SYDNEY OFFSHORE 25-2-2014

[Scent Blazer Lures]

about 20 dollies from 50 to 80cm and a black marlin hookup, only small around 150lb, it spat the hook on its first run, oh well these things happen

dollies were full of small leatherjackets, we cut up one of the leatherjackets and put it inside one of our lures, we couldn't keep the dollies off that lure, go figure huh, I suppose its pretty rare that someone would actually try using leatherjackets as bait, oh well you don't know if you don't try. The lure with leatherjacket inside even got hit a few times even when the boat was stopped, while pulling in other fish

tired a new underwater camera technique, might be getting rid of the troll pro, our new way of underwater filming seems to be better, needs some refining but so far so good, some still pics attached from the video, we'll post some videos on our youtube page if anyone is interested

also we have worked out from our new footage the best way to rig a trolling lure based on actual close-up underwater footage of the strikes, not theories from various fishermen and lure manufacturers, the good thing about video it doesn't lie or have theories . It is literally unbiased evidence of what is actually happening down there and can be studied to improve fishing techniques.

Peter
www.scentblazer.com

Edited February 28, 2014 by Scent Blazer Lures

[tasksta]

Wow those pics are just awesome! How wide were you and what temp if you dont mind?

[pjbink]

So what is your conclusion as to the best way to rig a trolling lure?

PS: I wouldn't have thought you would need a camera to do this just a measurable and comparable

sets of empirical data. Ie the number of strikes converted into fish landed for each rigging

configuration. It would be handy though to know the species (which is where the camera would

come in handy).

[Scent Blazer Lures]

not real wide, maybe 3 to 4 NM from Sydney Heads if that, on a east, north east heading, have a look at the 2nd photo of me holding the dollie, you can see Sydney and North Head in the background

water temp was about 23 half a mile out from the heads, we have been hooking dollies anywhere from about 1NM out of the heads

[tasksta]

Thanks. You have been pretty consistent with the dollies this season. I caught my first of many this year but all under so far.

Amazing looking fish, But yet to taste one!

[Scent Blazer Lures]

So what is your conclusion as to the best way to rig a trolling lure?

PS: I wouldn't have thought you would need a camera to do this just a measurable and comparable

sets of empirical data. Ie the number of strikes converted into fish landed for each rigging

configuration. It would be handy though to know the species (which is where the camera would

come in handy)

it depends on how the lure is run, i.e. on the surface or down rigged, I don't have enough video information on tuna yet, but our new method of filming will allow us get close up footage of tuna hitting the lures once we start targeting the tuna, but for Dolphin Fish and Marlin I would say the following would work best

On a down rigged lure for Marlin and Dolphin Fish

The hook should be in the middle of the lure, not at the back or outside the skirt, they swim alongside the lure and can see the lure clearly, no bubbles, they line it up then turn at the last millisecond and bite the middle of the lure, that's where the hook should be

A Surface Lure for Marlin and Dolphin Fish

The barb of the hook should be inside the skirt, the hook should be about 3 quarters down the length of lure, somewhere between the middle and back. On a surface lure the hook can sit a bit further back from the middle because the fish are generally attacking from underneath at an angle and not directly alongside it like down rigged lure.

The above only applies to single hooks. We mainly run single hooks because we don't want to damage the fish so we can release them. However if you really want to nail a fish, use 2 hooks, middle and back you can't miss.

Just a general rule, they attack the lure not the hook.

I've read a lot of forums about hook positions, I know Black Bart and a lot of other lure experts alike recommend running the entire hook outside the skirt, only the eye of hook is inside the skirt for tournament legal. I think it looks cool, but I don't think its the best position anymore.

We currently have enough data of the fish hitting the lures and missing the hook, however we are fortunate because most of time when a fish attacks our lures they have multiple attempts, so we end up hooking them anyway through the fish's persistence. What we looking to change and improve upon is the hook-up rate on the fish's first strike at the lure.

I also know for a fact from video evidence that it is very common that once the fish strikes the lure and misses it may not come back on it, so getting that fish hooked up on it's first attempt could be difference between catching it and catching nothing.

Anyway we will try a different hook position and see what happens, we won't know for certain unless we try it.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Scent Blazer Lures

[Scent Blazer Lures]

Thanks. You have been pretty consistent with the dollies this season. I caught my first of many this year but all under so far.

Amazing looking fish, But yet to taste one!

yeah we have, its been great

we've have been unlucky with the marlin this year, we had 4 hook-ups but haven't managed to land one yet. But we did manage to get that underwater footage of a marlin busting off one our lures, which was great

dolphin fish we have been smashing, no real big ones yet, one around 15lb and stacks over 60cm, and even more under 60cm, but we always get a few every time we go out

you'll get one soon

[pjbink]

Interesting, though I would have thought that the main problem with lure trolling

is the poor hook up rate will marlin (other species aren't such a problem).

Their tough bills don't allow for easy hook penetration.

I think the best approach is to file away most of the barb so you have less

surface area in the hook, and of course to file the point sharp. My approach

also involves using just a single hook and rigging it stiff in relation to

the leader.

[Scent Blazer Lures]

I hear you Billfisher, that's exactly what we do, we have a rigging sleeve which keeps hook straight and rigid, we have hook lock to position the hook upwards and we make sure the hook is really sharp and on our bigger lures we file the hooks down. And I agree driving a hook in a marlin's bill or mouth is hit and miss

but that's not the point I am trying make here, I am talking about the position of the hook in relation to lure itself, I have shots of marlin and dolphin fish with the lure in its mouth but you can see the hook is outside its mouth, so it doesn't matter how sharp your hooks are or how well your rig is setup that hook can't set because its literally not in its mouth, the lure is in its mouth but the hook isn't

see the photos attached as an example, if I pulled on that lure, all I would be doing is pulling lure out of its mouth. You can see the hook is not in its mouth, it probably won't hook up unless we jagged it

what we are trying to figure out by looking at our underwater footage is should we put the hook in the middle of the lure or the back?

Edited February 28, 2014 by Scent Blazer Lures

[paulk001]

Thanks for the report and great pics!

It's good to know there's something out there thinning the leather jacket population

[Berleyguts]

Interesting photos. Thanks for sharing. I had a hit from a black in JB years ago while trolling a Konahead. It jumped a couple of times then threw the lure. My first and only marlin encounter, so far. I was shaking for half an hour afterwards! The sight is still vivid in my mind. I swear it had the lure sideways in its mouth, like the dolly in your pics. I still have those Konaheads from the 80s, rigged with the hook hanging out of the skirt a bit. Might be time to re-rig them.

Baz

[Scent Blazer Lures]

Thanks for the report and great pics!

It's good to know there's something out there thinning the leather jacket population

yeah good point, I think it should be a rule if you catch a leatherjacket you have take it home and eat it, feed to the cat, use it as bait or burley, use it as fertiliser, but you not allowed realise it, fisheries should issue a $500 fine if you are caught releasing one

[Scent Blazer Lures]

Interesting photos. Thanks for sharing. I had a hit from a black in JB years ago while trolling a Konahead. It jumped a couple of times then threw the lure. My first and only marlin encounter, so far. I was shaking for half an hour afterwards! The sight is still vivid in my mind. I swear it had the lure sideways in its mouth, like the dolly in your pics. I still have those Konaheads from the 80s, rigged with the hook hanging out of the skirt a bit. Might be time to re-rig them.

Baz

for sure, I reckon it happens more often than anyone thinks, I also have underwater photos of marlin with the lure in its mouth and hook is just swinging free, it has the lure but not the hook

also if a marlin or another fish has the lure in its mouth but not the hook, the rod will still buckle over and the ratchet will go screaming off as if the fish was hooked.

What we do when a marlin is hooked we yell out "Marlin on" and whoever is driving at the time will thrust the boat up a few knots in speed for about 10-15 seconds to drive the hook in, but if the marlin has the lure and not the hook all we are really doing is pulling the lure out of the marlin's mouth by speeding up

Baz you should resurrect your lure and get out there, I like all types of fishing but nothing get your heart pumping and puts a smile on your face like catching a marlin

Edited February 28, 2014 by Scent Blazer Lures

[Berleyguts]

...

Baz you should resurrect your lure and get out there, I like all types of fishing but nothing get your heart pumping and puts a smile on your face like catching a marlin.

I intend to! I'm just tweaking my new boat - when fishing solo, your system needs to be spot on, especially chasing gamefish offshore!

Baz

[brickman]

mmmm very interesting with the hook possy thanks for sharing cheers gary

[kymbo56]

Great read and good food for thought.

Love the colour on the Dolly in the 2nd pic, absolutely beautiful!

Kymbo

[Guest no one]

Good catch - at what speed are you trollling at?

Edited March 1, 2014 by tef1on

[Scent Blazer Lures]

somewhere between 6 and 8 knots, if its rough and choppy around 6, when its smooth around 8

[tasksta]

Hey mate

Had to get back and let you know this report inspired me to chase dollies again today. I decodes to leave the longy carpark and picked up two legals between whale and the fad. Been getting rats all season and chuffed with my first legals! They were free jumping everywhere but had to leave as the wind picked up. My mate reckons they jump like that when marlin are chasing them?!

Had four lures out and they hit the same one everytime. Great fun on 10lb gear.

Cheers

Paul

[Scent Blazer Lures]

Hey mate

Had to get back and let you know this report inspired me to chase dollies again today. I decodes to leave the longy carpark and picked up two legals between whale and the fad. Been getting rats all season and chuffed with my first legals! They were free jumping everywhere but had to leave as the wind picked up. My mate reckons they jump like that when marlin are chasing them?!

Had four lures out and they hit the same one everytime. Great fun on 10lb gear.

Cheers

Paul

good stuff, there are few marlin out there so that could be making them jump, we hooked one last week and yesterday we saw a boat on with marlin on just east the whale, we didn't pick up any ourselves which is bummer, there is a million leatherjackets out there and we got 6 dollies yesterday a couple went about 5lb, not too bad

[tasksta]

Damn that LJ shot is awesome! The dollies spat up a few of the smaller ones.

Are they normally in this close?

[Scent Blazer Lures]

yeah thanks, we have some video as well

[Scent Blazer Lures]

Damn that LJ shot is awesome! The dollies spat up a few of the smaller ones.

Are they normally in this close?

just depends if the water is warm and clean, they can literally be half a mile offshore