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Dolphin Fishing Rigs
We will cover a variety of dolphin fishing rigs in this video featuring S. Florida fisherman RJ Boyle. We will start with trolling rigs and then progress to jigs that can be used when the mahi mahi are not interested in the chunk baits you are throwing. You will see rigs with mono and wire rigged with strip baits and without.
When it comes to trolling for dolphin, keep it simple. Our recommendation is to troll no more than two rods. When you hook up, then you need to be ready to quickly transition to chunking, chumming and oil, so you can keep the fish attracted to your boat. Look for birds, floating debris, weedlines and current edges. Your trolling rigs should be way back. Be sure to keep your setup minimized, so you can easily deal with the school after you reel your first fish to the boat.
We will show you several dolphin trolling rigs, including lead head lures, trolling skirts and the classic dawn patrol bullet head lure from Roddy Hays. You will each, you will see how to rig lures for dolphin fishing. This is about running and gunning. You need to move fast to find fish and then once hooked up be prepared to catch 30 or 40 more. These lures are all you need when looking for fish.
Most of the dolphin you catch will come after you hook a fish trolling and draw the school to the boat. Then it is about your chum, chunking and spraying menhaden oil to keep the fish interested, as you pick them off one after another.
Jigs will work well when fish aren't triggered by chunks. Bucktail jigs are a great choice for this. You also have to consider having some inexpensive diamond jigs to drop down, when you find that floating pallet or tree and pick a few dolphin off it. There will also be wahoo around this flotsam. The wahoo will drop lower in the water column, as you hammer out the dolphin. When the bite slows, drop the diamond jigs down deep and crank like crazy. This is a great way to add a few wahoo to your box full of dorado. A drone spoon is another great rig to utilize with a planer to pull wahoo off the floating debris.
You will see very thorough demonstrations on how to make these dolphin fishing rigs from scratch. We will show how to make trolling rigs with both mono and wire. We will explain when the use of wire will work best. Most of the time, it will spook the fish. From tying the line to the hook, how to add a bonito strip, adding the lure and all the knots or crimps, you will see every step.
Bonito strips give you more chances of getting additional bites, if the fish misses on the first shot. These strip baits are really tough baits. If you want to know how to cut strip baits, watch here.
Trolling rigs for dolphin are deadly, when you are seeking the first bite. Once that first fish in on, crank it to the boat and start the chunking process. Learn more about that with our other dolphin fishing videos.
Watch more dolphin fishing videos
Total time: 37:06
Views: 955
Favorites: 2
Comments
David Groom, Apr 23, 2022 07:10 AM
Great short and to the point video, there’s a lot of info on trolling techniques here as well, I took a full page of notes and no doubt realized Bobby explained a LOT more than just how to rig this bait so pay close attention to what he says!
Seth Horne, Dec 26, 2022 10:35 AM
There really is a lot to chew on this video. It is smart to jot down a few notes and experiment to see which option works best for your gear and conditions. Thanks for the comment