Where To Start Looking For Mahi - Ponce Inlet

Went and looked at some bait from the local bait shops today, and the bait Baitmasters Ballyhoo looked nice enough to buy some. They look to be between 9 and 10 inch, and they look very fresh and sealed well.


Ballyhoo / Un-Rigged
Mediums 12 Pack cost be $12.99 each pack for the Medeum 9" - 10" size packs.

so I picked up a few. (Se Ruler for size measurements)







Obtaining fresh ballyhoo is impossible in many areas where they are still a popular and effective bait. So, if you're purchasing frozen bait like most anglers, make sure the bags they are packaged in are clean and have no ice or blood inside them. The fish's eyes should look clear and their bellies should be pearly white. Be sure they don't have broken beaks or missing fins or scales.

When starting with frozen ballyhoo, there are a few things to do before the rigging process even begins.



First, thaw the bait in a brine solution of water, kosher salt and baking soda . The baking soda helps the baitfish retain its vibrant silver and white colors and kills any bacteria that can lead to deterioration. The kosher salt toughens the skin, which keeps the bait together longer on the line. Now remove the eyes by pushing a dowel or a small deboner through the eye sockets.

The next step is the most important. Flip the ballyhoo over in your hand and begin pinching the top of the ballyhoo with your thumb and forefinger starting from just behind the head and working back to the tail. As you pinch, feel the meat loosen from the backbone. When done correctly, the ballyhoo will become even more flexible once it's rigged and it will swim beautifully.



Last step is to remove the stomach contents and air bladder by making a half inch incision at the anal vent and milking the belly contents out the opening. This is done by holding the fish upside down in one hand and placing your other thumb just behind the head and running it down the belly using a moderate amount of pressure. Be sure to empty the belly contents completely. Then rinse the baits in your brine and they are ready to rig.

 

I can see that it would take someone several trips out and watching several videos along with rigging parties to be useful on a dolphin boat. It's not something your gonna pick up just watching a video or going out one time.

 

buy the stuff, and practice, practice, practice.... do all your rigging while at home.... hard to do when your trolling...

Some say it's easy, some say it's not, I say anyone can do it with a little practice... So practice is the key!

After all that's why I'm sharing with you my experience, just print out a list and use it as reference.

 

BALLYHOO STORAGE

OK so now you have your Ballyhoo and learned the benefit of brining them, Now it's time to properly store them on your vessel...

you can go buy some bait trays or make you own.

wither way, it is a good idea to use a stackable Aluminum Tray over the ice in a cooler, and the tray must have holes throughout the bottom to allow the water to drip out of the tray and not rune/spoil the Ballyhoo...

most of the store bought ones will cost you big bucks;

like these
Engel USA ENG80 Stackable Bait Trays for Coolers only $130.00 each
https://amzn.to/2GsKFBc

K2 Coolers Shallow Tray for the Summit 70, Aluminum only $79.00 each
https://amzn.to/2wMb25D

Aluminum Half Size Deep Foil Pan 30 packs only $20.00
https://amzn.to/2Ir9HT6

BEST for the BUCK...
I tend to like a good Aluminum baking pan that is perforated (has holes in the bottom) so i have the below that fits nicely in half of my cooler. while the drinks fit nicely into the other half of the cooler.
Commercial 18-Gauge Aluminum Sheet Pan, Perforated, 13 x 18 x 1 inch (Half Size) only $12.00 each.

I use two of these trays:
Each tray holds more then 18 ballyhoo (side by side)
https://amzn.to/2rQ2cOs

 

STORING YOU LEADER DOLPHIN RIGS:

Everyone who has trolled before knows that it is a pain in the ass to loop up your leader line and rigs without getting them all tangled up.

We I have two solutions for this;

1) I use these badge holders to hold the leader rigs that I am using and swapping out while trolling, I attach in to the bottom of my rocket launchers and all the rigs and in plan site and attach with or without a baggie.
2) I also have a bar with these attached on my cabin for inside the cabin storage.

I will take some pics of the bar that I use when I get a chance, here I just attached some to a hanger for rigging in the house.

I get the heavy duty storage baggies on Amazon.
Note: I hang the rigs out of the baggies to dry, then place into the baggies.

Metal Badge Clips
Available on Amazon
https://amzn.to/2wKZ8ZC




Clear, Heavy Duty Plastic Bag, 8 mil, Perfect for leader rigs
Bauxko 6" x 9" Reclosable Poly Bags, 8 Mil, 50-Pack
https://amzn.to/2wRBElS


I also use the below door organizer to hold my six Tournament Cable Gooney Birds neatly out of the way, this helps when bringing in the birds.
If you lay Gooney Birds or any other bids on your deck, all the cabling and leader with get all tangled up.









Door Organizer
Available on Amazon
https://amzn.to/2KunmcO


I also use this door organizer on my bathroom door in the cabin to hold my rigs neatly in place.

Over The Door Shoe Organizer 12 Large Mesh Pockets Hanging Narrow Closet Door,
Available on Amazon
https://amzn.to/2Iqc1Kc


I also keep all my Dolphin trolling rigs in some Browning Binders.



http://www.shrimpnfishflorida.com/f...o-lures-and-rigging-tackle-on-your-boat.7765/

Not sure that they make these any more;
but I found these on Amazon that look similar;
https://amzn.to/2k5fW4q

 

OK,

So now you learned how to find Mahi Mahi, Sailfish, Wahoo, and Marlin etc...

Some say just turn the key and look for stuff and drag open water!

I say, pay attention to the water temp, look for a LIVE weed-line (holding bait-fish) make your own rigs as stated in the thread and Videos, prep and brine your Ballyhoo, mullet or other bait, make sure you store them flat on an Aluminum pan with holes in the bottom and keep over ice in a good cooler. Have all your rigs and skirts handy in plan site, rig your lines and set out your poles as stated in this thread by flat-lining them, navigate at the right speed and in the right water temperature, by a weed-line and rip.

Troll at 6 to 8 knots

SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE
SPECIES LOW HIGH OPTIMAL
Dolphin Fish 70-82 / 75-78
Sailfish 70-82 / 75-78
Wahoo 70- 86 / 72-77
Blue Marlin 70-88 / 75-78
Blackfin Tuna 70-82 / 74-76

Look for Warm Eddies and Rips where the weed-line curve, it should be calm on one side of the weedline and ripply on the other... if you find this, you will find the Dolphin (if the weed-line if live)

Sea Surface Temperature

• https://marine.rutgers.edu/cool/sat_data/?product=sst&region=floridacoast&nothumbs=0
• https://www.weather.gov/mlb/adas_realtime

Rips - Finding Sea Surface "Structures"
Rips are visible disturbances on the water's surface that appear as long, narrow bands of calm water bracketed on either side by rough water.
Rips form at or near temperature boundaries. These boundaries are called soft edges when the change across them is only 1/2°F to 1°F, and hard edges when the change is 2°F to 4°F or more.
The rough water at hard edge rips is more pronounced than that at soft edges.



This is a lot to remember, so make a list, print it our and keep on your boat.

Good luck now go get'em

 

LIVE WEEDLINE

STOP AND LOOK - before you start trolling, if you do not see any bait, it is a dead weedline, if you see LOTS of good bait fish, the weedline is alive and there is a very good chance that the Dolphin are there to have Breakfest.

 

Thanks it would be nice to hear some other tips from some other Dolphin Anglers?

 

OK So do Gooney birds or teasers really work?
Here is my trailer Gooney Bird with Teeth marks on it. The teeth marks are on both sides of it.

I wounder if I should put a hook on it?

 

Yup if you are going to stop to reel in your Dolphin, it is always a good idea to chunk some bait over with another rod in the water... The problem I have is that I do not stop the boat, because I have 7-9 lines in the water plus teasers and Ggooney birds, and if the boat spins all the lines get and teasers tangled up... So I gaff them up as we are moving...

However with that said, when It's time to take a break from trolling I put my bow over the weed-line and chunk bait and lines in the water off of the stern...

Remember this, if you are on a live weed-line, you can drift with the weed-line and still catch Dolphin swimming under the weed-line.

 

I've seen these before, I would definitely use a stinger, (like with a Kingfish rig), because a lot of Dolphin strikes are in the mid range of the Ballyhoo... Place the stinger by the Ballyhoos Anal. I would run a flex wire through the anal and out the gills. the wire will be hidden and no washout slit.

All my flex wire rigs go in the Anal and out the gills, with a Owner 9/0 out the Anal.

 

It's always better to do all your rigging at home then on the water.

So i decided to stay in and make some Trolling rigs today.

I first made a leader template.
Wire leader size marked L
With hook and swivel marked H

All these rigs only cost a few bucks compared to the tournament tackle store.
tournament tackle sells them for $17.95 for a 3 pack.
I did ten for a lot less then that.

• owner 9/0 ballyhoo hooks
• sleeves
• swivels
• rigging wire
• rigging cable

cut all leaders the same size at the Bead Chain Rigs
Notice that I needed to double sleeve the cable, because if you do not, the ends will fray and stick your fingers good.



added the Ballyhoo copper rigging wire to the top swivels.

All my copper rigging wire was rigged using the DU-BRO Fishing E/Z Twist tool

Available at Amazon
https://amzn.to/2IOR9j8



Same with the Bead Chain Rigs



Stored in my rig tray.



Now just add the Ballyhoo and 6 FT of 150 LB Mono leader line with Ball bearing swivels, which stays connected to you poles... just change out the rigs when needed.

 

Ballyhoo rigging for Dolphin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Marlin…



Best Rigging Method: There are as many ways to rig ballyhoo as there are species of game fish that eat them. Popular methods include the use of a single J-hook exiting the baitfish’s belly or anal cavity The use of Mono, Copper Wire, and Cabling..

This is the preferred rigging method when trolling a ballyhoo/lure combo.

Ballyhoo Sustainability
frozen ballyhoo intended for trolling purposes should be kept in an Aluminum Tray and over ice and allowed to thaw naturally and should be brined overnight in a mixture of Brine Mix prior to usage.

It is best to remove all the internal organs to help prevent the Ballyhoo from decaying rapidity before brining them overnight.

Afterwards, washed out baits should not be refrozen and reused as trolling baits. At this stage, the mushy offerings are best suited for cutting into chunks and used for holding dolphin around you boat while you have a Dolphin on one of you lines next to the boat. By keeping a Dolphin in the water, and chunking Ballyhoo other Dolpnin will come in to feed on the chunks, while you throw other lines with chunk bait in to catch the schooled Dolphin.

Fishability
Ballyhoo are by far the most popular rigged trolling bait when targeting billfish, tuna, dolphin and Wahoo. They can be trolled naked, in conjunction with skirted trolling lures, and also incorporated into natural dredge teasers.

Availability
Frozen ballyhoo can be purchased at nearly every coastal bait shop unrigged by the dozen, or pre-rigged in packs of three with single hook mono or double hook wire rigs. Frozen ballyhoo can also be shipped worldwide by specialty retailers such as Bionic Bait, Baitmasters of South Florida and Just Rite Bait Co.Soft Plastic Ballyhoo

I tend to like the unrigged Ballyhoo and rigging my own.


Now where to find Dolphin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Marlin?




My favored way to find Dolphin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Marlin, is to use the below:

Google Maps
Go to Google Maps and look for bottom drops and structure than right click and select "Whats Here?" and you will see the below popup which will show you the numbers.



Google Earth
In Google Earth try the below:

• Zoom into the area you want coordinates for,
• Click the Add Placemark Tool (thumbtack icon on top),
• Move thumbtack (hold left mouse button down and drag) to place you want coordinates for,
• Copy lat/long values from New Placemark window.

Or try this:

Google Earth which now has a neat feature.
First you will need to Open Google Earth.
If you look at Google Earth and really start to zoom in on our area you will see two lines start to appear along the coast from 180’ to 300’. All the area inside these lines is hi-definition bottom. You’ll be able to see all the rocks and ledges in this area.

When you first open Google Earth you need to make a couple changes to the settings.
First, go to view and turn on the status bar and on the bottom right you’ll now see the GPS number and water depth for where you cursor is pointing.




Find coordinates for a location

1. Open Google Earth.
2. As you move your mouse over different locations, coordinates will be displayed in the lower right corner.

If your mouse is not in the map, the location coordinates for the center of the map display.

Choose how coordinates display
Change the way coordinates display based on your personal preferences or needs. You can choose any of these formats:

• Decimal Degrees: such as 37.7°, -122.2°
• Degrees, Minutes, Seconds: such as 37°25'19.07"N, 122°05'06.24"W
• Degrees, Decimal Minutes: such as 32° 18.385' N 122° 36.875' W
• Universal Transverse Mercator: such as 10 S 055974, 4282182

1. Open Google Earth.
2. At the top, click Tools Options.
3. Click 3D View. Then, under "Show Lat/Long," choose a display format.
4. Click OK. Coordinates will be displayed in the lower right corner.

Now you’re ready to start looking for spots! You’ll have a hand for a cursor at this point and it is a little hard to hover over the exact number you want but zoom up the ruler to give you a bull’s eye cursor that is very accurate. I’ve checked known numbers for rocks and they are within 20ft.

You can even use Google Earth to organize all your places. Much of your fishing will be done outside of the hi-definition bottom area; the breaks and ledges outside of this area are so big they show up fine in regular definition.

FIND WHERE YOU'VE BEEN FISHING
Now if you have been out fishing and marked some spots, and you want to know where you were on the map, simply type in the number in the search bar as show below.



DISTANCE
OK so you want to know the distance from point A to Point B
Just open Tools and select Ruler, than mark spot A and B and google earth will draw a line and give you the distance.



I use Google Earth to map out areas to troll. Under the Ruler option you can map a path. In this case (see picture)

Where to start looking for Dolphin?
beside weed lines, temp breaks try trolling over the bottom drops and peeks



Each time you click a spot write down the GPS number on the bottom right of the screen. When fishing edges in this manner you can also find good numbers to fish at later time for grouper, amberjack, snappers etc... just by watching your bottom machine and marking some structure while you troll for wahoo and dolphin.

There are other options that require pay for fishing locations. In the long run, this can save hundreds of dollars (if not thousands) in fuel cost. We all want to find that crystal blue water, current change area, and temperature breaks, but there is no cheap and easy way to do this.

So I hope that I have posted enough information in this thread to hopefully help some members out in locating some good action, and help in putting some Dolphin in your fish box.

 

OK Now how about Leader Line Selection.

What size leader line should you be using for trolling For Dolphin?
Sound I use Fluorocarbon Leader Line or Mono?

What is "over-rigged"? I have trolled a lot for dolphin in Florida Waters. and I have stuff rigged on everything from 80# to 130# and while I prefer 8/0 - 9/0 Owner ballyhoo hooks.

I tend to use medium ballyhoo and adjust which rig goes in which bait based on size and style. My naked, chin weight rigged baits I prefer smaller baits and use 1/4-3/8 oz. Small seawitch or Ilander lures in front mean I get away with bigger leader (80-100) and medium, size lures in front (Aliens, Bubblers, medium Ilanders, softheads) get the bigger baits and 80-130# leader.

Dolphin are notoriously aggressive and are not as leader shy (mostly) as other fish. Flat calm days do bring about more cautious fish and it will pay to have at least a couple light leader baits when it is slick just to be sure, but I can't tell you how many times dolphin have swum right past a beautiful swimming naked ballyhoo on light leader and attacked a bigger bait on bigger line or the one and only lure I have in the spread without bait (I always keep one chrome headed jet in the spread).

As for fluoro... I have several of my sailfish trolling rigs (80# fluoro) which I will occasionally use but they do not out catch the plain mono on dolphin. I wouldn't rush out and rig everything in fluoro for just dolphin. I really think you would be wasting money - especially since most fluoro leaders scuff up easier and need to be replaced more often than mono.

I always use a leader the size of my Poles, Tip to Reel and Back up to the eyes to hook the rigs on.

That's around 8 foot Leader Line.
My leader gets snapped onto my rigged skirts with a small 176 LB Tsunami Pro ball-bearing snap swivel, and the pole end will have a small regular 150 - 180 LB swivel attached to the line so that it slides through the eyes of the pole.

Hope this helps.

 

OK what baits to use and how to catch free bait.

I love to fish for anything that swims in salt water, yet I'm an offshore Angler at heart. And while I've spent many years chasing dolphin, sailfish, Wahoo, etc, everyone has their favorite game fish, including me. If someone forced me to narrow my favorite to just one species, I'd say, "dolphin!" I doubt I would be alone in this decision.

There's just something about dolphin that inspires thousands of offshore anglers to buy all sorts of rods and reels, fishing lines, hooks, lures, baits and gaffs in anticipation of the upcoming season. And for very good reasons: Here is a fish that is abundant, comes in all sizes, puts up a great and oftentimes acrobatic fight, commonly blitzes in schools or pairs (larger fish) and is downright delicious to eat. Dolphin are so popular that it is frightening to imagine what our industry would look like if they ceased to exist.

I've taken a deep interest in these fish and have perfected my tactics over the years. When I set forth to target them, the following rigs rank among my most potent dolphin catchers:

1. Large and Horse Ballyhoo





I prefer to headhunt for larger fish when trolling for dolphin and would rather take one 30-plus-pound dolphin than a dozen 3- to 5-pounders any day. Therefore, my spread consists mostly of large and horse ballyhoo, each rigged to several feet of 80# to 130# pound test leader and a single 9/0 long-shank hook.


The reason I use this rig is that big baits eliminate the smaller fish. ( maybe not)? You know the drill: School dolphin blitz a spread of smaller lures and baits, and all the lines go down. After the fish are boated, the boat moves along and the lines go back out only to hook up with some more schoolies; you ultimately spend most of your time dealing with small fish. School dolphin are intimidated by large baits. Outside of possibly pecking, they'll leave the bigger baits alone. And this unmolested soak time dramatic

2. Weedless Ballyhoo







Anglers quickly tire of picking weeds off their baits in areas of heavily scattered sargassum and often head off in search of cleaner waters. Yet those in the know stick it out, especially if bait abounds underneath the grass mats.

In such a situation, I deploy a spread of weedless ballyhoo, which are similarly rigged to the large ballyhoo baits outlined previously. The main difference is that the hook point is inverted back into the bait, where it won't snag weeds, and the wire tag that usually sticks up through the bait's bill is reversed so it points down into the bait. Thus, the bait is rigged much like a plastic bass worm. To rig it, run the hook point through the ballyhoo's gill slit and immediately out its throat. Pull most of the hook shank through, and then reverse the hook point and insert it back into the bait. Once the hook is positioned where it's not binding, push the pin rig through both jaws of the bait and secure the bait and hook with a strand of Monel wire. To do this, pass the wire through the bait's eyes and then make several tight wraps around the head, behind and in front of the pin, and all the way down, finishing with a couple of wraps on the leader.

Add a small skirt over the nose of the ballyhoo to deflect weeds from its bill, and scale the bait's midsection and belly near where the hook point is resting; this will "soften" the bait and facilitate the hook's pulling out and latching into a fish during the strike. Your best bet is to free-spool the bait on the strike and let the fish consume it.

I also use the other weedless rig posted in this thread.

3. Pitch Bait







One of the deadliest tactics for big dolphin is keeping handy a 20-pound-class spinning outfit rigged with a medium to large ballyhoo. Should a large dolphin appear on the periphery of a school of smaller fish, under debris or under working birds, immediately pitch the ballyhoo or slowly troll it around the working birds on an intercept course with the fish. When a dolphin strikes, free-spool the bait, let the fish swallow it, and then engage the drag and have fun!

I rig my pitch-bait rods with a double uni-knot, (easier to tie) to join about 4 feet of 50-pound-test mono - fluorocarbon leader. I'll use a uni-knot to join an 8/0 - 9/0 live-bait-style hook to the leader. The ballyhoo is attached by simply running the hook point underneath and out its jaws. Another option, for casting distance or dropping down to deep fish, is to impale the ballyhoo on a 3- or 4-ounce yellow bucktail jig.

4. Birds / Teasers

One of my favorite trolling teasers are my Gooney birds, watch the above video and see why. My Gooney Birds as shown in the thread. I run the Gooney birds in the center of the stern.
http://www.shrimpnfishflorida.com/f...for-mahi-ponce-inlet.13883/page-3#post-106709



This year I will also be using the "Long Tail Flippy Floppy" which helps create the illusion of bait being chased by a larger fish and scattering out away from it. The sight of the"Long Tail Flippy Floppy" in the water is exciting.

I noticed that the "Long Tail Flippy Floppy" is being used in many high dollar champion tournament, and all the winners are talking about it. I also like the fact the you can hook a hooded shirted rig on to the bird, which catches the fish, so it is not just a teaser it is also a action trolling lure. easy enough to set out and retrieve using your fishing rod and reels...

My newest teaser is the "Long Tail Flippy Floppy" put out by Squid Nation. They have two models, the short tail and the long tail. I have the long tail.



I got the Yellow/Orange/Chartreuse Long Tail Flippy Floppy because the color looks just like a Squid in feeding mode. and the green imitate the bait fish scattering to get away and the splashing attracts the fish.



The Flippy Floppy Thing is a unique variation to the traditional squid daisy chain teaser for offshore fishing for Dolphin, sailfish, blue marlin, etc... It triggers the fish into an instinctive aggressive feeding mode.

http://www.squidnation.com/category-s/1863.htm



In Action




OK, So do they really work? Yup!



Check out the SquidNations Blog showing lots a nice video footage and tournament winners using the Flippy Floppy Thing...
http://blog.squidnation.com/


5. Live Weed-Line Baits

When angling pressure or a full moon keeps dolphin from feeding, try using their natural forage. That is, use a bait quill rig to acquire several of those banded rudderfish and other small specimens that cling tightly to weeds and debris. These comprise the dolphin's natural forage and often produce when "import" baits, such as pilchards and sardines, fall short.

Simply Sabiki some bait up as you normally wold.

Drop these baits into your livewell to keep them alive. Then impale one on a 7/0 or 8/0 live-bait-style hook that is rigged to a 20-30 pound-test leader spinning reel. The light reel outfit pitches the bait a fair distance, and the light hardware lets it swim enticingly.



6. Small Trolling Lures


When running and gunning for dolphin, keep at least two outfits rigged with small, blunt-headed trolling lures. The best color combinations are Bue-and-White /Green-and-Orange or Green.-and-Yellow. When you find birds working, pitch out the lures, throttle up to a fast trolling speed and head toward them. These lures mimic the size of flying fish, favorite dolphin forage, and withstand the rigors of faster trolling speeds better than natural baits.

When you reach your target or find another likely spot, such as a floating board or big weed patch, slow the boat to a reasonable trolling 6-8 speed and make a few passes. If dolphin are around, they'll ambush these lures. Small lures fished this way have yielded many large dolphin for me. And of course, these lures are mainstays in catching school fish. I prefer to rig my lures with 8 foot 80-130# Leader Line and a single 9/0 long-shank hook that's positioned with spacer beads to ride near the tail end of the lure skirt. I'll either crimp or tie a loop at the end of the leader and keep a half-dozen of these lures close at hand, if not already on an outfit or two.

7. Bait Chunks

This dolphin standard, usually reserved for when the magic runs out of the jigs, is still a favorite for catching school fish. A chunk of ballyhoo is simply impaled on a 8/0 to 9/0 live-bait-style hook / Circle hooks, attached to a 50-pound-test leader on a spinning outfit. Often, for dolphin-bailing, the leader is between 8 and 10 feet long.

But chunking for dolphin is a deadly and little practiced tactic. When you happen on a weed line or an area where you've seen a dolphin or two and trolling isn't cutting it, go on the chunk. Float out a few lines, each baited with a chunk of ballyhoo, sardine or squid. Add a few ounces of weight on one line with a rubber-core sinker or an egg sinker rigged with a rubber band in breakaway fashion (6 to 10 feet above the leader), followed by a balloon float some 30 to 40 feet up the fishing line (based on how deep you want the chunk to fish). Deploy two more outfits, one deeper and one free-lined at the surface. Cut up your extra ballyhoo or sardines, and toss over a few chunks until they fade from sight. Then repeat the tactic. If dolphin are in the area, sooner or later one of these baits will get eaten. And oftentimes, you'll bring up a school of energized fish and set off a feeding blitz.




8. Williamson Popper Pro Bait

A consistent trick to bring dolphin back to the boat and rally their feeding instinct is to fan-cast a large popper over a large swath of water. Radically work that popper rapidly, making it chug and spit water as it races back to the boat. The enticement here is twofold. First, the deep popper sound permeates far and wide through the water to pique the dolphins' interest. Second, the sight of the popper pull the lure from the water and pitch a traditional bait.

Williamson Popper Pro Bait


https://amzn.to/2s0uLsF


Williamson Ballyhoo Combo Rigged, 10-Inch 15-Ounces

As I stated before, one of my all time favored Ballyhoo lures are the swimming ballyhoo... I keep some on my boat at all time just in case I run into a school when bottom fishing...

Always Keep Some Artificial Ballyhoo Lures and Rigging Tackle On Your Boat

If you our bottom fishing and see a nice weed-line holding some bait fish and you do not have any rigged Ballyhoo the Williamson Ballyhoo lures work well enough for you to pickup on some unexpected Dolphin action.



The versatile Williamson Ballyhoo lure has a unique nose construction and two nose rigging options. Available Pro-rigged, J-rigged or bodies only. Pro-rigged baits come pre-rigged with a circle hook and 6 feet of 100 lb. line. J-rigged baits come pre-rigged with a VMC® saltwater hook and 6 feet of 100 lb. line. This fast-trolling soft plastic lure is so realistic in color and action that you will never want to use live bait again. Troll from 2 to 8 knots for life-like swimming action that catches all salt predator species.





This classic setup comes pre-rigged and ready to add extra commotion to your spread. Scoop head Sailfish Catcher adds the attraction of smoke and bubble trail to Williamson Ballyhoo, an irresistible combination for Dorado, Tuna, Yellowfin, Sailfish and smaller Billfish. Pre-rigged with 6 feet of 100 lb. line.



http://www.shrimpnfishflorida.com/f...-rigging-tackle-on-your-boat.7765/#post-37073


Ponce Inlet Dolphin Report 6/7/2018
see report here
http://www.shrimpnfishflorida.com/forums/threads/ponce-inlet-dolphin-report-6-7-2018.14274/

Caught with a Williamson Swimming Skirted Ballyhoo Blue White