorts, with two giant horse ballyhoos off the long riggers.

We troll 6.5 to 7-knots most of the time. A fish can't come into the spread and miss a bar without running straight into the next bar. I also will dump half a spool on the first few fish that get hooked up so, I can start turning the boat hard left, then hard right, while going up and down on the throttle. My Baits dance all over the blue holes I create. I like to get as many fish on at one time as possible. Letting those first few fish get way out makes getting the close & later hooked fish in the boat without many tangles or crosses. Sometimes, we get totally screwed up with crosses, but we almost never loose or break off fih with them.

The way I have my spread set up with the corner wing & center riggers and 22' side outriggers, I can make "S" turns with my boat never crossing a line.When I finally back off the throttles, and start working the fish with guys on the rods, we try to always work the fish in between the bars that we kept in the water. The rest of the bars always seem to get more fish on them while we are fighting the first 5 to 8 fish.

If you ever watched BLUE PLANET and the schools of bait fish getting attacked by big yellowfins you would understand why I like to have 200+ squid baits in my spreads. Hope this helped. tightlines, Capt. Marty

[TOMMYV]

Yo Snow: The object of the game is to draw them up and in passing over them for them to take noctice. We run a G-1 teaser off the bridge and either a G2 or a G3 off the short riggers on port and starboard. Flatlines are for small jets if you are into Albies or run yozuri plugs underneath the spread of 100plus squid with the comotion that will definitely catch there attention. The long riggers daisy chains with soft birds and the center rigger something big 16" or more. We have had so many multiple knock downs with yellow fins and Mr Blue shows up a takes the center rigger when you have 3 to 4 yellows hooked up!

[arthurj]

I've got to say that Blue Planet DVD is the greatest. In fact I may watch it tonight!

[R'nR Bob]

Remember to always run your spreader bars on top (or idealy, just forward of the top) of the wake/wave your running them on. Never run your bars on the waves backside or in the trough. This will help to keep the bars from submerging. Change speed and adjust the spread as your wake waves will move closer to the boat as you slow and further back as you speed up. Remember also to try to position the bars in the clear water "sweet spot".
I've run my SuperBars 10 feet back and back so far you can barely see them, successfully. Just keep them on top of your wake wave.