Favorite Offshore Trolling Lure

[Gerry Zagorski]

What is the one lure you always have in your spread???

For me it's Melton Cherry Jets. The action, noise and smoke is like nothing else I've ever seen. It seems to draw more strikes then all the others no matter where it is in the spread.

[Jigman13]

Sterling 36" splash bars, sterling 18" splash bars, sterling bird chains, single weighted green machines, schute / bally combo--the heavier the better! I also like a big Schneider somewhere in the spread.

Obviously more than one lol but you cant pick just one!

[stugots]

After this season, Sterling zucchini wide tracker bar Haha

[Mushin Sportfishing]

We have been long-time supporters and ProStaff with STERLING TACKLE, and almost ALWAYS pull Crazy 8's and (since their release) the WIDE TRACKER 18 inch bar.

[Suckafish]

Wide tracker bars for sure.

[Andreas Toy]

Chatter lures, side tracker bars, all colors

[Capt. Lou]

Early days of canyon fishing 60's 70's , the go to lure was the simple green machine , however the consistent big fish producer for me was the Ferro concave jet in 7-9 oz versions , Zucchini , several 300# plus BE 's including one record fish . Caught whites , blues , several wahoo to 100#'s and bull dolphin , many fins in the 200# range , bluefins & not even including the true alberts in the 1000's ! Couple blue marlin as well !
Even if i fished out there today I'd put a couple in my spread !

[courbeco]

Zuker in Pink/Green.

[John D.]

Apologies for hi-jacking this in a diff direction but would love those in the know to share what poppers work. Brand color and hook change. Very few poppers are made to withstand tuna so need very specific direction what to order. Thanks!

[hammer4reel]

What is the one lure you always have in your spread???

For me it's Melton Cherry Jets. The action, noise and smoke is like nothing else I've ever seen. It seems to draw more strikes then all the others no matter where it is in the spread.


what color and size ??

[Gerry Zagorski]

what color and size ??

Small Or Medium. Blue and white top skirt pink under skirt

[Flygaff]

Zucker feathers in either Green & Black or Black & Purple

[Capt. Lou]

Dan ,
Not sure what Jerrys expierence has been but my 35+!years out there the 7& 9 oz jets got it done ✅
The heavier sizes pulled tight either on flats or mid rigger ! Hope this helps . I just adjusted troll speed to sea conditions .

[O'Man]

Always liked C & H Stubby. Other go to is a C & H wahoo wacker.

[Capt. Debbie]

An orange cedar plug trailing Jap feather dragged by Hawaiian bird throwing up spray and splashing like hell. GREAT lure

On the surface run off outside long outrigger it was a REAL attention getter

[Del River Rat]

Ceadar plug white

Plain cedar plug

[dfish28]

Apologies for hi-jacking this in a diff direction but would love those in the know to share what poppers work. Brand color and hook change. Very few poppers are made to withstand tuna so need very specific direction what to order. Thanks!

Go see Dave at the Reel Seat with an open wallet, the other store at channel drive has a good selection as well as Tackle world in Rochelle Park, get 3x owner trebles to replace hooks, and get some flat fall jigs in the 200 gm range while there- anchovy and sandeel colors

I second the crazy 8’s b/p and zucchini and the wide trackers are the bomb...especially when you find the thingy to move the keel and don’t use an Allen wrench anymore... it took one trip and a short reminder from a great tackle guy...RW

[Gerry Zagorski]

Dan ,
Not sure what Jerrys expierence has been but my 35+!years out there the 7& 9 oz jets got it done ✅
The heavier sizes pulled tight either on flats or mid rigger ! Hope this helps . I just adjusted troll speed to sea conditions .

It's actually the small 1.7 oz or the medium 3.5 oz and the small runs better when it's flat and that's when I usually run.

[Gerry Zagorski]

So a lot of guys using the new side tracker bars. I'm curious, since the bars are going to track wider then standard bars where do you put them in the spread?

I usually put my bars on the inside riggers and run a lure on the outside rigger just behind the bars... If these bars track wider won't it interfere with stuff you normally put on the long rigger??

[Suckafish]

I’ve run them many ways but lately I’ve been running four one on long riggers and one off the rod tip under the short rigger same on other side of boat usually run a joe shuts or chain off short rigger.

[Suckafish]

I’ve seen them run off the bow and far out to get a extra two rods in the spread and get them in clean clean water. I liked it but so far have not tried it yet

[Gerry Zagorski]

I’ve seen them run off the bow and far out to get a extra two rods in the spread and get them in clean clean water. I liked it but so far have not tried it yet

Interesting.... I guess I can see why people without out riggers would run them but not sure I see the need if you have outriggers.... Am I missing something?

[Mushin Sportfishing]

About running the Wide Trackers...

On our Henriques 44, we run the WT off our side gunnels like a flat line to be under (or inside) of all of our three outrigger rods, about 50 feet behind transom. So our three outrigger rods (short outrigger, middle outrigger, long outrigger) are fished aft and behind of the WT. And with the Sterling Tackle WT's, they track about 25-35 feet to the side of the boat, and essentially puts the lure in line with the track of the short or middle rigger bait. So if you did an aerial view of our trolling pattern, we have four lures (long outrigger, middle outrigger, short outrigger on each side outrigger, and one WT) on each side that track in the clean water (not in out wash).

I can attest to many trips when the two WTs trolled 50 feet behind have caught 60% to 80% of the day's catch. I think that's particularly impressive because those two WTs are only 2 among the 14 rods we troll!

[Gerry Zagorski]

About running the Wide Trackers...

On our Henriques 44, we run the WT off our side gunnels like a flat line to be under (or inside) of all of our three outrigger rods, about 50 feet behind transom. So our three outrigger rods (short outrigger, middle outrigger, long outrigger) are fished aft and behind of the WT. And with the Sterling Tackle WT's, they track about 25-35 feet to the side of the boat, and essentially puts the lure in line with the track of the short or middle rigger bait. So if you did an aerial view of our trolling pattern, we have four lures (long outrigger, middle outrigger, short outrigger on each side outrigger, and one WT) on each side that track in the clean water (not in out wash).

I can attest to many trips when the two WTs trolled 50 feet behind have caught 60% to 80% of the day's catch. I think that's particularly impressive because those two WTs are only 2 among the 14 rods we troll!

Gotcha thanks for that explanation, making sense now...

[Capt. Lou]

Many years back I trolled planers boards carrying rwo extra lines of the bridge ! They ran way outside all the rigger lines however at non bait speeds we never developed a board set up that would run true and hold at speeds required !
At bait speeds Ok but in choppy seas NG .
However many years later when we weighted the boards to run lower in water they worked Ok and proved there worth on tuna .
Rods had to be pegged on bridge , when strikes occurred these hi lines would clear all riggers .
Sorta like tag lining the center rigger !

[Pennsy Guy]

Back when, 2 favorites were a black/purple way back on center & the proverbial Green Machine on the third wake's face or crest---that was perfect for birds. Probably would still drag a GM, natural or weighted...

[Gerry Zagorski]

Back when, 2 favorites were a black/purple way back on center & the proverbial Green Machine on the third wake's face or crest---that was perfect for birds. Probably would still drag a GM, natural or weighted...

Funny you should say.... The one gaffer Mahi we got this year was on the Green machine behind a bird on the way way back...