queensland Fast trolling lures and techniques

[Drop Bear]

Hey gang,

Hope you are all doing well.

I have the opportunity to travel up to Lady Musgrave from Brisbane on a flybridge. It is a holiday for most of the people and they all like to have a go at fishing but don't know much. I had had a few reds when I invited myself and talked up fishing as they go along. When I woke up I realised I don't really have much experience trolling above 8 knots and I need your help. 

The boat cruises at about 12 knots.

I have plenty of skirted lures but what other lures could I use? 

The boat has large outriggers so I want to tow a spread of 5. I have enough rods but I think I need to upgrade a few reels and thought I'd get some more Tyrnos 20s. (Should I get 30s?)

Also what is a good middle line vlass, I was thinking 40lb. 

If you have any ideas, or if you can direct me to any videos or websites it would be great appreciated.

Photo for attention

we got some crabs but not many fish this week. Sorry southside.

 

[benno573]

Hey mate, there’s plenty of hard bodies that claim they will run up to 12kn and more but skirts are a lot more reliable. Heavier hex heads run well and create good bubble trails. I personally would run heavier than 40lb line but that’s just me.

[Towknee]

Hi, I’ve watched a couple of things on YouTube. This one might be helpful for looking for setting up a spread of 5 skirts. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J_o7pubGl_k
 

 

 

 

[kmcrosby78]

Haha, the old red wine inspired bravado ..... love it Robbie . I can't help with trolling advice sorry mate but hope you have a ball (and catch some fish) .   When is the trip?

Oh and darn nice muddies there - yum!!

[Another Wazza]

Zerek make a hardbody called the “speed donkey” and claim it’s good for 15kts, I’ve never tried one though so can’t really comment, just thought for $20 it may be of interest?

[Ed.]

On 29/12/2021 at 6:14 AM, Drop Bear said:

The boat has large outriggers so I want to tow a spread of 5. I have enough rods but I think I need to upgrade a few reels and thought I'd get some more Tyrnos 20s. (Should I get 30s?)

Hi Drop Bear, I used to have both the Tyrnos 20 and the 30, from memory, the main difference is that the 30 is a wide version of the 20, so it just has more line capacity, all the rest of the spec's such as retrieve rate, drag power are the same.

So it would really depend on what you are chasing and if the boat can run down the fish should you hook a big one. Having said that, both of these reels hold a decent amount of line. You know the old saying " bigger is better"! although I did end up selling my 30 first.

When you come back and if you are into "Ballooning", then the 30 would be better, as you would let out 100-200+ meters of line just to get the bait out to the right area and still have lots of line in reserve.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers

Ed.

 

[GregOug]

Hi Robbie,

My two cents worth, which is probably worth more like no cents (or nonsense), but anyway, here goes.

I have a Tyrnos 16 single speed and a couple of Tyrnos 20 two speeds. I think the 20s would suit what you are looking to do. 

Some lures that I have which are suitable for trolling at 12 knots, and you may like to consider, are:

1. Halco GT Stickbait 180mm 178g - colours Bonito or Red Tiger;

2. Strike Pro Dorado;

3. Polu Kai Tail Pipe - I like the Morning Mist one;

4. Zerek Speed Donkeys - I have a few of these. They come in some great colours. I like the Slimy Mackerel or Chocolate Rose; and

5. Live Target Spanish Mackerel - 12 knots might be a bit high, better suited up to 10 knots.

cheers

Greg

p.s The photos and links below in order are 1, 3, 2, 4 and 5.

 

https://www.marine-deals.com.au/halco-gt-stickbait-180mm-178g?q=halco red &h=10

C8A8E4B8-E08D-46E0-915A-5C5FCF3C3AB8.webp

[Ed.]

Hey @GregOug, now that you have the Tyrnos reels, how do you like using them compared to the TLD's that you had?

Cheers

Ed.

[GregOug]

4 hours ago, Ed. said:

Hey @GregOug, now that you have the Tyrnos reels, how do you like using them compared to the TLD's that you had?

Cheers

Ed.

Hi @Ed., they are just so much smoother. The ratchet mechanism works well. And they look better too!

[Ed.]

Yep, thought you might like them better!

[Junky]

Lucky you DB. 

 

Halco giant tremblers will tow at that speed.

River to sea killer vibes. 

Mack baits. 

Take a few gar along as well for skip baits. Put them out in the spread of skirts. 

 

40lb will be okay, just run heavier leader. 100 to 150lb wind ons at around 5m+ in length. Swage a swivel on the end and use an egg snap for easy lure swap over.

 

[Drop Bear]

On 29/12/2021 at 5:32 PM, benno573 said:

Hey mate, there’s plenty of hard bodies that claim they will run up to 12kn and more but skirts are a lot more reliable. Heavier hex heads run well and create good bubble trails. I personally would run heavier than 40lb line but that’s just me.

50lb? 

[Drop Bear]

On 29/12/2021 at 6:28 PM, Towknee said:

This one might be helpful for looking for setting up a spread of 5 skirts. 

Nice. nearly 2 hours. I think I will watch that one with a beer... or 2

 

[Drop Bear]

On 29/12/2021 at 8:25 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

When is the trip?

Oh and darn nice muddies there - yum!!

Trip is in September. So a long way away. I will need to purchase a couple of set ups. 

The muddies were not thick and when the wind kicked in I pulled the pin and pulled out the pots. The 3 we got were delicious and worth the effort. I think it is time for me to upgrade my pots however. The old ones are more patched holes than original net with rusty rings these days

 

[Drop Bear]

On 29/12/2021 at 8:33 PM, Another Wazza said:

Zerek make a hardbody called the “speed donkey” and claim it’s good for 15kts, I’ve never tried one though so can’t really comment, just thought for $20 it may be of interest?

Thanks mate they look good. I will grab a few for sure. Will try them out in the bay. 

[Drop Bear]

On 29/12/2021 at 8:34 PM, Ed. said:

Just my 2 cents worth.

Cheers

Ed.

Thanks Ed,

Perhaps I need 2 x 20s and  x 30s...  I think the boats would be able to chase them but I don't think the skipper is very experienced. 

What class line would you suggest? 

[Ed.]

Depends on what type of fish you are chasing, and also it would depend if you want to play with them or just skull drag them in.

50-80-100lb  braid with a mono top shot of 80-200lb. The 30 is a reasonably largish reel so the heavier braid would be fine.

Mackerel can be caught virtually on most line. I knew a guy who fished for 25kg  Spanish on 4lb mono, but it used to take him ages to land it, and that would cheese everyone off on a charter boat. My preference would be 30-50lb plus heavier mono and a wire trace. Small bill fish could be used on the same setup excluding the wire.

Large Billfish would be better on a larger reel, ie; 50w to 80.

Giant Marlin you are looking at 80-130 class reels. So at the end of the day, I would just ring up the charter company and ask them what type of fish they will probably encounter and what gear you should bring.

If it was me , I would be bringing my Okuma 15T, 30 and 50w, and a spare Fathom 30 all in 2 speed. If I wanted to play with the fish as well, then my Fathom 15.

Once you get to 30lb and above,  I would get a decent rod gimbal and 50 and above,  a stand up kidney reel harness will make your fishing much easier on your back, Black Magic or the Aftco brand harness.

[Ed.]

Sorry Drop Bear, just read the first post and didn't realize it is not a charter company that you are going with but with friends, so nothing to go by as to what to expect. Either way any of the gear mentioned will still do the job. Incidentally are you providing any of your gear for others to use or is everyone bringing their own gear? If you aren't targeting any of the jumbo sized fish then the 30 sized and under reels should be suitable.

I would still recommend getting the kidney harness and gimble setup.

For example:

https://www.wellsystackle.com.au/_products//Accessories/FishingGIMBALBELTSHARNESSES/AftcoFishingHarness-MAXFORCEXH1-8110-21288-.aspx

https://www.wellsystackle.com.au/_products//Accessories/FishingGIMBALBELTSHARNESSES/AftcoFishingGimbal-CLARIONFightingBelt-8110-21290-.aspx

or

https://www.wellsystackle.com.au/_products//Accessories/FishingGIMBALBELTSHARNESSES/BlackMagicFishingEqualiserGIMBALBELTHARNESSSET-8110-1214-.aspx

Personally I got the Aftco Maxforce XH1 for myself as I liked it better than the Black Magic one and made a Gimbal rod belt to suit, but there are other options out there as well. I already had  a full harness but didn't like using it as it placed way to much pressure on the back where as using the stand up kidney one, puts the pressure on your hips and legs so you don't feel the strain nearly as much and is much more relaxing.

[Towknee]

20 hours ago, Drop Bear said:

Nice. nearly 2 hours. I think I will watch that one with a beer... or 2

 

I have watched a few now on different topics. Just need weather & work to line up to actually try and put it into practice! 

[Drop Bear]

On 31/12/2021 at 2:43 AM, GregOug said:

My two cents worth

It has taken me a few days to look through all those suggestions. Thanks so much mate. 

Now my tackle boxes will be filled to the bream haha. 

[Drop Bear]

On 31/12/2021 at 2:04 PM, Junky said:

40lb will be okay, just run heavier leader. 100 to 150lb wind ons at around 5m+ in length. Swage a swivel on the end and use an egg snap for easy lure swap over.

Pro tips thanks mate. Googling Egg Snap now

 

[Drop Bear]

On 31/12/2021 at 2:04 PM, Junky said:

egg snap

ok got it. They look good thanks. 

[Drop Bear]

16 hours ago, Ed. said:

Incidentally are you providing any of your gear for others to use or is everyone bringing their own gear? If you aren't targeting any of the jumbo sized fish then the 30 sized and under reels should be suitable.

I will be providing all the gear. That way I don't have to pay for the fuel

 

[Drop Bear]

20 hours ago, Ed. said:

I would get a decent rod gimbal

I only have a smaller one. It is a bit rough and old so will grab a new one. They look great. 

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. Greatly appreciated. 

[Ed.]

45 minutes ago, Drop Bear said:

I will be providing all the gear. That way I don't have to pay for the fuel

 

That could be a mistake, do your friends actually know how to use the gear? If not, you may have to show them how to use it first!

[Drop Bear]

1 hour ago, Ed. said:

That could be a mistake, do your friends actually know how to use the gear? If not, you may have to show them how to use it first!

they have no idea. I will show them and set it all up. 

[Drop Bear]

1 hour ago, Ed. said:

That could be a mistake

They run big fly bridges at 12 - 14 knots... I think I am getting the cheap deal