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Random Quote: give a man a fish feed him for a day/teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime
In the southern part of NC (Southport/Cape Fear Inlet), the first part of an offshore trip involves looking for pogies. They are a great king mackeral bait when slow-trolled. If you are fishing within 5 miles of the shore, they are almost a requirement for catching kings.
Les
Not really an offshore thing, but when we'd fish wrecks for bottom fish within 10 miles out, we'd always flyline a big alewife on a big baitrunner spinning reel.
You'd be doinking around with something, and then....
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZZZ!!!!!!! That baitrunner would take off! Usually a King or an Amberjack. Sometimes a big ole Ling.
Got have some livies in the well. And slow trolling livies is a known producer, takes some more skill and practice, a downrigger helps as well.
Live bait is critical for a day of king mackeral fishing in my opinion... I have fished with live menhaden up to 40 miles out for kings and have caught, wahoo, tuna, dolphin, cobia, amberjacks, and a lot of other stuff.
Live bait is best. In Portsmouth NH I use mackerel when they are running and pollock. Every year when I jig for mackerel I always live line one at the same time. 2 years ago I got a 41 pound striper in early June at the Isle of Shoals. I could not see any other boaters fishing for stripers.
Do you guys use any special method of rigging for slow trolling pogies or menhaden? Do you just put them on a hook or do you truss them up like a ballyhoo for billfish?
I just use a standard live bait rig... small swivel, 14 inches of #3 wire, connected (haywire twist) to a #6 trebel, and then 5 inches of #4 wire that leads to another #6 treble... Just embed the first hook in the pogie's nose and then embed the rear treble in the baits back, or let it hang freely and you should catch some fish! Hope that helps ya
Remember to troll SSSSLLLLOOOOWWW when draging pogies. Your lines should have a nice sweeping bow in them. If your lines are straight your going too fast and your draging dead baits that dont look natural and you wont catch sh*t!!
Pete
I AM PRO CHOICE
I choose to hunt, fish, trap, eat meat, and wear fur
Live bait is king. I use it for all kinds of fish. Bottom fishing for Grouper and Snapper. Really deep bottom fishing for ling cod. Trolling for tuna and jacks. Flyline them for drift fishing.
Live bait ofshore fishing 
