Where do you run your spreader bars?

[snowranger]

Fairly new to the offshore game, I have not had much success with spreader bars. I have a pink and blue shell squid bar and a rasta bar. Tried them on the short shotgun and in the short and long rigger positions without much luck. I was wondering where everyone prefers to run them in the spread and what the preferred hook baits were.
Thanks,
Eric

[John Rogers]

Flatlines have always done good. right down the middle with meat surrounding it has done good as well. Good luck

[Sea Draggin]

Way back yonder

[jwalker]

Simplistic but really what makes the difference

Spreader bars catch fish and especially TUNA, if you are in the spot and the tuna are feeding, it's hard for them to resist coming up to check out and destroy a spreader bar..
I would vote for the right SIZE baits in your bar as the most critical decision when the Tuna are on the feed, if their locked into 6" bait then deploy the 6" bars...
Color Next ...match the color next and your ready to catch...

[ReelSmith]

Ditto of John rogers and Jwalker!

[Green Machine]

snowranger, I agree with what jwalker said too. I think if you run more bars of the right size (whatever is being eaten) you will start getting more multiples. We like to run ballyhoo with small islander or billy bait heads in the vicinity of the bars.

remember you are trying to represent a quantity of bait to entice a school of fish (not single fish) to turn on your spread. More baits = more of a reason for the school to come and eat what you are serving. No lure is more effective then a good spreader bar for tuna.

[snowranger]

Thanks for the responses guys. Under Green Machine's theory, would you suggest running one off the short rigger with a flat line in front, and a long rigger and maybe a short shotgun behind?

[whitey]

Different lures and bars are designed to run in different postions and sea conditions. For instance our jet bars will not run good as a flatline bait but work great on long and short riggers. I have found that the lighter bars run better on flatlines and the heavier ones run better on the riggers since they get the extra lift from the outrigger to keep the bar out of the water.

[Bert Rodgers]

The size thing is interesting, as Bill pointed out recently all of the OC Charter guys keep a bar with the biggest bulb squids available in the spread every day regardless of the size of squid the fish are eating. Why? They want to get their attention 1st and formost.

Not advice, just an observation.

As a personal preferance I like to run bars directly off the rod tip from the chair. I also put one directly off the rod from the lowest towerleg rod holder or the short shot gun off the bridge.

Bert

[Over Under]

First one always goes right in the middle of the spread, run off the bridge. These are always the real big green squid bars on our boat...trying to get their attention and get the bites on all the other stuff we run around that center bar.

If they are coming up on it, we'll put 2 more out on flat lines. and if they really want to eat em, we'll put a couple of Tournament Cable's Splash bars out on the riggers as well.