Hoo's for sails

[qbloodz]

I don't hear much people using live ballyhoo for sails much. Why is that? I need to catch some sailfish this winter and i not going to spend stupid amount of money for gogs or runners. Will drifting live flatlined hoo's work for sails? Or maybe i should put a couple flatlined and a couple suspended? Also anyone know in if that big red bouy outside hillsboro inlet holds any pilchards,gogs or runners? Only bait i can steadly catch day in and day out is hoo's. help please

[NightStalker]

Hoos will certainly work, the just dont work well off a kite. Pilchards or any other small fish will work great as well.

[Mike]

i love to slow troll live ballyhoo off the outriggers for sailfish... They work real well and with a circle hook...

However if the bite is rather slow, i prefer to get those healthy baits like med. to large pilchards, gogs, runners, up on the kite...

[T-BoneFishing]

slow troll them,put a whole spread out, not too great to drift

[Disco Lady]

[UFCroft]

Bally's will definately work, even on the drift, flat lined out one side. Circle hooks, or J hooks, wire or mono. And for other bait, shake a chum bag at each of the markers coming out of the inlet, you'd be suprised at what pops up, and odds are that sailfish will eat it. They're still opportunistic eaters, despite the gog cliche.

[qbloodz]

Is it ok to tie off to one of those bouys or will i get in trouble? I never see anyone around there much. Thanks for the help

[DIRTYFOOT2]

Its a navigational aid, so no can tie off.

[The BEAST]

That is the primary method used by most of the boats from Triumph Reef south through the Keys. IT is the predominate forage down here. It doesn't seem to work as well from Fowey Rocks north, however,

I use live Ballyhoo almost exclusively. Slow trolling them from your riggers and flat lines works well and unlike drift fishing with a kite, it affords you opportunities to head off free jumpers or move in or out in depth as the bite dictates.

[Jesslyn]

Think threadfin

[qbloodz]

Originally Posted by The BEAST

I use live Ballyhoo almost exclusively. Slow trolling them from your riggers and flat lines works well and unlike drift fishing with a kite, it affords you opportunities to head off free jumpers or move in or out in depth as the bite dictates.

I asume you can catch alot of other species that way also? Im going out this friday hoping for a nice dolphin or sail. Im still trying to grasp the offshore game, but thanks to this site it should'nt take long . Also i bought 4 islander lures 2blue/white 1red/black and 1green/yellow. Should i rig these lures with no.7 single strain wire or 100-150# mono. I keep on hearing good things about these lures from my friend, so i figured i give them a shot. Thanks again, i'll post a report if i get anything

[The BEAST]

You aren't thinking of running the Ilander's in front of a live 'hoo, are you?
Live ballyhoo should be left au naturale. There is a way to rig these guys so they will slow troll for a considerable time. Rig a 50-80# leader with a 7/0 or 8/0 hook. Before tying the hook on, slide a 1- 1.5" piece of soda straw on the leader. Hook the ballyhoo down through the lower jaw at the beak where the black V is. Make sure you put the hook far forward in the V and use a forward/downward pull and you will feel it pop through the cartilage. If you don't feel the pop there is a great possibility that the throat latch will be injured and it will not last as long. WIth the hook in place, hold the hook shank down on the beak and slide the soda straw piece back over the hook shank and beak. This will secure the bait and reduce chances of it jumping off or being knocked off the hook when the big critters come around. It is obvious when you need to change them.... They helicopter. If you don't see white flashes.. they're still good.

I started using this soda straw deal about 15 years ago after a good think session in the "john". The above described method is what I use everyday down here where the ballyhoo are the main forage.

For Trolling Ilanders and dead 'hoo...

I rig my Ilander's with a pin rigged ballyhoo on 150# mono. Use a double hook rig if you are keeping one deeper for Wahoo.

[qbloodz]

Sorry for a late report, but we did well this weekend. I finnaly put my friend on his first sailfish and his first dolphin. Friday i went out solo and got 3 blackfins, 1 dolphin and a kingfish. Saturday We got 3 dolphin, 3 blackfins and one sailfish. Thanks to everyone for the tips, they helped out alot. Heres the pic of the sail! Any estimates on the weight. I thought around 60-65#s.

[Certifiable]

Nice sail ! I would guess 55-60 lbs is right in there, they are thin little things, and don't wiegh as much as you would think. That is a normal sized fish you are holding, and anything in the 80-90 lb range is considered exceptional for Atlantic Sailfish.

I don't want to come off sounding like a jerk, but you will probably get some heat fom the boys for pulling that sail out of the water for the photos. I can understand that this may be the first sail for your crew, and photos are a must. As you move forward with your sailfish catches, you will appreciate the fragile nature of this fish, and the need to keep them in the water during the release. Thier own body wieght, along with the longer length of this fish makes them very succeptable to injury during handling. If you are targetting sailfish, you may consider using 60-80# mono leaders with circle hooks, that way you can cut the leader close and not even touch the fish.

You will appreciate the need for the extreme conservation attitudes after you come across a dead Sailfish floundering in the water with the bill cut off for some a$$hole to put on the wall as a trophy. I saw exactly that 10 years ago, and it still makes me sick to think about it.

Sorry for the lecture, but I figured my version may be one of the softest ones you would get. I am sure that you are conservation minded since you are on this chat site, so I believe we are on the same page.

Congrats on the nice Sailfish, and we wish you many more releases in the future.