Tuna Lures of choice?

San Anita · 06-26-2005, 06:41 PM

Ok you got me, Im setting up rods and hand lines. What color and type seems to work well for lures for those early tuna slayers??? I will be running Friday with a fresh crew, wing boats welcome.
Bill

HOGGEMIN · 06-26-2005, 06:48 PM

I will bring Zuker broom tails, Tuna clone,and Tuna clone feathers, and some jet heads, and wow do the jet heads leave a smoke trail.

4 REEL · 06-26-2005, 07:48 PM

Bill, Seems my Mexican Flag did well last year

. And it was the go to rig on the Myrtle Bee a couple of weeks ago. The flag needs to fly!

Pilar · 06-27-2005, 07:24 AM

Bob Franko on Coastside thinks colors are bogus and designed to catch fishermen. He says use the same on every rig to get multiple hookups.

My experience tells me that the TCF100 in Zucchini is the go to in early season. The Bad [petunias!] worked pretty good this last Saturday. That is the Williamson Varmit feather in Mex flag. VAR 505. If you find some call me they are hard to find and I want at least ... oh ... 100 more.

And last but certainly not least .. drum roll please ... the 'Puffin' El Cheapo homemade. That is a green and irridescent metal colored hootchie with a 1/2 ounce egg sinker in the head on a leader just like a clone.

Think small and green in early summer.

San Anita · 06-27-2005, 07:59 AM

Yes, I read the acticle and it does make some sense. Last year I had a varity of clones on and only got singles most of the time. Then I did notice when I got multiples it was on similar looking clones, dark color vs light.
So my approach Friday, ocean permitting, is to put all the same type out minimizing variety. Thanks for the small and green hint.
Bill

DriftR · 06-27-2005, 08:08 AM

Try and run multiple rigs of the same color. When you see a bait ball they all seem to share the same color so why not duplicate the same color pattern in your spread. Makes it look like one bait ball.
On the other hand I won't go TUNER fishing without a rootbeer colored Zuker broom(s) in the arsenal. The mexican flag, purple, and red and white zuker brooms work good also.

Onokai · 06-27-2005, 08:21 AM

Bob Franko method is just that 1 method. Its not the method. I use a varitiy of lures colors types. When one is working super well we add a few more of them
We always run at least 1 yo zuri hydro mag the track deep and true. Thes are not surface draggers they run underwater off the stern rods. Fish traps great for casting but also we run one wayyyyyyyyyyy back. yep zukers & clones gota have a few.
Varity is spice of life. Mark

saltwater only · 06-27-2005, 05:20 PM

Sunday June 26 purple/black was the only color we could get a hit on.

Later in the day (early afternoon) red and white, green were also catching fish.

Will that work every time don`t know but sunday that`s what worked for us.

Check with Retaliate and Wak'm&stak'm they were out also.

Sensei-san · 06-27-2005, 09:54 PM

Bob Franko of the Coastside Fishing Club is a tuna catching machine. I've fished with some if his buddies and it is true that he uses only one color, I believe it is a Mexican Flag, and he is a strictly troll fishing guy. Each pole and position has its line length marked and you must only put out that much line and no more. Nothing fancy or trick on his boat. Just Flatline booms and transom clips. He does have the transom clips hooked to a monster klaxon horn. His buddies say it is a riot to see the crew boil out of the cabin when the horn goes off signalling a hookup.

retaliate · 06-27-2005, 10:51 PM

We were using a variety of clones both days, & it seemed all colors worked at times. there really wasn't a best color Sat, or Sun. Even when Crazyfish showed up Sun. with his gear, all rods hooked fish.

Jimmy Carl Black · 06-27-2005, 11:31 PM

Ahhhhh...the color controversy. By the end of this post, I will have changed my opinion on this matter.

Based on the physics of what we think we know about light and what we think we know about fish, a certain color would be more attractive or noticeable to the fish in certain conditions. So, on a finicky fish day or when you are trying to locate fish, I would think to run a variety of colors. As soon as one hits, be ready to change to all that color in order to emulate nature and get more TUNA!

Mr. Fisherman · 06-28-2005, 01:13 AM

This is easy easy easy... The ones that are RED... covered in Tuna blood...

Seelicious · 06-28-2005, 09:32 AM

I know it might be early for cedar plugs...but we fished the plug chains that I made in Cabo and nothing got bit like they did. The fish consistantly hit the plug chains first and they were being fished closest to the boat.

The colors did not matter...we had different colors in the spread with cedar plugs and zukers.

The tuna were puking up small squid but hammered the plug chains with 8" p/b and 6" natural chase baits.

The small yft's were hitting them as well as the largest fish we caught.

I think Mark Mc is right...at least I'm a sucker for all the "options" in colors.

SL

retaliate · 06-28-2005, 09:39 AM

We demo-ed a prism colored cedar plug we got from Bajadan Sun. but didn't get a strike.

Bait O' Eggs · 06-28-2005, 09:44 AM

Saturday we got 6 fish

1 on a 6 inch long black cedar plug
2 on a 5 inch green/orange/yellow cedar plug
1 on a green/yellow feather
2 on a small blueish hoochie with egg sinker in head
cant remember what we lost the other fish on

all but one came on a rod that was way behind the boat and way behind the handlines.

kind of all over the map

San Anita · 06-28-2005, 09:48 AM

So a long black cedar plug with green,orange,yellow, feathers and a blueish hootchie at the end should do it. Can you build me one Roy?
Thanks, Bill

Bait O' Eggs · 06-28-2005, 10:33 AM

you ask what caught some early fish, I answer very detailed, and you take a cheap shot at me

Sounds like something I would do

Actually we caught our fish on a cheese grater with hooks hanging on it, go ahead and fish it, I read it about it in a magazine also

WaterDog · 06-28-2005, 10:36 AM

The one I lost was on the cedar plug. Yeah it was me that crackered it.

ron m · 06-28-2005, 11:29 AM

Hey guys, remember, the article didn't say a variety of colors wouldn't catch fish, I think it said that all the same color & type would increase multiple hook-ups. so, one question to ask the folks that were out there was how many multiple hook-ups they had on differenent colors.

ron m

Mark Mc · 06-28-2005, 11:47 AM

If you ever walk the commercial docks when the tuna boats are in / doing the turnaround, what you will see is every jig is either the same, or very closely resembling each other. You will also learn some other interesting things by looking at their gear.

retaliate · 06-28-2005, 11:52 AM

We had 3 doubles Sat, & Sun, & used a variety all day both days. No triples to report, but I heard at least one triple over the radio. Crazyfish brought his divers with the handlines, & we caught 4 on them, I really need to get a couple of those divers, we probably would of caught more Sat. if we used handlines.

CATCH AND EAT · 06-28-2005, 12:03 PM

I hear cheep cigars with hooks work too.

CATCH AND EAT · 06-28-2005, 12:05 PM

Mark, now that you mention it I have seen that very thing on commercials in Ilwaco. Last September I ran all Mexican Flags and the tuna Spoke spanish that day. First time I tried all the same color and it worked out nicely for such a late season run. 22 in the boat with 5 lost at or near the boat.

WaterDog · 06-28-2005, 12:18 PM

Retaliate, we drug 5 handlines around on saturday and only one hook up to show for it. 4 were surface, one a diver.

PeterMac · 06-28-2005, 12:31 PM

We caught all 4 of our fish on rootbeer colored jigs. At first we just had one out, then added a second and it got hit, and them followed the other two willing candidates

PeterMac

San Anita · 06-28-2005, 12:34 PM

Roy you are appreciated, Please forgive me if that Gus thing slips out at times.
Thanks,Bill

Seelicious · 06-28-2005, 02:26 PM

We ran two plug chains off the corners and zukers (different sizes) off the riggers...one y/g and one p/b.

We had 3 & 4 hook-ups everytime...we did lose quite a few...the tuna doubles did not hold the fish as well as the single hooks...not sure why...any thoughts?

SL

retaliate · 06-28-2005, 03:32 PM

Waterdog,

From what I seen, divers work well early season, I've also used mooching sinkers 8oz to 16oz(not this year yet) on the stand-up rods, with good success.

San Anita · 06-28-2005, 03:49 PM

We lost a few on double hooks last year, the stainless steel type without a welded back. They seemed to flex a lot. Then we went to the Mustad cast type with a rigid back and it seemed we lost less fish.

Bill

Seelicious · 06-28-2005, 04:13 PM

I remember Mark saying that we need to tie those doubles with a twist tie or something to keep them from flexing but the ones I had on are the same ones you're talking about.

Spreader bars and daisy chains...at least that is what Capt Tred Barta says...who was in Cabo this weekend and ate dinner next to us...I tried to listen in to pick up any new ideas but nothing exciting to share.

SL

kenai · 06-28-2005, 04:17 PM

Good idea on the tyraps around the double hook shanks! I just put a handful in my tuna box. I like using the ring and grommet for the terminal end, just slip the hooks on when needed, tywrap em and good to go.