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
    • Champion’s Cup
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Subscriptions
    • Back Issues
    • Shirts
    • Hats & Visors
    • Miscellaneous
    • Release Rulers
  • Classifieds
  • Job Board
  • Contact
    • Contact InTheBite
    • InTheBite Media Kit
  • Log in

Know the Limitations of your Boat and Crew

January 14, 2021 By InTheBite Digital Editor

jumping billfish

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 expert professional captains and deck hands. These crews have skills and abilities that most amateurs will never develop. Amateur crews who pull multiple teasers and dredges may have forgotten one basic truth. Teasers and dredges do not catch fish – at best they can only help attract them. Baits and lures with hooks, however, can and do catch fish.

Fish Baits with Hooks in Them

The first thing deployed upon arriving to the fishing grounds should have a hook in it. So should the second and the third thing tossed over the transom. It is amazing how often the first bait or lure dropped into the water will get bit. Why does this happen? Boats themselves will and do attract fish!

Three’s a Party

Three lures or baits is the optimum number for beginning teams to pull, especially from a center console or express boat. This is due to the relatively small beam of these boats. If this is the case for your team, first deploy two, relatively short baits fished from outriggers. They should be the same distance behind the boat and close enough to be seen from the deck.

One longer bait can be added, pulled down the center of the boat’s wake. A decent rule of thumb is for the shotgun to be at least half or even twice or three times as far from the boat as the two closer baits. The shotgun bait will be hard to see but will get plenty of bites. Gamefish of all kind frequently pile on the shotgun. I prefer a soft lure, fished from a clip allowing a small automatic drop back, especially if the target is a billfish. I usually use a small length of nylon coated cable as part of my leader to guard against bite offs.

Adding a fourth bait does not get one-third more bites! This can however more than double potential problems including: tangling/breaking lines or having a fish disqualified by eating multiple baits. Even fishing just three rods, a triple header can require some advanced angling and boat handling skills.

Skill Levels

The complications from dredge fishing are not limited to amateur crews. I have frequently watched professional mates not get multiple hookups from fish that were eager to eat, because the only thing available to the fish was a dredge or teaser. By getting carried away attracting them, nothing had a hook in it when the second fish—or school of fish – showed up. I have seen this happen with highly regarded crews in some of the world’s best billfishing hotspots.

There also exist differences in skill levels, even between crews that may be highly regarded in their region. Fishing where there are high densities of fish — where almost anyone with modest skills can catch a lot of fish — is not the same as being highly skilled! Even in Australia and the U.S., there is a huge gap between the best and the “pretty good” crews!

How do crews from different regions develop unique skillsets? Florida and North Carolina charter captains are particularly well versed in the boat handling skills needed to catch multiples. “Bailing” dolphin or meat fishing for tuna or king mackerel on charters gives mates the knowledge needed to catch multiple billfish hookups in tournaments.

Simplicity in Action

A few years ago on a trip to Mag Bay, the bite was really hot. We could catch more light tackle striped marlin by only hooking two at a time than we could when hooking triples or quadruple headers! On this trip, if you could hit the water with a live bait, you had a bite. If we threw out four baited hooks, we hooked four striped marlin. The key to our success was simple geometry.

With a double, I could always help two anglers fight both of their fish by backing or running the boat forward toward the midpoint of an imaginary line between the two marlin. With three or more fish on, we always had a lot of line out on at least one fish. This scenario took quite a while to get them all close enough to tag or release. Catching a pair then hooking two more was our best choice! Two, two, two, two, was the quickest way for us to catch eight marlin!

Teasers and dredges are useful tools in some situations. Remember, however, you can catch fish without teasers and dredges, but without a hooked bait or lure you can’t catch anything. And besides with really big fish—I only want to hook one at a time anyhow!

Good fishing! – Peter B.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

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

    Filed Under: Advice, Careers, Featured Stories, Fishing Tagged With: bait fishing, Dredge Fishing, fishing advice, fishing teaser, peter b. wright

    Recent News

    The Evolution of the Captain of the Year—The Championship of Sportfishing

    The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup is the championship of sportfishing. The Cup is the world’s only quantifiable way to recognize the tournament success of professional sportfishermen. Comprised of 90-sanctioned events that span the world, there i … [Read More...]

    SiriusXM Marine’s Fish Mapping service

    Fish Mapping: Now Available on Simrad & Furuno

    SiriusXM Marine’s Fish Mapping service is now available on Simrad and Furuno displays!  Whether you’re competing in a tournament, out fishing for fun, or taking clients on a charter trip, Fish Mapping provides the information you need to help get you … [Read More...]

    lunatico effie may

    Champion’s Cup & COTY Updates

    Champion's Cup Update April 19, 2021 Team Lunatico's 63' Titan Effie Mae is moving up in the ranks for both the Champion's Cup and Captain of the Year with their first place win during this weekend's White Marlin Roundup. The win awarded them a full … [Read More...]

    New Texas State Record Bluefin Tuna Weighing 876 Pounds

    Friday, April 16, 2021, Thomas J. Hilton, www.HiltonsOffshore.com—A week ago last year in early April 2020, 4 Texas boats with Hilton's subscribers aboard each landed a bluefin tuna weighing between 599 pounds to 820 pounds (new Texas state record). T … [Read More...]

    furuno

    NavNet TZtouch from Furuno

    If you missed the Palm Beach International Boat Show or didn't make it by the Furuno tent then check out the video below to see what was on display and to learn a little more about the Furuno products. Braden Shoemaker, Furuno SE Regional Manager, … [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 21

    Hawk’s Nest White Marlin Shootout

    April 18 - April 21
    Wed 21

    Ed Dwyer’s Otherside Invitational

    April 21 - April 25
    Thu 22

    Cayman Islands International Fishing Tournament

    April 22 - April 25
    Wed 28

    The Shootout: Production vs. Custom

    April 28 - May 1
    Sat 01

    MONGO Offshore Challenge

    May 1 - September 30

    View More…

    InTheBite Champion’s Cup

    InTheBite Champions Cup Logo

    New for 2021, the Champion’s Cup is an optional paid entry with a winner-takes-all prize format for teams who want to up the stakes in each division utilizing our longstanding tournament scoring formula.

    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 »

    News

    • The Evolution of the Captain of the Year—The Championship of Sportfishing

      The Evolution of the Captain of the Year—The Championship of Sportfishing

      The InTheBite Captain of the Year Cup is the championship of sportfishing. The Cup is the world’s only quantifiable way to recognize the tournament success of professional sportfishermen. Comprised of 90-sanctioned events that span the world, there is nothing else like it. Winning an InTheBite Captain of the Year Award is a major achievement. From the winners to the Cup’s... [Read More...]

    • Fish Mapping: Now Available on Simrad & Furuno

      Fish Mapping: Now Available on Simrad & Furuno

      SiriusXM Marine’s Fish Mapping service is now available on Simrad and Furuno displays!  Whether you’re competing in a tournament, out fishing for fun, or taking clients on a charter trip, Fish Mapping provides the information you need to help get you to the spots where fish are most likely to be located, saving you time and fuel.  In addition to all... [Read More...]

    • Champion's Cup & COTY Updates

      Champion's Cup & COTY Updates

      Champion's Cup Update April 19, 2021 Team Lunatico's 63' Titan Effie Mae is moving up in the ranks for both the Champion's Cup and Captain of the Year with their first place win during this weekend's White Marlin Roundup. The win awarded them a full 500 points putting them neck and neck with Uno Mas within the Champion's Cup International Division... [Read More...]

    • New Texas State Record Bluefin Tuna Weighing 876 Pounds

      New Texas State Record Bluefin Tuna Weighing 876 Pounds

      Friday, April 16, 2021, Thomas J. Hilton, www.HiltonsOffshore.com—A week ago last year in early April 2020, 4 Texas boats with Hilton's subscribers aboard each landed a bluefin tuna weighing between 599 pounds to 820 pounds (new Texas state record). They were landed off of surface structures shown on www.HiltonsOffshore.com. Sea surface water temperature is critical this time of year, with fish... [Read More...]

    • NavNet TZtouch from Furuno

      NavNet TZtouch from Furuno

      If you missed the Palm Beach International Boat Show or didn't make it by the Furuno tent then check out the video below to see what was on display and to learn a little more about the Furuno products. Braden Shoemaker, Furuno SE Regional Manager, breaks down the different NavNet TZtouch systems and what they can offer on your next... [Read More...]

    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.