Bluewater trolling, the basics.
08-24-2020, 08:43 AM
#1
Bluewater trolling, the basics.
First, I know that there are literally hundreds of threads that cover the information I’m looking for. Not many are basic and comprehensive though. Just a bit of valuable information here and there. Someone help me please.
I’ve trolled in nearshore water for years, kingfish, ling, Jack Crevalle, bonito. An occasional Amberjack or Dolphin. Even fish a kingfish tournament now and again. I want to become competent at deep water trolling for Wahoo, Dolphin and tuna and up my numbers of ling. Maybe even get lucky and catch a sailfish someday. I have a 25’ CC. I have somewhere around 12-15’ telescoping outriggers on it. I’ve used them twice I believe and I understand the basics. My normal trolling spread for kingfish would be two rods in the tee top (kingfish) rod holders with surface or shallow baits, two more rods on the back corners with diving lures and/or trolling sinkers (non surface baits) and a daisy chain or something else down the middle.
A charter captain looked at my setup and said it’s not very efficient for blue water trolling. That I should add teaser reels and use my outriggers and get some suitable lures. Can someone here elaborate please? Dumb it down, I’ve got thick skin. What I’m really interested in is line lengths on individual rod locations and I’m not at all certain how lines don’t overlap each other if an outrigger rod is hit and the line is released? I have four gunnel rod holders, two kingfish rod holders and five on the leaning post. A diagram with lure recommendations and line lengths would be awesome. Thanks y’all.
I’ve trolled in nearshore water for years, kingfish, ling, Jack Crevalle, bonito. An occasional Amberjack or Dolphin. Even fish a kingfish tournament now and again. I want to become competent at deep water trolling for Wahoo, Dolphin and tuna and up my numbers of ling. Maybe even get lucky and catch a sailfish someday. I have a 25’ CC. I have somewhere around 12-15’ telescoping outriggers on it. I’ve used them twice I believe and I understand the basics. My normal trolling spread for kingfish would be two rods in the tee top (kingfish) rod holders with surface or shallow baits, two more rods on the back corners with diving lures and/or trolling sinkers (non surface baits) and a daisy chain or something else down the middle.
A charter captain looked at my setup and said it’s not very efficient for blue water trolling. That I should add teaser reels and use my outriggers and get some suitable lures. Can someone here elaborate please? Dumb it down, I’ve got thick skin. What I’m really interested in is line lengths on individual rod locations and I’m not at all certain how lines don’t overlap each other if an outrigger rod is hit and the line is released? I have four gunnel rod holders, two kingfish rod holders and five on the leaning post. A diagram with lure recommendations and line lengths would be awesome. Thanks y’all.
Likes:
08-24-2020, 09:48 AM
#3
Admirals Club 
I am rather inexperienced compared to many on this forum, but here are a few resources that have diagrams of species and location specific trolling spreads. Helped me a bunch when designing a spread for my small boat.
Mixed Bag
https://www.sportfishingmag.com/boat...hore-trolling/
Tuna (although specific to using wide trackers)
https://www.sterlingtackle.com/tips
Wahoo
https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/h...ahoo-anywhere/
Mixed Bag
https://www.sportfishingmag.com/boat...hore-trolling/
Tuna (although specific to using wide trackers)
https://www.sterlingtackle.com/tips
Wahoo
https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/h...ahoo-anywhere/
Likes:
08-24-2020, 10:14 AM
#4
How to Pick Your Offshore Trolling Spot? Beginner Offshore Trolling Article We wrote a pretty in-depth article here about picking where to go. If you scroll to the bottom of the thread we put in an image of what a basic trolling spread would look like for a 4-rod spread. Then you can find one more article back at our website https://www.sordtools.com/where-the-...ng-gear-advice with a few basic lures that work for us!
Likes:
Likes:
08-24-2020, 10:32 AM
#6
Member
Originally Posted by jfish8
This is going to be a big factor.
08-24-2020, 12:09 PM
#7
THT Sponsor
THT sponsor
A center rigger would be the best single improvement you could make. The high line at the back of the spread is deadly.
Teaser reels can be put off until later. Teasers can be pulled from homemade setups or even from a cleat until you learn how they work for you.
Get a couple High Speed Trolling rigs put together and have them in the water when your traveling or scouting areas looking for wildlife.
Never drive straight.
Teaser reels can be put off until later. Teasers can be pulled from homemade setups or even from a cleat until you learn how they work for you.
Get a couple High Speed Trolling rigs put together and have them in the water when your traveling or scouting areas looking for wildlife.
Never drive straight.
Last edited by Lone Ono; 08-24-2020 at 01:42 PM.
Likes:
08-24-2020, 02:16 PM
#9
Originally Posted by Lone Ono
A center rigger would be the best single improvement you could make. The high line at the back of the spread is deadly.
Teaser reels can be put off until later. Teasers can be pulled from homemade setups or even from a cleat until you learn how they work for you.
Get a couple High Speed Trolling rigs put together and have them in the water when your traveling or scouting areas looking for wildlife.
Never drive straight.
Teaser reels can be put off until later. Teasers can be pulled from homemade setups or even from a cleat until you learn how they work for you.
Get a couple High Speed Trolling rigs put together and have them in the water when your traveling or scouting areas looking for wildlife.
Never drive straight.
I have some Yo Zuri Bonitas. Have some trolling weights too that I usually pull live blue runners on. I know those won’t work together. I could combine weights and lures for my flat lines. How about for my outriggers? Or should I just continue using my kingfish rod holders and avoid the outriggers? How far back is a good length for each so that I can make turns without a huge mess?
08-24-2020, 03:24 PM
#10
THT Sponsor
THT sponsor
For high-speed you can pull one Bonita in the short position behind a 48 or 64 oz. sinker. Very few people use the outriggers for HST, often only pulling two or three lures straight from the rod tips. Staggering the length limits the tangles. Using 30’ shock leaders position your second sinker 30’ farther back behind the first lure, rinse/repeat.
First sinker 70’, first lure 100’, second sinker 130’, second lure 160’, third sinker 190’, third lure 220’. This is just a generic starting point, it puts “something” in the water every 30’, just pray they hit the wiggly ones 😉. Don’t discount the presence of the sinkers. If you only focus on the lures and end up with a sinker running close to the lure in front that lure will shut down.
First sinker 70’, first lure 100’, second sinker 130’, second lure 160’, third sinker 190’, third lure 220’. This is just a generic starting point, it puts “something” in the water every 30’, just pray they hit the wiggly ones 😉. Don’t discount the presence of the sinkers. If you only focus on the lures and end up with a sinker running close to the lure in front that lure will shut down.
08-24-2020, 03:50 PM
#11
Originally Posted by Lone Ono
For high-speed you can pull one Bonita in the short position behind a 48 or 64 oz. sinker. Very few people use the outriggers for HST, often only pulling two or three lures straight from the rod tips. Staggering the length limits the tangles. Using 30’ shock leaders position your second sinker 30’ farther back behind the first lure, rinse/repeat.
First sinker 70’, first lure 100’, second sinker 130’, second lure 160’, third sinker 190’, third lure 220’. This is just a generic starting point, it puts “something” in the water every 30’, just pray they hit the wiggly ones 😉. Don’t discount the presence of the sinkers. If you only focus on the lures and end up with a sinker running close to the lure in front that lure will shut down.
First sinker 70’, first lure 100’, second sinker 130’, second lure 160’, third sinker 190’, third lure 220’. This is just a generic starting point, it puts “something” in the water every 30’, just pray they hit the wiggly ones 😉. Don’t discount the presence of the sinkers. If you only focus on the lures and end up with a sinker running close to the lure in front that lure will shut down.
Likes:
08-25-2020, 05:09 AM
#14
Senior Member
A rod in each of your back corners. These will be your shortest, short corner and long corner. SC is where you'd want to run a yo-zuri, lipped plug, planer, etc. for wahoo. LC your line will be further back, Run either decent sized larger lure or a shallower sub-surface lure here.
Then a rod in each of your gunnel rod holders closer to the console. These go to to your outriggers and are short rigger (on same side as short corner) and long rigger. This is where you'll want to run small lures or preferably skirted ballyhoos (look up pin rigging ballyhoo with islanders).
Last rod most will put up in the t-top rod holders and is the shotgun down the middle. Put this 'way way back" with a little tuna feather or similar.
Lines go out in the order of longest to shortest. The hardest part about teasers, etc on a 25' boat is limited hands on deck and limited space to work. If you really want to add a teaser keep your short side of the boat on the starboard side. Move your long rigger rod to the furthest outside rod holder on your lean post (right behind driver with the handle outward). Use a short teaser or kite style rod with something like a 6/0 senator with 400# line in you gunnel rod holder. put a small pulley with a clip on your teaser line and clip it to your first outrigger eye. Run a squid chain on this back to just in front of your long rigger lure. When a fish hits the driver can easily reel this up to where the first squid meets the pulley and the rest dangle.
Once you dial that in learn to read hiltons / ripcharts / roffs / etc. If you are 300' and in you might focus your spread more to wahoo, deeper weedlines more to dolphin and rigs more to tuna.
Then a rod in each of your gunnel rod holders closer to the console. These go to to your outriggers and are short rigger (on same side as short corner) and long rigger. This is where you'll want to run small lures or preferably skirted ballyhoos (look up pin rigging ballyhoo with islanders).
Last rod most will put up in the t-top rod holders and is the shotgun down the middle. Put this 'way way back" with a little tuna feather or similar.
Lines go out in the order of longest to shortest. The hardest part about teasers, etc on a 25' boat is limited hands on deck and limited space to work. If you really want to add a teaser keep your short side of the boat on the starboard side. Move your long rigger rod to the furthest outside rod holder on your lean post (right behind driver with the handle outward). Use a short teaser or kite style rod with something like a 6/0 senator with 400# line in you gunnel rod holder. put a small pulley with a clip on your teaser line and clip it to your first outrigger eye. Run a squid chain on this back to just in front of your long rigger lure. When a fish hits the driver can easily reel this up to where the first squid meets the pulley and the rest dangle.
Once you dial that in learn to read hiltons / ripcharts / roffs / etc. If you are 300' and in you might focus your spread more to wahoo, deeper weedlines more to dolphin and rigs more to tuna.
08-25-2020, 08:01 AM
#15
Originally Posted by Southern Hooker
A rod in each of your back corners. These will be your shortest, short corner and long corner. SC is where you'd want to run a yo-zuri, lipped plug, planer, etc. for wahoo. LC your line will be further back, Run either decent sized larger lure or a shallower sub-surface lure here.
Then a rod in each of your gunnel rod holders closer to the console. These go to to your outriggers and are short rigger (on same side as short corner) and long rigger. This is where you'll want to run small lures or preferably skirted ballyhoos (look up pin rigging ballyhoo with islanders).
Last rod most will put up in the t-top rod holders and is the shotgun down the middle. Put this 'way way back" with a little tuna feather or similar.
Lines go out in the order of longest to shortest. The hardest part about teasers, etc on a 25' boat is limited hands on deck and limited space to work. If you really want to add a teaser keep your short side of the boat on the starboard side. Move your long rigger rod to the furthest outside rod holder on your lean post (right behind driver with the handle outward). Use a short teaser or kite style rod with something like a 6/0 senator with 400# line in you gunnel rod holder. put a small pulley with a clip on your teaser line and clip it to your first outrigger eye. Run a squid chain on this back to just in front of your long rigger lure. When a fish hits the driver can easily reel this up to where the first squid meets the pulley and the rest dangle.
Once you dial that in learn to read hiltons / ripcharts / roffs / etc. If you are 300' and in you might focus your spread more to wahoo, deeper weedlines more to dolphin and rigs more to tuna.
Then a rod in each of your gunnel rod holders closer to the console. These go to to your outriggers and are short rigger (on same side as short corner) and long rigger. This is where you'll want to run small lures or preferably skirted ballyhoos (look up pin rigging ballyhoo with islanders).
Last rod most will put up in the t-top rod holders and is the shotgun down the middle. Put this 'way way back" with a little tuna feather or similar.
Lines go out in the order of longest to shortest. The hardest part about teasers, etc on a 25' boat is limited hands on deck and limited space to work. If you really want to add a teaser keep your short side of the boat on the starboard side. Move your long rigger rod to the furthest outside rod holder on your lean post (right behind driver with the handle outward). Use a short teaser or kite style rod with something like a 6/0 senator with 400# line in you gunnel rod holder. put a small pulley with a clip on your teaser line and clip it to your first outrigger eye. Run a squid chain on this back to just in front of your long rigger lure. When a fish hits the driver can easily reel this up to where the first squid meets the pulley and the rest dangle.
Once you dial that in learn to read hiltons / ripcharts / roffs / etc. If you are 300' and in you might focus your spread more to wahoo, deeper weedlines more to dolphin and rigs more to tuna.
Thanks for the information. Just a couple of questions. Drivers side of the boat is in the Port side, it’s a Center Console so there’s actually not much difference. If a fish hits the rigger that’s on the same side as the daisy chain, with that rod being in the leaning post, will that line not pull into my corner rod, possibly making a mess? I’m not knowledgeable enough to disagree with you, just trying to understand how it all works together. I use skirted ballyhoos for kingfish on occasion so that part isn’t an issue. Should all lines remain staggered around 30’ as was mentioned above in this particular trolling spread?
Thanks again
08-25-2020, 08:07 AM
#16
Originally Posted by Southern Hooker
A rod in each of your back corners. These will be your shortest, short corner and long corner. SC is where you'd want to run a yo-zuri, lipped plug, planer, etc. for wahoo. LC your line will be further back, Run either decent sized larger lure or a shallower sub-surface lure here.
Then a rod in each of your gunnel rod holders closer to the console. These go to to your outriggers and are short rigger (on same side as short corner) and long rigger. This is where you'll want to run small lures or preferably skirted ballyhoos (look up pin rigging ballyhoo with islanders).
Last rod most will put up in the t-top rod holders and is the shotgun down the middle. Put this 'way way back" with a little tuna feather or similar.
Lines go out in the order of longest to shortest. The hardest part about teasers, etc on a 25' boat is limited hands on deck and limited space to work. If you really want to add a teaser keep your short side of the boat on the starboard side. Move your long rigger rod to the furthest outside rod holder on your lean post (right behind driver with the handle outward). Use a short teaser or kite style rod with something like a 6/0 senator with 400# line in you gunnel rod holder. put a small pulley with a clip on your teaser line and clip it to your first outrigger eye. Run a squid chain on this back to just in front of your long rigger lure. When a fish hits the driver can easily reel this up to where the first squid meets the pulley and the rest dangle.
Once you dial that in learn to read hiltons / ripcharts / roffs / etc. If you are 300' and in you might focus your spread more to wahoo, deeper weedlines more to dolphin and rigs more to tuna.
Then a rod in each of your gunnel rod holders closer to the console. These go to to your outriggers and are short rigger (on same side as short corner) and long rigger. This is where you'll want to run small lures or preferably skirted ballyhoos (look up pin rigging ballyhoo with islanders).
Last rod most will put up in the t-top rod holders and is the shotgun down the middle. Put this 'way way back" with a little tuna feather or similar.
Lines go out in the order of longest to shortest. The hardest part about teasers, etc on a 25' boat is limited hands on deck and limited space to work. If you really want to add a teaser keep your short side of the boat on the starboard side. Move your long rigger rod to the furthest outside rod holder on your lean post (right behind driver with the handle outward). Use a short teaser or kite style rod with something like a 6/0 senator with 400# line in you gunnel rod holder. put a small pulley with a clip on your teaser line and clip it to your first outrigger eye. Run a squid chain on this back to just in front of your long rigger lure. When a fish hits the driver can easily reel this up to where the first squid meets the pulley and the rest dangle.
Once you dial that in learn to read hiltons / ripcharts / roffs / etc. If you are 300' and in you might focus your spread more to wahoo, deeper weedlines more to dolphin and rigs more to tuna.
Is it essential that the shotgun rod go up so high? It will be very difficult to remove from the rod holder with a fish on because it’s so hard to reach. On my boat, your on your tip toes and stretching to get to those rod holders even without tension on them. I’m 5’11”. Anyone shorter, has to stand on my under-the-leaning-post Yeti to reach those rod holders.
08-25-2020, 10:52 AM
#17
THT Sponsor
THT sponsor
Originally Posted by 7hetexsan
Is it essential that the shotgun rod go up so high? It will be very difficult to remove from the rod holder with a fish on.
08-25-2020, 12:01 PM
#19
Senior Member
Originally Posted by 7hetexsan
Thanks for the information. Just a couple of questions. Drivers side of the boat is in the Port side, it’s a Center Console so there’s actually not much difference. If a fish hits the rigger that’s on the same side as the daisy chain, with that rod being in the leaning post, will that line not pull into my corner rod, possibly making a mess? I’m not knowledgeable enough to disagree with you, just trying to understand how it all works together. I use skirted ballyhoos for kingfish on occasion so that part isn’t an issue. Should all lines remain staggered around 30’ as was mentioned above in this particular trolling spread?
Thanks again
Thanks again
No the line will be higher and further out. Also why you want the lure behind the squid chain.
All lines should be staggered as to where your baits/lures look the best. I think the post about 30' was referring to high speed trolling.
As far as the shotgun, I like it to be at-or-higher than the rigger lines. On a big boat you have to have a center rigger to accomplish this (although i have seen guys run it straight off the bridge and pass the rod down). I've never seen a center rigger on a small CC. As long as you're fishing 30/40lb line and a metal or slick butt its really not that hard to jump up on the gunnel and snatch it down or pass it down. I understand some might be agility challenged though. With a long rod though the lean post rod holders would probably get you enough height to work.
08-25-2020, 12:11 PM
#20
Originally Posted by Southern Hooker
2 reasons - if you're right handed its easier to deal with a rod on the port side of the lean post and most CC steering wheels are on the port side of the console
No the line will be higher and further out. Also why you want the lure behind the squid chain.
All lines should be staggered as to where your baits/lures look the best. I think the post about 30' was referring to high speed trolling.
As far as the shotgun, I like it to be at-or-higher than the rigger lines. On a big boat you have to have a center rigger to accomplish this (although i have seen guys run it straight off the bridge and pass the rod down). I've never seen a center rigger on a small CC. As long as you're fishing 30/40lb line and a metal or slick butt its really not that hard to jump up on the gunnel and snatch it down or pass it down. I understand some might be agility challenged though. With a long rod though the lean post rod holders would probably get you enough height to work.
No the line will be higher and further out. Also why you want the lure behind the squid chain.
All lines should be staggered as to where your baits/lures look the best. I think the post about 30' was referring to high speed trolling.
As far as the shotgun, I like it to be at-or-higher than the rigger lines. On a big boat you have to have a center rigger to accomplish this (although i have seen guys run it straight off the bridge and pass the rod down). I've never seen a center rigger on a small CC. As long as you're fishing 30/40lb line and a metal or slick butt its really not that hard to jump up on the gunnel and snatch it down or pass it down. I understand some might be agility challenged though. With a long rod though the lean post rod holders would probably get you enough height to work.
Perfectly explained. You answered my questions. Thanks so much!
