The HOO

[Dook]

By experience, what color and size skirts to you boat the most Dolphin with? and Is there an economical alternative to the ilander's that you have been successful with?

If you could only have 2 sizes of the HOO, what would they be?

[OffshoreDuck21]

I personally like to pull dink baits for gamefish and sails/whites.

For an economical alternative to Ilander, check out the Carolina Gentleman lineup. It's the same thing at half the cost.

[Dook]

Have you tried the el cheapo dolphin delights, rubba over featha? I don't like the thin profile as much as the puffy ilander? But I also have no clue what looks good to the dolphin.

You like the baby hoos? What size hooks are you rigging them with?

[Fish]

Dude, dolphin eat everything. But if it makes you feel like you're targeting them, pull green and yellow and blue and white. Dolphin are cannibals so break out the green.

With regards to the price of "color", you can save a lot of money by tying your own. You can get the heads and hair from lots of places. Mail order catalogs like Henry's, Melton's, etc, etc, carry it if there isn't a tackle store near you...but I can't imagine anyone not living close to a Bass Pro Shop these days.

Unless someone specifically asks to put an Islander lure in the water, I never pull em. I use my own small 1/4 oz sea witches. Island lures are nice but they are just too damn expensive.

Anyway, back in the day, I tied my own and I used a lot of purple over white and dark blue over white, (Carolina blue ain't never caught nothin [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ) and occasionally I'd make a few dark blue over purple. I have found that dark blues and purples are best. These colors match the predominant forage (flying fish) and they offer contrast to the sky.

If you know tuna are around, bag the light shit and put out the darkest baits you have. Wahoo and dolphin will eat anything anywhere so try not to worry too much about them.

For meatfish, I use the smallest baits I can get and I use 6/0, 7/0 and 8/0 hooks rigged on mono with a chin weight. Generally, I pull one, maybe two big baits but they are usually mackerels. I have from time to time found ballyhoo in 5 pound boxes. These baits range from small to ultra small with most being smaller than you can find anywhere. This is also the most economical way to go.

[justpracticin]

Fish, I am impressed, multiple paragraphs, very helpful, not condescending and polite. Thanks for the input.

[Tuffy]

LONG ago in Key West, everyone used to carry hand lines and "tie-off" dolphins. Is that still done? I haven't been out on the salt in a long time. I do remember that was a blast, though.

[Dook]

Thanks for the info guys, I am a newbie to the salt, now we have a boat and it is time to put in some time and learn what the deal is.

I think we are headed in the right direction!

[OffshoreCorley]

if you want to catch fish use billy baits or black bart pink and white, purple and white, or naked ballywhoo thats where the fishing is at in sc

[Fish]

Tuffy, as I am sure you are aware, this "tying off" tactic is used to hold the school close to the boat. I worked on a chrter boat up in NC in the mid 90s and we used that tactic to bail schoolies. We took 60 fish every single day. The charters always liked this because it filled up their freezers.

Those days are long gone for me. My attitude has changed and thankfully, so have the laws.

[Tuffy]

That's what I was getting at: Have the laws about that changed? It was WAY back in the '70s when I was in KW, but it was pretty much SOP there at that time...so I heard.

Makes me miss the islands. Weedlines and flying fish, 'cudas on the reef, snook in the trailer park canal, "Tickling" lobsters, softball & Millers, tennis & tourists, Cao Hueso halloween costumes, and golf at 3 rounds for $5. Military service can be memorable.

[MCMARINE]

You cant go wrong with a Lehi Squitch. 2 for $6.97 and everything eats them. Did yall see the 92lb wahoo that was caught last week? That fish was caught on a blue/white squitch. Not only are they inexpensive, they are made locally.

[SkinneeJ]

You don't even need skirts. Naked balleyhoo is the best bait out there. If you feel the need to add some color, any 3/8 oz seawitch will do. They are only a few bucks.

It's not so much about what you pull as much as it is being where there are fish.