Pelagics will definitely bite directly below a sportboat. Been catching them like that on vertical jig since about 2015.
I may sometimes do an underhand lob downwind on a fast drift but I'm vertical while I'm working the jig.
I stopped casting years ago after I had my reel go into gear, mid cast with the jig about 15ft out. Jig shot back and I had to put up my hand to avoid a jig in the face. Catastrophe averted, until I turned my hand around and had my jig hanging from a 5/0 assist hook imbeded in my palm up to the bend ! Fun times sitting in the galley and pushing down on the hook while the captain yanked it out after a few attempts.
Wish I could say there was a definitive technique that worked everytime but I'm not that good. I've caught them from the bottom of the column to the top. Bit on the drop, mid retrieve, and on the pause. Some slow retrieve and some faster. For me it has always boiled down to plain old "fishing". Trying to figure out what they want. Taking all the input around you (captain, other anglers, visual conditions), making a best guess on presentation and changing it up until you figure out what works (or not).