On the Troll Friday night.

[Nick C]

Yo Emijess, get some of these transformer thingums and lets give it a shot one night.

[SteveMras]

Originally Posted by JahMussa

Hi Steve,

Let me know what colors and qty you need and we can ship them out to you. We are expecting a funky fresh new batch this week.

-Tek
Reel Pro Shop

I sent you a pm with info. Please advise on payment.

Steve

[Nightfighter]

Originally Posted by SteveMras

Stewart, this sure beats what I was doing which was to drill holes in the back of Superchugger heads and insert the lights.

Our issue out here in SoCal is sharks. I'm slow trolling mainly off the downrigger, but I have run the super chuggers with squid strips off the outriggers on the surface at the same time (Kenya method, where it was developed). These surface lures get slammed by makos, which we don't want. I also had a rig on the dowrigger at the same time which limited my speed. I know from tagging studies that the swords are in the top 25 meters of the water column about 100% of the time at night off SoCal. The makos are in the top 12 meters about 85% of the time. I've been able to eliminate nearly all mako bites by keep the rigs down about 60' on the downrigger. However, you don't cover much ground at 3 knots when using the downrigger. Off SoCal we don't have the concentration of swords and no current, so we need to be moving. Although we get bit by makos while trolling marlin during the day at 7 knots, it is much reduced from what you'd experience while trolling 3 knots on the surface at night (total swarm effect there). So I'm thinking that a surface trolling spread at night could be effective off SoCal. Guess I need to get a grip of your transformers.

Steve,
Don't kill your Lure heads by drilling them, use them as they are, I've ruined a few nice ones doing that, and it's hard to get the right size hole without the lightsticks falling out or getting stuck in them. I'm sure you know what I mean. The Transformers put out a better light, defused and dimmer, more realistic to what they are eating. We don't have the shark problem over here, but picking up the speed has helped with the sharks in the Bahamas. Guess we are lucky. I have yet to get cut off by a Mako, but it’s just a matter of time from what I hear. I like to troll at about 8 knts. When I can. Try that, and let me know what happens.
How fast can you troll with the downriggers at 60' depth?
Also try trolling lures with the Transformers, but without the squid strips. Cut the sent out of the equation.
IMO the squid strip gets cut off when slashed, and the swordfish falls back and eats the cut-off squid strip. She is happy and doesn’t follow for another strike at your lure, or by the time it has eaten the squid strip you lures are gone.
One of the guys that trolls here, was putting whole squid on the hook in/behind his trolled lures. The total length of the lure and squid was at least 18 –24 inches.
He was getting a lot of hits but complaining of few hook-up, I know that he was just feeding the swordys good bait.
I met a Capt. while I was in Kenya back in 2001 and we talked trolling for swords. I mixed in what he was doing and I was doing at the time, and evolved from that in the years since, to what I do now.
I don’t know your waters, so these are just suggestions. Let me know how they work for you. Please post pictures when you get them. Tek will have some more as soon as I can get them over to him. Hopefully tonight.

[SteveMras]

Originally Posted by Nightfighter

Steve,
Don't kill your Lure heads by drilling them, use them as they are, I've ruined a few nice ones doing that, and it's hard to get the right size hole without the lightsticks falling out or getting stuck in them. I'm sure you know what I mean. The Transformers put out a better light, defused and dimmer, more realistic to what they are eating. We don't have the shark problem over here, but picking up the speed has helped with the sharks in the Bahamas. Guess we are lucky. I have yet to get cut off by a Mako, but it’s just a matter of time from what I hear. I like to troll at about 8 knts. When I can. Try that, and let me know what happens.
How fast can you troll with the downriggers at 60' depth?
Also try trolling lures with the Transformers, but without the squid strips. Cut the sent out of the equation.
IMO the squid strip gets cut off when slashed, and the swordfish falls back and eats the cut-off squid strip. She is happy and doesn’t follow for another strike at your lure, or by the time it has eaten the squid strip you lures are gone.
One of the guys that trolls here, was putting whole squid on the hook in/behind his trolled lures. The total length of the lure and squid was at least 18 –24 inches.
He was getting a lot of hits but complaining of few hook-up, I know that he was just feeding the swordys good bait.
I met a Capt. while I was in Kenya back in 2001 and we talked trolling for swords. I mixed in what he was doing and I was doing at the time, and evolved from that in the years since, to what I do now.
I don’t know your waters, so these are just suggestions. Let me know how they work for you. Please post pictures when you get them. Tek will have some more as soon as I can get them over to him. Hopefully tonight.

I was just drilling the Moldcraft Chuggers, which are pretty darn cheap. So no big loss.

I could probably troll up to 5 to 6 knots with the downrigger using a z-wing. I'd use a #64 rubberband in lieu of a clip. Wrap it 5x around the line, then tie both ends to a 5' piece of black 130# dacron tied to the wing. That out to hold it in there. However, I'd probably do one or the other as both would be a cluster F$#@.

Yeah at 7 to 8 knots (it would be 7 on my boat) I'd lose the squid strips as at that speed, it's a reaction bite. Curious, are you fishing with a light drag--just enough to stop line from going out-- then pushing up the drag after the reel is screaming?

When I'm trolling off the downrigger, I'm using rigged Humboldt squid about 24" in length. They're trimmed and slid up a 17" shell squid which theorectically keeps it together if it's bill whacked. The baits will troll all night. I pre rig these during the day as you'd never want to rig these at night on a pitching boat. Keep them frozen in gallon zip locks. They keep for year s and if the tentacles dry out, they reconstitute once in the water.

[Nightfighter]

Originally Posted by SteveMras

Yeah at 7 to 8 knots (it would be 7 on my boat) I'd lose the squid strips as at that speed, it's a reaction bite. Curious, are you fishing with a light drag--just enough to stop line from going out-- then pushing up the drag after the reel is screaming?

Sounds like you are using more of the the slow troll method. Very effective with dead baits. Dang, those are some big azz squid!
The ones we get are about 1/2 that size.

What size squid are you finding in the swordfish stomachs when you gut them?
Do they show slash marks on them?

Slow troll I use light drag and turn it up after the bite.
Fast troll I put the drag at strike and drop back for the bite if it's only a swat.

I dropped some more Transformers off to Tek at Reel Pro Shop last night.
(561) 654-7873
info@reelproshop.com

He has the last of the ones I will be able to deliver until after the holidays. Mid Jan. will be the soonest I will be able to get more out.
Stu's going on vacation baby.

Happy Holidays everyone.

[Unreel]

hey im from the cayman islands just wondering if there was any way i could get them i would pay a lot for shipping so that is not the problem we have swordfish here but we don't have them concentrated there as been a good amount caught but there all in different locations so its hard we have not caught any yet but we have only done it 4 times so if u can let me know any way i could buy them that would be greatly appreciated

[JahMussa]

Here's the link to the Transformers.

Swordfishing - Transformer Lures

Going to the Cayman's... shipping will be a bit more than what's listed on the website. Just go ahead and place the order online and I'll follow up with an email to notify you of the additional shipping charges (if needed).

Thanks,
-Tek
Reel Pro Shop