Gator167

Quick question:

I just got my boat last summer, so Im trying to learn some offshore stuff quick. Yesterday I was trolling some strech 30's outside of the pass around the 1st and 2nd bouys, but I could not get them to stay down. They were not fouled with line on the hooks, and they would start off diving good, but then they would surface and start skipping on the top of the water. I tryed changing my speed fromaround 3mph to around 5 mph (which was way too fast) and let out more line, less line, ect..but they kept coming to the top. I'm sure this is something simple and newbie, but I figured these things were idiot proof. Guess I proved that wrong!:banghead

Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Mike

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specslayer

you have to bend the metal u that connects to the lip. they can be run pretty fast as long as there true, we were pulling them at 7-8mph today

jim t

This question comes up every so often... here's the best answer...

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=287501

This should be a sticky somewhere...

Jim

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GO GATORS!!!

Sea Monkey

The OLE moonwalk.

The previous post is great information. While I was reading the post about lures coming to the surface while trolling. The though that came to my head was current. I'm not sure what the tide was doing when you were dragging baits. But sometimes there is ALOT of water that flows out of the pass. Your GPS may say your going x- mph. Thats your vessel speed. Now if you are trolling into a x-mph. current, then the water over the lures is faster than the GPS speed. This may not be your problem, just the thought that came to my head.:letsdrink

patsfan72

thanks for that link. good info

Kim

Your trolling speed makes a difference too fast and it will do what you described

mickeyt1reef

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">I love to pull stretch 20?and 30?s I have pulled them up to 6.5mph with no issues, however, as <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Sea Monkey[/B] stated that current can rip out of the pass!!!! This must be taken into consideration when trolling in the hard current, especially when it?s boiling out and your trolling North.<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

dpewitt

Agreed on current. You normally want to troll "with" the current anyway since that is normally the way the bait will be flowing anyway. Trolling "against" the current can force these up and I have noticed makes a difference on the catch ratio. Also, I usually use some Malin 49 strand cable to make a loop and crimp to the split ring on the lure. This helps with toothy critters and the loop gives the lure a little more play to stary down.

Buckyt

Watch where you tie onto the O-ring. If the notch in the O-ring is touching the eye of the lure, it can cause the lure to run cockeyed. I try to tie my line near the O-ring notch to prevent it from touching the eye of the lure .

I have found it difficult to "tune" the stretch 30's once they get damaged by catching big Redfish.

Hope this helps.

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Chris V

If it continues with no luck with prior described solutions then I would try a different plug. My favorite is the rapala X-rap in Hot orange or dorado. They are a little bit more per plug but swim true right out of the box up to 12 knots.

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