Same lures in a pattern

**zomees** · Sep-12-2005, 05:14 PM

Read in the SWS rag last month that Tred Barta is a big fan of matching up all the same colors, if not lures on the same spread.

" At the canyons in recent years, I have trolled nine rods, with each lure or bait identical in size head design and color...obviously emulating one school of baitfish is not rocket science, but it worked extremely well for me"

He does go on to say that boat handling (i suck), trolling patterns (i suck worse) and knowing your own abilities and wake (clueless there) have always far outweiged the hype of lure design....

agree or disagree w/this on the West Coast style of fishing?

so, now ill sit back and wait for the braintrust of BD to flow in :smoking33

Mo Betta · Sep-12-2005, 05:32 PM

Agree....Bob Franko method. Worked great LAST year. The fish will hit the odd lure in the pattern, so why give them a choice? Instead of getting a single jigstrike why not load them all up, then throw bait. This year, I start getting desperate, and stray from the plan, its a tough year. Dont judge your methods as good or bad by this years fishing.

Aquahero3 · Sep-12-2005, 05:43 PM

Think about a predator hunting, goes for the slowest, oddest, weakest, different one, if everything is the same, there is no weak link and you are more then likely to have the whole spread go.

If theres 1 thats different it will get hit, if everything is different, more then not you will get singles.

When trolling for albies we have been using the same color/lure on everything, for several years, with a few exceptions. We will run with either Mex flag, Zucc or Pro dolphin, either feathers or clones, depending on conditions. If its ruff and the feathers are popping then I will bust out the 2.5 ounce clones. All the same except the meats if we run them, with the meats I run Sumo M-20's, even though this year I was got a star lures jet, got 4 big ass holes angled out and is a jet with feathers and the rubber, I like it a lot, smoke works. I need to get another one. The thought behind the meatline is the fish is always 60 ft from the boat, can't run so his buddies see him up there and come join the party, just like leaving a hooked fish in the water on a bait stop.

Sometimes I don't feel like running meats and will just put the smokers on rods and flat line clips.

The other exception is occasionally (And this is usually near a full moon) the fish are feeding differently, I will put cedars on the riggers.

Reel Trouble · Sep-12-2005, 05:50 PM

I have pretty much always put out a few different feather to find out if there is one particular "hot color". But for the most part especially with Daisy chains I run the same color with the exception of the last clone or follower. I was taught to make the last one larger and a different color, and to space this just a little more than the rest of the chain. If you are talking about meat lines then I would probably agree with Tred that when imulating schooling fish it would be more effective if you had the same color but that is not to say it works better or worst. With all the variables that comes with fishing it's all speculation. What works one day in a given area doesn't always work the next. Not to mention most of the time speed is a huge variable, this season for albies we couldn't buy a bite....then Finatic said he was slowing down his troll to about 6 miles. We slowed down and started to hook, then we took it one step futher and really slowed down and trolled fish traps. It worked this season we'll see whats in store for next. I sure hope to get some more Yellow Fin Tuna this year I hope the Seiners give us a break and let at least one huge school come up the line. Yeah i know I'm dreaming but I can still wish.

Ron

**Marcus** · Sep-12-2005, 05:59 PM

When I was up north and on my Ensenada charters we always start the day with different lures (color depends on light conditions). As we start getting bit we start changing out the ones that aren't getting bit to the same type/color as the ones that are getting bit. By process of elimination we usually end up running one to two colors in the spread. If the bite dies down or conditions change (amount of light, gets brighter we start using brighter colored jigs) we start all over again and figure it out. We kind of did this on Saturday.

BluefinCurly · Sep-12-2005, 07:13 PM

I think there is something to be said for Tred's philosophy.

When I first fished commercially it was on a jig boat.We always trolled the same colors but similar jigs (like Pence is talking about), usually clones. It always seemed to produce for us over the years . Even when I moved down south and started bait fishing, we always ran a "pattern" on the starbord side.

Now as a PB'er, I find everyone wants to use their own "hot jig", so I at least try and keep the right colors (dark/dark or light/bright) until we find anything that stands out. It has often led to changing out the spread to a similar pattern and color.
Last season the only thing that would stop the boat was a 4" clone in blue/yellow, so we switched to samll jigs in that color spectrum and did well. Earlier this season NOTHING would get the boat stopped, until I dragged that same jig out.

Then again, other days it doesn't matter if you hang a hook on a beer can, they'll bite nails.

Of course, I haven't "caught more Big Eye tuna than any man alive".

Aquahero3 · Sep-12-2005, 09:10 PM

whats that 4 inch pattern?

Does it look like a saurie?

I have been trying to find something that looks like them little basturds...

JTAP · Sep-12-2005, 09:27 PM

Its what commercial fisherman do.

BluefinCurly · Sep-13-2005, 11:03 AM

Yea Pence, sevenstrand makes them, and they do look like saurie. I'll try and get a pick and post it up tomorrow (have to have my kid do it, I still can't figure out how to link up a pic).

The Notorious S.U.A · Sep-13-2005, 11:48 AM

well hey, the guy catches fish.
he may be arrogant and annoying, but he puts fish on deck and has a good time doing it, so i figure he's got something there.

**zomees** · Sep-13-2005, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stand_up_angler

well hey, the guy catches fish.
he may be arrogant and annoying, but he puts fish on deck and has a good time doing it, so i figure he's got something there.

uh, me ...or tred???

anyway, its a first for me all this same pattern shit...makes sense to me, i just based my intellect in trolling (or lack therof...ok, mentally deficient really) from the sportboats that always had 4-6 different patterns plus a meat line...

good to know and now i guess i gotta buy 5 of everything...

ZZZZZ · Sep-13-2005, 12:32 PM

When you mix it up its called polluting the spread.

My 2 cents.