Moyes lures from the man who pours them. Andy Moyes, the Fort Lauderdale lure maker and 2023 IGFA Gil Keech Heavy Tackle Award winner, takes his teasers and marlin lures through the spread, from the Argus and Punisher to the Blaster, and explains why he rigs a smaller hook than most anglers expect.
Moyes Lures for Blue Marlin with Andy Moyes
Moyes Lures for Blue Marlin with Andy Moyes
(00:45:07)
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Instructor:
Andy Moyes
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Which Moyes lures go close to the boat, and which go back?
Moyes lures follow the logic of any good marlin spread: big, loud heads close and smaller, quieter ones back. Andy Moyes puts it in one line: "I like aggressive lures close to the boat, less aggressive lures further from the boat." Big faces and short heads go short; small faces that pull light go long.
Andy builds them in Fort Lauderdale through Moyes Big Game Tactical, has made lures since 1983, and received the 2023 IGFA Gil Keech Heavy Tackle Award. The Argus and the Punisher are teasers first. If he could make only one lure, it would be the Blaster, which he says runs the same in a ten foot sea or flat calm.
What size hook goes in a Moyes lure?
Smaller than most expect. Andy runs a 9/0 in most of his lures, with the hook right at the end of the skirt. "Everyone thinks big fish, giant hook. It's definitely not the case," he says, because fish get hooked around the bill all the time. Where big blues are thick, he still runs a 9/0, just a heavier one.
The exception is the big lure on the short: a single 11/0 on 900 lb cable. "One fish, one hook."
Why does a keel weighted lure ride true?
A lure with weight low in the head sits upright and tracks straight instead of rolling, which keeps the hook where it was rigged. Andy calls it "ballast," not balance: a balanced lure rolls because the weight is equal, while a keel weighted one rights itself like a boat. Moyes lures carry a lead keel poured into the insert.
Inside the video
- Teasers for rough and calm water, including the best teaser his crew ran in Cape Verde
- Plungers with 10 and 15 degree faces, and why the flatter face is a rough water lure
- Scooped face pushers and what jet holes do
- The small bullet Hawaii boats run in the center rigger or shotgun every day
- Hook points and barbs, including the "speed bump" he files down
Questions About Moyes Lures
Who makes Moyes lures?
Andy Moyes makes them through Moyes Big Game Tactical in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He started in 1983 at a lathe in the family garage, chartered in Costa Rica for about 20 years, and received the 2023 IGFA Gil Keech Heavy Tackle Award. His most popular lures include the J-Boy, Boogie Man, Argus, Davey Boy and Blaster.
Can you put a hook in a Moyes teaser?
Some crews do, but Andy doesn't recommend it for his big plunger teaser, because its weight swings and pulls hooks. His teasers are heavy on purpose: a teaser pulled at a high angle off the rigger needs that weight so it doesn't skip in a rough sea.
What hook point does Andy Moyes prefer?
He prefers a tuna style, turned in point over an open J, in stainless, which he finds strong and good at holding a point. He cuts the point down and files the barb small. Steel hooks need touching up and recoating every day. He doesn't like the black Jobu for marlin after breaking five in a day.
Do lure colors matter for blue marlin?
Andy says action matters more than color. In an interview outside this video, he described ten Costa Rica captains running the same Moyes lure, each swearing by a different color, and a Cape Verde trip where every color he brought "made zero difference." If he had to pick one: black, or black and green.
Another Lure Maker's Hook Sets
Andy's lures are one lure maker's answer to the head, the hook and the spread. For another, watch Jack Tullius build the hook sets behind Black Bart lures.
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Rajiv
11.10.2021
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Andy Moyes
Captain Andy Moyes is the founder of Moyes Big Game Lures and one of the most respected lure craftsmen in big game fishing. Starting as a teenage lure maker in Fort Lauderdale, he built a brand whose keel-weighted heads and teasers have caught marlin over 1,000 pounds worldwide, earning the 2023 IGFA Gilbert Keech Heavy Tackle Award. He is also a world-traveling big game captain. In his In The Spread video, Moyes breaks down marlin lure head shapes, action, and spread positioning.
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