Main Menu

Teasers

Started by Tightlines667, March 24, 2017, 07:24:14 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Tightlines667

I am in the process of setting my boat up to blue water fish and would like a little input on teasers.


I am wondering, for those of you who run teasers what advice could you share on selection of products, rigging, and when to run them.

Can you get by with a single teaser or do you need multiple types for different trolling speeds or sea conditions?

Starting with a typical marlin spread, where there are big fish around, what are some recommendations on what to run, and how?

I grew up running a mirrored bowling pin style such as that from PlayAction...

http://m.tackledirect.com/play-action-mirrored-bowling-pin-teasers.html

I know they work and may likely start here.  Probably jyst run it adjacent to the short corner on a heavy braided soft line (500lb) from the corner cleat.  

There are some beautiful huge custom resin heads made locally (in Hawaii) you can dress up as you please.  These are more expensive and require skirt changes periodically.  Their action varies depending on typical resin lure head considerations.  In fact some are considered super-sized trolling lures meant to imitate an Aku or small tuna.

Anyone have a prefered maker/model/color?

For slow trolling live bait (Aku, Kawa), I am considering "The Witch Doctor"...



Any thoughts here?

I have also seen tuna silhouettes and hookless dredges.  I really don't have any dredge experience.  I will occasionally run a 5 line spread of moldcraft squid daisy chains for tuna.  I like Boone birds in front of the cgsins and run them on rough days where and when I suspect schoolies in the area.  I wasn't really considering birds, chains, or dredges as trolling trasers though.

Related to teasers, the other thing I was wondering about is 'blue water fish attraction devices/setups.  

I have seen video footage of local guys using an underwater array of ropes, lines, with various hookless spoons, spinner blades, and mylar strips which trail behind the vessel and wave and flash seductively in the current.  These arrays are used with great affect to draw and hold Pelagics (Such as Mahi and Ono) beneath the boat for spear or hook and line fishermen.  

I was wondering if it might be worthwhile to make a mini stringer of flashers and/or spoons to use when deat baiting Mahi.  

Does anyine gave any expedience or advice with regards these underwatwr fush attracting 'arrays' as I call them?

Maybe more trouble then they are worth for your typical outing.  Mahi can usually be drawn to the boat and held without these devices anyways.  

Just wondering if anyone else knows anything about their construction, use, and effectiveness?

My go to offshore fishing style is to keep things 'clean & simple'.  Teasers start to head away from my philosophy a bit, but I know they can be an effective tool in your arsenal.

Thoughts are welcomed.

Thanks for reading my long post :)

John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

Dominick

John I never heard of a witch doctor.  Interesting.  One trick I have not tried for a teaser is to get a bunch of CDs put a knot in a rope and create a string by knotting the rope every 8 or 10 inches or so with a CD in between knots.  Throw the line out and position it like the video for the witch doctor.  I like the idea of putting the teaser closer to the lures.  These make for a cheap attractant.  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

Keta

I have one that has never been used that I will sell if I can find it.
Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

whalebreath

Peter Pakula has talked about using a standard 'paddle style' 11" Salmon flasher  in his old bait dragging days.

This rig from Kone Zone has been used here in BC for Albacore but I'm not sure how they were keeping it under you could contact the owner he's very quick to respond.


wailua boy

I think running wire line has an attractant effect. As far as lures, I love Z Lures.(Z custom Lures 808-639-0406)

Keta

Quote from: whalebreath on March 25, 2017, 03:54:57 AM
Peter Pakula has talked about using a standard 'paddle style' 11" Salmon flasher  in his old bait dragging days.

This rig from Kone Zone has been used here in BC for Albacore but I'm not sure how they were keeping it under you could contact the owner he's very quick to respond.



The owner, Mike, is a good guy.
Hi, my name is Lee and I have a fishing gear problem.

I have all of the answers, yup, no, maybe.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

doradoben

How large is your boat and does it have outriggers??

Tightlines667

#7
Quote from: doradoben on March 25, 2017, 10:58:55 PM
How large is your boat and does it have outriggers??
29' LOA/27'@waterline/9'beam

Running 2-15' outriggers

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=18449.15

Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

doradoben

I like your boat, John. A single diesel and a hull shape that probably works well off Oahu. I've never run a large teaser like Pakula makes. It would be one more thing to deal with when hooked up. Seems like it would be much simpler to run 4 skirted lures with mixed head shapes that would work in the conditions you fish. Two run off the rod tips near the transom, and the other two from the riggers.

Tightlines667

Quote from: doradoben on March 26, 2017, 06:06:53 AM
I like your boat, John. A single diesel and a hull shape that probably works well off Oahu. I've never run a large teaser like Pakula makes. It would be one more thing to deal with when hooked up. Seems like it would be much simpler to run 4 skirted lures with mixed head shapes that would work in the conditions you fish. Two run off the rod tips near the transom, and the other two from the riggers.

That's the plan.  I have years of off shore trolling and fishing experience.  I just havn't ran alot of teasers.  I know they raise big fish, but havn't ran anything other then a bowling pin or bumper style, and don't have alot of days on either. 

Always interested to hear what others have learned from their experience.

BTW, my boat is by no means a typical hawaiian hull, in fact I believe its the only one in HI.  It was fished for years out of Kona (typically flat seas), then served as USCG auxiliary towing vessel out of Honolulu.  Guys over here like heavier boats w/half cabs, hard chines, and sponsons like Radon, Riddle, KamiCraft, Glasspros, Jackpots, Sampans, Force, Mosquito, Bannapatch, and the like.  She is a little light, narrow, wet, slow, and tender in a following sea, but very seaworthy, and is only burning 1-2gals/hr.

John
Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

Reinaard van der Vossen

I'm by no means an expert (more of an anti expert ;D) but I have been on some famous boats.

One of them only had teasers, no hook in the water, when trolling. All teasers were normal lures but without hooks. They were mostly black barts, legend lures and williams. It was same as an well developped normal marlin spread with longer heads on long corners and more blunt like cavitators medium far and real fatty lures like abaco prowlers nearby.

The difference was that the lures were large, at least one size up from what I normally would see. The prowler was bigger than I thought existed but seems to be a regular model and was pullet from a cleat with a 6mm rope on the short corner.

They only put a hook in a well rigged spanisch mack in a tuna tube mounted in the transom, filled with ice, no water flow. or other bait. When a marlin came into the spread the teasers were pulled closse to the boat and the bait was dropped back and hand teased the bait while the teasers were taken out of the water and until the marlin took the bait (bait and switch).

Most other boats that i've been on did not use teasers for Marlin (blue marlin that is) and only pulled lures. Some of them had a rigged swtchbait just in case that a hot marlin would come up to the transom.

For tuna it's different. Although most tuna ist caught chumming and drifting in the parts of the world that I fish they are also caught trolling. Large spreaderbars with squidskirts seem to work best but I have no idea whether a dredge would be better.

The large witch doctor seems to sometimes shy tuna away. I know they exist but have not seen them in use.   


humboldtdan

Here is a link to a guy that makes very high quality spreader bar type teasers.  As you can see from the gallery they work for a variety of pelagics including albacore, blue-, and yellow fin tuna, dorado, striped marlin.
http://www.redwoodcoastspreaderbars.com/default.asp

Patudo

I very much prefer to fish simple now, especially from a smaller boat, and especially in rough water and if short of experienced hands on deck. But the skipper I learned from liked to fish a single large teaser (bowling pin) and I have fished with other guys who used witchdoctors, large to extra large hookless lures, fenders and so on.  Blue marlin can appear to respond really well to big teasers and some captains are very keen on them but I'm still not 100% sure if they actually raise more fish (although they certainly help your confidence on a tough day). I do think they influence where the fish bites ie. the lure behind the teaser often gets most of the bites. 

Yellowfin tuna fishing... if your fishing involves chasing bird piles or dolphin pods a large heavy teaser can be more trouble than it's worth, you'll have to haul it in before you run. If they are hitting in the blind a large swimming teaser or spreader bar could be worth dragging but everything gets tough in windward rough seas.  There is a lot to be said for the KISS approach frankly... I have seen large spreader bars fished at slow speed for bluefin tuna but it seems that in fishing oceanic/blue water conditions much faster speeds are required to stay with the fish. 

Mahi... I haven't used that gear myself but would guess the types of flashers used by spearfishermen would be of value.  There might be a risk of lines crossing with your teaser/flasher line though. 

Slow trolling live aku ... you would think the bait would be enough teaser by itself.  I have seen a dead one used on one rigger and once saw a blue marlin crash that rather than the live bait that was being fished closer to the boat.  One tactic I have been told of but never tried is to skip a rubber squid (with hook) from the outrigger like a green stick while live baiting.  I can't imagine this would work as well as the green stick but it might buy the occasional ahi bite. 

Tightlines667

#13
Quote from: Patudo on August 03, 2017, 04:09:32 PM
I very much prefer to fish simple now, especially from a smaller boat, and especially in rough water and if short of experienced hands on deck. But the skipper I learned from liked to fish a single large teaser (bowling pin) and I have fished with other guys who used witchdoctors, large to extra large hookless lures, fenders and so on.  Blue marlin can appear to respond really well to big teasers and some captains are very keen on them but I'm still not 100% sure if they actually raise more fish (although they certainly help your confidence on a tough day). I do think they influence where the fish bites ie. the lure behind the teaser often gets most of the bites.  

Yellowfin tuna fishing... if your fishing involves chasing bird piles or dolphin pods a large heavy teaser can be more trouble than it's worth, you'll have to haul it in before you run. If they are hitting in the blind a large swimming teaser or spreader bar could be worth dragging but everything gets tough in windward rough seas.  There is a lot to be said for the KISS approach frankly... I have seen large spreader bars fished at slow speed for bluefin tuna but it seems that in fishing oceanic/blue water conditions much faster speeds are required to stay with the fish.  

Mahi... I haven't used that gear myself but would guess the types of flashers used by spearfishermen would be of value.  There might be a risk of lines crossing with your teaser/flasher line though.  

Slow trolling live aku ... you would think the bait would be enough teaser by itself.  I have seen a dead one used on one rigger and once saw a blue marlin crash that rather than the live bait that was being fished closer to the boat.  One tactic I have been told of but never tried is to skip a rubber squid (with hook) from the outrigger like a green stick while live baiting.  I can't imagine this would work as well as the green stick but it might buy the occasional ahi bite.  

Wise words.

I largely agree with everything you,'ve said here.  KISS is king offshore.  Especially when short-handed or fishing with inexperienced crew.

John

Hope springs eternal
for the consumate fishermen.

thorhammer

we run spreaders on occasion but as with KISS, you have to have enough salty folk on board to clear all the spaghetti mess away during hook-ups.   I run daisy chains with armed 0600 on short rigger and WWB.