Dorado techniques for Oregon

Pilar · 08-11-2006, 10:27 AM

Just a thought guys. These fish school and we can actually target them using what we all have already. I don't see any reason to go off buying internet ballyhoo or spending $$$ on Ilander Ballyhoods or other exotic gear. We can use some basic gear we all have and get a shot at the chameleon of the sea. They will hit TUNA gear fished like we do for albacore but why not actually target them?

Look for trash lines and things floating in the water and troll around them like you would for charlie TUNA!. I don't know what to say about water temp. I would thing warmer was better but that fish came out of 62 degrees. Doesn't seem possible to me but there he is.

BTW this stuff is pretty tasty fresh. Don't ask me how I know this.

You will need an oily dead fish. Mackeral, sardine or best of all a small freshly caught TUNA!. Ballyhoo would also work but do a search and the price for rigged baits by Calcutta or others will change your mind.

Also you will need a leader of either 50# flourocarbon or best of all a small gauge piano wire line Malin makes, 80 or 100# will work fine. A TUNA! live bait hook completes the gear. 4/0 to 6/0 in that range. Barbed is pretty much mandatory. You have to remember that Dorado are acrobats making the Coho Salmon look pretty sluggish. They are freakin amazing with many jumps and tailwalks. Dean can tell you about that.

So, I learned this trick from a Pangero in Cabo and it is pretty easy. He dragged in a small 'Bonito' (actually a skipjack TUNA!) using a 2" feather in white. Then he carefully cut a wedge shaped strip of bait from the area between the skippys tail and the bung. Below the lateral line. This bait should be 6 inches long with 1" wide skin at the front end and taper to a point at the tail end. The bottom half of the fish has silvery white skin for max shine.

On a larger TUNA! I think you could get about 1" of meat to go with the skin. On the small fish 'EL Pato', our Pangero used, he filetted to the backbone.

Now just rig a leader 7 or 8 feet long with Flourocarbon or haywire twist the Malin wire to a hook and put the hook through the skin near the wide end of the bait strip twice.

Drag this in your spread and maybe you will hit the lottery. When we did this in Mexico we did not wait long for love. Like 5 minutes and BAM!

It looks like a fish swimming and it works. You could also do what TUNA! holics do and get some green machines or Ilander Dorado lures. Green and Yellow Or Blue and White are the favorites.

Tight lines.

CATCH AND EAT · 08-11-2006, 11:48 AM

Interesting idea John. Trolled with clones at the same speeds? Sorry, never have fish the real exotic before so teach me a little here. Got and Illustrations on a typical setup that you have seen?

backlash442 · 08-11-2006, 12:15 PM

Trolling for dorado is no different than albies. They'll hit anything in the spread including cedar plugs. Don't need a fancy leader either. 3'ft. is plenty. Any # test works fine too as they are not line shy. They are usually schoolie fish but we've got them on single blind jig strikes. Sometimes you'll get followers. Try iron if no live bait. Also try a large popper. I've had them hit those before.

My favorite lure for dorado is called an Ahi [whoopsydaisies!]. It's a large jet head with the skirt being orange/yellow/greens of different shades. It's a killer lure. Actually seen dorado swim across the spread to hit it.

Albie belly I'm sure would work but I'd rather eat a smoked belly than dorado. Although dorado is very good to eat too.

ron m · 08-11-2006, 12:39 PM

What John describes is what we used to call a strip in Fla. I'd use a strip of belly meat, easy to cut and it has the good white skin. We also used to sometimes put a small strip on the hook of a jig. I'd personally much rather use the tuna belly to catch a dorado than smoke the belly, but let's be real here, ONE dorado was caught off our coast, I don't think I'll specifically target them. But being ready IF we see any is smart, besides I'll bet tuna would also hit a trolled strip.
ron m

bajadan2000 · 08-11-2006, 12:56 PM

Dorado will hit a warm beer can. They are very agressive feeders and eat 24/7, which makes them one of the fastest growing fish in the ocean.

Not trying to take anything away from this fine catch, but it sounds like this fish was lost.

Enjoy this rare to our waters special gift

CATCH AND EAT · 08-11-2006, 01:09 PM

Definity lost now. :grin:

HiouchiMike · 08-11-2006, 01:59 PM

If you do hook one it would be hard but keep in water until next one hooked. If you hit a school one trolling, they can follow better than albies hooked fish.

Side note is two reports of swordfish from Coastside and Fullspeed Fishing. One partyboat took members of Full Speed and spotted 7 broadbills. My heart be still.
Cheers,
Mike

KeyWest · 08-11-2006, 03:37 PM

Yea, I thought about that (keeping it in the water to keep the school around) but I didn't see any followers and I wanted it IN THE BOAT!

Hamachi · 08-11-2006, 06:26 PM

The most important thing for you guys is to keep your eyes open when trolling for anything floating, especially kelp paddies. Troll by, (not too close), and they'll come running. Not just kelp and weeds, but any floating debris. I once caught twelve 15 - 20 lb dodos from under a 4' square lid off a wood crate off So. Cal. during my comm. rod and reel days. (and it was holding a heck of alot more than 12 fish!)

I think the recently caught fish was a fluke, as they prefer 70+ water.

Zodiac-Fisherman · 08-11-2006, 07:43 PM

Dorado down here in Mexico hit 8-12inch Jetheads. Green colors similer to a dorado, bright/lime/dark green.

a 30 pounder will inhale a 5lb live skipjack.

I believe folks up in the NW dont put valiant effort towards catching bait offshore. The pelegics are eating, and you CAN catch what they are eating.

When we fish down here in mexico, we are fishing for 2 things constantly.... Bait and Pelegics.

Miss B Haven · 08-11-2006, 07:51 PM

2 words.....live bait!

Hamachi · 08-12-2006, 07:54 AM

I never leave the harbor without it!

Tuna Tom · 08-12-2006, 08:26 AM

Just my two cents worth...probably not worth much more than that but....

Green IS dorado color.

I don't know about a warm beer can but I have put a piece of wire through a McDonalds straw and dragged that. Wham!!!

One of the hardest things to do is to leave the fish in the water, BUT, it is best to leave the fish in the water. If there are any of his buddies around at all, they will follow him. That is when a fresh tuna belly drifting down Wham!!! If I was fishing serious, I'd keep a few pieces cut up and on ice, ready to go. You don't want to be rigging while the fish is jumping around. You just might be a tad too excited to rig up properly and BE READY for an instant presentation when the fish comes to the boat.

Definitely target garbage in the water...any garbage....even a single small garbage bag floating around can hold fish.

Finally, the fish was a gift, a blessing, and the result of time on the water and not on the web.

Here comes the tournament. Maybe 60 boats can come up with one more dorado...maybe.

Good Luck!!

Tuna Tom

ron m · 08-12-2006, 08:46 AM

"the result of time on the water and not on the web"

very true, and here I sit at my computer! Guess I won't catch one doing this, but the ocean doesn't want me going out just now either!

flapbreaker · 08-12-2006, 12:55 PM

What kind of care to the dorado need post catch? Just put on ice or do they need bled too?

Weather or Knot · 08-12-2006, 02:24 PM

WE need someone to volluteer to take a barge full of palets out to the warm water and let em go. Then we would have a dorado paradise!

Miss B Haven · 08-13-2006, 05:47 AM

Quote:

WE need someone to volluteer to take a barge full of palets out to the warm water and let em go. Then we would have a dorado paradise!

:grin: I've got a bunch of old hay palets on thte burn pile. Not that I would aver do somthing like that. :grin:
Problem is that they need to be there for a while. Lesse....Pu 'em in the CR on Weds, off T-bay Friday, Newport on Sunday.... :grin: