I was very fortunate to fish around quite a few older (wiser) fisherman that made me a believer in fishing natural (naked) baits with downsized hardware and leaders and/or very short wire leaders. Now with the presence of fluorocarbon, I think it definitely makes a difference over mono, especially with the tuna family. Larger bulky swivels have been upstaged by the smaller stronger swivels of today like the spro as one example. Hook size may be crucial as well. Maybe you don’t need an 8/0 or 9/0… maybe you can get away with 6/0 or 7/0 hooks that are plenty strong, but make for a cleaner tackle.
Sometimes large skirts on large baits baits are “just what the doctor ordered” for wahoo. These fish are just plain MEAN and aggressive, as they will crash everything they see sometimes. With that all being said, I have also see the days when the long rigger (naked) Chin Weight caught the biggest and most wahoo and tuna of the day for a couple of reasons (1) because it swam a ballyhoo PERFECTLY, and (2) because it was on a short piece of wire and/or floro, swimming naked and (natural). The standard “pin rig” ballyhoo starts the “wiggle” right behind where the hook comes out the stomach, compared to the Chin Weight that is connected to the nose of the ballyhoo. This ballyhoo starts “wiggling” right behind the head, and swims like a snake, which DEFINITELY gets the bite… if for no other reason, the TBM (Tail Beats per Minute). I know that 10 bajillion fish have been caught on the “pin rig”, however, maybe it’s time to step out of the box and try something new… something the fish have rarely or never seen.
There is one very basic thing that has to happen, in order for you to “get a bite”… You have to convince whatever you are fishing for, to put your bait in its mouth. PERIOD.
When your bait looks and smells right, swims right, without a lot of additional “bling” sometimes it works just the way you hoped for. Look at it like this, big fish didn’t get to be BIG FISH by eating the first big mop head that smelled like a rusty tackle box covering a ballyhoo that swam kind of OK. These are the ones you are fishing and want a picture/citation for, isn’t it??? For detailed videos of how to rig, and to watch these ballyhoo, squid and Spanish mackerel swim, go to the website.
I think that the fish we are catching now are wiser/more weary/more leader shy, everything than the fish we were catching twenty or thirty years ago, not to mention they are not as plentiful as years gone by. When there were literally thousands of fish in schools, there was a competition atmosphere in regards to their willingness to bite. Larger mono leaders/skirts/hooks etc. did not seem to matter, if they swam descent, (not a ballyhoo that we called a “spinner minner”)…it would get bit.
If you have a Christmas wish list, include a pack or two of Chin Weights and some floro, small swivels, and super sharp hooks and maybe some small “duster style skirts to scale it down a little and see for yourself
I will always remember (the late) Capt. Bruce Sessoms (Hot Dog) saying, “Have you ever seen a mackerel or squid wearing a skirt”? “No”, I said. He calmly replied, “nor has anything out there, fish ’em naked”
All the best fishing, and have a great holiday season!
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