Zuker 5.5 - purple/black

Joe yee apollo - evil

williamson african queen - evil

black bart super plunger - flying fish

legend merlin - mackrel

Bonze Money for nothing - saury custom

Pakula sprocket - secret squid

Bonze hercules - angry squid

Pacific bait fish - fruit salad

 

No paticaular order

I tend to change head with the conditions, dead flat something that has a lot of throw and splash and a heavier straight runner in the heavy stuff.  Light colours in the dawn and dusk and on dark overcast days, and darker shades on the bright days.  

As fof the fav 10, I try not to stick to one type.  If it doesn't fly or get any attention over a couple of hours try something else.

But, I have a heap of Kilwell lures, and couple of Pakula's and am aiming for a Bnze or two for this season - first with my own tub so should be interesting...

Zuker 5.5 Black Purple - Rigger

Hooker Ghost - Rigger

Pacific Eye Catcher (Fruit Salad) - Rigger

Pakula Phantom (Evil) - Shot Gun behind a boone bird

Black Magic Tuna Terror (Blue White Pink) - Rigger

Mrs Palmer - Rigger

Legend Unicorn - Shot Gun (high speed plus normal trolling for tuna and marlin)

Pakula Cockroach (Evil) - Long Corner

Pakula Evil Animal - Rigger (Blue Marlin country)

 

 

My pick is initially similar to Saltigas, which is reassuring :

 

1) Black magic stripey2 lumo (SR)

2) Joe Yee super plunger evil (LC/ LR)

3) Legend Enki black and purple weighted head (SC)

4) Zuker 5.5 black and purple (LC/LR)

Then it gets harder....

5)Top Gun Lumo -with revolving head -I don't have one but another skipper I know has one and it was by far their most productive (LR/SR).  He is now semi-retired from game fishing but won't part with it.

6) Bonze Appache black purple- have only run mine a few times, maker assures me it will work which is good enough for me (LR/LC)

7) Pacific P581 old model -bue white and pink -caught my 1st and biggest stripe on it, only hit by Albies since. (LC/LR)

8) Azza's Kona Swimmer- Mrs Palmer - responsible for a 25kg YFT while hanging 30 merters below my stationary boat while live baiting off Knights. (SR/LR)

9) Red Gill Scad -purchased late last season, run once but others had success on it (LR/SG) meant to be good early season.

10) Not sure -would love to try lots of lures in some of the other picks -angry squid colours appeal.

 

Now of the opinion that given the great LOCAL lure makers we have, we should support them - we are very spoilt with the choice and quality of product available. Same probably goes for for rods -although you pay a bit more.  Plus the local lure makers are more than happy (as shown by posts here) to give very informed advice on how to get the best out of their creations.

 

I met Roddy Hayes at the boat show a few years ago.  I was not going to buy any more lures.

We talked about what lures I ran and I let slip I did seem to have a dead spot on my SC. Its a small Stabi -similar to what he fishes.  He suggested the weighted Enki was the answer as what I was putting there probably wasn't being seen and the lure needed to get under my prop wash.  He was subsequently proved very, very right.  In the Tuts one base the following season on a calm day we watched a striped marlin roar thru our spread to where the Enki was workin ust off our transom.  That day only about three fish (including ours) were weighed out of 100 odd boats.  Lucky or good advice? Without the advice I assure you that lure would not have been running there.

 

 

 

For a total of about 114 marlin

 

 

 

I started running this myself this year and it worked brilliantly in close and after raising a couple of fish in that area which I hadnt had happen before it was quickly locked and loaded for that position.  Runs very nicely :)

 

Westspot  -those are very interesting stats

 

Great to see the Legends and Bonzes featuring well in the stats, given likely run times

Sooo, what you are saying is that the lures that get towed the most catch the most

 

What would be nice for next season is if people could also keep a record of the hours they do and what lures were trolled where and what got strikes, this way we should get some better indication of what lures are performing best. 

 

Also another issue is where people are fishing, if for example you were fishing off Tauranga then your catch per unit effort I am afraid to say is always (generally anyway) going to be lousy no matter what you have out, there are just not many marlin here.

 

We can gather facts until we are blue in the face and we can gather statistics and model mathematical equations until we are blue in the face, but, we cannot use that to accurately predict or decipher what should or will work due to calculus and standard deviations with distributed and applied physics towards the correct and pure proven calculated LURE, albeit: brand associated or colour coordinated.,,dadadaa!

 

Just get a few known, recommended and proven favourite head shapes and skirt colours (as seen from many guys above) and just get out there and DO IT!

 

The results will come with time and experience...research and development, trial and error, patience and persistance...never give up...keep asking, trying and experimenting

 

Every boat is different, every FISH is different, try different things...fishing is not science, is not perfect and never will be.

 

If it was predictable then it would be boring, that is what keeps us coming back to the thrill of the chase!

 

translucent lumo squid

amber spotted squid

bill hall old blue

grander

Kona head, in blue and pink

 

All these have worked for me and they are extremely well made. Alot of these lures have been used by the old timers for decades!!!!!!

100's of fish have fallen to these boys

 

Wanabe, I've fished for Marlin for years and I've been to the Kings 7 times on charters. Cascade, Oracle, pursuit and Striker. After seeing what these guys have learned over many years you soon see there is bugger all luck to do with it. If you do your home work, prepare, have the right gear and most of all have local knowledge you almost always get one.

 

Thats way I'm on here, to keep learning . 

 

more than half my strikes have come from live baits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

On the boats I have been fishing on for the last 10 years or so we have had no marlin shots on the short lures, all on the Riggers or shotgun, I have tried all sorts of lures in the short positions.

 

One of the problems with fishing in the BOP is the lack of fish and hence you do not know if the lures are working or not in those positions you may just be zigging when you should be zagging. A really good day in the BOP is 3 shots, during the height of the northland season when the fishing is good 3 shots is often a pretty poor day, in those situations you get to know which lures are working and those that are not over a couple of weeks fishing, not the case down here, even at Waihau Bay it can be pretty hard work unless you get there when it is really firing which usually only lasts a couple of weeks.

 

What are peoples idea of a really good short corner or long corner lure from a fizz boat. Note I am not that keen on really big lures so something about 10 to 12 inches is what I am looking for.

 

 

great south road, penrose

 

 

 

 

Whilst not to attractive the williamson was the lure getting the most activity off the east coast - We were running our lures close to strike on the drag and failing - tried softer drags and they got dropped  ....

 

ask lance about the stripey that ate our Broadbill anrgy squid lure 1m from the transom in the middle of some pretty nasty wash..... 10m boat, twin outboards.....it looked like a grade 5 white water rapid yet the stripey still smashed the snot out of the lure in front of our eyes

 

In the latest Blue water all the favourite stripey lures for oz are smaller straight running lures........elephants eat peanuts it seems

 

On my small boat only had it for two seasons and had the one shot on a flat line but that was only because I did not have outriggers at the time, this year no marlin strikes at all but that is Tauranga for you.

 

The first marlin I was ever involved with from a private boat was a stipey which took a kahawai swimmer bait run about 25-30 feet behind a 9.9hp motor we were trolling with, it was running at nearly full noise pushing us along at about 4 knots and making a hell of a noise, but it did not scare the marlin.

 

Yes it is an intersting read that article in the latest Blue Water magazine, well worth a read guys. If I was fishing off the west coast which is essentially a striped marlin fishery I would only troll smaller lures of 6 to 10 inches. 

 

Interesting that most people say troll big lures in close and small lures further back, when I use to fish with Barney MacGibbon on his boat Pisces one of our most successful lures was a little lure similar to a pakula cockroach but only about 2/3 the size and we use to run this about 25 feet off the back of the boat and it got hit alot, especially by smaller marlin. 

amongst your 300 lures have you got a Hooker BS or MS white/brown(Ghost)? I run one religiously and it hogs the action (when there is action),is it a good lure or is it because I give it the best window and most time in the water or all of the previous 

Do people here really think there is a magic lure? Or do you think the lures you tow most are the ones you catch the most on?

Nearly 20% of the fish caught in the forum stats were caught on the Zuker 5.5. So does anyone really think if the Zuker was banned from our waters because it was unfair to fish that our catches would drop by 20%?..........No of course not, we would tow some other bit of plastic and do just as well. We caught over 50marlin on the Pacific FruitSalad, wow sounds impressive...that must be a great lure.........well NO, it was towed every time we went fishing and only caught 25% of the fish we caught(1 of 4 lines towed), didnt tow it at all this year and still managed to catch a few,,,The piece of plastic that replaced it caught its 25% worth.

I mean if you look at the Stats, one of the most successful lures ever isnt there, the moldcraft wide range......is that because its crap....is it because it doesnt work here.......or is it because no one here towed one much.

 

 

Funny thing for me too When I started I knowed nufing and I put the big lures out past the littleuns and had far more interest. Now I've learned and I figure this was just a fluke

 

Pay your money, take your chances...

 

 its the simple

Plan, time, money patients

 

it wil come.

 

gee tow a jandle or a thong long enough, eventually your get one :P

Wouldnt it make more sense to see the range of lures used by one boat over varied locations to see a more even comparison, that way the variable of the boat, crew and knowledge(or lack of) of what they are doing is the same. Then the % of time the lure was towed, the % of fish the lure caught may actually mean something.  

Fish|Angler|Size|Lure Position|Location|Fight time
1 Stripey  Josh  110kg Port Rigger Main Rock 45min
2 Stripey  Christine 90kg Port Rigger Stevies  15min
3 Blue  Christine 218kg long flatline Stevies  50min
4 Stripey  Christine 110kg Short flatline Stevies  15min
5 Stripey  Christine 100kg Short flatline Karikari 20min
6 Stripey  Christine 110kg long flatline Parenga  15min
7 Black  Christine 180kg Port Rigger North Cape 20min
8 Stripey  Christine 110kg long flatline North Cape 15min
9 Stripey  Christine 140kg Short flatline Karikari 35min
10 Stripey  Christine 70kg Short flatline Karikari 20min
11 Stripey  Christine 90kg Port Rigger Karikari 25min
12 ShortBill Greg  25kg Port Rigger Wekarua  12min
13 Stripey  Christine 110kg Long flatline Donahues 25min
14 Stripey  Christine 110kg Long flatline Main Rock 20min
15 Stripey  Christine 120kg Port Rigger Main Rock 20min
16 Stripey  Christine 90kg Long flatline Stevies  25min
17 Stripey  Christine 130kg Starbd Rigger Stevies  45min
18 Stripey  Christine 150kg Starbd Rigger North Cape 35min
19 Stripey  Spankie  100kg Short flatline Cape Brett 20min
20 Stripey  Greg  110kg Right Rodtip King Bank 45min
21 Stripey  Christine 110kg Short flatline King Bank 20min
22 Stripey  Christine 140kg Starbd Rigger North Cape 45min
23 Stripey  Christine 120kg Starbd Rigger Ninepin  20min
24 Stripey  Christine 85kg Starbd Rigger Doubtless 25min
25 Stripey  M Crawford      110kg Short flatline Clayworks 40min
26 Blue  Christine 200kg Rodtip  Clayworks 20min
27 Stripey  Spankie  100kg Starbd Rigger Parenga  10min
28 Stripey  Greg  130kg Long flatline King Bank 35min
29 Stripey  Christine 90kg Long flatline King Bank 50min
30 Stripey  Greg  100kg Starbd Rigger King Bank 10min
31 Stripey  Christine 110kg Short flatline King Bank 30min
32 Blue  Greg  203kg Port Rigger North Cape 45min
33 Stripey  Christine 90kg Long flatline Mt Camel 20min
34 Stripey  Greg  120kg Short flatline Karikari 120min
35 Stripey  Christine 90kg Starbd Rigger Karikari 20min
36 Black  Christine 220kg Starbd Rigger Ninepin  20min
37 Stripey  Christine 130kg shortFlat Ninepin  20min
38 Stripey  Christine 150kg Long Flat Ninepin  20min
39 Stripey  Christine 80kg Port Rigger Ninepin  15min
40 Stripey  Keith  90kg Long flatline King Bank 10min
41 Stripey  Christine 100kg Starbd Rigger King Bank 20min
42 Stripey  Keith  85kg Long flatline King Bank 15min
43 Stripey  Christine 110kg Starbd Rigger King Bank 20min
44 Stripey  Christine 120kg Short flatline King Bank 30min
45 Stripey  Christine 110kg Long Flat King Bank 20min
46 Stripey  Christine 120kg Short flatline King Bank 30min
47 Stripey  Christine 80kg Short flatline King Bank 5min
48 Stripey  Christine 110kg Port Rigger Stevies  15min
49 Stripey  Christine 85kg Short flatline Flat Is  30min
50 Stripey  Christine 90kg Long flatline Karikari 15min
51 Stripey  Spankie  90kg Port Rigger NorthCape 20min
52 Stripey  Christine 90kg Starbd Rigger NorthCape 20min
53 Stripey  Christine 85kg Starbd Rigger Karikari 25min
54 Stripey  Christine 90kg Shortflat Karikari 20min
55 Stripey  Christine 110kg Long Flat Karikari 20min
56 Stripey  Christine 120kg Long flat Karikari 40min

Summary
Port Rigger       10fish    18.5%
Starbd Rigger   13fish    24.1%
Long flat           16fish    29.6%
Short flat           15fish   27.8%

 

Legend Lures   26fish            48.2%
Pakula             14fish             25.2%
Remainder lure
Pacific              6fish
Big T                2fish
Moldcraft         4fish
Boone              2fish

                                   25.2%
Locations
Whangaroa           14fish     25.2%
Karikari/Camel      12fish 22.2%
BOI                       10fish 18.5%
King Bank             14fish 25.2%
North Cape            9fish 16.7%

Generally nearly always 2 legend lures in the spread so should be close to 50% and was 48.2%
Generally always 1 Pakula in the spread so should be 25% and was 25.2%
Generally always 1 Remainder in the spread so should be 25% and was 25.2%

Conclusion.
No lures or positions stand out all very close to expected result, considering the small sample size.

The best lure therefore is the one you caught your last fish on.

 

Dont post much these days but what BA said is 'GOLD'

 

Blue Asparagus wrote: as for setting your gear, ok so you have decided where you going to run your lures, I am at a loss as to why so far back? your boat white water the harmonics are all part and parcel to teasing the fish your after, your long corner for me would be where i decide its easy stuff, mine is the same side as my prop spins?????????? here is a tip now i dont know how many times I have said it, dont wait like alot do and set the boat up during the season, me I set mine up come late October early November. no marlin around then or is there? but anyways I tow gear up and down the harbour in flat conditions. this allows me to see my pressure wave, yes I have a 38ftr but hell at times it is hard to see the wave. ok I now set my out riggers 1st, when they are running where I want and at a speed that I like i then get power gum and make the loops up they are very easy To make them up I do not release the line from the rigger I pull it down and make the loop, there is still tension on the line so this helps, the same can be done with dacron loops but power gum is the bomb. ok so you have set up both sides with power gum loops? reset to the hieght you like on the rigger. ok now you set up your short and long corners. easy stuff now what I have done is to set the corners but i also tie a half side of a power gum loop, when this hit the rod tip my lure is set, simple stuff however i do run both corners with bent butts. and when I dont I run short tag lines, these are ajustable to allow me to set the hieght of the line to the lure, easy stuff ay. I also run a shot gun if I have crew for it......... ok so your set and they are swimming nice, ok lets fine tune them a bit. I mentioned speed its not all about 8kts dont be fulled by that, you need to run you boat where it is comfortable and where your lures are working, you will know if they are not they look sluggish and dont pop and carry on. Peter P makes the hybrids, they can be towed alot slower, the guy puts thought into his designs etc so it pays to read or watch his dvds etc. ok speed up the boat your at 8kts the lures start to bounce, no good slow down until they settle down it maybe just 6.5kts it may be 7 etc. ok looking good so now you add either a power gum loop or a dacron sleeve to each rigger line they should be about 2m from the initial loop. this depends on your set up. ok the reason for this is simple, sea conditions lure speed and head type, these extra loops allow you to get the best out of your boat speed lure hight and best out of your lure now in a sea it may mean you have to slow down, bugger my lures are not running, easy stuff pull the lure in to the 1st loop and set it, this adds more hieght or it maybe the other way let it out to the last loop. when you have dacron loops or P/G loops it is so simple to set up hell my young fella does it. they are always there and always back to that same old spot in the wash. ok so you have been trying for 4 years and got one, big deal many try and never even see one, the boat must be working all you need to do is tune it all to work, and you mention towing lures in a desert, well very true but mate this is where you need to be in the club room ahving a beer and listening to the talk, use the resourse it is free, no good going in the opposite direction to the fish, then above all you need to be on your game, no good sleeping you need to be looking scanning investigating anything you see, a bird on the water  a floating piece of crap current lines and know how to use those current lines, ask any game fisherman worth his salt and they tell you how to work a line, forget about those who say the troll up and down them you need to work them. guys that get a marlin in there 1st season, its great they have done what alot want, but then come the following season they dont get any maybe the odd shot, well were they lucky the 1st time, I recon a guy who looses 10 marlin then gets one will be the most thrilled, why cause he has felt the pain of loosing a few and he has earnt this one. patience and time on the water, straight running lures be prepared it will happen. and as I have said many times patience and time on the water also the remeber the 6 Ps oh I have not always owned a launch I have run 3 trailer boats as well.

Who would have thought it posible aye...without a  SeaTal or 5.5.

Legend Merlin (daughters left hand) = 26 - I personally only wound in one of those.

Obald has Enkis, Unicorns, Andromedas, Vulcans....all manner of other legends....

1) we  now run only certain head shapes in these positons (plunger style, heavier the better, bigger (with exception of Enki), and generally darker lures like Black and purple -but evil successful as well - Lures successful were weighted, Enki, Joe Yee Appollo/ or Plunger/Zucker - which is a heavy tube -these have all been good.

2) Was also told (by Roddy) flatlining lures in these positions can be a mistake as it limits their action and how deep they can dive -transom on my stabi -aint that high anyway.  So towing point is important thing to consider in affecting action.

3) You also want these lures running at reasonable speed as they need to "Pop" a bit -great thing is they are easier to see being close -its always harder to to seee how long rigger is running in trailer boat.

As Adam's stats show te corners are certainly as good positions as riggers on his boat.  And I would suggest marlin are neither wary of outboard noise or propwash and the issue is more making sure your lure in the short positions is noticed and attracts the fish's attention.

 

Wannabe -300 lures owned is more than the biggest tackle shops I know.  I'd would be interested to know if anyone else owns more than 300 -as strongly suspect it must be a NZ record.   I am going shopping to Go-fish this arvo to secure a cheap -seven strand orange and black job which might bring my tally up to 20 odd - I don't think I will get another 270 lures though.

 

 

I think you'll find that wannabe and his daughter are trademe traders of lures hence why the number.

Whats your guys handle on trade me wannabe so we can keep an eye out for your lures, is it hunter1022 and undercovergirl

(Marlingator) Interesting that most people say troll big lures in close and small lures further back, when I use to fish with Barney MacGibbon on his boat Pisces one of our most successful lures was a little lure similar to a pakula cockroach but only about 2/3 the size and we use to run this about 25 feet off the back of the boat and it got hit alot, especially by smaller marlin. 

 

Not an expert but I think the rationale behind that one may partly be that fishing a short line with less line stretch helps bigger lures with bigger hooks etc.. get a better hookup. Also think running a bigger thing up close helps act like a teaser ie. draw them in closer to the boat and hopefully if they miss it or don't take it they drop back and eat something smaller on the rigger. There is definitely a case though, if you know you're raising a lot of fish in x position, to put something there that will maximize your hookups.  I have been pretty lucky that most boats I fished on raised them well in the corners and on some you could normally expect most fish to show up close in.  This year 10 out of 16 blue marlin have come up close to the boat, second or third wave. 

 

Adam that was some great statistical info, thanks for sharing. Do you keep logs of fish that were hooked and lost and missed strikes as well?  Counting in those ones, would your stats still work out at approx 25% for each position or for e.g. the flat lines might start to pull ahead?  Just interested to know. 

 

cheers - dustin

wasn’t a criticism, I am in awe and watch your actions all the time as you never know when you might have that lure that ive been looking for.

We all have a passion for this ‘fishing lark’ you’ve only got to imagine how much we’ve all invested in our sport over the years to see this, we’re all collectors, hells teeth you only have to look in to most guys mansheds to see this.

 

The more shiny stuff the better in my view

Mate, that is a problem. Tell you what, because Im such a nice guy I will take the 300 lures off your hands and narrow it down for you, replacing them with just 4 that catch fish, you will know that they work because they look like they have been dragged down a gravel road, so you can rest assured when you are towing them that fish will eat them.

What do ya recon.

 

Dustin, Ive never kept a list of fish we have missed. Seeing all those listed and knowing we didnt get them may make me too depressed.

I dont think the stats would alter too much tho if we did.

 

They are like lollies though, some just look nice and need to be in the bag for pure aesthetics.

 

Id pop down and have a chat with Tazee at W.S lauries. He was skirting up some real nice lures that would do the trick in the Catchalot range that would be worth a gander at

 

Kilwell do another and so on and so on and so on