InTheBite

  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Featured Stories
    • General News
    • Captain of the Year
    • Tournament Results
    • First Builds
    • Splash Reports
    • Old Salts Rule
    • Tackle Tips
    • Dock Talk
    • Crew Records
    • Conservation
  • Tournaments
    • Calendar
    • Captain of the Year
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

The Big Tease

January 15, 2015 By InTheBite Editor

Mainimg_2_teasers-squidnation-copyMaximizing Your Teaser Performance
by Ric Burnley

As featured in Volume 13 Edition 5 July/August 2014

I was yanking on the flat line to clear some grass off a dink bait in the cockpit of Capt. Rom Whitaker’s North Carolina-based charterboat Release when something snatched the line right out of my hand. “I got a bite!” I yelled up to the bridge. Since we were dolphin fishing, I left the bait alone and hoped the fish would return.

“Blue marlin on the left teaser,” Whitaker yelled back down. I searched the water under the green squid chain for a dark, blue silhouette but before I could spot the blue one, a white marlin bill popped up behind the Seawitch in the middle of the spread. Whitaker dropped the bait back and next thing I saw, the fish had the purple and white hairball in its throat.

The captain handed the rod down to one of the anglers and the fish went crazy while the rest of the crew cleared the lines and prepared to give chase. Teaser fishing is one of the most exciting ways to catch these fish and effective techniques can give you the edge in a tournament.

The Devil in the Details


Even though most boats pull the same basic spread, small variations in rigging teasers can make a big difference, especially for white marlin. On Whitaker’s charter boat, he prefers a simple spread of skirted ballyhoo, seven-squid teaser chains and a two-tier dredge frame with 24 six-inch shads. “I play around with the colors,” he says, “If I’m fishing in blue water, I like blue and white or black and silver.” In green water he prefers brighter colors like chartreuse and pink. Same with his squid chains. On rough days, he uses an inline chain but when seas are calm he’ll change to a squid chain with the first two squids dangling on a dropper. “I run green on one side and red on the other more than anything,” Whitaker admits, but he likes to mix it up, too. “I probably have every color squid that Moldcraft makes,” he laughs, “and we’ll change them out until we find what the fish like.”

When Whitaker is tournament fishing, he pulls circle hook baits and natural dredges. He employs a 24-bait mullet dredge on one side of the boat and a 24-bait ballyhoo dredge on the other. Half of the dredge baits wear skirts, with dark colors in blue water and lighter skirts in green water. His teaser chain is punctuated with a large ballyhoo or Spanish mackerel behind an Ilander or Express skirt. “I want consistency,” he says, “so every bait is swimming in unison like a school of fish,” he says. That takes an eye for detail. “Each bait should be prepped and rigged like it was going out on a hook and the pins, wires, sinkers and leads should all be the same.” That doesn’t happen overnight. “It takes a lot of experimenting and seeing what they come to,” Whitaker says.

For Capt. Jimmy Bayne on the Sniper out of Virginia Beach, experimenting with dredges and baits has resulted in a reliable system with proven results. “I do pretty much…….(To continue reading this article click here) You can also subscribe to InTheBite The Magazine to enjoy more industry leading editorial.

Screen Shot 2015-01-29 at 12.32.43 PM


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Do you have any comments or questions for us? We’d love to hear from you.

    Filed Under: Featured Stories Tagged With: Fishing Teasers, Squid Teasers, Teaser Fishing

    Recent News

    yacht rescued by coast guard

    Coast Guard assists fishing vessel 80 miles off Key West

    MIAMI, US Coast Guard, District 7 — Coast Guard rescue crews assisted the 40-foot fishing vessel Santa Maria, Thursday, Jan. 14, after the crew launched two flares signaling their distress approximately 80 miles southwest of Key West.  A nearby go … [Read More...]

    operation sailfish winning teams

    Cabana, Canyon Lady, Showtime/Remix: Weekend Tournament Winners

    … [Read More...]

    showing sportfishing boats returning to Palm Beach Inlet

    Palm Beach Inlet Boat Gallery

      January 16, 2021—Check out the gallery of some of the finest sportfishing fishing teams returning to Palm Beach inlet. Most of the vessels are competing in the Operation Sailfish tournament. Scroll to the bottom for a new video showcasing the … [Read More...]

    captain in boat tower

    Life After Being the “Big Skipper”

    By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie What is life like after being the “Big Skipper?” What do captains do when they want to quit traveling and spending many months each year away from home? Well, I have observed that many captains who have been at the … [Read More...]

    jumping billfish

    Know the Limitations of your Boat and Crew

    By Peter B. Wright Most amateur anglers and crews would be much better off not using dredges or multiple teasers, even though many of the top professional teams pull them most of the time. Teams that consistently win tournaments almost always have … [Read More...]

    Leave a Reply

    Connect With InTheBite

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Sign Up for the InTheBite Newsletter


    Be the first to hear about the latest Sportfishing News, Products, and Services!

    Subscribe to InTheBite Magazine Today!

    InTheBite Magazine Current Cover

    Our latest issue is hitting the docks now! Be sure to subscribe to the hottest bluewater mag on the market. Purchase or Subscribe »

    Upcoming Tournaments

    Wed 20

    Islamorada Fishing Club’s Sailfish Tournament

    January 19 - January 21
    Wed 20

    Los Suenos Signature Billfish Series, Leg 1

    January 20 - January 23
    Wed 20

    58th Annual Buccaneer Cup

    January 20 - January 23
    Fri 22

    31st Annual Cheeca Lodge & Spa Presidential Sailfish Tournament

    January 22 - January 24
    Tue 26

    Reef Cup Invitational Sailfish Tournament

    January 26 - January 30

    View More…

    News

    • Coast Guard assists fishing vessel 80 miles off Key West

      Coast Guard assists fishing vessel 80 miles off Key West

      MIAMI, US Coast Guard, District 7 — Coast Guard rescue crews assisted the 40-foot fishing vessel Santa Maria, Thursday, Jan. 14, after the crew launched two flares signaling their distress approximately 80 miles southwest of Key West.  A nearby good Samaritan saw the flares and reported to Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders the Santa Maria crew's distress. The good Samaritan... [Read More...]

    • Cabana, Canyon Lady, Showtime/Remix: Weekend Tournament Winners

      Cabana, Canyon Lady, Showtime/Remix: Weekend Tournament Winners

      Annual Gold Cup Team Fishing Tournament First Place: Canyon Lady, Capt. Bill Davis Second Place: Ditch Digger, Capt. Jon Brooks Third Place: Miss Texas, Capt. Matt Bierley Operation Sailfish – 1st leg of “Quest for the Crest” Sailfish Series First Place: Showtime/Remix, Capt. Nick Carullo Second Place: TEAM HMY, Capt. Trey Claus Third Place: Goin' Raptor, Capt. Paul Sabayrac Pelagic... [Read More...]

    • Miss Texas Wins Silver Sailfish Derby, Waterman Wins Pelican Yacht Club Invitational

      Miss Texas Wins Silver Sailfish Derby, Waterman Wins Pelican Yacht Club Invitational

      Silver Sailfish Derby  First Place Most Releases Overall: Miss Texas Second Place: Priceless Third Place: Doing It All/Hardway Fourth Place: Gator One Top Individual Angler: Mike Simko with 9 releases Top Meat Fish: George Moss, Lunático, with a 32.8 lb kingfish Top Lady Angler: Carly Desmond, DaySea  Pelican Yacht Club Invitational First Place: Waterman, Capt. Kevin Paul Second Place: Dakeri,... [Read More...]

    • Canceled Plans, More Time Brought New Wave of Boaters, Anglers in 2020, Study Finds

      Canceled Plans, More Time Brought New Wave of Boaters, Anglers in 2020, Study Finds

      Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 16, 2020—With COVID-19 transforming Americans' recreational habits, a new study from the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) has found that millions of new or returning participants have taken up fishing & boating. Particular increases were seen among nontraditional participants, signaling the activities' increasing appeal among new audiences. Titled Who's On Board: Keeping New Anglers & Boaters Hooked,... [Read More...]

    • Captain Chris Sheeder Passes Away After Battle with Cancer

      Captain Chris Sheeder Passes Away After Battle with Cancer

      January 7, 2021—It's with a heavy heart that we announce well-known Hawaii Captain Chris Sheeder has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to a public Facebook post from his brother. Sheeder's love for the water began at the young age of 11 when he took his first offshore trip out of Kona. This eventually led him to... [Read More...]

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings

    Captain of the Year Cup Standings Logo

    View the current standings for InTheBite's Captain of the Year Cup... Leaderboard »

    Search InTheBite

    Copyright © 2021 InTheBite, LLC · All Rights Reserved.

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.