[612653]

Question about daisy chains,spreader bars etc. I've seen that they are sold rigged with the last unit hooked,but I read somewhere to leave them un-hooked and troll a lure behind with a release clip. My question is which is better and doesn't a rigged daisy chain etc. make landing tougher with all that gear coming on board with the fish? Thanks

 

[Blue Ayes]

Its all a question of preference boat size and money. In general terms you are correct. A spreader bar adds much more weight and drag to the line, could possibly get hooked on another line and keeps your fish that much further away from the boat at gaff time. Much simpler to crank up the bar and fight the fish "clean". Additionally, I fished on a buddies boat last season when a line snapped and he lost a jet head bar (at least $250-300). The same is true with daisy chains but to a much, much lesser extent.
The flip side is, to fish the perfect way entails extra rod holders for teaser rods, extra teaser rods and an additional pair or two of hands to haul in the teasers when all **** is breaking loose. also there is more stuff in the water which could lead to problems. Some people cleat off a bar on either side, saving themselves the need foe a teaser rod or holder.
I'm no expert put in my experience most south shore L.I. tuna fisherman fish as I and my friends do, everything on one rod. At a minimum, I dont think the daisys need to be run any diiferently. I'm sure people will weigh in with different opinions as to the spreader bars.

 

[Tunatoys]

I can tell you from experience;you don't want to fish a spreader bar with a hook!If the fish will look at nothing else and you dont mind rerigging or throwing portions of the bar away,than it can be fished with a hook. Daisy chains with a resonable amount of lures (3-4)really don't present to much trouble fighting a fish.Just bear in mind that your fish will be that much further from the gaff.

 

[614847]

I just crimp a few(usually 3) squid bodies(unweighted) ahead of a tuna clone 6"(weighted) on my leader. Do you guys think that's sufficient?
Or, should they all be wieghted Tuna Clones?

Thanks for your opinions.

RALPH

 

[618835]

I have a question of my own. If i am running a daisy chain of squid (4 or 5) should i rig the last squid with a hook or should i put a green machine or a clone at the tail end??????

 

[Blue Ayes]

Either way, I like for the "hook bait" to match the hatch. Then it seems as if this is one bait or squid that got seperated from the school and is the "weak" one, hence, more attractive to the prey. Have your hook bait on a snap swivel to the squid daisy chain and switch it up. Sometimes I'll throw a jet head or a mini green machine behind the daisy. Dont be afraid to mix it up and experiment with colors. BIGEYE, if your out there I know you have 50 years of tuna fishing knowledge, what do you think ?

 

[614827]

bars n chains

Hi all:
Bars are to big on the nearshore scene. Unless your building your own bar
with 24 T'ZERS AND a chase lure, leave em home. To much time to keep clean , especially in a small center console.
Chains in nearshore ARE killers. I wouldn't leave the dock with out 'em.
Looking at it from a fish eyeview,they r a great STIMULANT. Why?
Because they don't get lost in your wake as a 4 or 5 single lures usually do. Look up from 50 feet down and try to visualize what 4-6, four, five or 6 inch lures would look like. O U C H ! !
Now Put out three to five Squid chains IN FRONT OF EACH HOOK LURE and be a fish again. LOOK UP and SEE the difference. GOD DID NOT GIVE ME GILLS , So I don't go below. My friends who do say IT's AMAZING at the difference THOSE CHAINS MAKE. HUGE ROAD SIGNS SAYING......EASY MEAT HERE!!!!!!!!!
AS an ex- commercial pin hooker, I KNOW they do work better.
NEARSHORE:
keep it simple. 3 to 5 small T'ZERS in line with the last one a snapswivel hidden. Keep the chase lure about 3-4 feet away. Why? U want to get there attention on the chase lure after they see the chain. WHY? Cause very predator in the ocean knows that when you chasing your dinner"YOU CAN'T WATCH YOUR OWN TAIL".
INSHORE:
3-5 squid T'ZERS on 200 mono. The chase lure should be 6-7 inches long as the predominant foodfish is of that size.The chase lure should be 7-8 inches long and occasionaly a 10- 11 inches long. When the water warms up in late summer and the 40-50 pounders move in, they are looking for a larger meal.
YEAH TEAM !
Bars come into their own now. Lots of fish out here. Make sure your bars can be trolled at 7+ knots and don't skip n twist and foul themselevs up. I run the bars in the corners AND short riggers. Makes a heck of a bait signature in the water and draws fish from way down.

OFFSHORE:
Now here its just great. I'll put 5 T'ZERs in line on 300 pound and a strong snapswivel. I'll run Jets,Hard heads,Chuggers , all 11 inches and larger. I'm looking for fish 100+. Even the small rabbits(40+ pound Long fins ) will eat these lures like candy. THE COMPETITION out here is FIERCE. Eat now or starve or worse yet, GET EATEN!
Bars are on the corners and short rigger and I'll run a BIG plug just behind a bar? Why? BIGEYE and ALLISONS will come up to investigate the bars and WACK the Hxxx plugs. LATE EVE n EARLY A.M. for this trick.
Yes I always have a hooklure in the bars. You'll get lots of small 50-80 pound YFT on the bars.
SHOTGUN a small TURBO BIRD and then put 8 foot leader to a BIG lure (13inches and up). Put it way back and leave it. MAKE SURE SOMEONE ELSE CAN SEE IT AND WON'T CUT IT OFF. It'll be a big fish taker.
Sorry for running off at the mouth. There is lot's of tricks to do with chains. You can REALLY make them into real fish getters.
As to having the fish to far from the boat at gaff time , do this:
Keep the T'ZERS on their own Leader.The chase lure leader can be shortend. T'ZER chain = 4 feet + Chase lure = 3-4 feet totals 7-8 feet long. That;s not far at all. A decent gaff will get them everytime.
HINT=====Gaff them alongside the aft stern quarter. Stay away from the transome.
One more thing. If the fish are small to medium, take a turn on two on the chain leader, lift and lay the fish right into the fishbox. Snap a new chase lure on the Chain and your fishing again. Why play around trying to UNHOOK a bouncing fish when the BITE IS HOT...HOT...HOT...?
Hey Blue AYES, U ready for the BFT yet? There on the way up now. Maryland has'em already. Shouldn't be long now...

 

[614827]

Another idea

Sorry for not including this in my previous post.
Most bars are 6-7 feet in length from the bar itself to the hooklure in the aft end.
When u get a fish on and you finally get it boatside then have the fisherman move forward . This gets the bar and the fish AWAY from the engine/props transome area and alonside the stern quarter. The gaff man should then be able to direct the fish close to boatside. Keep the fish BETWEEN the BOAT and the GAFF. When you lift the gaff INTO the fish CONTINUE upward.This makes the fish HELP you put the fish INTO the boat. HOW? Wherever the head goes, the tail has to go to. That fishs tail will beat and will help put ITSELF right into the boat.
C O O L ! ! ! !
BIGEYE aka...Ancient mariner
Keep your feet dry and catch 'em up.
www.ancientmarinertackle.com

 

[614827]

MORE CHAIN INFO

Hi All;
Chain placement is important.Wher you put your chain in the spread is as imortant as the color combos you use for specific species. Ask Blue AYES.
When to use weighted chains versus unweighted chains can get you fish or windy days. Some days, YFT will only take a weighted chain too.
Size and color combos make difference when you fish NEARSHORE / INSHORE / OFFSHORE.
When it comes to the chase lure on the end of your chains, lure action (straight runner vs popping , side to side , pusher action) has to be considered. Lot's of fun stuff to experiment with.
ON where to place your chain, the most important part is to keep your CHASE LURE in the MIDDLE of the following WAKE wave. Not on the front shoulder or the back shoulder , BUT IN TH MIDDLE of the wake wave. WHY ? Because that's where YFT,BFT, FAT ALBERTS look for their food.
We could spend lots of info in this area.
Keep your feet dry and catch 'em up.
Joseph B. ...aka...Ancient Mariner
www.ancientmarinertackle.com