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Blesum, Wonderful stuff! And the whale music topped it off. You are a credit to your game, my man. Mahalo mucho (HawMexican!)

Man! If THAT don't get ya goin' (and rockin'), nothing will! Great stuff, Brian. And thank you. And check out that cockpit and crew...you would be very hard pressed indeed to see such a professional group, no matter who it is or where you fish. I know pros, have fished around and with...

We used to get way too many swivel bite-offs on our Ono trips down in Cabo. Plus, we ran into them on many of our "regular" trips. And, another toothy critter, sierra mackeral (see below), also whacked too many swivels. So, we came up with a solution that worked great for us and bite offs...

Steve, Whoa there, that's a beauty! Congratulations!

I'm with JohnD, Grander, Ali, and Mikeytalkswithdolphins...the dolphins are far more intelligent and possess far superior bait sensing and locating abilities than the tunas, so the tunas follow them for that reason. I've looked in at a helluva lot of tuna stomach contents, but have never...

Patron, Sorry it took me a while to post this...been a bit under the weather lately. I'm not going to get into an argument about circle hooks in lures, except to say that I have been using them with great success for roughly two decades now, mostly on my charterboat in Cabo, but elsewhere...

Cappy, Yes, there are some who do that, including one charter group whose name escapes me right now, and our own Captain Tim on his "Intimadator". I myself did a lot of that kind of fly fishing in the past. Like all bait & switch fishing, regardless of the tackle used, it was a helluva lot...

As always, this is an interesting subject and to me it's even more interesting because of the caliber of the ones doing the posting here - lots of experienced offshore trollers. A couple of additional points. First, Tsutomu, proximity to the boat when high speed trolling in the fifteen to...

Russ, Ideal trolling speed is an age-old question, one that is probably influenced more by individual experience than anything else. I, for one, don't believe that there is any such thing in most cases, depending of course, on what kind of lures you are trolling. As you noted, the truth is...

Brian, Wonderful job on the video. And you guys were doing it right for the swords...you just have to get on them and it'll happen! Thanks. I really enjoyed watching.

Thanks Rob. I was delighted to make it to the show and spend some time with the crew, and especially to meet you and some of the others, including Gerk and his neat family. I'm sorry that I'm not in very good health and truth-be-told, the docs told me not to do that sort of stuff, but I sure...

DeepSeaBoy, Sorry if my post offended you, but there are a lot of Bloody Deckers, including a lot of you Hawaiian guys, who can't get to the show and so don't get to take advantage of the show specials that ourselves and others offer there. This post and offer are intended to make the folks...

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR SALE FOR BLOODY DECKERS WHO CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE FRED HALL SHOW IN LONG BEACH! SOME VERY NICE VALUES THERE. WOULDN'T WANT ANY OF YOU TO MISS OUT ON IT. THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAN BE FOUND ON MY BOARD ON THE MAIN MENU. MAHALO!

Don't forget this one...Some Bloody Decker is going to win a mighty nice reel by Sunday!

Jamie, Well said, very well written, terrific content and insight. Congrats and thanks! Da spinners have arrived here at last!

This is for our fellow BD'rs who can't make it to the show. Thank you for your support!

Roger, Bill. Circle hooks are IT! They hook 'em right and hold 'em best.

Good on ya, Todd. And yes, teased sharks are among the most tenacious bait & switch fish of them all. And there are a lot of them, including some bodacious salmon sharks and most likely makos up in your neck of the woods. Once folks start catching any of them, there will be no turning back...

Thanks, guys. I wasn't sure what kind of reaction this post would get, but it was pretty frustrating when you try hard to go the extra mile for members of this site that we think so much of and don't hear a word backm, so I just had to say what I was really thinking. It can be easy to just...

I gotta admit, offering up the chance to win a valuable, $450 reel exclusively to Bloody Deckers who buy a mere $50 worth of gear at the show and not getting so much as a simple "thank you" from anyone is more than a little disappointing. We do our best to support this site and its members...

Wow! Lake Sherwood. Talk about a trip down memory lane! I used to fish that lake 35-40 or more years ago, back when serious bass fishing was in its early stages. It was pay-to-fish at the time, but more importantly, it was the "local headquarters lake" for the very earliest "bassmasters"...

Grander, Roger that. Ya just have to be careful with that type...he might just hit you with his purse, ya know? Weel thavageth, thumma them meanies! Scorch, Yah, you Navy guys were sometimes good for some real bar dancin'. Lots came in to Cabo and sometimes it was something like...

Dausualinc, Thanks for putting that vid up. I watched 'em all and enjoyed the heck out of it. That's a really good operation. One thing. Back when I was commercial rod and reeling giant bluefins and bigeyes and other fish and selling directly to the Japanese buyers, they vastly...

"No proof so far"??? Chris was raised in La Paz and worked as a deckhand and later a top captain on Fishermens Fleet, including running their big battlewagon that ran many mult-day trips up to Mag Bay. As he noted here, he actually tried and then switched to circles several years ago and his...

Yah, "The Good Old Days" for sure! I'm glad I made that trip for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was to get my head out of cockpits and finally be forced to go see all of those beautiful islands and lovely places in that wonderful venue that you all are so lucky to live in. I'd have...

No, no, not THAT kine! I'm talkin' ahi fights at "The Ahi Bar & Grill". All that's left is conkin' 'em on the noggin'. Got ice?

John, Ahhh, a lovely lass, she is! Looks like she's built like the proverbial brick :shithappens: house, too. Treat that lady right and good luck with her!

Check out this guy in the cowboy hat and his lady getting onboard the "Love Boat" for a cruise of the islands. Doesn't look like a fisherman, does he? But wait a minute. What's with that Shimano T-shirt he's wearing? Oh boy, maybe this is another one of those haole guys who drives charter...

Not knocking Maui, it's a beautiful island, but I second Grander on Anxious and Neal. It's a good boat and Neal is a very experienced, top angler. He learned his trade from his dad, Norm Isaacs, the famous television show guy. If you can locate Mike Hennessy and Maggie Joe, he too is right up...

Mike, Grander, et al...Only two marlin caught in the tournament and you guys got one of them? Gents, that's a great job, no matter how you want to slice it! Nice goin'!!!!!

Pauly, If they would prefer print books, that one and the swordfish books will be available at the Hall shows.

Hey Pauly, how are ya? Ha,ha...yah, the Moldcraft WR is one great marlin and everything else lure. And the "skipjack" color (black, purple, silver) is probably the #1 of 'em all in popularity around the world. It also makes for a GREAT chasebait in back of a MarlinBar, chasing a small pod...

Found this picture of a big lady caught on a Moldcraft Senior Wide Range by an old buddy. Old picture, but a BIG fish...can't remember how big, but big! Thought some of you might like seeing her.

Okay Russ, I apologize if I have been confusing anyone. Let's see if I can make this clear. You asked me about cirlce hooks for high speed trolling for ono. I answered that the exceptions to what I have learned about hooks in trolling lures was both for high speed trolling for ono and daytime...

Russ, I'm sorry that I didn't make it as clear as I guess I should have. It's an excellent question that I answered too abruptly in my post before this last one. No, I didn't use the circles in my high speed ono fishing, which I loved and caught a lot of ono and other fish doing, primarily...

ZZZZ (I love that!), Yes, "food for thought". This hook thing is so traditional and entrenched in peoples' minds that, as I wrote, I know that it is a sensitive subject for most folks, so I usually try to tip toe around it, rather than give it the extensive coverage that I'd like to...

It’s good to see a discussion going on here on circle hooks in lures. I’ve made it very clear how strongly I believe that they are just like the use of circle hooks in bait – that once lure fishermen change over to them and rig and use them right - they, like me, will never go back to the...

I'm with Jagerman on that one fish. A Pacific bonito for sure. Good fighters, nasty teeth, great eating ("grinds", I guess you folks call it.) Here are a couple of them...

Kaimikia, It has been a long time since I was in charge of Shimano's Fishing Tackle Division, plus I had nothing to do with the Tiagra's, so naturally I respect and appreciate your knowledge of them as far as greasing those screws is concerned. Good stuff. Thank you.

Rather than post it again, here is my response and congrats to Ahi Lawaai on his fish from my board, with some further commentary concerning Circle hooks in lures... Super congrats, Cappy Courtland! Yes, an ahi at this time of year is a very unusual catch. Speaks well of the lure (and thank...

Super congrats, Cappy Courtland! Yes, an ahi at this time of year is a very unusual catch. Speaks well of the lure (and thank you for that), but it also speaks highly for the captain who found the fish in the first place...ya can't catch 'em if you ain't around 'em, no matter what kine bait or...

Good stuff, Cappy C! Big, old bones and what look like some "custom painted" ones too:eyepoppin! World class bonefishing and great picts, too. Thanks.

I can't speak for today, but I imagine it's still the same. Back when I ran Shimano's Fishing Tackle Division and was heavily involved in the product development and production sides, right from Day One with the original Triton metal reels, the reels were designed and built to fish with...

Scott, Some great fishing there! Big tunas, a 'hoo or two and big makos? It don't get much better than that! Just be real careful around those makos!

:gayfight: Thithies?! (Thame as pussies, right?) Why, you little thafage, you! Twim one wittle thkirt juthust one wittle time and golly gee, you're a thithy! Been called a lot of things in my day, but that there is the first time it's been a fanny bandit! LOL!!! :1041677399:

WBob, There's no such thing as a "silly question" when it comes to fishing, skirting, trimming, etc. questions included. To me, "silly questions" are the ones not asked. When it comes to what Roddy was commenting on, he knows that I personally much prefer traditional style marlin lures...

Jim Pat, Right on! The Del Mar Show, being so much smaller and less crowded than Long Beach, is the ideal place to come and spend some time seeing and learning all about the bars from guys who have used them extensively and really know what they're talking about. Guys like charter Capt. Tim...

Pargon and Jorge, Good stuff! Like Verne said, looks like some good fishing down there for this time of year. And if you guys are offering fresh ballyhoo like those in the castnet...hoo baby! They cost an arm and a leg up here, but boy do they catch fish down there! Keep up the good...

Grander, I suppose I'd have to call this a "half a dozen to one and 6+ to another" thing. What I mean by that (+) thing is that both the Moldcraft and the Toad are fender teasers, each made just about exactly the same way, but the Moldcraft fender costs anywhere from $47-75 and the Toad can...

Alan, Good report and picts. And yay, somebody who cooks them right. Some do, but some don't and those are the ones who say they're tough and no good. These are the very same Humboldts that there is a huge commercial panga fleet down in The Baja that catches the ones you get in...

Oh no, Ahi, don'tcha be fergettin' dem ono's too! After all, either you or that rascal Molokai Pake caught the first Hawaiian SuperBar ono...not sure which. Pretty close to a tie, though. Yup, day be escapin' dat bag they been in...'hoo dang, I mean, hot dang, gonna be some serious fish...

LOL! Ha, Deano, right you are...but it depends on what piece of land yer leavin' from and goin' home to and tellin' folks on the beach whatcha caught! SuperBars are easy...they're SuperBars everywhere :urno1: Whatever ya call 'em, day do eet dem bars! 'Hoo too...Oh no, I mean ono. LOL...

Teaser and bait & switch fishing (one of the most misunderstood kinds of fishing by many) are not only excellent ways to catch lots of fish, they are a lot of fun to boot. Here's some thoughts on them. Long post, so as usual, if you don't like reading long ones, it ain't for you. Most of...

Wow! Great day and nice feesh!

Good video, Indy. As you know, those who laugh at big, musky-sized lures, or consider them "for muskies only" are very wrong. I specialized on big largemouths for a lot of years and caught a lot of them...virtually all on huge lures. I could have cared less about lots of bites and limits...

Iglooman (Chris Jones) and a nice local tuna.

Keta, We also heard from an east coast charter captain who started trolling for sharks a year ago win a major shark tournament back there last year with a trolled, 570# thresher. Trolling or chumming, the books teach the very best and safest ways...and tournaments prove it, eh Capt Tim...

Crash, Absolutely terrific, informational and well illustrated post...one of the best I've seen in a long time. Great to see. Thank you. Morfius....Stone crabs? Shhhhh! Best of 'em all, IMHO. And here you can take the whole crab, while in Florida, where they are considered the cream...

This is a big Pacific Amberjack, a fish that the Mexicans call "Pez Fuerte", "strong fish". And they ain't lying! They're what I call "real groundpounders" Ouch! :imdumb:

Antares, Nice going on the hand lined marlin. It's really surprising how little pressure a hand lined fish actually puts out when the rod and reel are taken out of the equation, isn't it? To this day, many giant bluefin tuna are caught on handlines up in New England with the only "drag" a...

Long ago I was taught not to kill what I wasn't going to eat. Humboldt squid are very good eating. They are the ones found in markets and restaurants everywhere. And killing and tossing them overboard is more likely to feed other Humboldts than anything else. Seems counterproductive if the...

Dave, We were out of the office yesterday and all of this morning. Either Chris or myself will get back to you this evening to help you out. We will also post the info on this thread for anyone that may have the same questions. Hopefully some of our guys will also reply with the spreads they...

Big Steve is right, makos are basically always here. And they are where the bait is, be it macks, bonito, or barracuda. If those aren't around they spend a lot of time deep, feeding on rock cod. Please release the little ones.

Great story, well told and a very nice big tuna. We never had a name for it, but we got to where cleared lines left in the 'riggers were always cranked way up out of the water. The short lure leaders that we used made that possible. We got bit more times than I liked on those "dipping"...

Nice work! Nice fish! Hope the Bell's goes away completely. Yeah, jig fishing flatties...lotsa fun and catches 'em.

We've posted plenty of pictures of big fish caught on little bars. Here's one of the kind of little guy that hits them too. There's no guarantee that little guys only will pounce on a small bait, so it's a good idea to be ready for one that's after the same sashimi as you are, or you are...

Thank you for the kind words, LR. Kinda looks like more and more folks are starting to limit their thresher kills and that's a good thing for the future.

No doubt about it, Cap'n Dave is top notch, all the way, whether he's running a sportboat or guiding.

I just want to second the thanks to Cappy G for coming here and offering excellent advice to the membership. Because of his friendly, humble and helpful ways, some might not realize this man isn't just a legitimate industry member, he is actually a giant in it, and not just on the lure making...

Some good advice here, but if you're only going to go once, I suggest that you not start sliding to the cheap side. The bottom line remains that you get what you pay for and that includes quality tackle, crew, comfort and fishing effort, etc. So, if it's a once-in-a-lifetime, dream trip, don't...

Bill, I shoulda known that you had "the stuff", what with that Northy background of yours and you being a mighty well rounded fisherman (not kissin' butt, just saying the way it is.) Having caught some marlin off the d'riggers already, the rest of the equation should not come as a surprise...

You attach the running line to the loop in the middle and your bait or lure leader to the snap swivel. That thing is real good for running Rapalas and Rebels and such along the bottom for halibut. Of course, bass hit 'em too. It's kinda funky looking, but it works great.

Kid, Both are good fish, but different. Which one is best depends on what you like...sailfish are faster and do a lot of jumping, so they are pretty exciting to those who like fish that jump. They aren't very good eating, although some like them smoked. Yellowtail don't jump, but are...

Ah, Iheihe. Got it. Thanks, Ekewaka!

Some sharp eyes and good knowledge here. Some call it a "walking sinker" and yes, it is used for trolling and drifting for walleye and bass fishing baits on the bottom in the midwest and back east. It is remarkably snagless and will let you fish nasty, rocky bottom or near or alongside of it...

I apologize in advance for not knowing the Hawaiian name for ballyhoo, but I'm pretty sure that you have them there and that some either buy or catch them for bait. Worldwide, ballyhoo and other, similarly shaped slender baitfish are very popular for trolling, with ballyhoo unquestionably being...

Pescy Paul, We'll be at Long Beach with three booths. We will also be at Del Mar with either one or two. Long Beach is a much bigger show, as has been pointed out here. But there's a ton of non-fishing related stuff and the crowds can get huge, based on a lot of non-fishermen who go...

Nice work and kudos on the release. Those pups are the future. The little guys are real firecrackers, with lots of running and jumping and all that when you catch 'em on light gear. Again, congrats on the fish and the release.

Pargon, Amen, brother! 'Nuff said. Bill, Glad to hear you're a Northy who knows about how deadly downriggers can be. Don't worry to much about snafu's on bites. The pelagics a rocketships compared to salmon and halibut and freshwater species. They whack the lure and are a hundred...

Right on, Bill...you've got your stuff together when it comes to those chawdoggies and danged few people do. A tip of my crusty old hoo'in hat to ya! One thing. We used to just slay daytime wahoo on downriggers and planers. I like the downriggers best (you don't have to go fast for deep...

I have known Jose since he was a very young man. In fact, I hired him as my very first field tester during the early days of Shimano. I've spent a lot of time with him in Key West, out here, in Cabo, and other venues around the world. He has a slight lisp that unfortunately some interpret...

Cod Daddy, I'm not much of a color fan in the first place (black, or black and whatever and pink and white - or white and whatever - are fine with me), but we weren't sure what color would be best for the Lightnin' chasebaits. So, we sent them out to our Field Staff in both silver and gold...

Bill, Thanks for the report and great pics. Full you-know-what just about here. Hope you get after them again before it goes away.

Bill, Whether it's butterfly jigs, deep bait, or whatever, deep fishing, other than with sinkers that can wind up who knows where due to drift and current conditions, is often pure dynamite down there. We fished downriggers A LOT there (some planers too, but we preferred the downriggers) for...

Classy reply, John. Thank you for that. I tried hard not to offend. Glad to hear that you are going to give them some more chances. I'm familiar with the sea conditions where you fish and I know that they can be pretty challenging (gulp!). We didn't get a lot of that down south, but we...

Kurt, Been there, done that. Worse yet is one that jumps aboard and freaks out. Very, very dangerous and I'm constantly alarmed at the machismo, cavalier attitude that some have regarding them. They are a fish to be respected, not screwed around with because of the terrible price that they...

Alohabird, Sorry to hear about all of your problems with spreaderbars. A bit perplexed, too, since myself and the many others who have fished SuperBars extensively, including some who have posted here, simply do not have tangle problems and ones involving ono hitting the teasers instead of...

I just found this picture of a 200 plus mako that jumped aboard a buddy's boat years back and took over the cockpit for almost an hour before he could be conked and put out of action. My buddy, who shall remain unnamed for what should be obvious reasons, got too close to the fish too soon and...

Greg, I second your remarks about Ramon and Fernando. I have known both since both they and I were a lot younger. They have impeccable credentials and are a perfect example of what a top charterboat crew should be and how they should act. Their tackle, rigging and techniques are true...

Nice going, Doc! That's a real good looking fish! Thanks for the look at her.

MrMahi, We don't have leader twist problems with our wind-ons. We run a ball bearing snap swivel at the lower end of the wind-on, or at the top of the lure leader and that eliminates it. Our lure leaders are only long enough so that the lure or spreaderbar hooks hook into reel harness lugs...

Ah, yes, Minny and Bob are a big part of what is the best of Cabo. All first class, all the way, all the time! Whatever you do, if you go to Cabo, be sure to stop by Minerva's and look for the friendly, warm, smiling lady and that big hubby of hers. Then check out one of the best, most...

Sorry to see this tempest in a teapot. I know most of the players and have for many years. Short and sweet, they are the cream when it comes to marlin (and most other kinds of) fishing and they are telling the absolute truth and accomplishing stunning things due to their extreme skill and love...

Nice going on the "big'nuglies"! Sierra looks like he or she is saying, "Yow! Dad! Big azzed spider?" Labs rule! Some good eatin' there and those tentacles make for some super halibut bait...as in, SUPER! Thanks for the report and picts, especially of Sierra.

Aiii-yi-yi-yi-yi! Nice work Dreamweaver, Da Boss, Jaime and Ramon! Man, you guys are something very, very special! Always have been, always will be. Leave some for those other folks, okay? Buenas Suerte, Amigos!

Nice going, Russell!

John, Way danged wonderful story. You and your wife are way danged wonderful people. Ocho is a way danged wonderful, cute-as-all-getout puppy. Fingers crossed that something happens so he can stay with his family. Best of luck to you all.

I too would opt for the first trip. If you fish the first day you'll get the day and a half or so before the full. In my experience, and I have been keeping detailed logs of every trip I've made since I was thirteen years old, most all fishing usually hits a stone wall right on the full and...

The wrap described here is generally considered the best, safest way by the pros that I know. I also agree with it. About the only way you can screw up is not to pay attention to the slack you've pulled. Most do what we did - put it in the water and never on the deck or in the boat. We...

Hah, Russ, waytago! It ain't always the early bird that catches the worm! We humans go by clock schedules. Dem fishes go by the tides (and of course, where the bait is). No matter when you go out, the fish bite if they're on and don't if they aren't. As I think you know, I am a huge...

I too have a hard time understanding those who knock their fellow fishermen and/or where they fish. Makes no sense to me. And besides, my momma taught me, "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything." It turned out to be real good advice. And what Smudge wrote about...

Hey Mike Spence...are you the one from our old days at Shimano? If so, how ya doin'? If not, 'scuse me. Never met many Mike Spences and that one from the old days was a good guy.

Man, what a quality collection of captain, crew, and world class billfish anglers. My nephew David Brackmann and his bros are among the best of the best when it comes to just about any kind of fishing. The Extraction crew? Like David and Steve, friends for a great deal of years and among the...

Ain't knocking my Hawaiian bros, no way! Night fishin'? Oh yea! Here's a nice ono caught on a black bar by none other than our own Cappy Chris Jones. Put 'em out...they will come!

T-Doc and other bonefish hounds. Years ago I caught a lot of them, mostly in the Kona area. That included some really big ones. Caught most of them on bait because I didn't have my bonefish gear with me, but right after I found out that they were there I included a light, 7 foot spinning rod...

Aaron, First and biggest congrats for being the kind of fisherman who is willing to try things that have been proven to work great elsewhere, like spinning gear and lures on tuna of all sizes. It takes some gumption to go against that good, old fashioned "traditional wisdom" that is...

The facts are that the biggest wahoos on the planet, at least for many years now, have come from Baja waters. Here are the last two IGFA world records. That first one stood for at least fifteen years. The 183 pounder is the current world record. It was caught just off of Cabo two years (or...

Cappy Rich, Good luck out there! EZLIMITS hit the nail right on the head when it comes to people hopin' and prayin' for current water temps in the spring and early summer, and then ignoring them when they are here at this time of the year. Hellooo...is there anybody in there?"

Joel, Of course I dunno for sure, but that still sounds like an Elvis fight. Surface bites or near-surface bites aren't unusual at all when it comes to night swording, so just because it wasn't a deep bite doesn't preclude a sword. Wishful thinking, maybe, but swords and night fishing go...

Joel, Interesting report. Kudos on releasing the "little mad dogs". That big one could have been a mako, but sure sounded more like a typical swordfish fight early on. The long, strong, steady run and then coming up and jumping is very typical of them. My guess is Elvis. We'll never...

Since the very first time that we heard about OTC from Bud, me and my guys have had unlimited respect and admiration for all of you who participate in it. And I mean the greatest respect that we have for any tournament series anywhere. No need to go into all of the wonderful things that you...

Yes, there are many ways to catch lots of halibut. You'll find more of them than you could ever imagine or learn about here or on any other website anywhere in the book "Halibut Fisherman's Bible", written by a large number of halibut fishing experts, including charter captains, rod and reel...

A not-so-hot day with Mike surely is the exception - not the rule. He does a great job. You were fishing during a poor tide time and this probably had a lot to do with the fishing. One of the keys to the Gordos is getting there before the San Jose panga fleet and Cabo charters. Unless it's...

MADTUNA, I like that "the one with the screaming drag" thing. Gotta say I favor that one too! As some here know and I suppose many don't, I had a heavy hand in the design, development, right down to actually naming the Shimano big game reels, with the exception of the Tiagras - which kept...

Years ago, so many that I can't remember what year it was, I fished on the day after Thanksgiving with my pal Jerry Hansen on his "Alliance" out of SD (at the time). I wish that I could remember if it was an El Nino year or not, but I can't. I think it was, though, based on what happened that...

Good on ya, Jay! If anybody's gonna find 'em, it's you! Keep up the good work, Skippin' Along. Got some new bars that I think you'll like. Holler at me. Bait & Switch...oohh yeah! Kills the fish and is a blast and a half!

El Nino...the fishing is a looonnnggg way from over! Count on the first 2010 albies getting caught on New Year's Day. It has happened before.

Roger all, Bill. One of the best things about bars is the bites are all surface ones. Although I've seen them get bombed literally many thousands of times, I still love watching it happen. And so did our customers. Once they saw it for the first time they spent the rest of the day with their...

Corny and a few others have had questions and comments on bar teaser and chasebait colors, in Corny's case, the lack of black and purple models being especially troubling. Understandable, as many believe that black and purple is among THE colors for tuna. And that's true, but only to a point -...

Ah, Fat, you have discovered the scourge of hollow squids, whether they're on spreaderbars or anything else - the beautiful, delicious, dreaded sierras! You have also discovered that the sierras go totally insane over them...the good side of a not-so-good situation. But I have never, ever seen...

Drew, For local and even Baja fishing, I'd go with both the 6" and 9". Those, plus the 4 1/4" sizes that come with the bars should cover most bases.

I have to agree with Pesky Paul. If I had to choose one natural bait for overall pelagic fishing, it would be ballyhoo. And that includes both up here and absolutely down in The Baja. Most would never believe how many marlin sharpies are trolling them up here, but most are dead serious...

Molokaipake, I just have to say it...Cappy, you are one well-rounded, experienced fisherman! Pelagics, reef species, bonefish, the whole shootin' match, you cover and catch 'em all. And you are a teacher who is willing to pass on the lessons from the many years you have spent on the water...

The following should require no editorializing...

Great stuff, Rich! Way to pay attention to the scientific facts when it comes to the most powerful thing that can affect our fishing. As an old timer, I have been through these events before and the most important thing that I learned was, toss out the old thinking and habits and realize that...

Apologies to Cappy Courtland Pang. He was the one, not Cappy Clay, who had that big mako grab a hooked dorado and straighten the hook on him, not Cappy Clay. Both are insightful, top anglers and I sometimes get their accomplishments confused. Sorry, Courtland, and thanks for the picture...

Aaron, Looking over something new, studying the rigging, and asking questions about it is all good. We have been making SuperBars for almost twenty years now and other bars for about two decades before that. To say that they've been thought out and thoroughly tested is a major...

Wow! Great stuff, guys! Professional, insightful, based on a great deal of experience by two guys (in the cases of both Capts Tim and Chris) and hopefully vivid evidence why I so delighted to have Chris as a partner and Tim as a Pro Staffer. Both came to us as customers first and associates...

Cute. And a positive contribution to a serious and well intentioned discussion. Here's one along the same lines... Polly want a cracker? :nutkick:

G-spot, I'm not speaking for Spike, but suspect that what he is alluding to is that it is, or was, highly illegal to harpoon swordfish in Mexican waters. That's a good part of the reason why there were no plank boats down there for many years, in spite of a thriving population of fish. Old...

Nice going, Rich, and way to stay after them. You are hardcore, dude, and I predict that you are going to rack up some big catches, especially on bluefin and bigeye, as this moon wanes and in coming weeks. Interested in having some video shot for our sites, Internet posts, shows (we'll be at...

Terry...good job and thanks for posting. And extra kudos for crediting the captain and crew. Those charter guys work long and hard to please their customers. And it's just going to get better as this full moon wanes. Kick that Fat Lady in the ass...she's moaning, not singing and won't be...

Ha, Woody...more than a bit longer in the tooth (what ones are left), you might say. Bottom line is there's no cure for butt ugly bear, so it is what it is! Those were great days, though. You have to imagine the reactions of our customers, who we had coming in in shifts with us down in...

Here's a shot of one caught on a swordy rig put out by the Daily Double during a night shark fishing trip. It was fought by all of the anglers and divided up between them. I don't believe that was the only one on that boat and if I recall correctly, there were some others caught and of course...

Eric, Grew up in north Jersey. Fished up and down the coast and followed the giant bluefin uphill. Commercial rod and reeled them and bigeye for the sushi market, plus everything else that was worth money back then. That money and also the income from my fish business, "Fred's Fresh Fish"...

Far be it from me to argue with a man like Tred Barta's technique on multiples. After all, we used to walk the very same dock together back when we were both youngsters and commercial rod and reel fishing for bigeyes. We were competitors back then and so didn't like each other very much (he...

One rod per person when tuna fishing? Man, I'd hate to have a rule like that applied. I am a huge believer that tuna are school fish, as are the baits they chase, so I have always made catching multiples a top priority and we managed to get very good at it. I believe that every time that you...

Thanks for the pictures of God's country, guys. Back in the day I did more than my fair share of fishing up there, mostly for summer steel on several Oregon rivers. Favorite was Santiam (spell?) fly fishing. Also up in BC on the short, upper river that runs into River's Inlet (forgot the...

Big roger on the chunks, Frank. As you know, they do a lot of great things. First and foremost, the fish friggin' love them. Second, there's no need to buy bait (how much $ will THAT save you over the course of a year?! Add it up!). You can make your own. Macks make for great chunks and...

Robert and Bro Frank...waytago! It's gonna be a great Fall/early Winter bite, just like it always is when there's a Nino. And The Fat Lady? Hell, she just got here and she ain't even thinkin' of leaving yet!

All good stuff, Jason. An old fart like me has seen a lot of El Ninos, strong, weak, and otherwise pass under the bow and I for one believe that there are going to be plenty of fish available for months more. That is what historically has happened. And just as historically, many fishermen...

The classiest, funnest, best tournament I have ever fished. There are no money prizes. All proceeds, including side pools, go equally to kids in need both in The Baja and up here. They have raised over a million dollars for charity more than once. It's a super event to take the gals to, as...

Nice going, Jim, especially on a full moon that convinces some that the season's over. As the thing wanes, the fishing is going to pick up, you watch.

Beaut fish! Nice going!

Great going, Collin! Thanks for the report and for filling the slot with just two pitches! And it was good to see how healthy my old friends the bluefin look. Roger on the family trips...good stuff.

Geez, Brett, sorry to hear that. Take good care of momma. The swords can wait.

Geez, Brett, sorry to hear that. Take good care of momma. The swords can wait.

Welcome aboard BD, Jason. As one new to the site you probably aren't aware that the Chit Chat board is generally regarded as the one for asking questions. No big deal. You will probably get a better reception there, too. While we are on the subject, there are still plenty of makos around...

Seeker is a good outfit that makes quality sticks and blanks and has an excellent reputation for service. I ran many of their rods on my charterboat down in Cabo and had zero issues with them. Randy from Seeker used to come down and fish with us and we had a seven ono and a bunch of mahi's and...

Little bait being the most abundant of them all, little bars can and do have a devastating effect on tunas of all kinds and mahis and surprisingly, ono's too, expecially when they are on hatches of reef and other species. Of course, little tunas rarely eat even medium sized baits, so tiny stuff...

Great report and picts...thanks!! We used to cast poppers at tunas (striped bass models), mostly yellowfin, some bluefin, no giants, but some decent fish about forty years ago off the Jersey coast. The fish used to fry our Penn spinner drags pretty quickly and the rods weren't anything like...

Hey, thanks for the report and picts. Haven't seen a taug in a lot of years. Strong boogers and you got some nice ones. And a black seabass? Small maybe, but yum! Is that one fish a cunner (bergall)? And finally, for eatin' I'll take that blowfish anytime! Mighty fine eating fish. Good...

Good input from some guys in the know. Basically, threshers are here year-round, although they are in different places as far as the sizes are concerned and some folks aren't comfortable unless there's a big fleet catching them. Believe me, you don't need to be with a bunch of other fishermen...

Thanks for the head's up, WB. Scared the hell out of me and of course we are checking into it. Sadly, we do have a competitor or two who might try to mess with and damage the site. That is serious business and involves Federal law and if proven, carries very serious consequences. The...

'HooDaddy, I have always admired your fishing knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport, be it on a long range boat or whatever. But I want you to know that admiration and respect has gone up a bunch from seeing you follow your heart, no matter where it takes you. It is a hard road that you...

That is a great tournament. Simple, no bullshit rules but they are absolutely adamant about enforcing the ones that they have, and the result is none of the controversies and cheating, or accusations of same, like there have been in too many marlin tournaments. They usually get good support...

Trooper, Good luck, the bars won't let you down, just as you don't let your country down. I thank you for that. God Speed. Jonesy, Pictures are there now. Thank you. Good stuff. That's a Classic Little Meatball Bar in the pict. It's a fish killer all over the world! Rigged with...

Wow! Good going, Russell! Sometimes the fish gods smile, sometimes they don't. This day they was smilin' big time! Great report!

Thanks for the comments, advice, experiences, etc., guys. Superbars and RuckusRaisers are so new to many fishermen, it really helps when the first actual users (pioneers, in fact) pass on their experiences to others who may be curious about things like this. As you can see, they really do kick...

Chasst, Our Little Meatball or FryBar Meatball bars are the ticket for up in the PNW. The more the merrier because just like it is with the live stuff, the more "chum" you have in the pattern, the more likely that the fish will see and come up for them. Black and purple teasers are the most...

Keta, I don't have the faintest idea what I used to recommend, but I hope that it wasn't a regular MeatBall and instead was a DaisyBar. I should point out here that more and more long rangers have been fishing and having success with the bars this year and the Daisy has proven to be more...

Well, Tommy, I guess that you are one helluva lot better and more experienced tuna fisherman than I and a lot of others I know are. Always possible and I always maintain and open and inquisitive mind for new (not old) things. As Spookaloo says, "In other species fished, changing up tackle can...

Aaron, I would opt for our DaisyBars because they are narrow and less imposing than a wider bar as far as the crews are concerned. They are rigged with three hundred pound main leaders, so they are ready for anything. My choice would be a pair (they aren't very expensive and if you lose...

Uh, oh! Tournament is scheduled just after the full moon. Better than on the full itself, but still a picky time with the best tides being early and late. I can't be there, but a lot of our bars will be. I sure hope folks have theirs. They were developed right there in Cabo on a...

You are right, Todd, those are black skipjack, called "barrilette negro" down south. They fight like hell, make excellent chunks for yellowfin, etc., are popular live baits for blue and black marlin and big tunas and are actually primo sashimi - primo! They also have Pacific bonito, called...

Thank you for the kind words, Jonesy. Much appreciated. (Funny, we have a bunch of guys offering to deliver SuperBars free for us, but only to Hawaii? Hmm, I wunner whut dat be all 'bout?) Cheehuli...Jonesy is right. We handle all sales of our products ourselves. Among other things, that...

As for dredges not being worth it for albies, I suppose that depends on how serious you are about catching them. The facts are that albacore, like the other tunas and many other fish species, spend an average of 85% of their time deep, especially in the daytime, right along with the bait...

Ha, ha! I know of Rafael...and let's just say that I wouldn't want to mess with him! And yes, I wouldn't be surprised to see Dog show up some day looking for him. Great report, Mingo. Glad you had a good time down in the old stomping grounds. Not bad catching dorado right outside the surf...

Ahi Lawai, More happy than proud. Waytago on a tough day! Good to see you running them in rough stuff and really getting a look at that "no tangle angle", too. Best wishes for calmer stuff next time, though. Sounds like they might be on bigger baits? Otherwise those Little Meatball...

Brett, Big congrats on that first trip sword. As you may or, being kind of new here, may not know, that was a pretty clear case of going about swordfishing the right way and at the right time in the first place - both things woefully missing from many west coast fishermens' arsenals...

I am answering how I connect my backing and main line, and how I connect the topshot to the lure leader with this excerpt from Wahoo Troller’s Bible. I am doing so because there are some hints in it that have proven helpful to others. I hope it helps here. FROM WAHOO TROLLER’S BIBLE An...

Below you will find an email I just received from Richard Gardner, a fishing tackle manufacturer who lives in Great Britain. He and his partner are hard core, true pros. I first met them at Cheeseburger/Cheeseburger down in Cabo while I was talking with another fleet owner who wanted to buy...

Bill, Sorry it took me a while to reply...email and Internet problems. I'm delighted that you got a chance to meet Chris and David. They were both really looking forward to meeting you and so were happy to use delivering your bars as an excuse! They weren't disappointed, either. Both...

HOLY COW! Fingers crossed for Extraction, Ramon and the team! Aiiiyiiiyiii!!!! Suerte, amigos! Muchas suerte! (Sorry, but I have known the crew since they were youngun's and they are absolutely great fishermen and the finest kind of people. Da boss man knows how to pick 'em and must...

Scorch, Roger and thank you on the name thing. Old age strikes again!

I have been using and writing about Trilene Big Game "Color Selector" fluorescent line for many, many years now and have subjected it to brutal, 300 trip-a-year days on my charterboat down in the tropical sun and temperatures down in Cabo. I dearly love the way that it acts like a "color...

Rich, Thanks for the good news. I'll take the NOAA predictions over most conjecture any day. Those who keep fishing pelagics, especially charter captains with smaller groups of wise anglers and of course, private boaters, into the winter are going to have some outstanding days. Always...

Thanks, Rory. Not everyone does, which is, I guess, why I am pretty much kept in this here cave of mine. And I like it that way. And a good thing is, the board comes with an "eraser", so I can limit some of the things that I don't like, like crudity and The Turdhurlers. Disagreement is fine...

Hiya, Steve, hiya, hiya, hiya! Long time, no talk. Welcome aboard to you and that fine fleet to Bloodydecks. Lottsa dorado, eh? Excellent blue marlin candy. Here's what some of the guys fishing the B&B and the other tournaments will be trolling. They are new, but have already been...

Cut, As far as I know, no, unless a couple were caught by the marlin guys during the daytime. The swordfish situation is exactly like the thresher fishing used to be out here - nonexistent - if you weren't doing it right and once upon a time, and not too long ago at that, no one was...

Actually, some sportboats have allowed them and they've caught wahoo (wahoo love WahooBars off any kind of boat), yellowfin and albies. I remember the cedar plug when "nobody in his right mind" would troll those ugly wooden things. Then, it happened. It will be the same with the bars, which I...

Here's a video showing how more and more panga fishermen are starting to troll and catch a lot more fish. The guys are turning tight, fast circles to show how easy and tangle-free SuperBars and RuckusRaisers are, shot from "The Wallycopter". There's a total of 44 teasers and lures in that...

Typically of other minor El Nino events, I doubt that the season is anywhere near over. As always, many will quit fishing, but those who hang in there are likely to experience the best fishing of the season and for a lot longer than most could imagine. Heck, the guys up north are still...

Antares, I would opt for the Old Salty. They are inexpensive, easy to use, and maybe best of all, they "flip over on their backs" and come to the surface on their own when you pull on and release them. Z wings don't do that, so they always have to be retrieved under a lot of weight and...

Cappy Clay, That is one really neat little flats boat that should be a blast to fish from for da bones, either with fly or spin gear. Buying a flats boat is one thing, modifying a skiff and designing one is pretty special in my eyes, at least. You are going to find that that platform is...

Grump, What a day! Great report and picts. Thanks.

Good to see a few guys zeroed in on and aware of the vagaries of water temps and deep fishing. Neither is all that common with many fishermen and they miss out on a lot - not a little - but a lot of great fishing because of that. C-Goat, that was a great point on the cloud thing. It's...

Nice going, Mike!

Troop, A by God, honest-to-goodness Bronze Star??!! I KNOW the kinds of things they give those out for And I know that they don't come easy And I know that the ones who are awarded them are very special An old soldier salutes you, fine young man. Now listen up... No more...

I noted a thread on pompano dolphin a few days back. First, I'd like to thank the first person to mention this fish and its name. A week or two ago I saw a picture on the Cal Offshore Board of several mahis caught by someone and danged if one of them wasn't a pompano version! I couldn't...

If you let it, that is... I'm talking the water temperature gauges that cheer us up or bum us out, depending on what direction they are going in. El Nino's, such as the mild one that we are currently experiencing, seem to heighten the average fisherman's awareness of water temps and what...

Yeah, those guys were pretty subdued, but then again, they were professional pinhookers and most have a tendancy to stay pretty calm around things that would send most of the rest of us around the bend. And you have to remember that this was not an unusual sight for hard core chunkers to see...

Bill, Wow! Great trip, report and pictures! That first shot of the hen dorado was especially good...but you got some horses, too. Hmm, I'm sitting here wondering if that night fish wasn't a swordy? Thanks for the report and congrats.

G-Man, Beaut stuff, but that is to be expected from you, Sensei. But the song stuff...Ahoka?!

I wasn't there, so I don't know how big those tunas were. But I have spent a lot of time around them for many years and I can say for sure that some of those fish were brutes, probably over five hundred pounds. I remember that Carolina fishery. There were some truly monstrous giants down...

I have done a lot of night trolling over the years, which I have a lot of under my belt. It started about 45 years ago when I was a "pinhooker" (what used to be what a rod and reel commercial guy was called back in the northeast) when we were after bigeye, a notorious early and late in the day...

Great stuff, Chris! As you know, nobody has to convince me of how utterly devastating chunks are for both chumming and catching tuna...and that's all tuna, from bonito to the giant bluefins like the ones in the video. I have seen the very same thing many times back east, except of course, I...

Sounds like the old, "Don't match the hatch, you don't make the catch" more than anything else that I see here. All tunas spend a great deal of time feeding on very small bait, with biologists reporting that 85% or so of albacores' diets consisting small "whale food" - a mix of fin bait...

Rory, Thank you for posting the picture of that "flying chainsaw". Please, those new to shark fishing, or even some who are not, fight the makos right or you just might wind up with one in your cockpit or your lap. They are dangerous as hell! Read either New Shark Chummers or...

Ali, Awesome work on that transom art! You guys did a great, top notch job! And buenas suerte to Capitan Manny...he'll put her feet in the fire for sure! Felicitaciones, Manny. Que barco bonito!

Thanks all. Bob, glad to see some folks are still beating 'em up with bars out of my old home port. And, always give the rear of the ponies a few tries to. Not many do that, but it can be a real gold mine. The fish can be as much as a couple of hundred yards back. And if they'll let you...

Jephs, Actually, there are 101 reasons. But you have been a member here for a long time and I've enjoyed reading your posts. And I understand that tinkerer thing. Heck, that's how I started out a long time ago. We will make an exception in your case. Please contact Chris at...

Corny, Dreamweaver charters has a 48 Ocean, a 53 Post, and a sweet, 32 Blackfin. And they ain't just pretty faces - they catch lots of fish. Here are some from a couple of days ago...CHECK OUT THAT HUMONGOUS DORADO!

Behdad, Nice try and it's good to see that a few people were constructive and appreciative. The jokesters? They're having fun and that's okay too. Here are some different approaches from someone who spent decades hunting dolphin schools and catching lots of tuna out of them for as many...

John, Thank you for the picture and report. A local marlin is a big deal, especially when you didn't know you were fishing for one! And not only is that a local marlin, it looks like a beeegg one! Kudos for the release. It's funny how some folks look at the heavy main leaders that we...

Grump & Troy, Yup, my money says that that fishing will steadily bounce back as we bounce away from Devil Moon. This season reminds me very much of some past ones when the fishing remained great for a long, long time. Long after most had given up and stopped fishing, in fact. I can...

Danny, You'll get arguments to the contrary and sometimes someone gets on some moon fish that want to bite, but based strictly on my experience and that of some other former or present charterboat captains and hard core anglers who I know, most fishing gets very tough on the days of and...

The first rule of thumb is to use a high quality ball bearing snap swivel. Regular swivels can be useless if you have a cedar that spins. Regular snap swivels do not swivel under pressure. The second rule of thumb is to "tune" your cedar plugs before you fish with them. The hook does act...

Gil, You don't need an excuse, but the facts are that today was the first day of that damned new moon. If there was going to be a bite, it was most likely around the middle of the day. I've been fishing and keeping accurate logs for many decades and at least as far as I'm concerned, the...

Grump, Nice job and thank you for the vid. And good on ya on the release. Good karma, that. No to worry on the no fish thing. It's the new moon and for me at least, that has meant tough fishing for many, many years now. You did great!

Yessir, chunks git 'er done! Fish are a lot like any other animal...they'll take the easy meal instead of the one they have to run after anytime. Plus, fish don't have hands and chunks can't swim. So, when one does, you're bit!

Waytago, Jefe!

Our friends Tom Lansing, Capt. Ramon and Fernando are still doing a job on the fish down in Cabo. We will be shooting video with them shortly. Man, what a great crew and ride. Rides, actually, because they also have a bitchin' 32 Blackfin too. Extraction in action, plus some recent results...

Not only a dorado, but a nice bull. Waytago! Best in Big Game website & online store, index

An interesting subject. The first and foremost bottom line is that the nature of tunas of all kinds is that they are first and foremost, schooling species. So, every trolling shot that you get, whether it's along a current break, high spot, or alongside a paddy, is an opportunity to catch fish...

Richard, I'm not sure when we'll be shooting. We have a good video guy and editor on staff in La Paz - not far away - and David Jones, owner of Fishermens Fleet and an IGFA rep is there too, so we are pretty much blessed to be able to set up our video sessions based on fishing, the weather...

Nice job, as usual, mi amigos! No doubt about it, now (and in my opinion, never) is a good time to pinch pennies when fishing in Cabo. There are just too many big azzed fish to fool around, hook something like a big tuna or marlin on inappropriate gear, spend hours on it and either lose it...

I absolutely love uni! Tried it the first time in Japan many years ago. Back in Caly I got to know some urchin divers (a big business here at the time, but hard and dangerous as hell). I learned from them that they shipped their urchins, whole boatloads of them, to San Diego, where a certain...

Thought that some of you might get a kick out of this...I KNOW Molokaipaki will, eh Cappy?! Sizes from 3" to 12". The ones on this Ruckus Raiser are 9". The bar gets smaller as the squids do. Notice that in the 8 knot shots the bar is being run flat. The teasers are running and...

New...and our hottest new bar ever. And like our Spiders, it doubles as a great dredge! No other bar or dredge in the world does this. Trolls like a feather, but strong as a bull, so it's great for small or big boats. And it comes with 3", 4 1/4", 6" (all great for local and Baja tunas and...

Why, thank you, guys. I'm not much of a fan of my own birthdays, especially when there get to be too many of them! Special thanks for the Black Labby shot, troop. Keep that head down, eyes open, and shoot straight! Keta...dang, if I'd thought about that lamb I'd have fessed up...

Squid, We will be selling the vast majority of Roddy's products, including those incredible Pipers and his other Pro Range lures. The site is all set up and ready to rock, but we have yet to complete the skirt color issue. Roddy has a ton of great colors and SKU's (code numbers per color)...

Nice one, Cappy C. Very nice gesture, too. You are a good man. Best in Big Game website & online store, index

There are spreaderbars, and there are dredges. Up until now, they have been two separate lures. More and more West Coasters are using and catching lot of fish on our bars. But dredges? Not many know about them, except that they are very popular in other areas and that the typical one is big...

Zane, "Bomboy makes great stuff that catches fish and he is a good guy." I gave him props, which I don't hesitate to ever give to the respectable, real lure makers and masters. The copyrats and wannabes...they are another story. Please bear in mind that Tom, Ramon and Fernando are good...

Roger, Corny... Likewise. :shakin: Delta, You got it, my man! As it once was with cedar plugs and spreaderbars, chunks and chunking have been almost non-existent on the left coast. And like those other things, it appears that they are starting to come on strong lately. I always get...

Corny, "Chunking is the devil"??? Hmm, considering that I am the only author to ever write an entire book on the subject (see below), it can't be me you're talking about! And of course the trolling/then chunking trick is illustrated and fully discussed in several of my current books...

From a couple of my books... Best in Big Game website & online store, index

Nice job on the close fish, Hal. And kudos for coming up with is, at least to me, a new trick. I love that kind of open-minded thinking in a fisherman. And Ashley remains a sweet, fish-catching machine. (And yes, Bob would have been there...he and The Evil Twin are for-sure tough guys!)...

Back when we fished plugs, we used Mirrolures quite a bit down in The Baja. We re-rigged them all and here's how. (As you will see, we addressed the "hooks coming out" issue, although spinning fish was very common on the bigger species we targeted with them. Regardless, the Super Glue is...

Tom, Thanks for the comeback. Man, those were some hawgalacious tooners the guys caught...real pigs! I just realized when I read your reply that I didn't say howdy to Fernando. As you know, big game fishing is all about teamwork and they are two of the best in the business, no matter...

When they are zeroed in on red crabs, little squid, shrimp, octopi and other little whale food, pink & white bars trolled fairly slowly, like five knots or so (that little stuff can't swim fast) raise lots of fish. Small chunks work on these fish when you get them up, but mixing in some small...

Our basic rule of thumb on trolling speed is "the smaller the bait, the slower we go and the bigger the bait, the faster we troll it." Very small baits, like little bars or singles if you troll them, are almost always best trolled at only 4-5 knots because they imitate whale food, like red...

Tom, Glad the pinche chubasco spared Cabo. Very nice atun y por favor, para mi amigo Capitan Ramon, "Muy bueno con la gancha, amigo...en la corizon. Aiiii-yi-yiiee, muerto!" Good karma on the released blue and congrats to the pretty lady..."Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue...

I've seen quite a few parasites in tuna, but not that one. Most are sad to be safe to eat after being cooked or frozen, but I've always discarded them. Someone with more expertise than I will probably have a solid answer. The most common one in Baja tuna was this thing that looked like an...

Fat, I'm with you on those Moldcraft Soft Birds. And we don't sell them, so there is no sales incentive for saying that. But they are cheap, tough as hell, easy to rig, and flutter like the dickens, looking exactly like a little flyer or other bait trying to escape a predator that's hot on its...

Very nice work for a first lure...or even a second, third, or more. I love white lure heads, but have to admit that I do like eyes on mine. I believe that they are the main target of marlin and other gamefish much of the time, so I like big ones. I'm sure that you can find some stick-on eyes...

Bill, Ha-ha! Actually, they caught eight while video taping stuff not far offshore two days ago. No bait, no hard tuna hunting, either. And that's a real nice yellowfin for up here - and I mean REAL NICE! Don't know what it weighed, but it was a Caly Cow for sure. My all time favorite...

Raise 'em on the troll, chunk 'em with the small chunks that albies often like even better than live. Make your own chunk baits...virtually anything works, as long as you chunk 'em up small. You save money and hassle that way and catch the hell out of the fish, too. And yes, you can freeze...

It's a pretty common scenario the world over. Tuna of all kinds and sizes focused in on and eating shrimp, red crabs, little squid, octopi, you name it, it's whale food and tuna just love the stuff...and it can be outright murder trying to get them to eat regular size lures, and even single...

Phat, My favorites remain SuperBars, especially the Little Meatball bars. Yesterday doesn't seem to have been all that hot for tunas, except for those that were out for the early tide, when there was a good bite. Meantime, BD'rs Scorch and Iglooman went out late and missed the early bite...

BD'rs Scorch and Iglooman did some fishing and video taping yesterday and caught some very nice local tunas not far offshore... Best in Big Game website & online store, index

TRULY INCREDIBLE NEW LURE! This is pretty long, so if you're one of those Long Post Haters, please don't bother with it. It takes more than a short description and a picture to describe what to me, at least, is one of the most innovative new lure designs and skirting systems that I have...

John, Shame on you for procrastinating! Of course we want to help, but we're busier than one armed paper hangers right now, so this is not a good time for us to drop everthing else we're doing to come to your rescue...but we will try. In the final analysis, what I want to do won't take up...

The following applies to big boats too.

I didn't see it, but if anyone called Todd Mansur "a rookie", they have no idea what or who they are talking about. Todd is one of the best who ever walked a dock in these parts. He's one helluva captain.

Here is a shot of a mixed spread of six SuperBars and RuckusRaisers being run off a cat in Hawaii. As you can see, the SuperBars look pretty subtle when compared to those "panicking, fleeing bait" Ruckus's. (Boat does not have outriggers.) Pretty self-explanatory, I hope. Then a pict of a...

Lots of good discussion, input and questions here. That's exactly what I want and like to see on this board. On the Toads...there is no doubt that I am a huge believer in them. And it doesn't matter to me whether the bite is on or not, I always have one out there. I'm not so sure that two...

All you have to do is read this thread and you'll hear it over and over again - "ono bite the plugs pretty good, but the hookup ratios pretty much suck". That is true, fished the way that most fish them, but it doesn't have to be like that at all. Do it with the Dacron Hammers that Igloo Man...

Nice job, Hornet jockey!

Trooper, Yah, dem ono's are masters of the drive-by, silencers and all! That was a Hays Stainless 8/0 and how it didn't stick that fish is a wonder. Slick devils, them onos! Chris and I were talking about them yesterday and he told me about a day up in Magdalena Bay, where the ono...

Some pretty good advice from Lamna and there's no doubt about it, this guy knows bars and fishing. He's a marine biologist who fishes and a burgeoning writer, too, who has written some great stuff in our books (especially in the halibut book) and for Pacific Coast Sportfishing mag. (Truth is...

Ono's hit a lure or bait without so much as a click off the reel, a rigger release popping or anything and not get hooked? BD'r Clay Cling nailed an ono that hit a huge, 15" FatBoy Bar Squid the other day. Then, yesterday, his birthday, he lost a 5+ marlin that hit the same lure when an ono...

Albacore ain't just here. There are a lot of them on the east coast and they get big there. Here are some picts just in from Captain Ted White of (ready for this?) New Jersey with a double of dorado and albacore and a big alby, one of a double. All of the fish were caught on purple FatBoy...

Dave, A couple of points... First, I would run a Toad teaser. I ALWAYS run a Toad, no matter what I'm fishing for or where. Second, the Poor Boy only consists of two lures. That isn't much different than running single lures, which don't even come close to raising fish like the bars...

Bud, Way to hang in there and make a good day out of a bad one!

Jason, First, thanks for the report and pictures. Monterey Guy, Thanks to you too. Man, what a day! Not a bad one for your first time with bars, either. And a perfect example of what the bars can do versus the standard stuff. And a guy who brings the lures that saved the day on...

Pat, Thank you. We'll do our best for you. Jimmy, A good way to match the hatch with spreaderbars begins with the realizing and understanding the fact that younger, smaller bait is by far the most abundant and constant food in the ocean. It, along with the various forms of "whale...

Good Lord, Bogster! I guess you'd call that "A double full moon". In either case, it's the shits! :rofl: Your bars will be ready this week. Please don't hang them on that rope in the picture!

Trooper, Actually, I think it was tried once, years ago. If memory serves me correctly, which it may well not, I seem to recall that the Red Rooster did some Hawaii time years ago. Of course, they came back, so I'm guessing that it didn't work out as well as hoped for. Hunker down...eyes...

Hopefully the original poster might do things differently the next time if he's confronted with the same situation. No matter how you want to slice it, from the sportboat's perspective, he was being challenged and defied. There is no need to create that sort of situation and of course, the...

Good riddance to that damned moon! I've never been able to figure out if it has an effect on sea conditions other than the strong tides, but in my experience, at least, it sure knocks the crap out of my fishing. Great job on the fish. Only two aboard, but they were obviously cool...

Pat, We prefer not to, but we frequently personally deliver our products to those in the San Diego area and even north of there. Chris Jones, one of the owners of the company lives in San Diego and one of our manufacturing facilities is there too. Naturally, it is much easier and far less...

Thomas...luna gordo - no bueno para pescar. It'll get better as you get off that damned moon. I see that Hays Handle. I love those things on the big stuff. You and the guys like 'em? Suerte!

Aha! Gman and little Gson (Anthony). Sorry I didn't recognize who you were under this different name and for sure in my own backyard. Funny, while I was reading your reports I kept thinking to myself, "This guy is one serious, successful dude that knows what he's talking about, just like...

Fish report just in from BD'r Jason Frederickson... Hey Fred Love your product. The black and purple meat bars have been money this season. The dorado color not so much, but I feel they add to the bait school behind my boat and bring the fish to the mexiflag feather and cedar plug...

All good advice, Tony. Actually, it was the Aussies who showed me that "back off on the drag and let them get out of the coral heads" thing. It works well. They still do get cut off on the big groupers and coral trout and such that hit the plugs, but dive for the coral instantly. You have to...

For me, I love watching a whole school of tunas explode on the bars. Surface bites, whether come on the skipping iron or a half dozen or more trolled bars, are all adreline pumpers of the finest kind. And as long as your anglers are watching the spread, they ALL get to get off seeing it happen...

I've written an entire book on fishing for and catching daytime swords from A to Z, but boiling some of it down as far as this discussion is concerned, here are a few points... 1. I like big reels for big fish. I preferred that my anglers went to the chair when fighting swordfish on my...

The excerpt from the novel Grim Ripper about a bloody mako bite is now up on my board. It was too long for this thread (in spite of being abbreviated). And besides, some folks like to read, and some don't. So, it's there if you'd like to check it out.

Literally decades of daily fishing logs proved to me long ago that I, at least, usually experience terrible fishing on either of the moons. I'm talking right on them here. My results were the same as those of the longline studies - fishing was usually great on the days before the moons...

It won't help much from the cost standpoint, but I caught some in Hawaii and many, including some gorillas, in Australia up in the Great Barrier Reef area and above there. These were strictly surface lure fish and to say that the attacks on the plugs were a sight to behold is a vast...

Chapter Six Last Year on the Whelping Grounds She returned to the whelping grounds from the south during a full moon in early May. (This is a greatly abridged chapter from Grim Ripper. I have shortened it for those who don’t like to read. The ... that you will see represent sections...

The spinning reels have been a long time coming here. I am happy to see them finally getting the credit that they have long deserved. "Coffee grinders"...say what?

Was on the phone today with my buddy Jerry (father of those Ninja Turtles and yes, we were talking about a movie) from Connecticut. He mentioned the bigeye bite and said he'd heard from his neighbor, who was on his way back in with NINE, big bigeye. I think he said Veetch Canyon??? I was...

I suggest that you take a look at John King's "Island Bait" excerpt from the book Secrets of the West Coast Private Boat Pros that is posted on my board. John is a helluva fisherman, charter captain, and writer and he did a great job in the book.

White Cloud and Bud, I'm not interested in any controversy on the net. Don't know what went down up there, but sorry to even hear about it. I am just sorry to see what seem to me to be among the best tournaments ever having whatever troubles there were. One thing for you guys who buy...

Bernie knows and is a good guy for giving it up here for all to share - not all tournament guys are like that, which is understood. The ones who do are special, indeed. One thing. If you don't have live bait and you want to chum up and catch some bait fish, small chunks are absolutely...

I'm with everyone else, Scott...good going! And glad that you came back okay and exercised caution. It's the ones who don't respect the situation and aren't careful who come to woe sooner or later. The bottle trick. Been around for a long time in other venues. The bright orange Tide...

Thanks for the stories, guys. I consider them more of a public warning and definately not jokes. Just the mere thought of a mako onboard gives me a case of the shiverin'willyshits. One of my rules is to "never put a mako with the head on it in the boat", for a lot of good reasons. If you...

Years ago, back when I had my shop and shark fishing was in its infancy out here, we had three or four doctors who became interested in shark fishing and got set up to do it. They hooked up a 200# class mako on their first trip...and started making mistakes right away. First, the fish was one...

I know better than to comment on the size of the shark and/taking it. However, I will say that a mako aboard is a nightmarish situation at best and a potentially fatal one at worst. That fish's behavior was typical of mako sharks in that once they chomp on something they don't let go of it...

Great trip and big kudos for hooking a young'un on fishing. Good thing those critters don't get as big as yellowfin - we'd never land one! Boneheads are a long way from "cat food". If you take care of them properly they are great eating, both cooked and raw. And they make the finest kind...

See my post on the Chit Chat Board on what these new DaisyBars did in their first few hours on the water during the Ilwaco Tuna Tournament up north. I don't know if anyone else is impressed, but we sure are! Catching twelve out of fourteen fish caught, fishing against the mighty MeatBall Bar...

Blacky, Here are some shots just in from the Ilwaco tournament held up north Saturday, courtesy of Team "Running Down the Dream", consisting of Bloody Deckers Quixotic, Hardwood Jerry, Reel Naughty, and Mo. They fished a new kind of DaisyBar (the pink and white one with the black and gold...

All, I hear ya, Bencher and so far all good comments. I too have been chunking for many, many years for just about anything that swims and have had excellent, consistent results doing so here, in Mexico, and back east, where it is a near tuna fishing religion. In fact, I wrote a book about...

Chris, Congrats on that first marlin and props for releasing it and the little mako. Pretty shots and a heckuva an accomplishment on twenty with no leaders.

Holy cow, Matt, sorry to hear that! Man, that could be life threatening if you got into the wrong situation out there and ran out of fuel. The lowest form of scum do that kind of thing. Sorry.

Mike, No prob running your favorite jig or whatever (Phat, I dunno 'bout dat Rapala thingy, ya rascal!) behind your bars. A very important point is, if you mix up your spread with bars and single lures the lures function exactly like the chasebait on the bars. This means that the bars...

Excellent report and a great day out there. That marlin was a nice fish. Kudos for the release...it's good karma!

Congrats on your first mako and kudos on the release.

Jeff, Whoops, sorry about letting the cat out of the bag! But, hey, that combat fishing on the banks is for the birds and there is one helluva lot of other water up and down the beach that holds fish, but not crowds. Burphie, You've been there and done that too. Good on ya.

Mike, Sorry about the "fart thing". I have plenty of them myself, except mine don't have anything to do with bars - they are usually brain farts. Of course, then there is among the best advice to old guys, especially ones on lots of heart meds..."Never trust a fart". So true! "Hmmm...

I kind of suspected that the hook suggested by the shop guy was a circle when I first read this thread. I have been fishing them on bait and lures for about twenty years now. They really, truly work for all of the reasons mentioned here. When it comes to rigging them on lures for any fish or...

Historically (that means back in the many days that I spent fishing up here) there was always an "inshore run" of dorado when a good, warm water core ran up the inside. And I'm not talking the short banks (267-279) as "inside". Often times that water and the fish didn't even extend out that...

Some good info here as spinning reel reality finally strikes and starts to sink home with many West Coasters. I had a heavy hand in all aspects of BaitRunner reels, including naming them and doing the cosmetics. The idea came up in the back of a taxi while my chief reel engineer, the...

FROM THE BOOK “SECRETS OF THE WEST COAST PRIVATE BOAT PROS CHAPTER THIRTEEN SECRETS OF ISLAND FISHING “ISLAND KING” No way was I going to write anything about fishing the islands! I simply don’t know enough about fishing them to write anything about them, but it’s a...

Jamie and Jason, You two are spot-on as far as the effectiveness of quality spinning tackle is concerned...and Jase, several very good tips from you on using them ("Oh, my gosh, you can't do that on coffee grinders!!!") on sportboats, long or short range. On the day that I caught my first...

Woody, The best way is to tightly swage a small sleeve on the wire leader, as shown. That blue and white one had been fished a lot and had caught several wahoos, a few tunas - both big and small -, some toros (jack crevalle) and a few other species. The teaser never moved through all of...

JP, Very nice looking bird. If you are open to suggestions from an "Old Birdman", it looks to me like there might have been two variations in the video. One seemed to "flap its wings" more than the the other, with the first one shown being the best looking "flapper". Now, it might have...

John, Scorch, and others who know, That's right, it's all about matching the hatch, with size being much more imporant than color. It is so frustrating reading daily fish report after daily fish report of guys "running hundreds of miles" and "seeing fish, bait, boilers and birds" but "not...

Squuid, Making bait is a lot more detailed than it might seem, especially if you are like me and many others and simply do not buy bait. It sounds so simple, but it really isn't for many, including some who know a bit about it, but in fact rely mostly on expensive, purchased bait. Please...

Clarke, Nice going on a black with springs in him! No doubt about it, when the water gets hot down there, so does the fishing. There's great tuna fishing, of course, but the rabid billfish hounds would crap in their panties if they knew about the blacks and blues down there. Sorry, but I...

The following is an excerpt from the book Secrets of the West Coast Private Boat Pros, written by me and a dozen top west coast private boat anglers, charter captains and rod and reel commercial fishermen from up and down the west coast. The co-authors and contributors include many Bloody...

Good stuff, John, and you too, Scorch. Everything in fishing is a variable, including how far back you place your spread, with the best judges of that being the fish. There are general rules of thumb, though, that tell us good spread positions to start out with - close being one of the most...

Here are some more looks at this very good, all-around lure that catches 'em all. And like that Timex watch, it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'...which is good for the pocketbook, too. And please remember, we don't sell 'em. I'm just trying to pass on one of the good things from "dat...

I'll tell ya something, fellas, I don't care where you fish, those Billy Baits are absolute kickass wahoo and basically anything else lures. They are among the top baits discussed in my wahoo book (245 pages, almost three hundred color photos, it's stuffed with wahoo trolling tactics from all...

EXCERPT FROM THE WAHOO TROLLER’S BIBLE THE “POOR BOY” WAHOO TROLLING LURE For many years down in Cabo the pangeros (panga captains) and a secretive group of old gringo skiff drivers have used the following lure when specifically targeting wahoo and also when they are running from place...

Guys, Thanks for all of the nice remarks and input. You guys who have used our bars (remember, all bars are not the same - far from it, in fact) seem to have things nailed down pretty pat. Funny how it's always the sharp ones in a given area who are the first with new, hot lures and...

Chunking is a dynamite, very inexpensive way to chum albies and any other kind of tuna. Always has been/always will be. As long as you keep chunking steadily you can keep a school of tuna up and feeding until you are done with them. No livewells, no buying bait, no bait rolling on you (we...

As a sponsor and supporter of these great tournaments and a big fan of "The Northies" (that gets me into a lot of trouble, by-the-way), I am glad to see the warfare over and peace reigning. As I see it, you folks have some terrific, well-run, fun tournaments going that support a worthy cause...

Filletnrelease, It appears Whalebreath has forget to mention our website, which has a plethora of information about multiple lures, including the reasons why spreaderbars in general and some of ours in particular have supplanted daisy chains in many areas. There are numerous articles about...

Chopper Pilot, To find out all about all of our products, please go to our website at index While you are there, please pick out a book that you would like to read. Then contact our Chris Jones (addy on the site) and we will send you whatever book you would like to have with our compliments...

Yeah, happy B'day, Chris. And yeah, take like ten or fifteen minutes (that second one is stretching it, kiddo) to celebrate, then get back to work! Don't listen to that Scorch guy...he's crazy, ya know? :rofl:

Okay, here is the follow-up to the other "whatta ya think?" post. This one starts with bridling up a mahi, or what we call skipjack and what you folks call ???, or small tuna. I am from a place (The Baja), where bait fishing is a very big deal and that includes the bigger baits. Small...

Seems to me that there are two subjects on this thread. First, rigging mahi for bait. That one got abandoned pretty quickly and it turned into a lure/hook stopper discussion. I'm interested in both, so I'm going to make two posts here. First, those who know me or who read my books know...

Caught my first white seabass on that boat many years ago. She's a beautiful big boat, excellent owner/captain Jay who I have known for many years, really knows his way around down there. I recommend the heck out of him. Way to hook a kid on fishing, scallywaggler!

The following is an article that will appear on the website next week. It is very timely, so I am posting it here in spite of the fact that I do not know how to post text with photos in it, like in a book. Some photos appear at the end. I apologize for having to do it this way, but I simply...

DANG, John, that's great stuff! And yes, it shows exactly how tuna and other gamefish actually feed and also that one straggler, all on its own, like a single lure, is a rare thing when it comes to feeding tunas. In fact, probably the most common "single" is a dead one, like that shown at the...

Pargon, Sweet work on a nice 'hoo! Too bad the other one went bye-bye, but you and I both know what happened on that one, you naughty boy! It's really too bad that so many (well, not all that many out here on this coast) consider SuperBars tuna lures only...Hell, in my opinion, they are...

Wow! Great thread on what is the most mysterious tuna of them all for west coast fishermen and most fishermen anywhere. Actually, there are a helluva lot more bigeye caught (and not caught - I'm talking the big ones that destroy tuna and marlin gear) here than most would ever believe...

Guys, Thanks for the responses... MarMike...Sounds like a sharp kid! And yes, it sure does make them look cool. Now, catch him one! That would be really cool! Professor...Hah, hah, hah...yah, those boat bills are far more serious matters than marlin bills, fer sure! Garrett...You...

Gernse, Waytago, as per usual.

If the guys on Pelikia say they saw a black marlin, they saw a black marlin, period! These guys are all-pro and know exactly what they're looking at out there. And they obviously got some very close looks at this fish. They and Steve Lassley are the two top swordfish boats out here every year...

The record says a lot about the place, but as far as I'm concerned, it says a helluva lot more about that Captain Jaimo fellow. Lots of folks fish there, but one guy keeps coming up with winners. Dayem, James, ya done it agin! Ho, hum. So what else is new? Waytago!

Ah, The Northies strike again! Good going, guys! Lots of familiar names on that list of executioners. "Everybody had to quit because we ran out of ice." Absolutely classic! Jeezum crow, you guys have no mercy on the poor fishies! Good to hear that you guys are among 'em and on 'em...

Kasho, Thank you and sic 'em! Keta & Michael, What we are seeing quite a bit of is guys who fish together most of the time pooling their money and buying a set for whatever boat they are fishing on that day. It's like any other lure...if you start from scratch, you build up your...

Hopefully, this isn't too tough. After all, it is simple, clear logic. There are four little lures on four rods in the first spread. There are sixty-four of the same size and color lures on the same four rods in that second spread. Decide for yourself which is the most likely to raise...

Sadly, the original founder and owner of Old Salty died not too long ago and naturally, that has left things in a state of disarray. Last I heard, things weren't certain about the future operation of the business. Like many fine tackle companies, it is small and takes a dedicated individual...

Tom, No tip? Hmmm, sounds like snowbirds to me...it's that time of year. They seem very proud of that "no tip" thing. Disgraceful! WOW! That is a GREAT shot of the boat backing down and that marlin jumping. An absolutely exceptional action photo. Damned nice job, Chris. Dem big...

Ed, A lot of folks really like how the Spiders run up top. To us, they look like a really hysterical bunch of panicked bait running for its life and sometimes that's what it takes to turn non-feeders on, especially with a bigger chasebait after the teasers. At the very least, it makes them...

Wow, G-Man, THE world record bass from Japan? How ironic! I can remember when it was big news over there that Fred Arbogast and Lee and Joan Wulff and probably some others I have forgotten (it was a long time ago) had some Florida fry sent over and stocked. And as you know, I fished Biwaco...

I second Mike on Victor. I knew him for years. He is one helluva a good fisherman and a lot of fun to boot. Fish with him if you can. And tell him I said "Hi".

Ed, My belated thanks too on the sand eel photos. One of the unique and very cool things about Spiders is their versatility. Yes, they make terrific deep trolled lures that put whole schools of bait with a vulnerable straggler trying to catch up. Here they can be fished several...

Roger on all, especially the circle hooks. One word of caution, though. Please don't pop fish off (used to be called a "Palm Beach release") if they are hooked deep, which is more likely to happen with a J-hook than a circle. The reason is hopefully obvious; a sharp yank on a sharp hook in...

Wow! Studdly blue one! Congrats to all. Jeezum, and two released on a half day? Goodgoshamighty!

Joe, Proud to welcome you to the board, Chopper Jockey. Fish hard. Enjoy that family. Fly fast. Shoot straight. Be careful. And thank you and God bless, Troop!

Deep dropping, the right leader, gill dart, kill buoy....this guy knows what he's doing! Nice job, man! No little gear in Cal...our swords average BIG and it makes no sense whatsoever to mess around here with Girl Scout tackle.

Our version. We call it "Flash". (Yes, I skirt my own personal lures upside down. I know, I know, "crazy as a March hare"...or just maybe, a salty, old fox! To each his own.)

Tommy, Great stuff and great news...thanks for the head's up. Tunas on whales are usually eating whale food and whale food is little stuff, regardless of the size of the tooners. Good luck to all who run for these fish! Teenage bluefins...right on! Time to roll out the cannons.

:daman:Thank you for your order, Corny. We are going to throw in a few chasebaits rigged with circle hooks with our compliments for you to try. Honestly, I think that once you give them a shot, you'll be like us and never go back to J's. Just be sure to remove the barbs and knock the points...

Wes, August is the real blue marlin and big tuna time in that area. Whoever you choose, be sure that they have the proper big fish gear and I strongly recommend that you select a boat with a real fighting chair so you can stand up if you like, but can go to the chair if you hook up a...

I have known Captain David Hansen since he was quite a young lad and I used to fish with him on occasion on the Dana Point boats that he ran. He is one of the best damned fishermen I have ever met and as others here who know him say, he's one heckuva good guy to boot. And I'll tell you what...

Nice going, Gernso! And a beaut one at that! You da man!

Good observations on the C-hooks, Drew. For those who might be interested in more info, please see the article from Big Game Journal I posted on my board. The C's are still unfamiliar to many anglers and even many outdoor writers and the article might help folks get the full potential out of...

WOW! What a great first post, Danny! Albacore are being caught right now in NorCal and off of Oregon and not a few. I wonder when they swam by us? And heck, they didn't have to be way offshore when they did that, either. At least as far as sporties were concerned, nobody was fishing for...

From an article published by a major sportfishing magazine. Sorry, no picts here. They will appear on our website when this article is posted in a few days. This is long, but hopefully, this is the kind of detailed info some of you come here for. CIRCLE HOOKS IN SO-CALLED “MARLIN...

YAY! We have finally entered the twenty-first century and our website now has an honest-to-goodness store with PayPal and the whole shootin' match! And some new, hot products are being introduced, with more coming shortly. Please visit and let us know what you think - we are always open to...

Hey, G...tell me where and they'll be there! Run four little bars and put sixty-four little, bitty baits in nice, easy-for-the-tooners-to-see little schools with stragglers behind them and raise whole schools of albies and yellowfin. We use a very similar head to the some of the ones shown...

You're welcome, Bill. The proof of the lure fishing puddin' is in the fishin'. The proof of something far different is in the posting.

Here is an original Petrolero lure made by Allure Lures from Mexico. The story behind the Petrolero, as told to me by numerous Mexican friends who were around when it was first developed, was that the skirt arrangement, which was actually upside down, with the white/grey lighter color on the...

I too have dealt with a lot of green and brown (too...my favorite kind at the end game) swordfish. Some daytime fish and a lot of night ones. Everyone to his own, of course, but there is no way in hell that I would fly gaff or even gill dart (illegal here) one EVER! No swordfish, or any other...

Lamna, If you liked that tuna-in-the-water shot, here's another pretty good one that just came in from Cabo...

Kudos to Hal for running it in Chris' absence and double kudos for returning everybody's money and eating the expenses. Most tournament operators would either keep the money or "roll it over" to the next year. Waytago, Hal!

As usual, nice critters, Gerns. Thanks for the look-see. Pict from the same place, another time...courtesy of Skip Goldsworthy, who with his son and BD'r Matt helped out with our Halibut Troller's Bible book. The flatty was 55#...makes the WSB's look dinky, doesn't she? Gollydamnshit, you...

Scott, We and the Labs thank you for your generous donation to our Lab Rescue program. Some things transcend fishing and as far as we are concerned, every one of those sweet souls that we save from the death needle is a joyous thing. You have helped do that. You are a good man, sir.

Here's my favorite...

One of the holdups on the store...a whole new family of exclusive, hollow squids that we are way excited about. Here is just one for you guys who know what all eats dem Humboldts...(and there are a lot of other new squids coming.)

YIKES! Grande pinche peros rojas! Quidado! Don't let 'em bite ya! Save me some pescado, por favor amigo. Dayem! Too bad they don't fight, eh? "Married to Nancy Pelosi"? Ouch!

"Exercise bike"?? Ho, ho, ho! I've heard of walking on water, but not riding a bike on it. And hey, if you dragged a Toad behind a bike you'd have to beware of raising dogs, not fish with it. "Down boy! Down! Oh no, pit bull! Pedal faster, pedal faster! LOL I repeat that I'm no expert...

I'm pretty sure that I have been making and (constantly) using Toad teasers far longer than anybody - at least, I know of no one that has done that. Yes, I love the damned things. There is a simple reason for that - they work! And please bear in mind that I not only don't sell them, and not...

I knew a guy down in Cabo who made beautiful ceramic lures. I wish I could remember his name, but can't. He and his wife (her name was Cat and she was a real pisser) also had a charterboat and he kept telling me about all of the fish his captain was catching on the lures and that his...

Rory, Thank you for the kind words and for reading so many of my books. I'm glad that they have helped you. You are obviously a talented (but humble) angler and yet you have that thing that every sharp angler that I have ever known has - a keen desire to learn new and different things and...

No one fishing for them = none caught = no fish reports = "there are none around." A self-fulfilling prophecy. Bluefin are endothermic and can and do operate in much colder water than the tropical species. Bigeye too. And bluefin can often be found in quite shallow water and they don't...

Tom, Good to see you cleaning house with the bars and thank you for saying so. My favorite place to fish down there was always "where the fish were", and that came from the early days of the very first Baja Terrafin charts back when Jeff was just starting out down there and very few people...

Rick, How you doin'? Hah, you're one who I'm sure runs them dawgies right! Still, it's good to see that you want to learn everything that you can about them. Hope you enjoy the book. I've been under the weather for a while, but I understand that the response to the free books thing...

Scott, It breaks my heart to write this, but I am no longer physically able to fish due to a debilitating, incurable and fatal disease that has torn me away from the oceans that I have loved with a huge passion and have roamed since I was thirteen years old. I actually died up in the tower...

This has already been posted on my board and on the Oregon Board. Albacore are notorious small bait eaters. A marine biologist who has been studying the stomach contents of West Coast albies told a BD'r up north that 85% of those contents consisted of very small prey in the three inch or...

I already announced this on my board. I hope that those of you who are interested in this act fast...we can't afford to do it for very long. Albacore are notorious small bait eaters. A marine biologist who has been studying the stomach contents of West Coast albies told a BD'r up north that...

Ryan, Albacore are notorious small bait eaters. A marine biologist who has been studying the stomach contents of West Coast albies told a BD'r up north that 85% of those contents consisted of very small prey in the three inch or smaller range. That prey was basically "whale food" of small...

When the tunas are on tiny baits, and those of you who have been around the block a time or two know that first, they do that a lot and the second, that they can be awful hard to catch on "regulation" lures when they are locked onto the little stuff. We have a lot of success when that is the...

Here are some more of the same. And remember, the yellowfin and dorado love the small stuff too.

Dave, Welcome to the world of albyitis! Please see my board for some albacore tips that have worked for a lot of folks and won a lot of tournaments. Cedar plugs and small jets are very good albacore lures, but I like this better...

These work!

YAY! Finally! Now I know what a "shibi" is, thanks to Todd McMahon. Dang thing sure looks like a yellerfin tooner to me, or what we call "atun amarillo", or just "Atun" down Baja way, but who am I to argue wit da Hawaii boys? What I DO know is, dey loves dem squidly thingers.

JEEZUM! CroakZilla! Big congrats to the angler!

Ah, I see that Paul, Jason, and El Capo know about these critters. Cap, you might have watched the same video, or the other one called "Ain't no Hidin' Place Out Here" that even has a special song written for it??? Both are simply awesome! The truth is that I have always been really...

Just yesterday I showed our Chris Jones (Igloo Man) a DVD produced by some very well known and extremely successful local plank boat captains whose names I am not going to mention because this particular video, which is long and very well produced, was meant for their inner circle and a few...

I met Bomboy in Cabo. Not only does he make some really nice lures and not only is he one helluva fisherman, he is a really nice man, too. I was very impressed in all ways by him.

Darrin, Nice going on a big fish and way to go on releasing her. Good on ya!

Bobby, Waytago, bro! And speaking of bros, did you leave the Evil Twin at home? I'm really happy for you, pal. And welcome to The Blue Marlin Fan Club! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Remembering Leprechaun and them early thresher catchers, I be, laddy!

? Fisherman, I use various spreads in various situations to enhance the chances of mouth hooking thresher sharks. Here is a bit more from Shark Troller's Bible about one of the ways to mouth hook virtually all of your thresher sharks. But before that, let me emphasize that those makos...

Dennis, Nice going! And that girl of yours is a real fish catcher. Another one caught the sand draggin' way. Very nice! Keep up the good work. Hope the JB went down smooth. I'm gonna break training and tip a Yukon Jack to the two of you!

Quan, Nice work! There's nothing better than being in the right place with the right stuff on the tide change. Good stuff and thanks for the report and happy fishermen picts.

This is from The New Shark Troller's Bible. More later... ANOTHER SECRET THAT ISN’T ABOUT TROLLING Except that you had better stop trolling and do it when the circumstances are right! When you get around a major concentration of bait that the threshers are working (yes, they do school...

Not sure what you Island guys call what we call sierra mackerel (picture of one below), but we had lots of them in Cabo and caught big fish to well over 12# frequently on MeatBall bars (bars with sixteen little, 4" teasers) in much deeper water than the rest of the crews that I knew. A Toad...

Mike, Ah, this is much better. The true point here is that we are both after the very same thing - more released threshers and less killed ones, especially multiple kills or ones made day after day by some people. I know for a fact that many of the commercial guys who I have known (and...

Rog, Jeff. Sorry that it wasn't a better drawing, but I don't have much time for that sort of thing and am a drawer, not a real artist, so that sort of work does take an old codger like me a lot of time. Actually, I do enjoy doing it, and I like trying to help other fishermen out. One thing...

HERE YOU GO, JEFF. HOPE IT HELPS.

Pretty looking stuff, Drew. I picked up on those foil wings from Ron Arkana and they were dynamite on the Mexican ono's ("Mexono's?" "Cabhoo's?" "Hulahoo's?") Other fish hit them too, but for me, the big thing was catching more ono on trolling lures. As far as I know, they are a Hawaii...

?, Opinions and debate are more than welcome here. Thank you for stating your in a polite and constructive manner. And you have some good and strong opinions that we actually share and ones that I have been trying to teach fishermen about for almost twenty years in five books on shark...

MOUTH HOOKING, CATCHING & RELEASING THRESHER SHARKS FROM THE NEWSHARK TROLLER’S BIBLE, NEW SHARK CHUMMER’S BIBLE AND SECRETS OF THE WEST COAST PRIVATE BOAT PROS BOOKS Here are some techniques for catching and releasing thresher sharks from the only two books ever written about them...

MOUTH HOOKING, CATCHING & RELEASING THRESHER SHARKS FROM THE NEWSHARK TROLLER’S BIBLE, NEW SHARK CHUMMER’S BIBLE AND SECRETS OF THE WEST COAST PRIVATE BOAT PROS BOOKS Here are some techniques for catching and releasing thresher sharks from the only two books ever written about them...

Dayem, Trooper, I wish that you had been able to fish more. But I have walked in your shoes (in more ways than one) and fully understand the needs of a woman who you love and who has sacrificed more than most could ever imagine as far as the man she loves being not only away, but in harm's way...

Jase, As predicted a couple of weeks ago. If things go like they used to during past "salmon years", there will be lots more of them and maybe some kings off both Dana (you know where) and up in Newport Canyon. PB'rs just have to fish the tides, the right spots, and the right stuff to catch...

Pargon, Thanks for the timely video. That's wahoo (sorry, ono) speed in the calm water sequence and bars at those kinds of speeds, raising that kind of hell, are pure, ChopDawgy candy! Another good point shown here is that we not only value and build products for small boat guys, we...

We're different than many other lure manufacturers. Among other things, we don't make ours in a lot of color combinations. What follows here are the ones that we use and use combinations thereof. One color, a double blue/pink, is missing. That is followed by something some will really...

So young. And a good guy, too. So sad. I am so sorry. Yes, be careful out there, especially if you're fishing by yourself. RIP, Vince

Congrats on the T-Bird. Good report and pictures too, but to me the best part of your report was your tribute to a good and loyal friend. Good stuff. Good men, both of you.

Lots of conjecture and opinions here and that's all well and good, but I am of the opinion that one should have a good deal of experience dealing with BIG blue marlin before he opines negatively about the skipper and how he went about his work. It seems unfair to me to criticize a man when you...

Here is some information from The New Shark Chummer's Bible that includes quite a bit about what great baits Humboldt strips are. If you don't like reading, please don't bother with it. If you do and would like to learn about the big squids and mako and thresher (only) shark fishing, I hope...

Here is a short excerpt from my marlin book. If you don't like reading, or you aren't interested in finding out about new twists to the marlin trolling game, please don't read what follows. If you are curious about something that you aren't doing now, whether you intend to try it or not, read...

Jonesy, Good report! Looks like you're becoming what we call "a BarHead", like a lot of others. Please send your mail address to Chris at [email protected] We want to send you one of our new "JT (Josh Temple) Special Spiders" with our compliments to see what you think of them. I think...

Kenny, What can one say? That's just a HUGE calico bass! Congrats and especially on the release. Fogarty? Are you part of my old pal Stretch and his bros' family? If so, we go way, way back to the good, old "Dana Point Fishing Mafia" days. What a great bunch of people. They came down...

Congrats, guys! Two is a great way to start getting Purple Fever. Welcome to the disease!

As most of you know, I am the author of over a dozen books on big game fishing, including the only one ever written (at least that I am aware of) exclusively on wahoo fishing - The Wahoo Troller's Bible. As several here have noted, this hook thing is an important topic and it's one that I am...

Vince, WOW! Great day...er, days! Thanks for the neat report and the picts. Go get more!

The guys who are saying that the "no onboard filleting" thing has been the law for many years now are right. Getting fish processed in the harbor can be expensive and like some said, some of the fish can "walk" on you. And if you watch the work being done, hygiene might become an issue for...

Phupei, Nice going on the halibuts! Six fish, two keepers, you had a busy day, my friend...thanks for the report.

Mike, One more on the list of those who say, "Waytago, monster flatty! And kudos for passing on how you caught it and what on. One more for the sand draggers. A grand fish!

Cold Waters, Keta is right. I don't check the PM's as often as I should and emails do work better. I have gotten yours. Let me try to answer your questions and some others here, rather than trying to get back to each one of you. First, as far as all-Sluggo spreaderbars are concerned, we...

Eric, I gotta say it. After literally years of reading your reports, I want to compliment you on telling it like it is...when the fishing is lousy, you say so and even offer reasons for it (moon, etc.)...and when it is good you do likewise. Good on ya and keep it up!!

Pat, Sorry you lost that first one. I found that the first bite when coming on structure that had ono on it was the biggest one of the bunch. And it stayed that way, no matter how many passes we made on the hot spot or how many others we caught there. One of my crew was convinced, and...

Al & crew...WOW! Great day! Very well done, indeed.

Wow! Great looking stuff, Billy!

I have stayed out of this thread for a long time because I'm probably going to piss some people off, although I'll try not to and don't mean to. There is a huge difference between catching daytime swordfish and catching swordfish, especially a lot of them. And the following applies to...

Mpootchi, That guy makes some awesome looking stuff! Looks like big largemouth candy to me. John, Thoose are dem forny, norny, northy pikee.

Nice going, Steve. Only now you've gone and done it...Stage Two of Purple Fever is upon you. It's worse than Stage One... Mercy!

John, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Yes, we cure the squid strips in a Kosher or Rock salt brine for an hour or two, which toughens them up even more, plus we add a good shot of baking soda, which helps preserve the color and kills bacteria, then we dry, vac seal, and freeze...

G-Man, Ah Biwaco! Is that bridge I see in the picts the one at the end of the lake by the famous monastery on the mountaintop? It was the only bridge that I saw when we used to fish the lake. We didn't launch out of a marina per se, but as I recall, there was one on the other end of the...

John, Randy Cane caught that fish. I'm pretty sure that's part of a large lure skirt used to slide over a bait. Here's a shot of the fish right after it was darted. You can see another bit of the skirt and the bait where it has slid up the leader. The second picture is how we fish squid...

Thanks for jumping in while I was busy, BarHeads. Gil, Email me (em is on website) and I'll send you "da book". It will be on me. Lottsa, lottsa detail, pattern illustrations, rigging and running details, the whole tamale. Do the bar thing right and I promise, you'll become a BarHead...

Really good, detailed report, Howie. Thank you. It goes to show that there's more than one way to "skin a halibut", something for everyone to think about. If you carefully read the posts made here you will see that there are some real halibut sharpies drifting Carolina rigs, trolling plugs...

Lot's of very good stuff here. It's and important issue. Thanks for starting this thread, Andrew. When it comes to marlin and sharks, the ARC DE-HOOKER that Guy Harvey, among others, is behind is a great tool. Sharks are sharks, of course, and safety is paramount. The stick is great for...

Well done. And eloquently spoken. Thank You

Truly awesome stuff! Thank You.

I have a lot of respect for both fish. Caught in their elements with appropriate gear, both usually offer up their own kind of great fights, good memories and good eats. That's MO. Both are great fish in their own right.

Jeff, Great stuff! There are those who will say that you won't find bigeye in tropical venues, but of course as you know, there sure are some in Hawaii. The first time I fished Kona, more years ago than I like to admit, I was surprised when the boat put the lures out right after we...

I second Jaeger's welcome to Bloody Decks. Nice blue and pretty collection of fish. The shortbill? YUM, one of my favorites. Catch 'em up!

Oh no! I am so very sorry. Which one? Oh, man, AJ, my heart is bleeding for the two of you and the girl that is left. I have the Christmas picture of them hanging on my wall. They bring us such joy and goodness, but they don't stay with us long enough, except in our hearts. Written...

The first two pictures are from nearly two weeks ago this year on Lake Lopez. John Minec and Chris Jones were the anglers. The second two shots were taken a year ago. I didn't think it was necessary to point that out, since they had virtually the same experience with the smallmouths on the...

Ed, Dayem! That's a real old fashioned wall calico! A very nice fish. Nice going. Did you get a weight? I get a kick out of these wall stories. I always flash back to the very early days on the wall when I was a member of the original Southern California Bassmasters. This was back in...

Right on, Troop, right on!

Wow, Jase, looks to me like it was a great trip with tons of action and lots of nice tunas! And that Gallo? Jesus, I have seen many, many of them and I can certainly confirm that that one is a true monster. Special kudos for releasing him. In Cabo, at least, the only ones that I know of...

What awesome stuff! I used to love to fish for summer fish with flies. Looks like some of those beautiful fish might have scarfed down a fly or two. Regardless, great shots of great looking fish and a mighty nice river. Kudos on the releases, too. And that hawk on the rod shot? Flat out...

Mingo, Thank you for the response. I have been fishing with circle hooks in all of my lures for well over fifteen years now. And they work...great! And believe me, I wouldn't have used them on a busy, high dig charterboat in an intensely competitive venue like Cabo if I wasn't convinced...

Make no mistake about it, I respect Mike as a fisherman and a person and I do not hesitate to recommend him to folks going to Cabo, but I completely agree with El Capo..., don't put the fish on the gunnel or in the boat for the obligatory "ego shot"! Way too much damage is done to those fish...

Dave is one very talented local and island captain - one of the best, IMO. I'm sure that salmon gave him a message about off the bell buoy at Dana Pt. and Newport Canyon. If what has happened in the past happens again this year, I promise you, he'll be stacking some salmon up and it won't be...