My marlin trolling theory

When forming a spread for marlin it is important to remember that uniformity among your shorts and longs is important. It’s a known fact that marlin are color blind and that they can only tell the difference between two shades, light and dark. Although there is one skirt that glows in the dark that is a third shade to a marlin. The two shades that seem to stand out to these monsters of the deep are the absence of black, and the absence of light colors. Most people will have their preferences on the colors that they use but most of the time when certain colors are in fashion the only reason that it became popular is because of word from the tournament circuits in the Caribbean.
 
On the short riggers two skirted lures that have downward angled heads are good because they make three to four dives and turns. If an aggressive marlin comes up behind this lure it will see it dart and go after it as if it were the last piece of food out in the ocean.
 
On the longs you should have small lures that are very straight tracking in the water. This is for when a marlin come up that is not as aggressive to your shorts and when it sees the lure dart it will fallback, upon falling back the smaller and straight tracking lure will go by the marlin and most of the time the marlin will go for this lure.
 
On my marlin spread I don’t focus so much on my teasers but more so on my shorts. I will usually put two Black Bart lures such as the super plunger or Zulu head because of their big size and the angled heads that will make them swerve all around. Like I said before colors don’t really matter because if you have a marlin lure that you like and if you use it more than another chances are no matter what color it is you will catch more fish on it because marlin don’t get big by passing up meals.  If you give them something that’s half way decent they’ll go for it. The two shorts I will keep right at and around 80 feet off my stern. As for the longs I like to use what’s called a St. Thomas special. It’s a tear drop shaped head that has its fat end first, this lure is a very straight dragging lure, which I think is important because when a marlin that’s not as aggressive comes up to your shorts and doesn’t want to chase it, when they fall back they will then see the lure on your long rigger and most of the time go for that.
 
As for teasers I like to use something that has mirrors in it. Something that I have grown to like is the turbo teasers, the turbo teaser are almost impossible to come by but I have been so happy with the ones that I use that I almost wouldn’t change them in for anything else. The next best on my list is anything that makes a lot of commotion, a head with jets, mirrors, abalone inserts, as long as they create commotion I would recommend it.
 
Grant Gyland (aged 16)
Jupiter, Florida

"Interesting stuff Grant, be sure to send me some pictures from your next trip"

Surf shark leaders

Hey Spike

Here’s a leader that we use when fishing for big bull sharks off the shore here in the Gulf of Mexico.

Take a 5 foot (1.5 metre ) length of 400 lb monofilament and crimp a heavy barrel swivel to one end. Thread two beads onto the mono, then a heavy snap swivel followed by another couple of beads. Crimp a second barrel swivel to the other end of the mono. You then take a 5 foot (1.5 metre ) length of cable and crimp on a hook sized to suit the bait that you will be using. Crimp the other end to either of the barrel swivels on the mono, leaving the snap swivel to slide freely. The beads prevent the swivel jamming over the crimps.

We usually use this rig with a very heavy casting rod and a Penn Senator 4/0 or 6/0 wide spooled with 40 — 50 lb test monofilament. A suitable sized spider weight is clipped to the snap swivel to complete the rig.

If we need to get the big baits out further than we can cast with these outfits we sometimes use a kayak to carry the baits out and drop them exactly where we want them.

Chris Lyman
Austin, Texas

Quick change wind-on leaders

One of the disadvantages of wind-on leaders is that the swivel is closer to the lure than on a normal leader set up and so will often splash in front of the lure. Depending who you speak to, this is either a fish raising enticer or something that interferes with the perfect presentation of the lure and spooks fish. Tuna can sometimes shy away from lures with a splashing swivel in front of them, or alternatively do exactly the opposite, attack the swivels and ignore the lures completely.

Russell Housby, mate on Capt. Ron Cowling's OUR MARY at Funchal, Madeira, recommends the following procedure when splashing swivels seem to be putting tuna off.

Rig some of your tuna lures on long leaders, say 25 feet. Then make up some very short wind-on leaders around 5 feet in length and finish them with a snap swivel. If it's necessary to switch to a longer leader to get the swivel away from the lure, all you need to do is remove the long wind-on leader (an easy process since wind-on leaders are only connected loop to loop), then instead of fumbling around trying to tie a knot to a snap swivel, simply slip the short wind-on to the double. Snap on your tuna lure with the long leader, and you're ready to fish.

When you’re finished it’s a simple job to change back to the regular length wind on. A demonstration from Russell showed me how quickly the changeover can be made. It's a useful trick to remember when tuna are being finicky.

Dustin Foo
London

Don’t forget to make the leader a little bit shorter than 25 feet to allow for a bit of stretch in your leaders if you want to stay within IGFA rules.

Madeira marlin rig

On the island of Madeira between the months of June and October the target species is the Atlantic blue marlin. Other species are present, but most anglers on Madeira are chasing a grander blue. The tackle used reflects the intended target.

Trolling artificial lures is the preferred technique, and heavy tackle is the order of the day. The boats usually run a spread of four 80 lb or 130 lb outfits, often with bent butts for greater leverage when working on big fish.

Most crews load reels with Dacron mainline and add a 100 or 200 yard top-shot of monofilament ending in a short 6 — 8 foot double line. Some mates thread a short length of Dacron onto the line before forming the double. A wind-on leader is then joined to the doubled mainline with a double loop-to-loop connection. The Dacron previously threaded onto the double line is used to cushion the loop-to-loop connection.

Leaders are constructed of 500 — 600 lb breaking strain mono, spliced into a Dacron loop at one end and with a heavy nylon anti-chafe tube and heavy-duty ‘Aussie’ swivel crimped to the other end. The length of the wind-on leader plus the shorter lure leader cannot exceed 30 feet if it is to comply with IGFA rules. To allow for some stretch during a prolonged fight with a big fish the leaders would usually be made to a total length of around 28 feet, usually 22 feet for the wind-on and 6 feet for the lure leader.

The short lure leader is usually constructed of similar monofilament to the wind-on leader. At one end is the lure and hook rig, either single or double hooks depending on the captain’s preference. At the other end is a loop with a protective nylon anti-chafe tube or stainless steel thimble.

The Coastlock or Crosslock snaps that are used in regular big game trolling would become the weakest part of this heavy tackle set up. So the last component of the rig is a stainless steel shackle which links the Aussie swivel on the wind-on leader to the loop on the lure leader. This shackle is tightened with either pliers or a screwdriver and it’s breaking strain is more than twice that of the strongest Coastlock or Crosslock snap link.

When assembled carefully and maintained in good condition this leader set up is capable of withstanding enormous strain and will greatly improve your chances of landing a grander.

Peter Haigh
Surrey, England

Dacron loop outrigger system

Crewing aboard boats at Madeira this year, it was noticeable that the preferred system for trolling with large lures and heavy tackle was to use dacron loops spliced onto the main line used in conjunction with Black’s or Trapeze pin style rigger clips. These clips are favoured because they can be wound up tightly enough to hold even large lures without losing the ability to break open cleanly. The fact that the dacron loop, which is spliced onto the main line, is held by the rigger clip means that the metal pin never touches the main line and the consequent risk of weakening is avoided. The position of the spliced loop can be easily adjusted by sliding the dacron splice up and down the main line.

To set up this system, take a piece of hollow dacron about 10" long and splice a loop at one end with a needle or a doubled length of fine single strand wire. This loop goes into the outrigger release clip.

Imagine a Y. One branch of the Y is your spliced loop in the Dacron. The other branch and the stem of the Y is your main line. Basically the dacron covers the main line until about 3" from the dacron splice loop then comes out of the side of the dacron. Pierce the side of the dacron 3" down from the loop and run the main line through the remaining 7". You should now have a length of dacron that runs along the line with a 3" tag end complete with spliced loop sticking out. Secure the end that covers the main line with waxed thread half hitches to prevent fraying. When it's in the rigger clip, the dacron grips the line in a “Chinese finger trap” and it doesn't move -just like a wind on leader.

Use whatever dacron that fits your mono line snugly -130 or 150 lb is okay for 130 lb mono. 200 lb dacron is more durable and a great choice when fishing with thick diameter lines such as Amilan. To adjust the line length, grab the dacron in one hand, the mono in another, and simply slide it up and down the line.

Using hi vis dacron to make the loop and splice gives you a great marker for when you get a knock down and want to wind the lure up and bring it into the rigger clip. All that inexperienced crew need to do is wind the hi vis marker nearly up to the rod tip, rather than trying to bring the lure back to its original wave position - it can be difficult to keep track of a smaller lure run far back in large seas. Black dacron, however, does the job almost as well and for me anyway seems less tempting to any lurking wahoo or barracuda.

TAG LINES

A further refinement is to use the dacron loops in conjunction with Black’s clips on tag lines. With this system, all you need to do on a knockdown is wind the loop up to the rod tip, grab the clip, snap it into the dacron loop, let it go with the reel in free spool and the tag line shoots up the rigger - far superior to twisting rubber bands onto the line (try that during a hot bite). The Black’s clips can also be set to a far more precise setting than rubber bands.

To adapt Black’s clips to tag lines: Most Black’s clips come with a metal wire with an eye at each end for clipping to rigger halyards. Cut this wire off, you don't need it. Or use a Black’s kite clip, designed to run freely along a kite line. Take the end of your tag line and slide on a crimping sleeve. Run the tag line through the clip where the wire used to be (or like running it along a kite line), then back through the sleeve and pull it up tightly and crimp it . The finished arrangement should look something like a D---, with the tag line forming the --- and the wire arm of the release clip forming the straight side of the D.

Dustin Foo - London

Thanks Dustin. I’ll shortly be writing an article on splicing techniques and wind on leaders for our tips & techniques section.

The ‘Saturn V’ teaser

During the 2000 White marlin season I was working the deck for my friend Captain Helder Ferreira aboard the Esmeralda Azul in Portugal.

We smiled when a client produced his ‘secret weapon’ teaser which he wanted to use, and which we quickly named the Saturn V, after the rocket which carried men to the moon. It was enormous. Almost three feet long, made from a 12 inch length of black 4 inch diameter plastic pipe with skirting made from upholstery vinyl held in place with carpet tape. Inside the plastic tube was jammed a length of square section wood, which fitted tightly inside the tube, and which the client had pushed into place so that the wood was not flush with the end of the tube, but was around an inch down into the tube.

This, it turned out, was the Saturn V’s secret. The wood had been drilled lengthways through its centre, and a short length of 800 lb cable threaded through it. A crimp, a bead, and a large washer kept the wire from pulling through the teaser, while a large swivel was crimped to the other end of the wire. Two eyes had been roughly painted on the tube, and that was it. The quality was, shall we say, basic. But that didn’t stop it raising fish!
Captain Helder and I wiped away the tears of laughter, and I dutifully ran out the Saturn V from the centre of the transom convinced that any White marlin that saw it would be afraid of being eaten by it! The smoke trail that thing left had to be seen to be believed. It ran about 18 inches below the surface, and the huge amount of water that was scooped up by the recessed face was forced to exit through the four ‘half moon’ shaped slots between the wooden block and the tube. It was amazing, the smoke trail must have been twenty feet long. It looked like we were being chased by a torpedo!

I set out our usual spread of Moldcraft Little Chuggers, Wide Ranges and Soft Machines as well as my usual teaser of five rubber ballyhoo from a company called Burke lures. Does anyone know if Burke lures still exist? I called to Captain Helder to take a look at the Saturn V. He glanced down at it and smirked, but as I watched, the amusement froze on his face ..... “Marlin!.....” A white had come up in the spread and was knocking the snot out of the rubber ballyhoo teaser. The angler fed him a dead Carapau (Horse mackerel) and he was on.

The pattern continued throughout the day. We raised more fish that day than in the previous three days fishing. I didn’t see one fish rise directly to the Saturn V, but it sure wasn’t scaring them off. Coincidence? Possibly, but I doubt it. There’s no question that the fish could sense the presence of the Saturn V from a long way off, but I’ve always been of the opinion that a boat with twin diesels is about the biggest teaser you could put in the water, and the fish ought to be able to detect the boat from even further off. But there was obviously something about the Saturn V that they liked.

Well, Captain Helder and I both had egg on our faces, and I promised myself that I’d keep a straight face in future no matter what a client produced from his tackle bag.

Peter Haigh
Surrey, England

What’s that noise coming from Spike’s garage? Sounds like another Saturn V under construction!

Keep your hooks sharp with lanolin

It’s amazing how perfectly sharpened big game hooks lose their edge during a day of trolling, even when they are coated with the traditional Magic marker. Saltwater corrosion will quickly undo a deckie’s hard work on anything other than stainless hooks.

One of my more mundane duties as deckhand aboard Peter Bristow’s Katherine B in Madeira was to coat newly sharpened hook points with a layer of lanolin each day before the lures were put in the water. Lanolin is a fat processed from sheep’s wool and is available from pharmacists stores, but you may have to order it. It’s heavy and sticky, and clings to the hook points through a whole day of trolling, keeping them razor sharp.

I found it particularly valuable when fishing Rapalas, since the trebles are invariably non-stainless and extremely susceptible to corrosion.

Dustin Foo
London

Thanks for that Dustin. Like many other anglers I’ve always protected my hook points with a Magic marker after sharpening, but I’ll certainly be giving lanolin a try.

Fighting dogs

A popular catch here in the Solomon islands are Dogtooth tuna, referred to as doggies, or dogs. These fierce predators are tough fighters, equalling if not surpassing the Giant Trevally or GT. An unusual fish, they are actually a true member of the Bonito family, and although migratory are not pelagic and are found predominantly near structure, such as seamounts, submerged reefs and drop offs. The steepest walls and strongest currents produce the best fish.

They are also unusual among the tunas in possessing peg teeth resembling a dog’s fangs. Colours run from a silvery white belly to a metallic purple on the back with a pink to purple sheen over the sides and a conspicuous white tip to both the anal and the second dorsal fin.

Although doggies will take trolled minnows readily this will often only produce the smaller fish up to 3 kgs or so. The real monsters seem to prefer heavy metal jigged at speed combined with a fast retrieve, or livebaits and baited skirts trolled at depth.

Once hooked the fish will power away strongly, and they are often lost on the first run if they can make it back to the structure. They live up to their name and show a dogged fighting ability similar to a Yellowfin and once settled down will circle and go deeper if allowed. Often the angler has little choice in this matter!

We've boated them up to 40 kg although bigger fish remain uncaught. The unseen monster that gets away is usually a dog!

Bent rods & sharp hooks!

Dirk Sieling
Dive Solomon Charters

Interesting stuff Dirk. If you want to find out more about fishing in the Solomons, check out Solomon charters in our International directory.

Artificial Sand eels: an international success

Imitation sand eels are soft, plastic lures reminiscent of some freshwater ‘worms’. The basic concept is so successful that probably every boat angler in the British isles has several in his tackle box. The eels come in a range of sizes from one and a half to nine inches long and in a bewildering range of colours, from plain red, orange, white and black through to beautifully coloured baitfish imitations.

The original design comes from a small fishing town on the south coast of Cornwall, England, where the late Alex Ingram designed his first Mevagissey eel over 30 years ago. Since then the design concept has been copied and developed by several european manufacturers including Eddystone eels, Redgill, Delta tackle and the french company Raglou who now market an excellent version. Each company has added its own improvements and signature design variations.

In Europe, of all the lures available for casting, the Rapala remains supreme. But for any other aspect of sea angling, the artificial sand eel is king. Nine of the IGFA line class records (excluding fly) for the European pollack (Pollachius pollachius) were caught using imitation sand eels.

In Miami, fishing for Spanish mackerel between tarpon with Captain Bouncer Smith, we had great success with the sand eels. Smith was so impressed with the lure's action and presentation in the water that he, in a most gentlemanly manner of course, managed to ‘secure’ a good proportion of our stock.

The versatility of the lure has also taken it into other aspects of the sport, freshwater anglers sometimes use the imitation eels for pike, trout and salmon, and even fly anglers have benefited from incorporating the tail action into small flies using small specially manufactured tails built into the body of the fly.

Couple this versatility with the fact that the sand eel has proved successful at catching more than 30 recognised gamefish species and you begin to realise why it has developed such a reputation.

The imitation sand eel is made of strong but pliable plastic, and incorporates a built in hook. The shape is based on the sand eel, Ammodytes tobanius, but it has been claimed that the imitation swims even better than the real thing! The real magic of the lure is in the design of the tail, which emulates the movement of a drogue on a landing jet fighter plane, and moves rapidly from side to side when drawn through the water, either trolled or dropped to the bottom and retrieved through the water column.

When trolling, use a trolling weight ahead of a long leader of around 12 to 15 feet. The weight will depend on the trolliing speed and how deep the lure is required to swim. It will pay to vary the trolling speed until the fishes preference has been established.

When fished in this manner the eel will behave as a true ‘swimming’ lure and prove very effective for many predatory species. When fishing in Madeira, artificial eels, trolled alongside traditional feathers and spoons, accounted for 42 out of 49 dolphin caught. When one fish was lost, another jumped right on.

These versatile lures can also be used to extract fish from their homes around sunken wrecks. On the European side of the Atlantic, eels are popular to the extent of dominance when wreck or reef fishing for pollack, coalfish and bass.

Using a rig which incorporates a long leader of 12 to 15 feet and a plastic or wire boom to hold the leader away from the mainline, the lure is dropped to the reef or wreck, and on reaching the bottom is steadily retrieved. The speed of retrieve varies according to the species sought and the tidal flow. Fast tides will allow a slow retrieve, whereas a slower tide will demand a faster retrieve rate to impart the necessary action to the lure. The water column can be searched thoroughly until the depth at which the fish are holding is found.

Often a few small knocks on the rod tip will be felt as a fish makes half hearted strikes at the lure, but it is important to resist the urge to strike and to keep retrieving. Sometimes a fish will follow the lure way up through the water before finally taking the lure confidently.

Strikes are usually felt as added weight, the rod tip bends down and line starts to peel off the reel as the fish starts its first run. With pollack and coalfish (confusingly known as pollock on the American side of the Atlantic) this is usually followed by a dogged fight.

Excitement occurs when a lunker cod or ling picks up the eel, usually close to the bottom. Light tackle and a strong tide will combine to produce a long dour fight.

For other predatory species the eel proves equally successful. In our home waters pollack, cod, coalfish, ling, mackerel and European bass all regularly fall for its charms. In warmer waters they've been known to entice tunas, dolphin, snook, barracuda, wahoo, sailfish and even white marlin.

Whether the imitation eels represent the original model in nature or are a reasonable representation of some tropical baitfish such as an immature needlefish or a ballyhoo, they certainly seem to be a truly universal lure. We never travel anywhere without some in our angling luggage.

Sue Drake
England