7.5 to 8 knots

I like to go at around or slightly over 8 knots, as I have kinda convinced myself that makos stop biting anything over the 8 knot mark (well, from my experience anyhow)

With makos getting a little thinner on the ground now (longliners) I may drop it back a little especially for trolling from my little boat.

cheers,

Stu.

dustin....... one i have more concern about is what direction do you head in when you have say a 2mt swell running.......

do you head straight at it my thoughts from what ive learnt are never....... always angle across as Marlin tend to surf the waves.......

also never go directly with it ether as its hard to keep the lures in the water evertime you get picked up by the swell which in turns moves the boat along faster.....

what are your thoughts on this?????

Bender, I fish in Aussie and 2 metres swells is a good day, your gettig soft or those brownie points must be worth having if they are better than a screaming line.

We usually have the east Australian current running at 4 to 5 knots and working this is more important than the swell direction, we get more strikes running down and across current than running into it. As far as swells are concerned I will try try to run at any angle but not nose into it, however down current and the swell up the bum can be very exhilarating and you can cover a lot territory.

As far as speed is concerned it is at whatever speed you can get the lures working how you want them, given the prevailing conditions, we run the short and long corner very close to the boat, even using a roller troller from the base of these rods limits your speed somewhat, usually around 6 to 8 knots, particularly if you also like to run the short rigger quite close as we usually do as that is our strike zone. However I also have some lures that I bought in Hawaii that are designed to be run further back and can take speeds up 13knots, this is a fun thing to try as it should increase your changes of taking a yellow fin ( unfortunately almost extinct in Aussie thanks to the longliners), a bit like having a bob each way.  Peterw

Lethal, if working into a sea I would make tacks into the sea rather than take it straight off the bow, the lures work better that way and you can potentially show the lures to more fish as they come down sea.  If working down sea it's possible to go straight down sea but unless you're chasing a fish or birds etc., I prefer to again make quite long tacks down sea as it covers more water and the lures can be made to work beautifully as they go down the waves at a quartering angle rather than straight down.  I definitely think I've had more success getting bites heading down sea rather than into the sea and the improved action of the lures probably explains it.  As for current, once you find out the direction and strength of current, it's better to work with a current rather than against it. 

cheers - dustin

You can have a lure that is not so long in length but because of design and diameter still be very aggressive.  For ex. something like a sharply cut tube bait will look out of all proportion to its actual size when run correctly.  Unfortunately tubes and most other slant face lures with sharp faces need quite calm conditions to fish properly.

Big fish don't just eat big baits.. That's proven time and again in Hawaii where so many blues every year are caught on little things like 6 1/2", 7 3/4" and 9 1/2" jets and bullets and other small lures pulled for tuna and mahi.  Even in Madeira where a big lure is traditionally favoured for the big Atlantic blues, a smaller 10" size lure is always worth pulling around on the stinger bait.  The first blue I saw at Madeira, a 498#, came on a blue headed Ilander Black Hole; in early July 2001 a good friend of mine broke line on an 800+ fish on 80# that ate a Ron Akana Big Reidee (a slender headed plunger with 9 1/2" size skirts); I myself had 3 good fish, 750#, 800# and 875+ raised or hooked up on 10" lures, two were on an Evil coloured medium plunger with 9 1/2" skirts and one on a purple-gold Big T chugger lure.  Unfortunately the blues there can be so goddamn big it can be hard to get a small lure to swim with the heavy leader and big hooks you need to use.  But, if you pull it, they will come.  I guess once a big fish is attracted behind the boat, no lure is safe, even a small one.  That's why if you're targeting marlin, even if you put out a small lure like a jet head to pick up a tuna or mahi or what have you for dinner, put it out on a heavy enough leader and big enough hook to handle a marlin.  I guess in New Zealand I wouldn't want to go below about 250# leader and around an 8/0 or 9/0 hook. 

As for trolling smaller lures, maybe even a whole set of smaller lures, that can be a good idea if you're seeing a lot of small bait.  Marlin can be like tunas, if they're feeding on little 10" mackerels it can be hard to get them on a honking big 14" lure.  Besides, even quite a small lure running properly looks quite big in the water, with the splash, the smoke trail and all.   And the smaller the lure the better the hookups, by and large.  The fish finds it easier to swallow in one gulp and there's less risk of a bill wrap with the smaller hook(s).  If you're worried about not raising enough fish, put out one, or maybe two big aggressive teasers or hookless lures, and that'll do it. 

cheers - dustin