Baja Fishing Primer #1--Skirt Lures

Ok, it’s summer, so in this, the first Baja Fishing Primer, let’s talk about those skirt lures. I know that Baja guides have three favorite techniques: live bait, live bait, and bigger live bait, but lots of us like trolling lures, if just for attractors.

Don Alley has mentioned to me (I hope none of you take offense that I am using your names) that he likes purples, green & black (Mean Joe Green) and petrolero in larger sizes to target larger dorado. He cautions that factory rigging quality can be spotty.

Hook says that tuna feathers will work for dorado and he likes pink/white, blue/white, green/black, purple/black, green/orange, Mexican flag, and all white. He uses Zuker lures in jet heads and standard types.

Frank favors the larger sizes for billfish in petrolero, black and purple, mean joe green, and blue and white.

Skipjack Joe was very helpful when I asked him privately about dorado lures. I’ll quote him directly, because he has a lot of good tips:

“The best by far for trolling is a 4-5 inch trolling feather in yellow and green. Mexican flag is second best. The feather works better than plastic. Zucker makes them and you can get them in most saltwater tackle stores. The LONGFIN has a good selection in a couple sizes. I think the smaller size works better. I've had some luck with black/purple but far less than this color. Color is important.

“I use a 60lb bite tippet, about 3 feet of it that I tie directly to a double hook. At the other end I tie a swivel and to the swivel goes the line from the reel.

“I troll about 7=8 mph. The feather is usually just behind the wash, about 30 feet behind the boat, where the bubbles are dissipating. Sometimes they don't like it there and then I let out a whole lot of line and troll more slowly.

“That's about it for trolling.”

Thanks Joe.

It’s interesting that out of this small sample we have nine different colors that are favorites, with purples and green/black being listed three times and three other combos being chosen twice. Clearly, everyone has an individual color darling, so let’s not focus on color, but rather size.

There are four target fish for squid-type lures? Dorado, marlin, sailfish, wahoo? Am I forgetting any? How do these fish react to the size of lures? Am I asking the right question?

Next, how about rigging those lures? I’ve used a Bimini Twist on my Spectra main line with a snap swivel, but it’s nice to have a wind-on leader. Do you make up a separate leader for each lure, or is there a way to move that leader from one lure to another?

How long is that leader and what test?

Double hook, double hooks, or single hook? I’ll go with whatever is safer—I don’t like visiting the doctor after reaching the dock.

What kind and size of hook? Beads?

Ok, enough for today. Tomorrow let’s talk about spreads and where to put those lures (if I remember correctly, Mexican law says only one rod per angler).

Thanks everyone.

[Edited on 5-17-2007 by BajaBruno]

Sorry I do not have anything to contribute...hoping someday to be able to
I am thankful for you guys, but I know it will hurt my check book

capitolkat..."My wahoo divers are realllly bright- irredecent orange or glow in the dark purple and they have plenty of tooth prints to show the hits as well as the misses. they like the orange best particularly when a little overcast and bright sun the purple is a little better."
Wahoo diver??? Do you have a picture? does it have a spoon on front...how deep?

Great stuff, everyone--please keep it coming. I'd still like more on the leader issue, please:

Leaders on each feather, or something interchangeable?

How long?

What pound test?

How do you make the line-to-leader connection? Snap swivel? Ulbright knot?

What kind of hook, specifically? Size, style? Beads?

Is the hook bend past the end of the feathers, or does it matter?

Photos would be nice, too.

Color...I was quoted on color, but those are really just some colors I've gotten lucky with.

Size...I do like the bigger lures. For dorado and tuna (tuna are seldom around Loreto) I've been told small hoochies work well. But I don't really care to hook up a small dorado trolling; they get hammered on the strike, you pull them in with too-heavy tackle...yawn. I do like billfish, and I suspect that a bigger lure may bring a bigger dorado.

One of the bigest dorado I've caught was at Zihua. The capt, in several days of fishing, always had a monster lure in the spread, bigger than any I have. Just in case a big 700lb blue marlin shoed up. I caught a really nice dorado on that lure. Kind of a waste, though, on 80-120 lb tackle.

Capt. Bob really likes the cedar plugs. I'm going to fish them more.

I remember when I first saw the plastic skirted lures. 1960s. After years of drought fishing Catalina with dead flying fish, we bought a few at a shop where they were custom made, somewhere way, way up Sunset Blvd in LA. Went out towards Catalina, and had two hookups before we even reached the island.

Right on Andy. Keep up the posts. You only have 15k left to go to catch up to DK.

Seriously we need to keep this thread going. Fishermen rule!

Quote:

Originally posted by Minnow Right on Andy. Keep up the posts. You only have 15k left to go to catch up to DK.

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano Hi, Al G...why go out and buy anything else just because it's the new kid on the block? Most likely what you have right now will work very well indeed. Fish are not fussy and have no thoughts beyond eating something that either has a good smell or is moving. The tackle companies love this kind of passion! But catching fish is not rocket science...it is in the presentation, luck, and whether the moon will hold water...

Pompano...Thanks buddy, point well taken...but do you think if I tied a feather and hook on a JD bottle, I would catch a lot of fish

Not at all Andy. I was just replying to you to keep the thread and the top of the posts. 14,999 to go. DK, you know I am just kidding, right?

Wow, Pompano, that was quite a dissertation. I guess you WERE doing more than staring down Sandy's blouse in school!

It seems you are confirming my empirical observations - below 30 feet virtually all lures lose their color - and the difference at that point between lures should pretty much boil down to flash and action.

Not sure about the turning black thing, but don't forget that the other thing that becomes scarce at depth is light. Black-on-black? How visible is that?

Look, the larger point here is that there are ALL kinds of theories about colors, flash, action, etc. Most are perpetuated by lure manufacturers, who have perfected the art of catching - fishermen that is.

While I have observed differences in lure productivity, and followed the rules about what lures to use on overcast vs. sunny days, I think that fishermen try to anthropomorphize and understand fish behavior. I for one, am not smart enough for that, but I do understand this: fish where the fish are, and that's what I use trolling for - locating where the fish are. Some colors may work better for that on different days, but I just run a large, varied spread and hope for the best!

I mean, there are folks who swear that some boats catch fish and others don't - inboards, vs outboards, diesels vs gas, low RMP vs high - and the beat goes on. I can see how a professional can make a business out of this!

And, when I find them, I like to have some bait on board - I KNOW they eat that! Chunking helps too. So does throwing bait, but private boaters just can't carry enough bait to use that technique effectively.

rods and cones